It’s the plum time for cutting back in the garden
I’VE just cut back the foliage on my plum trees, snipping back all stems by around a half in order to create a pleasing shape and to promote better fruiting next year.
In this, their first summer, my trees have produced a total of one plum and I’ll be guarding it closely to ensure that the wasps and birds don’t get to it before I do.
Like everything else in the garden, the plum trees have put on a lot of growth and on the other side of the fence the meadow has now reached waist height.
Wading through this sea of grass and wild flowers is both a pleasure and a pain, as the joy of seeing clouds of butterflies rise up in front of you is frequently interrupted by painful jabs from thistles and stinging nettles.
I love seeing exuberant growth in the garden but this week I’ve had to cut back the willows that overhang the fence because they were threatening to block the path to the back garden.
Meanwhile the ornamental cherry tree that was just a sapling when we arrived, has grown into a substantial feature that now does a fine job of blocking out the view of the electricity pylon that stands about half a mile away.
In the borders the roses that arrived as bare roots in March are now covered in glossy green leaves and weighed down with flowers.
So far they seem to be showing no signs of black spot but I was slightly surprised when the first bud appeared to discover that the flowers were pink and not the orange colour I’d ordered.
Not only that, but all but one of them have single blooms while the remainder is a semi-double.
It is always a bit of a gamble knowing what you are going to end up with when you buy plants while dormant and most reputable nurseries will replace any that are sent out in error, but my roses have proved to be so lovely that I certainly won’t be looking for replacements, although I would like to grow orange roses at some point and I fancy the new variety ‘Lady Marmalade’.
Nearby the daylilies are now in flower, pumping out fresh blooms daily.
These are the variety ‘ Kwanso’ and they are very definitely orange but because they also produce an abundance of green, strappy leaves, the colour never seems to be too vibrant.
The phormiums too are growing strongly. I’ve got quite a collection, including several variegated varieties that have the reputation of being slightly tender.
So far, however, they are thriving and their sword- like leaves act like punctuation marks amidst the fluffier sorts of plants.
Some I grow in large pots surrounded by ivies and pelargoniums just switching the bedding plants depending on the season.
Cirsum rivulare is another favourite and I’ve enjoyed its wine- red thistle flowers all summer.
The bees love them too and are constantly buzzing around them.