Allium roseum | Davids Garden Diary

I don’t know about you, but it feels like summer has sneaked up on us and there is still so much to do! There was a cold north east wind all week here in the Cotswolds which made gardening a chore instead of the pleasure it usually is in late May. This Prostanthera cuneata, the Alpine mint bush, recommended by a good friend, has produced an amazing display of pure white flowers on mint scented foliage this year. Seems oblivious to anything the British climate can throw at it, despite its Australian origins.

These rather wayward Gladiolus byzantinus have found their way here from a big clump I dug up and split last year. I thought I had found them all, but apparently not. Despite their rather glamorous name, they have been a stalwart of the cottage garden for hundreds of years having been introduced from the eastern Mediterranean in the 1500’s.

This early flowering Allium amplectens ‘Graceful Beauty’ is a scruffy, grassy, spreading perennial which will take over a bed unless you are ruthless and selectively weed it out in early spring. However, for a few brief weeks in late May and early June it redeems itself with hundreds of pure white flowers which pollinators love.

This unusual rosy flowered garlic, Allium roseum, produces pretty pink scented flowers followed by tiny bulblets which will spread about and produce new plants if allowed. An edible Old World species of garlic which was apparently prized for its delicate flavour.

The first flowers of Rosa ