Thursdays favourite plant

Late on parade again.

This weeks favourite plant is courtesy of my naughty puppy under gardener. One sunny day last spring when he was but a wee little bundle of fluff I was on the phone to my mum chatting away,after a few minutes I realised Alfie wasn't sat sleeping on the sofa

This was him then, you'd think butter wouldn't melt

I put my head round the kitchen door to see him destroying a willow tripod thingy (made by my fair hands)I rushed out to yell at the little tyke and saw the horror and devestion one small pup with small Sharp teeth had done. The little ratbag had chewed through a clematis right down the base. Needless to say it never flowered last year and I was not a happy bunny.

However that little monkey actually did me and the clematis a favour, as this year its flowering its socks off from the ground right up to the dizzying heights of my climbing rose.

Clematis 'Ruby Glow'

There are two more clematis in the garden that are making my heart sing right now (as well as two montanas but these are at the top of the garden on the fence being nibbled by some cheeky young bullocks in the field, buts that's another story).

I have no idea what this one is, I picked it up at the end of march as a pot with a half dead looking twig at the village hardware store for 50p.

And the beautiful Guernsey Cream

Which I also picked up at the plant graveyard section of a local nursery. Everyone has space somewhere in their garden for a clematis. I've planted about 4 or 5 where ruby glow is, all beautifully tangled around the bare bottom of my old climbing rose. Remember to always plant them deeper than they are in the pot, you want to bury the first set of shoots. This will encourage great roots and will cut down the risk of the plant getting clematis wilt Clematis like their roots in the shade and their heads in the sun so cover the area where the roots are with a thick mulch or some piled up stones. One more thing some clematis flowers are prone to fading in bright full sun like the pink and white candy striped 'Nelly Moser' Plant them somewhere on the shadier side to keep the colours truer. One more thing clematis flowers aren't actually petals but modified sepals.


Jess x

P.S Since Monday I've been trying to compose a post about my day out last week but blogger has been acting up and taking ages to upload photos (one took so long that I was able to make a cup of tea, open a packet of biscuits make a phone call, then drink my tea and it still wasn't uploaded yet), so I gave up. However I think I've figured out what its problem is. So I'll try again later. Right now I need to shout and wave my arms about at the young bullocks

Thursdays favourite plant

I think I did this one this time last year but what the heck its a stunner





If you want to read the old post its here I don't think I can say much more about these beautiful little flowers. If you can, get yourself out in the woods this weekend, because a woodland floor covered in bluebells is one of the most beautiful sights in the english countryside.

Jess x

P.S I'm very excited, tomorrow I'm off to the devon county show which kicks off my season of shows, fetes and village fairs. Can't wait to have a look round the poultry tent.

Thursdays favourite plant

(I know, its Saturday)

Lilac Syringa
image via flickr

I'd love one of these in my garden, but alas I have no room for one, instead I've been enjoying my neighbours tree. He's gone away for a week and left me in charge of watering his greenhouse and hanging baskets, this have given me a perfect opportunity to wander round his beautiful garden (he used to open for the ngs)and stand below his lilac tree and take deep breaths of its heavenly perfume. It over hangs his fence too so in the evening when I walk past it to go to the field to shut the chickens in for the night the scent is incredible.

Lilac trees have the most beautiful scent and the flowers are so pretty, tiny little star shaped blooms, grouped together in large panacles or cone like spikes that festoon the tree about now. There are different coloured varieties as well as the lilac lilac I love the white 'Madame lemoine', the dark pink 'red prince' and the beautiful 'sensation' which has purple flowers with a white edge to them.

