uninvited GUESTS
Gypsophila and cyclamen are welcome to stay
There are some things in our garden that neither of us planted, although I suspect The Landscaper has sneaked in a few annuals from time to time. It amazes me how readily he can manufacture a look of surprise when I mention there are marigolds growing alongside the path.
Obviously neither of us planted the tobacco trees and wild cherries that are the bane of our lives, but what about the tamarillo which is thriving beside the studio? We don’t eat tamarillos. Why would we do that? I’m grateful for that tam tree though, because it’s really pretty and, even though we don’t like the fruit, I love picking it to put in a white fruit bowl. Makes me wish I could paint.
I’m also grateful for the cyclamen plants that turned up uninvited three or four years ago. I’d always thought of cyclamen as grandmother plants but, like everything, it depends what you
do with them.
Our cyclamen are growing in a couple of troughs alongside the back door, and are usually obliterated by mondo. But this time every year, I’m always delighted to see their flowers poking determinedly out of the grasses. There’s another one growing just outside the courtyard gate, tucked under a Mexican orange blossom and also surrounded by mondo. So it’s time, I think, that I accepted I’m going to grow some on purpose, grandmotherly or not.
How could you not love something that appears just when you think winter could be the death of you? They emerge just when you really need a boost, asking for nothing and brightening up the cool, shady spots that hardly ever see the sun.
Before I tell you what they like, I’d better confess that I have never given mine anything. No, not even water. They like excellent drainage, dappled shade, and to be planted with their tubers sitting to sit on top of the soil. Otherwise plant them as you would most plants. They should keep flowering from now until September.
There are lots of different colours and styles available — red, violet, white and many shades of pink, some with frilled flowers, butterfly double-type flowers, and some variation in leaf marbling. I’m off to get some more.
Gypsophila
Another plant I never thought I’d grow is gypsophila. It’s not a grandmother plant but it’s very bridal, and it used to feature at every wedding you ever attended. Flower girls wore it in their hair, and it was a popular filler for formal floral arrangements, especially with roses. Oh dear.
But again, it depends what you do with it. I can’t remember why I planted the first lot but I teamed some up with volcanic rocks, and the contrast of the delicate Baby’s Breath and the gnarly old stone is fabulous.
Sadly it has fallen out of favour for weddings and the like, overtaken by ferns, succulents and eucalyptus foliage. At least, that’s what I read on Martha
Stewart’s website.
But even if I’m now the only person growing it I’m predicting a comeback, because as well as being pretty, it’s an obedient, tolerant and uncomplicated plant to grow. The only thing I found wrong with it was that mine were annuals, and as I’ve possibly mentioned about a hundred times, I’m not an annual girl.
Then I discovered there’s a perennial form, which sent me scurrying to the garden centre for a few potsful. I bought all the white ones they had in stock. Yes, there were some in pinky-lavender but I couldn’t go there.
I’ve taken a big shine to Gypsophila paniculata Bristol Fairy, which has double white fragrant flowers held above the foliage on wiry stems. It does well in a sunny, well-drained spot but choose carefully — it doesn’t like being moved. It grows tall and leggy with pink or white flowers and positioned against a contrasting wall it’s a show stopper.
Another fabulous perennial is Gypsophila paniculata Snowflake. Despite its name it loves full sun and thrives in well-drained soil, enjoying occasional side-dressings of dolomite lime. It’ll grow about a metre by a metre, which gives it a real chance to shine against a contrasting background. I may have to paint something black!