FENCE Night garden's really special
Over the
We’ve been really making the most of the long, warm evenings, staying outside for as long as possible. Every night at 9.45pm two local bats swoop in and fly loops round our neighbour’s garden. You can set your watch by them.
It’s a marvellous sight.
There’s something special about the night garden, everything changes, the noise, light, cooler temperatures, gentle breeze and wildlife, all bringing an overwhelming sense of calm. No more jobs to be done, just time to sit and contemplate the day and observe.
Many plants have gone to seed, such as roses and red valerian, so I’ve deadheaded to encourage new buds, whereas other plants, such as honesty and foxgloves have been left to dry, self-seed or be collected to share. Other plants have ramped up into bloom. Our
I've grown hollyhocks and, above, salvias from seed wild chicory is covered in beautiful lilac flowers, the hollyhocks are out and the penstemon is a sea of raspberry trumpets.
I love propagating plants so I always have a project or two going on in the greenhouse. Currently I have an army of herbs and salvias rooting. Purple sage, golden oregano, lemon balm, salvia ‘Love and Wishes’ are all leafing up well. I also love growing food and ornamentals from seed. My latest little miracles are Salvia viridis ‘Blue Monday’, antirrhinums and hollyhocks.
I’ve been dividing large pots of herbs, which have required a spade to cut through the roots, but once split down the smaller clumps easily pull apart by hand. One large tub has now been transformed into 15 smaller pots, perfect for plant swaps and presents. Onward next to the Moroccan mint, which makes the most exquisite herbal tea.
Our kitchen garden has been brimming with fruit – strawberries and raspberries picked by the bowl full! I was worried about this year’s crop; the drought had initially produced small, hard bullets, which looked inedible, but as the rains fell the fruit swelled. A taste sensation!
The garden's looking good. Bedding plants have settled in well and are about to explode into flower. I found I couldn’t plant up the two big hanging baskets as I usually do, so I just made do with plants I had to hand, but they still look lovely. My favourite clematis ‘Étoile Violette’ is beautiful – I love
My three-tier planter and, left, rose 'Sandra'
My beautiful bedding display is on the verge of being in full flower
I’m missing my annual trip to RHS Hampton Court Flower Show this year due to the pandemic, so when the beautiful rose ‘Nostalgia’ flowered in the garden, it was a poignant reminder of the flower as I bought it there a couple of years ago. I therefore look forward to normality returning in 2021, when I'll be first in the queue for the show! Just before lockdown I was given rose ‘Sandra’ for my birthday. It’s been growing well in a container and I’m thrilled to say that it’s just flowered with gorgeous pink rosebuds. Earlier in the year I promised myself
I would go on more garden visits; however, most gardens have too. been closed, but since lockdown has been slightly relaxed I’ve managed to book slots for some gardens in Northumberland, which include Wallington walled garden and woodland trail, Longframlington Gardens, Howick Hall Gardens & Arboretum and the stunning gardens of Whalton Manor, designed by Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll.
The small ‘Bramley’s Seedling' apple tree on the allotment has already provided a good early harvest. Garlic and shallots are ready to dig up and store and
the tomatoes are romping away in warm soil and showers.
In my mam’s garden, I’ve helped her plant out begonias, busy Lizzies and lobelia into borders, planted a three-tiered planter with trailing surfinia and made up a hanging basket with black and red surfinia with a wonderful trailing pale yellow one, which looks lovely against the black.
It's funny how a simple job in the garden often leads onto another and then another. This was the case recently when I decided that a clump of bearded flag iris ‘English Cottage’ needed dividing as it hadn't flowered well this year.
It was also overshadowed by a lavender and a rose, so having dug the rhizomes out I then started thinking about where I could replant them. Wish I'd done that first! All the borders are full to bursting so a new one was needed.
The area of lawn where it meets the drive has looked scruffy for a while so, as it’s in full sun all day, I decided the iris would do well there. The only problem being a very large white cistus which had to be cut back first, and then obviously cuttings had to be taken from it! Finally I was ready to dig with help from my husband, and we ended up with two new flower beds, facing each other. The only requirement being that the remaining gap be big enough to drive the lawn tractor through.
After covering the iris rhizomes in black plastic overnight to keep them damp I then set about dividing them up and cutting back the fan of leaves. Of course, I then had to dig up and separate two other clumps of iris. All told I’ve replanted into the new beds 47 plants and another seven are in pots for sales table next year! After all that work I hope it looks good next year.
aI haven't forgotten the vegetable garden – we're now harvesting potato ‘Rocket’ along with the first carrots. I'm also trying to remember to remove sideshoots from the tomatoes. Mostly I find them in time, however one was a bit bigger than expected!
●