I say lilac's a tree but its actually a shrub, my neighbour has grown his into a tree by allowing it to develop one main stem that has become a trunk. They grow to about 5/8 metres high so are well suited to smaller gardens. They like full sun and grow on most soil types but like it slightly on the alkaline side. Like all spring flowering plants they flower on last years wood so prune them after they've flowered. To increase the flowers and to keep the shape in check, prune out about a third of the branches each year after flowering. Or you can remove all the branch's at ground level bar one strong healthy one to encourage it to grow into a tree shape. Lilacs throw up suckers like no bodies business, and if you remove these carefully with some roots attached you can propagate lots more little plants. As most lilacs are grafted onto rootstock you might find the suckers are a different variety.

Jess xx

P.S thanks for all the wonky love, she really is a character and is loving being spoilt rotten, I even caught my husband sat with her on his lap feeding her corn from his hand.

Thursdays favourite plant

Its a miserable wet day, and I have no excuse to avoid housework, thankfully the last two days have been gloriously sunny and I've managed to get a lot done (including taking lots of cuttings, more about that later). My little ray of sunshine today is the beautiful

Tulip Ballerina



This is probably my favourite of all tulips, dainty lily shaped flowers that open up wide in the full spring sunshine. I always plant tulips on November the 5Th, 3 times the depth of the size with a handful of grit at the bottom of the planting hole.

Other favourite tulips include negrita the gorgeous little species tulip tarda and the beautiful spring green I have a thing for green flowered plants and dark almost black plants, however I'm so over queen of the night don't get me wrong there are truly beautiful but after growing them for the last few years I pulled them all out last year. I found the colour to oppressive for spring, they looked almost matt black and cold amongst my purples and oranges. So for the moment I'm sticking with bright spring colours, definitely important on a day like this.

Jess x

P.S I'll be back later with quail stories

Thursdays favourite plant

Camellia Margaret Davis



Now I'm not the biggest fan of camellias, I appreciate the fact that they are evergreen and provide good structure in the garden and I love them for their gorgeous flowers in spring. But there is something about them I don't like, maybe its the glossy leaves and frou-frou flowers that I don't like together, or how I often see them dotted in the middle of gardens looking like an old maid in her Sunday best at a party no one else has turned up for. (she says even though she has 3 lipstick pink ones in her garden).

I think planted right they can look stunning, on big estates mixed in with Rhododendrons and azaleas and allowed to be more than just a colourful dot.

However all that aside I love Margaret Davis.
I love the flowers. Everyone looks slightly different like a white powder puff dipped in rouge. They make me think of Alice in wonderland when the white roses were being painted for the queen of hearts.

Camellias must have acidic soil to thrive otherwise you'll just end up with a sad, sick-looking, yellow leaved, spindly plant. They grow really well in containers but remember to regularly feed them with an ericaous feed. Don't plant them where the morning sun can scorch the flowers, very bad if they've been frosted the night before. Watch out for some of the white flowered ones that have huge full peony type blooms, a very wet spring and/or bright morning sun can turn the half opened flowers to brown balls of mush.

In other non plant related news, I think one of my wee silkies (who are 12 weeks old now)tried to let out a crow this mornning, Damn it I knew they'd turn out to be fellas.

Jess x

P.S aha I finally found the charger for my batteries today soon expect lots of chickeny photos soon.

Thursdays favourite plant

What could you want prettier than the humble harbinger of spring....

Primula vulgaris



There are so many different species of primroses, the native vulgaris is my favourite although Cowslips (primula veris) are very dear to my heart and I love the drumstick primrose (primula denticulata) and the gorgeous primula vialii

I adore these simple little flowers of sunshine, the way the appear amongst tree roots and popping out of hedges promising spring, blue skies and sunshine. One of the first flowers I could identify as a little'un, they remind me of walks in the woods with my mum telling me stories of fairies and elf's. I used to lie down on the ground in the leaves and rub my cheeks against the petals. They still seem magical to me after all these years.

