Reds

Posted on June 14, 2013 by davidsgardendiary

Garvinea ‘Rachel’

There is something about red. I just love it. I seem to be drawn to it. It is warm and ripe and hot. I have a lot of reds in the garden. Here are just a few.

Salvia microphylla ‘Royal Bumble’

This pretty Salvia is in flower at the moment right outside the garden room window alongside the popular ‘Hot Lips’.

Red Pelargonium

Pelargoniums are such a reliable performer in a hot summer and I always buy a few to put in pots around the patio.

I love big blousy red poppies

And red dahlias…this is ‘Redskin’

And Geum ‘Mrs Bradshaw’ a chance seedling introduced by Perry’s nursery in Enfield

You might have read about my love of chillies and this particular Cayenne variety which grows so well in my greenhouse

Yum Yum!

And finally, our scrumptious and reliable autumn raspberry ‘Brice’ .

Just can’t resist red!

Where are all the Bees?!

Posted on June 14, 2013 by davidsgardendiary

Fear not! Apples are forming..the bees have been!

Davids Garden Diary

The apple tree is heaving with blossom and I am hopeful of a very good crop of our delicious apples this year except for one thing……..there are no bees! Last year it was the warm March followed by a cold and wet April and May which did for them. What is happening this year? We had a cold start but it has been warm and dry for several weeks now and yet there are very few bees flying. Even last weekend with several consecutive warm and sunny days I hardly saw any. I have a bad feeling………..

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The Plant Sale

Posted on June 14, 2013 by davidsgardendiary

Back in February I suggested to our Horticultural Society Committee that we hold a Plant Sale at the end of May or early June and was given the task of organising it. Me and my big mouth! However it turned out well.

One of our members was also organising a village Open Gardens weekend for 8/9 June and invited me to hold the plant sale, feeding off the publicity and visitors generated by eleven beautiful gardens and scrummy cream teas at the church. The weather was glorious, the people came in droves and we sold hundreds of plants donated by our members and local nurseries.

We generated £1294 in sales over two days, no mean feat with plants costing from 50p to £2, and donated £524 to charity. As always, our wonderful members rose to the occasion, grew extra plants, divided herbaceous perennials, helped me to set everything up, manned the stalls, counted the money and cleared up at the end. It was fun to do, worthwhile publicity for the Society and profitable for the charities which benefited.

I have a feeling I will be doing it again next year!

Just because…….

Posted on June 12, 2013 by davidsgardendiary

I am looking at colour combinations which, until recently, I was hopeless at. My wonderful wife would say I am still hopeless but I am striving to improve. I would plant anything with anything without a thought for how it would look. I tend to look at plants individually rather than in groups. However, all that has to change in my ongoing search for enlightenment.

I downloaded a colour wheel and taught myself what should go together so that I could plant borders and pots with some co-ordination. I wouldn’t ordinarily put orange and wine red together but the Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’ and Cotinus coggygria seem to blend together well. Perhaps this colour combining thing really works! Normally I would have kept orange with yellow and green but because it is next to red on the wheel it is ok.

Perhaps it’s the blues, purples and whites of the geraniums and the yellow/green of the Tellima which soften the whole thing and bring it together in a cohesive combination.

Any thoughts???