 |
|
|
|
|
| GARDEN DIARY | ||||
| July/August 2010 | ||||
| Click Here For Last Month | ||||
| Susie Pasley-Tyler I must apologise to those who read this diary for failing to write anything for June and July. I just ran out of time! No real excuse but we just seem to have been more than usually busy. So finally I am managing to write again at the beginning of August. June was the most wonderful month. I can never remember the garden looking so good – the roses in particular. And the weather was pretty consistently good. I think everybody agreed that so many things had benefitted from the very cold winter and the dormant spell which they had enjoyed for the first time in many years. But by the beginning of July the garden was becoming rather too dry. Fortunately, we did eventually get some rain in the middle of July, since when we have had quite a lot and the garden is now well watered but rather lacking in sunshine. |
||||
 |
 |
|||
| Rosa 'Seven Sisters' early July 2010 | Rose Bank early July 2010 | |||
| So the lawns are green and the herbaceous plants are flowering well, but would definitely benefit from some sun. On the terraces the pots are doing well and providing a good splash of colour. The clematis are putting on a wonderful display climbing over shrubs and roses, over walls and up trees. It is interesting to note the roses which flower at Coton in August. Rosa Mermaid is flowering on the house wall; R. Lady Scarman flowers over the ‘poop-deck’ non-stop from late June onwards; in the Rose Garden R. Ghislaine de Feligonde, R. Mrs Oakley Fisher, R.Phyllis Bide & R.Little White Pet are all flowering well. Many of the twice flowering roses are just showing signs of beginning their second flowering, but those that flower right now are really invaluable. | ||||
 |
 |
|||
| Clematis Jackmanii & Heliotropium arborescens in August | Roses Mrs Oakley Fisher & Ghislaine de Feligonde August | |||
| .During July campanulas, achilleas, lythrum, astilbes, echinaceas, monardas have been flowering well and are mostly still in flower. August is the time for kniphofias, dahlias, phlox, shrubby salvias, early asters, crocosmias, rudbeckias. Japanese anemones, etc. Each year we experiment with one or two new dahlias. This year we have introduced two new ones: Le Baron is a very deep pinkish/purple which took a bit of placing; however we eventually found a place where it is near the purple annual Cuphea viscossissimum, the mauve Geranium Wlassovianium and Penstemon Mother of Pearl; the other one is a strong orange, Dahlia Mrs Eileen, and this one has been planted in three positions in the Meadow Border to boost the orange colour there during August and September. At present this border is perhaps the most exciting in the garden. The achilleas Terracotta, Inca Gold, Walter Funcke & Credo are still in flower, together with Kniphofia Tawny King and Brimstone, Potentilla William Rollinson, Heleniums and orange lilies and these are contrasted with the blues of groups of Agastache, Aster x frikartii, Campanula lactiflora, Echinops, Eryngium and Nepeta , with splashes of pink from Veronica Pink Damask, Lythrum and Echinaceas. It really zings out from further up the garden which is the main viewing point for this border. | ||||
 |
 |
|||
| Lythrum, Achillea, Sedum & Phlox in Midsummer Border | Kniphofias, Agastache & Achilleas in Meadow Border | |||
| Elsewhere in the garden the Mediterranean Bank is looking very colourful with Agapanthus, Acanthus, and drifts of Saponaria Max Frei and Diascia personata, Hibiscus and Buddleias here are just beginning to show their flowers In the Water Garden there are late flowering hostas, lythrum, lysimachia clethroides, monarda, lilies and anemones, but the general emphasis is on foliage and it is altogether calmer and quieter than when at its peak in May and early June. The Woodland likewise is very peaceful with foliage playing a major role and a few of the later performers just beginning to flower – hydrangeas, anemones, tricyrtis etc. | ||||
 |
 |
|||
| Mediterranean Bank in August | Gravel Garden with Agapanthus & Eryngiums | |||
| We have just about completed cutting back plants which will either re-flower or put on new foliage, but there is the endless task of deadheading. I find this rather mindless job quite therapeutic and it does give you the opportunity to observe what is around you – butterflies, bees etc. It is a good opportunity to pause and think about what might be better in a different position next year, or where to put something new that we have acquired during the course of the summer. So we have already started making notes about changes for next year and taking photographs for the record - it is such an advantage having a digital camera for this purpose rather than having to rely on one’s memory. | ||||
 |
 |
|||
| Clematis & dahlias in August | Phlox Natascha & Aster x frikartii Monch in August | |||
| Hopefully I will be sufficiently organised to write again at the end of August, but it may be worth mentioning that we should as usual have plenty of spring bulbs on sale here in September for those of you wishing to buy tulips, camassias, narcissus etc. We will look forward to seeing some of you in either August or September. | ||||
Back to Top |
||||