Funnily enough there is so much folklore attached to primroses concerning fairies, My favourite is the Celtic and Germanic stories about finding a fairy hill or a fairy rock and touching it with a posy of primroses, it would open a door to the fairies kingdom. A posy left on the doorstep would invoke the blessings of the fairies upon the house, petals scattered on the doorstep will prevent fairies from crossing the fresh hold. Hanging posies in cowsheds will prevent fairies stealing the milk. This is a good one I found, if you see a single primrose and dance round it 3 times clockwise it will ensure your hens lay well.


If you want to have your own magical carpet of faerie loving sunshine, you can propagate them very easily from root cutting (Hmm I should do some propagating how tos) or you can grow them from seed, either sow seed collected when its fresh or if you buy seed it will need a period of chilling to germinate. You can buy the plants but make sure you get ones marked vulgaris otherwise it could be any old bedding polyanthus.

I'll leave you with this by Cicely M. Barker



The song of the primrose fairy

The primrose opens wide in spring;
Her scent is sweet and good:
It smells of every happy thing
In sunny lane and wood.
I have not half the skill to sing
And praise her as I should.

She's dear to folk throughout the land;
In her nothing mean:
She freely spreads on every hand
Her petals pale and clean.
And though she's neither proud or grand,
She is the Country Queen.

jess x

Thursdays favourite plant

This ones a cracker

Pulmonaria Lungwort or blue cowslip.


Image via flickr (and its a gorgeous photostream)

If you're looking for a beautiful early spring perennial, that's adored by big fat bumblebees looking for a yummy treat after a long cold winter, then I absolutely recommend Pulmonaria. A woodland edge native of mainland Europe its perfect for shady gardens or growing under trees or hedges. Its a really low maintenance plant, fairly low growing, and self seeding. Its fully hardy, disease resistant although it can be prone to powdery mildew in dry hot areas but this is easily dealt with by removing the dying leaves in autumn and disposing of them (never compost) and slugs have no interest in it neither do rabbits or deer. It will grow on all soils and is particularly happy on heavy clay soils.
There are many different varieties with different flower colour such as redstart (red flowered) and sissinghurst white (white flowered funnily enough) It also has lovely foliage which give it it's common name of lungwort (more on that later), There's a gorgeous one with metallic silver leaves which I've been hunting for for ages.

They produce masses and masses of flowers from the end of January (only if its mild) through to the end of April. I find a bit of deadheading helps prolong them.
One of the things I love most about the flowers is how they change colour, starting pink in bud opening to bright blue and fading to purple.

The reason Pulmonaria has the common name of lungwort is to do with the mottling on the leaves. Centuries ago doctors/herbalists saw features in plants that bore resemblance to Human body parts and aliments. These plants were then used to treat aliments and conditions. This philosophy became the doctrine of signitures. So lungwort resembling diseased lungs was used to treat pulmonary disorders. The Botanical name even represents this (I have an almost nerdish love of Latin names and their meanings and descriptions but I shan't bore you with that). Another good example of this is with the flower eyebright Lungwort was used during the bubonic plague to try and cure the black death.
Like most medicinal herbs it has a host of folkloric stories like being the herb of the virgin Mary with the spots on the leaves representing her tears and the changing of the flower colour the colour of crying eyes, and being able to ward of and reveal witch's. But nearly all plants in medieval times could do that except the ones that were used by witch's (I also have a nerdish love of plant history and folklore).

Jess xx

P.S how flipping fast do baby chicks grow, they are all sprouting wing feathers and leaping about like nobodies business, will get some photos up soon.

Thursdays favourite plant

Hooray its back.

Is it Thursday today? this weeks been a bit of a blur!

Anyway may I present.....

Iris reticulata



My most favourite of the early spring bulbs. Easy as pie to grow just pop the bulbs in twice as deep as their size in the autumn, wherever you'd like a splash of gorgeous colour. I always put a few in small terracotta pots too. They look lovely in window boxes as well.
The colour of these little sweeties is lovely, there are many different varieties with different depths of blue, including a pale washed out blue and mustardy yellow, which frankly I'm not found of (I think you need bright colours after a long dull winter) and a gorgeous purple one whose cultivar name is I think 'Pauline' (but don't quote me on that. If you have heavy clay soils add a handful of grit to the hole before placing the bulb in to give it a bit of drainage (good idea for any bulbs).

