MY GARDEN RIGHT NOW
Stake and dead head, this is all I seem to be doing right now. It’s all growing and it’s all getting tall. Hollyhocks are towering overhead, perennial sweet peas, passion flower and clematis are covering the fences, the roses are really coming to their best now. But the current stars of the show are the poppies who bloom so beautifully and briefly that the bees flock to them to fill their boots with pollen.
Every evening I’m sniping the heads of all the roses that have gone over, I have even managed to cut some a little early so as to dry the petals. These petals will probably
end up as ‘perfume’ for my 9 year old but if they dry well enough may be confetti for my Brother’s wedding.
Right now is a good time to feed your roses, either with a rose food or using well rotted manure around the base. To me, roses are an investment and well worth looking after, they are a plant that with the right care will just get better year on year. Coming from a florist background I am always drawn to the big and blousy David Austin varieties and I go for repeat flowering ones to make sure their season is as long as possible.
Climbing up my fences I have clematis, passion flower and perennial sweet peas that seem to grow and grow no matter how much a prune and try to tame them. They all last really well in a vase too and can provide real interest trailing from a vase on a shelf or windowsill.
Taller plants such as Salvia, lupins, scabious and delphinium continue to need some support especially with the recent wind we have had. Try not to stake them too stiffly and tie them to canes, metal bow plant supports are the best to use right now. I’m a fan of the rusty metal ones that I buy from Preston Bissett Garden Centre.
Earlier this year I dug up my Dahlia bed to make way for some vegetables to enjoy. I redistributed my beloved friends throughout the main flower bed and now some are showing signs of flowers. I am so relieved the move didn’t damage them especially as I didn’t lift them last year either.
Now is the time of year I can see any gaps in my flower beds and I definitely go for the more is more approach and never want to see any soil poking through. So I have bought a whole tray of pink Achillea which I can now dot (cram) through the flower beds to give even more colour and the bees love these too.
Until next time, enjoy your gardens.
A garden is a grand teacher.
Gertrude Jekyll
It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust.
| Hi, i’m Jess I have always loved being outside and noticing the wildlife that plants and flowers bring into our gardens. As a youth I was much happier surrounded by my pets and plants than anything else, this has never changed. Now at the age of 40 I think I’m where I’m meant to be; surrounded once again by plants and pets. For the last 12 years I have been a florist, I have owned my own shop, been studio based and freelanced for some amazing florists having the opportunity to work at amazing venues all over the country. During the last 5 years I have had the space to grow my own flowers, often adding the perfect bloom into my floral displays. Right now a new chapter is opening up and there is much more flower growing in my future. These articles will be my thoughts and observations of the garden as it grows and changes. |
GARDEN FAVOURITES
The single best plant I have in the garden is an Annabelle Hydrangea. It has grown and spread quickly and blooms prolifically. The pale lime colour brightens up a dull area in the garden and I have just planted a few more to enjoy next year too. The stems grow long and straight and are also great for cutting and putting in a vase, lasting a week or more if the water is changed. I pruned this down by two thirds in the autumn and it seems to have benefited from that and come back stronger than ever.