Although most of the pots that I have are not that large, lots of the plants are thriving. I particularly love the different hues of purple in the Nepeta, Verbena bonariensis and Lavender, with a few splashes of white and very pale blue Nigella.
Our Hydrangea Lanarth white is getting ready to burst into bloom. It was an absolute joy last year and I hope it will do as well this time around. I have added liquid seaweed and a little tomato feed to promote flowering over the past few weeks.
The plant which has thrilled me the most in our new garden is our Clematis. Prior to this it was in a smaller pot and didn’t have anything to grow up, but the wires on the wall for the espaliered Damson are perfect for it to cling to. Covering the roots of Clematis with stones or broken crock keeps them cool and helps with their growth.
My little Bamboo has come on leaps and bounds over the past few weeks. I rescued a tiny piece of it from a garden and almost threw it out at the start of the spring as it didn’t look very happy. I’m so glad I didn’t! The colours are just stunning.
As some plants go past their best and others move into pole position I moved them around this weekend. The Japanese Anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’ is looking very happy and I can’t wait to see it flower.
A customer gave me a clump of Lemon Balm, and it’s really looking good. It is great brewed into a tea and is a digestive, sleeping aid and helps with anxiety, promoting a sense of calm and eases stress.
Ammi majus and Nigella
I absolutely love the umbellifer, Ammi majus (Bullwort or Queen Anne’s Lace). A lady whose garden I designed a few years ago has become a good friend and we enjoy swopping plants and seeds. She gave me a few of these seedlings about a month ago. Of course they would do best in the ground, but they seem to be doing ok in containers. They are growing larger so I’ll re-pot them again this week. I can’t wait to see their frothy beauty soon.
This Peach tree which I also rescued from a customer’s garden is greening up nicely, after we chopped it back to fit in a van during our house move. I planted a Dog Rose at the back of the tree so that it can start growing up the wall. They scramble beautifully and can grow up to 3m tall when well supported. They are valuable to wildlife, in particular birds such as blackbirds, wax-wings and redwings.
I am so grateful for our little garden, it is such a tonic!