In other news I've said goodbye to another cockerel today. I saw a wanted ad in the local feed store for a Maran cockerel, rang it up and a lovely chap from further up the valley came and collected him for his flock of maran hens this morning. And he paid me for him. So that leaves his slightly smaller brother (who I may keep to set up a breeding trio with, not sure yet) Boris and Ivan (the two chaps in my sidebar) and fancy looking but bad tempered bantam. That will leave me with Sawyer my gorgeous gentlemanly Welsummer, Big gentle ben the light sussex and holly my partridge silkie. There is also the two silkie babies, snuffkin and little my, I tried dowsing them with my wedding ring and a bit of garden twine last night and got a different result for each, but time will tell.

Right Sidneys appeared in the middle of the field wanting some dinner and he doesn't like to be kept waiting.

jess x

The lost gardens of jess

Once upon a time this blog was about gardening!.
But I'm ashamed to say my poor little patch of loveliness, turned into a neglected pit over the autumn and winter, but to be fair I was drowning in baby chickens that needed a patch of it to stay in for a while. Then winter kicks in and it looks a right state. As I'm not lucky enough to have a greenhouse, except for the 4 tier plastic jobby, husband got me for valentines day (I am one of those girls who says "no I don't want red roses" and actually means it) Or have window sills that get much daylight on them between September and march, its all to easy to just shut the door on the garden and forget it.

But its march next week and I can pick up a spade again (yippeeeeee)
That's not to say I haven't done anything over winter. I've flicked through many of the books in my gardening library (that sounds so grand, its actually the bookcase behind the chair), I've made lists of all the plants I'd like to have, I've sketched pictures on the back of bank statements, And I have all my seeds in a pretty little box sectioned into months with a list (alphabetically) of what is being sown when.
Oh and last week I chopped back a large climbing rose, that I haven't had the balls to cut back properly in the last 3 years.

What I'm going to do, when I can find the battery charger, is to take a photo of my teeny garden and show you how terrible it looks. Then I will take a photo of it each month.


I think all my verbenas have died in the cold opps

I'm also going to start doing Thursdays favourite plant again (because I liked doing that). If anyone has a plant or tree they would to see then leave me a comment or send me an email and I'll feature it.

Right I can see Sidney waddling across the field wanting his afternoon tea.

jess x

Thursdays favourite plant

The much maligned Hedera (Ivy)

I say much maligned because this plant does get a bit of a bad rap sometimes, But I think its a really versatile plant that can be used in so many ways, and theres so many different varieties other than just the plain old green.

People often say that ivy will pull your house down (if its growning up the walls) This is only true if your walls are dodgy, then yes it will probably damage the brick work/plaster etc. Also it can grow through wooden window frames (if you let it) So if you have it or want it growing up your house you just need to keep an eye on it and chop it back if it gets unruly. Another thing to be careful with is fencing, if you have that overlapping (can't think of its proper name) fencing it can push between the panels.

So negative stuff over with.

Ivy grows and climbs by having adventitious roots, which means roots growing out of the stem. That's how it attaches itself to stuff and how if you have it growing in the ground (by choice or not) it spreads and roots everywhere. You can use this to advantage if you want to propagate it or if you want to train it to grow a certain way.

I have loads of pots of little young Ivies, they are so useful for filling hanging baskets and window boxes, especially this time of year. I also have it dotted around in the house as houseplants in the winter and use tones of it as decorations Christmas wouldn't be Christmas with out Ivy (and holly). You can make topiary with Ivy by planting some in a pot and making a frame out of some wire and then training the Ivy round the frame (here's how to).

