September in Bloom

It can't be the middle of September already - can it?  Seems like it is and it's time for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day courtesy of May Dreams Gardens...so here's what's blooming at Holly Grove this September...

Lilium White Heaven opened its buds on 1st September; it's as lovely as I remember when I bought the bulbs at the Malvern Spring show in April this year.  It is a very robust lily and about 90cm tall and the scent is gorgeous.

This is the first of my sunflowers to bloom this year.  A poor show for me with the first batch of seeds failing to produce anything.  It was an old packet so I'll be gathering some new seeds from this flower for next year.  I expect the weather has played a part too - not sunny enough for these chaps.

This little nasturtium has selfseeded itself right next to the little purple-black viola below; what a lovely combination!

I planted several violas earlier this year and they have been flowering non-stop since June. This one is viola Rosecastle Black, I also have viola Rebecca Yellow and a pale blue one that I can't remember the name of at the moment; all little gems.



I've planted two of these pretty blue autumn flowering shrubs in the past year - ceratostigma willmottianum - and they are beginning to settle in and produce their flowers.  With the leaves blushed pink at the edges they promise to be a lovely autumn addition to the garden.



We have several lavatera around Holly Grove, this one is lavatera Bredon Springs; they flower profusely from June to the first frosts.  Although a realatively short lived shrub they are so easy to propogate from cuttings (and they selfseed so easily in our light soil) that we are able to replace any losses.  They also have the advantage of speedy growth filling a space and adding height to a border in a single season. 



This malus Sunset has produced lots of lovely apples this year though it will be a little longer before they are ready to pick.  This variety provides a relatively late harvest around the end of October when the apples are a glorious bright red.

This unusual plant was a last minute purchase for a shallow basket.  I know it as cigar plant, cuphea ignea, it is a native of Mexico and therefore is grown in the UK as an annual.

These hardy fuchsias are growing in a very difficult spot at the back of the swing seat; they receive very little light and the soil is very dry as this corner of the border is very tight to the hedgerow.  Despite all of this they produce these lovely bright flowers and, hopefuly, they will grow into large shrubs providing interest through the autumn.

Well, there's more blooming at Holly Grove in September that I expected; have alook at other gardens in bloom around the world at the Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day hosted by  May Dreams Gardens.

Close Quarters

I spend a lot of time in this garden at close quarters with the plants as I deadhead, weed and generally tidy up throughout the summer months.  One of the advantages of this close contact is that I get to fully appreciate the texture and scent of plants up close and personal.

fuchsia stem colour and leaf texture

I'm a big fan of fuchsias especially the trailing varieties, then whilst clearing up some fallen blooms from this plant I really took notice of the red stems and the contrast with the fresh green leaves; the flowers just felt like an added bonus.

hosta guacamole

In a large terracotta pot next to the fuchsia is this hosta.  It's a sublime green with large ribbed leaves crying out to be touched.  A couple of weeks ago it also had the addition of tall, white, lightly scented flowers, but it's the leaves that win this plant its place in the garden.

pinus sylvestris 'Chantry Blue'

Sticking with the green theme, the arrangement of the needles on this Scot's pine are mesmerising, I could stand and stare for ages (and often do!).

sedum spectabile 'Brilliant'

The combination of fleshy, succulent leaves and impending flowers give this plant real status in the texture stakes.  Then when the flowers open and its nectar brings the butterflies it's a supercharged plant for the late summer border.

marguerite

This close up of a large pot of marguerite standing on the party patio reminds me of a Laura Ashley fabric, pretty white petals with dainty yellow centres and flowering profusely throughout the summer - a bargain buy!

Generally on a visit to someone else's garden I don't get this kind of view; I think it might look as though I'm searching for faults rather than appreciating the plants.  However by not adopting this stance I'm missing out on some real treasure, so next time I visit a garden or flower show you may well find me down amongst the foliage and flowers appreciating the real detail of the planting.

Pots and Baskets

I spent some time on Saturday morning browsing around our local plant nursery for suitable candidates for our summer baskets and pots.  I wanted some of the usual suspects: bright red geraniums (more correctly pelargoniums) and various fuchsias.  There was a fair range to choose from but not as good as in previous years and the plants were larger and more expensive than I would normally pay.  This is due to me being well behind on the basket front this year.  I did manage to find a bargain or two at the supermarket to add to the fray!

I normally buy my pot and basket plants as plug plants and grow them on in the greenhouse from April.  This year it's the end of May and I'm just getting around to thinking of summer containers, so I've paid the price quite literally! 

The Handyman and I have agreed to cut down on the number of hanging baskets this year as the watering every evening takes up such a lot of time.  So until we work out an automatic watering system we'll restrict the number of baskets and plant a few more flowers in the borders where watering is less of an issue.

The afternoon was spent potting up the containers and phaffing around to get them in the right position.  It normally takes me two or three attempts to be happy with the positioning of the pots.  After that I can sit back and wait for the summer show, as long as I keep watering, feeding and deadheading they should go on until the first frosts.  Look out for updates on progress in future posts.