Plants so eager to flower
Plants in the garden seem to be tumbling over themselves in their eagerness to flower. My favourite plant changes on a weekly, if not daily, basis. I planted hundreds of allium bulbs last autumn and it has paid off.
They’ve really sparkled in the sunshine and look stunning alongside bearded iris ‘English Cottage’ and ‘Sable’ – two of my current favourites. Another I love is Sambucus nigra ‘Black Lace’, whose pink flowers are perfectly set off by dark purple leaves. Iris sibirica ‘Tropic Night’ has grown into a lovely large clump; this week it was visited by the most enormous bumblebee I’ve ever seen, luckily just as I had my camera at the ready (see below).
Roses are flowering well, particularly ‘Desdemona’, a David Austin rose. Last autumn, we moved rose ‘Tuscany Superb’ along the border a few feet into a more open position. The gamble appears to have paid off and it has plenty of new growth.
Camassia bulbs I planted in the orchard to naturalise are flowering in a lovely shade of white – I thought I’d bought blue ones! They’re beautiful though, and it’s a good excuse to buy more.
I’m happy two varieties of dahlia I left overwintering in the garden have survived and are growing strongly now. Others stored inside have now been re-planted, along with six new varieties I bought earlier.
The new vegetable garden is taking shape with broad beans, courgettes, beetroot and chard all planted and ‘Salad Bowl’ lettuce ready to pick. I’ve planted up a cutting bed too with cosmos, statice, sweet peas and dahlias with zinnias and sunflowers to follow when they’re hardened off.
Read more about the garden at www.talesfromacountrygarden.wordpress.com