Ivy looks really good grown up through old trees and is a gorgeous when the tendrils hang down trough the branches. It also can provide a good screen if grown up a trellis or archway (just make sure its strong and firmly pushed in to the ground.

There are some amazing varieties I love....

Hedera colchica that has beautiful large heart shaped leaves in creamy white and green

Hedera 'Buttercup' little yellow leaves

Hedera 'Glacier' This is the baby one that I use all the time (I say baby its a Young one in a 9 cm pot)

Ivy is also a really really important plant for wildlife. A thick tangled mass of Ivy provides nesting for birds, there is a pub near me with it growing up the wall and in the spring there are what seems like hundreds of sparrows chattering away in there. It also provides nectar in the autumn for insects and over wintering butterflies like the tortoise-shell, and berries for birds in the winter. If you have or our planning a wildlife garden or area you'll definitely need some.

Thursdays favourite plant

I've got a lot of catching up to do here so I'll rush through a bit If you want to know any more leave me a comment and I'll answer any questions.
So here we go.

Ohh my camera (and blogger) is still playing up so I've borrowed a few pictures.

Tricyrtis formosana (toad lily)



What can I say about this, its absolutely stunning. I love the way the spots are carried through to the stamen and anthers. It flowers from about late august till about now (mine has still got lots of buds on it). This is a Japanese herbaceous perennial, that thrives in shady spots, and damp soil. It has a thick fleshy roots and is really easy to propagate by root cutting in the spring. The Leaves also have gorgeous spots on them and I'd advise giving them support as the stems can flop over a bit. Give it a good thick mulch in the autumn.

Cyclamen hederifolium

(image via flickr)

This is the native autumn cyclamen you see bursting out of fallen leaf litter in shady places, under trees and shrubs or banks and hedgerows. The flowers come up first, then the leaves follow. The leaves are stunning in different patterns flecked with silver. You can buy these as dry corms or in flower. Theres a video link to Carol Klein talking about them here


Aster monte cassino



I have a few different asters but this is my favourite. It copes with dry soil better than most asters and mine has never got mildew. I love the tiny little daisy like flowers. I have mine planted with.....

Penstemon Raven


(image via Hayloft plants)
I have a real weakness for dark almost black plants, and this one is almost velvety. My biggest tip with penstemons is to not cut the old stems back until spring when new shoots start to emerge. If you live somewhere prone to frosts, mulch it with straw around the crown to protect them. These are great for bees giving them a real feast before winter.


Euonymus alatus (spindle)
(image via flickr)

Autumn colour doesn't come much better than this. This spindle has the gorgeous pink berries and seedpods. It has these corky sort of wings along the sides of the Branch's. They'll grow to about 2 to 3 metres in height.

Liquid-amber



If you've got the space (alas I haven't) then this tree will give the most amazing autumn display, I love the variations in colours. But beware it will grow to about 15to 25 feet high.

I'm off now to gaze out the window at the rain watering my freshly moved around herbaceous border that I managed to do in yesterdays perfect sunshine. Somethings not quite right but I can't decide what it is yet, hopefully I'll figure it out in time for a break in the rain.

Thursdays favourite plant

Abelia x grandiflora



I've been umming and ahhing about getting one of these for ages, on Saturday I found one at a local garden centre in the reduced section that looked better than the full price ones so that decided it. These are known as semi-evergreen which is such a confusing term. Basically it means that unless the winter is really cold it will keep it leaves other wise it will be bare. I reckon down here in the south they'll be fine but maybe in northern parts they will lose their leaves.
Now they are supposed to be almost hardy so need to be planted in a sheltered and sunny spot. They flower from midsummer to autumn and one of the things I love is that when the flowers fall away your left with a pink bract type thing (the sepal)that hangs on through the winter (or at least it has on the ones that grow in the village).

This variety grows to about 4 to 5 feet throwing out long whippy upright stems but there are also smaller compact varieties like confetti which grows in a nice little ball with smaller variegated leaves.

