SUMMER COLOUR
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| Dublin Bay in June |
The recent heat wave enjoyed (or endured) in the south of
the UK, may not have quite reached us up north, but this year our Scottish
climate has still been outstanding for warmth, sunshine and dry weather. This
followed a mild winter and a very pleasant spring so it is no surprise that our
gardens have been a riot of colour month after month. I thought colour had
peaked with a massive show from the tulips, but that was followed by the show
of dazzling azaleas, then the bearded iris, and now the summer roses climbing
up my walls continue the show. Every time we walk around the garden there is
another plant having its moment in the spotlight. Two weeks ago I wrote about all
this colour in the garden, only to find that a fortnight later the colour has
not diminished but there is a whole new group of plants seeking attention.
Just where do you begin and just hope it continues through
summer and into the autumn.
At the moment it is the climbing roses that catch the eye as
well as my two shrub roses Ispahan and Rosa mundi.
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| Rosa Mundi |
Another very tall shrub having its moment is my Philadelphus
virginal. Catching those long arching sprays of pure white flowers against a
deep blue sky make a brilliant picture and the scent is unforgettable.
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| Delosperma and Senecio |
Coming down in scale to my dry border I have a few shrubs
well adapted to a south facing bank with good soil but with a four foot
retaining wall to hold it back it has always suffered from lack of moisture. A
selection of those plants adapted to maritime conditions seems to work well. At
this moment my large Senecio greyii is a mass of yellow flowers and growing
alongside it clambering over the wall is a Delosperma cooperi with purple
flowers. A perfect match and adding to the display is my pink Erigeron ground
cover and taller evergreen shrub Cistus purpureus with
deep pink flowers. This
group was never planned, but over the years I found a plant to fill a gap to
suit the dry conditions and just so happen they all decide to flower at the
same time. Sometimes you just get lucky. Another piece of luck was the visit to
RHS gardens at Wisley last year when Anna picked up a packet of Sweet William
seed which we had never grown before but Anna recalled them from childhood days
and wanted to try them out. We didn’t have a special place for them so they
went into every spare piece of soil in rose borders, herbaceous borders and our
allotment flower border. They have been fantastic and added colour to other
plants all around them. |
| Peonia Doreen |
Over on the herbaceous border the latest star performer has
been Peonia Doreen, one of Anna’s prize purchases from Gardening Scotland a few
years ago. Every year it gets bigger with more flowers and now really catches
the eye. Then again our massive group of deep blue delphiniums continue to
perform every year, but need serious staking due to their size and strength.
Tubs and hanging baskets are growing well and are quite
colourful, but this is not their time yet as they still have to come into full
flower probably from end of July onwards. However the pink and red geraniums
have been outstanding. I kept pinching off all the flowers from winter till the
end of spring to build up strong growth. This has paid off as now they just can’t
wait to get their flowers up into the sunshine. Petunias alongside them are
also enjoying the warmth putting on plenty colour.
Wee jobs to do this week
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| Salad catch crops |
Harvest vegetable crops as they ripen such as turnip, lettuce, rocket,
spring onions, peas and early salad potatoes. This releases land for another
quick growing crop of salads, beetroot, autumn and winter cabbages and cauliflower.
There might also be time for another pea crop using a dwarf early variety such
as Feltham First, Meteor, Kelvedon Wonder, or sugar snap peas.
END
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