July

These are July Photographs

These are July Notes

Is it July already?, well the end of July actually as I do my pages at the close of each month. I have been surprised to find that both June and July do not produce a lot of new flowers in my garden, by that I mean new varieties/species starting into bloom. There are lots of flowers but many are carried over from May. 

Another thing I've noticed is, although the weather has generally been cool and wet, the garden is beginning to take on that slightly tired mid-Summer look. The greens becoming darker as the leaves mature and the freshness of Spring is now somewhat lost. However, I've dug around a bit and found a few things that I hope will be of interest.

The container to the right is planted with three plants of the Million Bells variety, sorry I don't know the proper name, but what I do know is they were in there last year, have spent the Winter outside and now look better than ever.

Convolvulus, the name strikes fear into many a gardener, but this little thing, Convolvulus althaeoides, is far more restrained than our common Bindweed, Calystegia silvatica. In my part of the world it is borderline hardy, but I understand it can be somewhat invasive in warmer climes. As you can see mine lives in a large terracotta pot which allows me to give it greenhouse protection in Winter, but could be the solution for containing it in milder areas. It likes free draining soil and as much sun as it can get.

Did I sort of hint earlier that the garden can start to look tired at this time of the year, well here's a plant to put some fire into any planting scheme. This is Crocosmia Lucifer, very adaptable, growing in fairly dry shade and in full sun ( when we get any) in my garden. From my original purchase of two corms I now have several rapidly expanding clumps. It seems to be just as hardy as the more common orange type, which in turn is much hardier than many books would have you believe. It stands everything our weather throws at it, with the only problem being frost damage to the first leaves in Spring, from which it always recovers well. The only drawback to Lucifer is that it grows much taller than other Crocosmias and tends to flop over just as it comes into flower, if not well supported.

This is what happens when it rains almost non stop for a month as it did in June this year.  I love all the lush greenery, the only problem being lack of access due to plants exceeding their allotted space. Cutting hard back at this time of year always leaves lots of bare branches and twigs that detract from the overall appearance, just when we need it to look at it's best to show off the Summer flowers. My solution is to leave it and accept the somewhat overgrown look until the Autumn when a good tidy up is the order of the day.

When Bill Gates manages to put smelly vision into explorer (I know Netscape users say it stinks anyway), then you will be able to appreciate this plant to the full. It is Heliotropium arborescens Cherry Pie, and smells strongly of cherry vanilla. I would have past it by at the garden centre, but they stuck a sign on it that said "smell me". One sniff and I bought it, not hardy for me but it has survived one Winter albeit a mild one in my greenhouse. It sits on a concrete seat in my smelly area. Others there include a scented Pelargonium, miniature Lilac, two kinds of mint, Rosemary and Lemon Balm, but for me the Heliotropium is the star.

You can imagine with my slug problem that Campanulas do not do too well for me, so I generally have to stick to the vigorous kinds. The one to the right is Campanula poscharskyana and a very vigorous spreader it is, but this makes it suitable for the wilder parts of the garden where it will hold its own against all comers even in fairly dense shade. The effect when grown en-mass in shade is similar to that given earlier by bluebells, Hyacinthoides non-scripta.

The Campanula lactiflora to the left is completely different in growth habit, reaching a height of about three feet (90cm) from a slowly expanding clump. The appearance is that of a bush covered in bunches of blue bell shaped flowers. I have been asked on many occasions for the name of "that shrub". I have a strange relationship with it in my garden, the original plant is still with me after twenty years in the same spot. Divisions from it have been planted all over the garden, but non have survived for more than two or three years.

These are July Photographs

These are July Notes