PIPE DREAMS
A friend of mine, who was clearing out his shed, gave me these sections of old drainage pipe. They’re the perfect disguise for ordinary black-plastic, three-litre pots lodged snugly into the top, and remain steadfast even when the compost is wet and heavy. Most of the plants in this arrangement have been grown from seed, apart from the procumbent Campanula poscharskyana and the Thalictrum tuberosum. Overall the feel of the composition is somewhat wild and includes a few new plants that I wanted to get to know better before I used them in the garden. I’ve top-dressed the soil surface with sphagnum moss.
How to achieve the look
The showiest plant here is Campanula punctata f. rubriflora, with its long, pendent, rose-purple bellflowers held on loose spikes. At the back are the slender spines of Lobelia fenestralis. It favours warmer climes but has such a lovely fine habit I thought it worth a try. Another first is the pheasant’s eye (Adonis aestivalis), which I’ve wanted to grow for some time. Its flowers are a glossy, blood red and foliage is a fresh green. It has a branching habit and I love it. The flowers close at night and in dull weather, but this doesn’t bother me. Next year I might combine it in the garden with the blue Hackelia floribunda at the back right of this vignette. This is a very easy annual, although the seeds are devils to get off clothing. Next to this are the chalky-white umbels of Orlaya grandiflora, the bright-pink catchfly, Silene armeria, and, near the front, the diminutive, white meadow rue Thalictrum tuberosum (not shown above). Trailing over the edge on to the Yorkstone is the violet-blue bellflower Campanula poscharskyana. To make the whole display more appealing, I cut the clay pipes into various lengths with a diamond-bladed circular saw. The pipes are arranged on a Yorkstone slab and the plastic pots shoehorned into the top of each tube.
Plants
1 Perennial Campanula with punctata darker freckling f. rubriflora on the inside prolongs of the display. flowers. June Deadheading – August. 40cm. RHS H7. 2 Silene armeria Hardy annual. For larger plants, sow in autumn to flower in June. 40cm. USDA 5a-8b. 3 Adonis aestivalis Hardy annual, known as pheasant’s eye. Sow January – March to flower in June. 50cm. RHS H4. 4 Hackelia floribunda Hardy annual with many flowers. Sow February – March. 60cm. USDA 3a-7b. 5 Orlaya grandiflora Hardy annual. Sow late September, overwinter in cold frame, and plant out in March. May – October. 60cm. AGM. RHS H7. 6 Campanula poscharskyana Spreading perennial with violet-blue flowers. June – September. 20cm. RHS H5, USDA 3a-9b. 7 Lobelia fenestralis A newly introduced perennial native to southern USA and Mexico. 1m.