Thursday, June 30, 2011

The Love Of Plants

These are some of the flowers in bloom in our garden now.This is the yellow daisy flower that is growing in the wildflower area around the pond.It likes to stand out from the crowd of White Daises.I love the Fibonacci inspired spiral within the centre of the flower.the Hover flys and Bees love this flower and keep landing on it.


A plant I rescued from wilting at the plant stall is this Achillea.I took it home and stood it in water.The whole plant was drooped.It took the water up and the ferny leaves started to revive.It has bloomed quietly at the back of the pond near to the fence.This is a perennial so it should grow back even stronger next year.The flowers have an ethereal quality to them with their red/salmon coloured dainty flowers.



I do not know what these flowers are called.They are part of the Wildflower mix.six or eight Little Star like flowers growing at the top of long green stems in an umbrella fashion.They are reminiscent of Gypsophila.The tiny individual flowers form a white bubbling cascade, like freshly popped Champagne.They smell faintly like melted butter.



I have tried this year to grow flowering and edible plants side by side.This is my Borage growing in the wildflower area.This blue flowered plant attracts pollinators for miles.A fully blooming Borage plant will have the buzzing sound of Bee's all summer long.



Growing in pots along the greenhouse is are two Courgette plants.They are spares that did not get planted at the allotment.My reserve vegetables include two Leeks, Four Broccoli Garnet,the Courgettes,Borage, and Eight Sage plants.I quite enjoy the craziness of planting vegetables amongst flowers.Some of the plants are very decorative.



There are not just flowers in the garden.There are ornamental grasses, and Heucheras. They have red bronzed foliage and little pink flowers.They look impressive grown together.The plantsmen have been trying to grow Heucheras in Oranges,Greens,Patterned Leaves,reds,and purples.When they are planted together they give a lovely patchwork quilt effect..My Heucheras are growing alongside Lupins,Geum Mrs Bradshaw, and a Bronzed Fennel.



This is a Geranium Grandifolium Alpinum.This is its first flower in the garden.After i planted it the plant looked quite sickly and wilted.The heavy rains revived it and it has grown impressive amounts of green leaves. These blue flowers are very cool coloured with the dark purple veins, and white centre.Blue is a very calming colour in the garden pallette.



The Foxglove is visible from the door.I love this plant.A garden needs foxgloves for their stature,the pretty throats of the flowers, and the buzzing Bee's.I saw a spider hiding in one of the flower cups today.He will give a small pollinator a surprise if they visit.



These are called Dalmatian Purple.I want to have more Foxgloves next year, in a variety of shades.Foxgloves always remind me of Mums garden in Cheltenham.

I looked at the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show today.It is the 22nd annual flower show,and is running from the 5th to 10th July. There will be televised highlights on the BBC, so I can watch the programs.

I was reading about a garden designer called Fiona Stephenson who has designed the World Wildlife Funds(WWF)garden for their 50th anniversary.It is based around a Chalk Stream.She walked along a Hampshire Chalk stream to get inspiration.She built a small prototype in her own garden to get ready for the show.Its good that the WWF is doing work in Britain as well as far away places.The link is here:


The Copella plant and protect garden by Sadie May Stowell is at Hampton Court too.Doctor David Bellamy will be at their garden promoting plant and protect.He is one of my earliest memories of a TV presenter in exotic places.His love of plants must have impressed me.I have the love of the plants now.


At Hampton Court this year there is the Rose of the year 2011 competition,English Poet Gardens,Show Gardens,Small Gardens,Conceptual gardens,and the RHS Edible Garden.The last one will be the largest garden at Hampton court at 1850 square metres.The artists impressions make it look very impressive.

You can visit these shows and be impressed by the gardens, or the floral marquee displays.You take a little bit away with you.Ideas for your own small patch of earth.I love the way these flower shows have woven their way into the British summer, and become an annual event that you look forward to.The memories of these days out can help you get through the cold dark winters, when you sit reading seed catalogues making lists out for the next growing season.

Our garden has taken inspiration,plants,decorations,or bulbs from these wanderful creative,colourful summer flower shows.

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