I can't wait to plant mine but will have to wait until 2 other plants have flowered in the border then the huge reshuffle can begin. I have a collection in the courtyard waiting to go in the ground (I also got a 1/2 price rose on Saturday) plus I've starting buying bulbs and autumn bedding. I still need to finalise some sketchy plans and do a full stock take inventory but I'm dying to get started. Must wait for the 2 lovelies to flower as they will be featured here as soon as they do.

Thursdays favourite plant

Rosemary(Rosmarinus officinalis)

This is one herb I could never be without. If I was only allowed one herb no scratch that if i was only allowed one herb there would be a mutiny and I'd find a way of sneaking more in.
So Rosemary, I find the scent of rosemary so comforting and warm, there was always a huge bush of it in my mums old garden and I used to lie on the grass hidden by it reading Watership down and Narnia, so the smell reminds me of home. Its supposed to grow in the gardens where the women wears the trousers or if your rosemary grows rampant your daughters will never marry (not true well not in my case anyway) or something (I'll have to dig out my book on old wives tales) Its also considered a lucky plant to grow by your garden gate. Its also supposed to be really good for you drunk as a tea but as much I love the smell of it I've never fancied Drinking it.

I use Rosemary more in autumn and winter cooking, roast potatoes, stews, tomato pasta sauces, pumpkin soup etc. Its a very robust flavour that lends itself better towards the colder months than summer. Saying that though I keep a jar of sugar with a sprig of rosemary in the larder for baking, and I make a mean rosemary and honey cake with the little flowers sprinkled over the icing, that I only ever bake in summer. Just remember a little bit goes a long way.

Rosemary couldn't be easier to grow, just remember being a Mediterranean plant it needs really really good drainage. If you grow them in pots you want about 50/50 mix of compost and grit/sand. If it looks far to sandy then its about right. If you have it in the ground dig in plenty of sand/grit to the planting hole. If your soil is heavy and holds moisture or clay than I'd play it safe and grow them in pots. They can grow quite huge in the ground if they're happy. Ohh and never ever over water them.

There is more info here

One last thing watch out for Rosemary beetle. Why do all the nasty bugs look so pretty with the exception of beautiful beneficial ladybirds or the evil Vine weevil that looks quite harmless and dull.

Thursdays favourite plant

Acidanthera (abyssinnan gladiolus or peacock flower)

These are so gorgeous.

I planted 20 of these bulbs and only 1 has flowered but I think its because I planted them too early and didn't put them in a sunny enough spot. According to this article they are best planted in may or june and lifted in the autumn like dahlias. I think next year I'll plant them in pots and sink them into the ground (which makes them easier to lift out). Even though I only have one bloom that's ok as it's stunning. Added bonus is that its highly fragrant, smelling a bit like a gardenia.

I love bulbs, absolutely love them. I've had 3 bulb catalogues through the post this last week and I'm compiling a long wish list. Ohhh I can smell the scent of paperwhite Narcissus's and hyacinths now. Also those damn chickens have decided to dig up the huge drifts of daffs in their half of the garden, so I'm going to have to replant and fence a section of with chicken wire.
I'm getting really anxious for the middle of September (I know, I know wishing the summer away) so I can begin the major re-arrange of everything and dust of my bulb planter. But until then I have bulb shopping lists to make, lists and plans to draw up, design books to pour over and chicken babies to play with.

Thursdays favourite plant

Scented geraniums

I currently have 2 of these fragrant delights but after browsing about on the interweb I've decided I want to start a collection (even though I have no room).
I have Attar of Roses and Prince of Orange which smell funnily enough like rose's and oranges.
There are so many different types ranging from mint to apricot. I've been told the Attar of roses has the best rose scent to it, I love picking of a leaf and giving it a scrunch. I use the leaves for drying and cooking, you can add the a couple of leaves when making rice pudding, ice cream, chessecake, pannacotta by infusing them in the milk/cream before mixing everything together. This is important: only use a scant few leaves as they can be quite overpowering.
I recently made some strawberry jam and added some leaves (rose) to the simmering juice and berries, taking them out before boiling. The jam has a very delicate hint of rose about it yum.

