Readers’ gardens
H ere in Norfolk, the weather in late spring was, to say the least, changeable, but I’m always amazed at how nature can find a balance. Now we can look forward to the rest of summer hoping we don’t have to weather any more extremes!
The stars of the garden so far have been the Exochorda macrantha ‘The Bride’, which is a beautiful shrub whose flowers are such a pure white it stands out like a beacon in the border. It’s a real winner!
Another pleasing recent addition to the garden is the early-flowering Clematis alpina ‘Pink Flamingo’; its pretty, bell-like flowers are so delicate, but it’s deceptively tough and has thrived to brighten a dull, north-facing wall.
Last, but by no means least, the Viburnum opulus ‘Roseum’. A commonly-grown, but often undervalued shrub, whose pure white flowers are held on large round heads that resemble large, snowballs. Although the heads droop in the rain, they soon come up again when the sun shines.
As soon as conditions were right we were able to begin our lawn care programme. First, a quick trim with the lightweight, wheeled mower to pick up any debris, then out with the roller. The next step is a cut using a heavier mower with a roller, to give a striped finish.
The final part of the process is feeding, and this year we had perfect conditions – dry grass, damp soil and a forecast of rain! We always use an autumn lawn feed at both ends of the season. We’ll probably apply a nitrogen liquid feed late this month, just to keep the grass looking green.
Once again, I’ve been lucky enough to be able to raise all of my pansies from seed collected from last year’s plants. They’re giving a colourful display in the containers around the garden.
The shade bed is now beginning to look its best and I’ve never seen it so verdant. It’s spectacular with all the different hardy geraniums in flower – the statues among them add a classical finishing touch. The herbaceous bed developed a few gaps, which have now been filled by achilleas and delphiniums, grown from seed, together with actaea ‘Chocoholic’, echinops ‘Arctic Glow’ and Echium amoenum ‘Red Feathers’.