Pretty as a Picture 28/07

Don't usually have words on Pretty as a Picture, but today is my birthday (number undisclosed) and Susan in Hebrew means Lily, so here you are...2 for 1!

My Mobile Garden

At the back of our house is a wide gravel path that stands bare and uninspiring through the late autumn and winter.  However at this time of year I begin to bring our mobile garden of pots away from the relative warmth of the house walls and cold greenhouse and build a border of plants along the path.

For the most part these pots contain a passion of mine for hostas.  They suit being grown in pots here as our garden has very little shade and the soil is sandy and free draining.  Being in a pot they can benefit from the east facing aspect at the back of the house and I can ensure that they are adequately watered; there is also the advantage that when they die down in the winter I can move the pots out of sight.

So last weekend I began to construct the arrangement of potted plants.  The hostas are off and running into growth; as the season progresses they will provide lovely lush and spreading foliage, which means that the pots will move further apart and eventually, by June, run the whole width of the house.  There are also a few pots of lilies to add scent and height to the display.

The combination of the hosta foliage, the little bubbling water feature, japanese acers and the bush fuchsias (added to provide some floral value) give me a delightful view from the kitchen sink!

Pretty as a Picture 27/09

lilium White Heaven

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.

Pretty as a Picture 16/08



bought as lilium patricia's pride; but very obviously not!  any ideas?



August Bloomers

I've recently discovered Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day over on May Dreams Gardens and thought I'd join the fray this month; so a selection of blooming lovelies follows:

pelargoniums

dianthus

blush noisette

nasturtium

dimension



patricia's pride



ground carpet

New Arrival

Hurrah!  The lilies mentioned in my previous post have burst into bloom, and they are fantastic - what a colour! 

lilium Dimension in bloom

Just waiting for Patricia's Pride and White Heaven to join the display.

In Anticipation

As I write I'm awaiting the arrival of lilies in bloom.  The white ones (name long forgotten) I've had in pots for about four years have just come into bloom and look and smell luscious; though I understand that not everyone is a fan of lilies and/or their scent, I'm smitten.

old favourites - name long forgotten

The anticipation is for the new lilies purchased at Malvern Spring Show earlier this year and as advised immediately planted with the hope of flowering this year.  As you can see it looks as though that flowering will happen any day now and I'm so excited!

lilium Dimension

lilium White Heaven

I'll publish more photos if and when the blooms open to reveal the beautiful colours and delicious scent that I recall - watch this space!

Malvern Spring Show Impressions (VFTA No 2)

First things first, my friend C and I had a lovely day out at the show, as usual we really enjoyed each other's company.  The weather was fine, no rain until I was driving back to Shropshire.  During the day it was cloudy with sunny intervals and very breezy, but pleasant enough for us to eat our lunch outdoors and to have a good wander around the show.

So impressions...well, lots of acers, lilies, hostas, acquilegia, grasses in the various nursery stands.  A mixed bag of a show with crafts and specialist foods alongside gardening tools, clothing, plants and show gardens.

Orange Marmalade on the left and Fragrant Bouquet on the right

I love hostas and the show had a number of stalls showing such a range of these plants from minatures to giants.  Needless to say I bagged a couple, Orange Marmalade and Fragrant Bouquet, well who could resist - not me!  C looks like becoming a hosta convert, it's the minature ones that have caught her interest.  I also picked up a envelope of hosta seeds.  According to the packet they seldom come true to the parent plant as, like acquilegias, they are very promiscuious, so it will be interesting to see what results I get.

I couldn't come back to Holly Grove without at least one new addition to the flower borders.  The chosen plant is Nemesia Vanilla Lady, chosen for its striking perfume and its dainty flowers.  I think it will go into the front of the swingseat walk border, right by the steps so that its perfume can be fully appreciated.

Dainty Lady

Highly perfumed

Lilies were my other purchase.  The displays in the Floral Marquee were amazingly beautiful and these are what tempted both C and I to buy some bulbs.  We came away with three types, all asiatic lilies I believe:

Dimension; the most dramatic of the three.  A very deep burgundy with texture like velvet.

Patricia's Pride; picking up the burgundy theme in the centre of the predominently white flower.

White Heaven - what can I say, irresistible!!!

White Heaven

Talking of show gardens I found these a bit disappointing; they were very small (not that big is necessarily better) and lacking in imagination and (for me anyway) lacking in inspiration.  The focus of the gardens seemed to be more on the hard landscaping than the plants - a pity as if the planting had been better the gardens would have risen in my estimation. I was really surprised to see that any of them had an RHS Gold Medal - but then this is only my view and I'm no RHS judge!

There were three gardens I found of interest:

A Garden for Life - very attractive garden building surrounded by dense planting and a lovely fountain water feature.  The colours in this garden really appealed to me; mostly blues and purples.

The Atomic Journey - strange theme for a garden but this was beautifully executed.  A very symmetrical garden with a small but effective range of plants - both C and I thought that this would make a lovely front garden.

The Rain Garden

The Rain Garden - my favourite, not for the planting but rather it has provided a couple of ideas for using water in the garden and may provide inspiration for a garden somewhere in Holly Grove - still considering it.  My photo doesn't really do it justice.  You can find descriptions of all the show gardens here.

I should also mention a stand that I have visited at a couple of shows and on-line: Plant Supports.  They stock very robust and attractive plant supports and there is always a bargain to be had on their show stands.  Add to this that it's a family firm and they are so friendly and helpful, it makes it a pleasure to do business with them.  This time I bought some spiral supports and some edging supports; I'm getting quite a collection and they are required on this exposed and often windy site.  My preference is for the rustic version as they fit in so well with the cottage garden planting, though by mid season they are hidden from view by foliage. They also supply green plastic coated supports.

We really had a lovely day out and I would recommend the show to anyone who enjoys their garden - lots to see and do in the lovely setting of the Malvern Hills.  We'll be going back for more in September at the Autumn Show.