Scented geraniums are tender short lived perennials. They need protection over winter, I bring mine inside and put them on the window ledges. If I had a conservatory or greenhouse ohh I could fill it with them. They also are great plants to take cuttings from either mid spring or late summer. I nearly killed my Attar of roses earlier this year by putting it outside on a nice sunny day in march but forgetting to bring it back in that night . It got frosted and went black and looked awful, two days before I'd cut it back (to encourage healthy new growth) and luckily I'd stuck some of the stems I'd cut in a jar of water. So I potted these up and now have two lovely bushy plants and a smaller tied looking mother plant (never quite recovered.

Next spring when I go to Hill house nursery next spring I stock up on a few more (ssssh don't tell the husband).

Thursdays favourite Plant

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)



This is one of my favourite herbs. I have a huge pot of it my the kitchen door and I love rubbing the leaves to get a hit of that yummy lemon scent. It just smells so summery and makes you feel all happy. In aromatherapy and herbal medicine its used to help ease stress, and reduce anxiety and create a feeling of calmness. It also is supposed to help improve your memory. I love to make a tea from a few leaves crushed and steeped in boiling water. I also add a few leaves when I make lemonade to give it and additional lemony kick.

Lemon balm is in the same family as mint and is as easy to grow. Its happy grown in a container (add lots of gravel/grit for drainage) or in the ground. Lemon balm is a really good plant to grow for bees as they love the delicate little white flowers. I prefer it to lemon verbena that I also grow as I find the lemon verbena has a bit of a sugary sherbet taste to it and lemon verbena doesn't like the cold and can be vulnerable to frost damage whereas lemon balm is fully hardy and comes back year after year.

(a late) Thursdays favourite plant

Melianthus major (aka honey bush)

picture via gardeners world

Now I'm afraid to say I bought a small one of these last year in late summer but I failed to protect it early enough from the frost and snow, thus I was found guilty of accidental plant-slaughter. I almost bought one yesterday at Hill House Nursery on my way back from the Totnes show, but decided that as they were quite small they might not establish enough before it gets cold. Also and in a rare moment of restraint I thought that I have enough plants waiting for homes in the garden that a melianthus would just get caught up in the backlog (although it didn't stop me buying a Japanese anemone.)

These half hardy plants are mainly grown for their lush foliage which is a glaucus (bluey-grey) colour, with a sort of waxy texture that holds water droplets like sparkles. It also has a curious smell to it which reminds me of my grandads shed, It smells like fishermens friends (cough sweets) and pipe tobacco. They do also flower and produce huge amounts of nectar (hence honey bush). But for me I'm interested in the foliage that will look stunning with dark flowers and my new dark grass (that's siting waiting to be planted.) So I think I'll wait until next spring until I get one.
You can find more info about them here, here and here

Thursdays favourite plant

Lilies

What could be more beautiful than a lily?








I have no idea what the first two are called as I bought the bulbs last autumn and forgot to label them but the third one is an Asiatic lily called black pearl. I have a thing for dark plants (that I'll take about at a later date) and a thing for pirates so that one really appealed to me. Black pearl hasn't really got any fragrance worth talking about but the other two smell heavenly. I grow lilies in pots on my courtyard, my kitchen door opens out to them and the smell drifts into the house (I can smell them right now mmmmmm). I'm still waiting on a couple more plants to flower a huge white one and a delicate pink one.

Lilies are really easy to grow they just need good drainage and if you plant them in autumn some frost protection. They should come back year after year and you can propagate more by carefully digging up the bulbs and replanting all the little baby bulbs you'll find around the edge of the mother bulb. You might have to wait a few years for the babies to fatten up enough to flower but they will be worth the wait.
Also watch out for the evil lily beetle that will eat the leaves and prevent flowering.

Thursdays favourite plant

Dahlia

In the past I've never been to fussy about having dahlias but the last 2 years I've fallen head over heels for them. Now I must admit last years efforts were a bit rubbish. I didn't stake them, they got slug and earwig damage and the tubers/plants I picked weren't as good looking as the pictures on the packets. But that's one of the things I love most about gardening, there is always something to learn.
So this year I bought 1 tuber Black Narcissi (and a stack of lilies).

So I've learnt that if you plant them in march in a container of compost somewhere warm like a greenhouse or shed they will come up quicker and stronger, and you can take stem cutting to increase you stock (I didn't get round to that).
Plant them out when the frost are safely behind you, and don't forget to stake them with some twigs or canes. I managed to keep the slugs away but as you can see an earwig has had a little nibble. I remember my grandad (who used to grow them on the edge of his allotment) using a plant pot stuffed with straw stuck up on a cane to catch the earwigs. They'd hide in there during the day and could be easily dispatched with.

The next thing is what to do during the winter. You can either wait for the frosts to blacken off the stems. Then dig them up hang the rootstock upside down to let any moisture drain away, then store them somewhere frost free and warm (spare room, shed, kitchen cupboard!!!) in a pot of damp sand or old compost, till next spring. Or you can leave them in the ground but give them a really thick mulch to protect the from frost. If you live in the south I'd say leaving them in the ground would be fine but if you live further up north I'd dig them up.

Next year I'll grow a lot more for cut flowers and plant them around the edges of my veg patch (if I have room).

Thursdays favourite plants

This is Hemerocallis "summer wine"

Isn't is gorgeous. They're commonly called day lilies because each flower lasts for a single day, although don't let that put you off because they produce lots of beautiful flowers, so you get a new one each day in late June/July. These perennials can happily grow in borders or large containers and come back year after year and get bigger and bigger, so they can be divided in spring or autumn and give you more plants. You can also eat the flower buds I'm told, but I've never tried. I wouldn't want to miss out on the flowers.
They are best grown in a sunny spot but are quite happy in heavy clay soils or moist soil.




Allium sphaerocephalon (round headed leek or drumstick allium)

Now I know there are some spectacular alliums out there like christophii or the huge giganteum and in comparsion this one might seem a bit small and humble, but I would always pick it over its more showy brothers and sisters. Firstly its really inexpensive compared to most alliums and you get more bang for your buck, a pack of 20 costs less than a single giant variety. Secondly they look amazing planted on mass and because the flowers are more lightweight the don't need supporting. Thirdly bees and butterflies love them.
I love the way when the flower first forms its totally green and the purple colour starts at the top and kind of bleeds down and you get a two tone effect.
These are so easy to grow, plant them in the autumn about as deep as the bulb is big. once in the ground they will come back year after year. They look stunning planted with grasses or just drifting through herbaceous plants. If your a fan of Prairie style gardens this bulb is essential.

Lastly (and I should have posted this earlier because they've gone over now)

Digitalis (Foxgloves)

To me no cottage or wildlife garden is complete with a few foxgloves (or hedge, bank, roadside verge and woodland) They're wonderful they add height stature and a dash of the English countryside. They are a biennial plant so now is about the right time to sow seeds for next years flowers. You can either scatter a packet in a seed tray and prick out and pot on the seedlings when they are big enough to handle or just throw a handful of seeds in your flower bed.
there are so many different varieties and colours to choose from, I love white ones and the native purple one (Digitalis purperea). I've just sown Pams choice to have next year, but this year I had this creamy yellow one



I think it might be called primrose carousel but I can't remember.

Right I'm off out to the garden to will some lily buds to open and see how many potatoes have grown in my potato filled compost bag.

Enjoy the sunshine

jess x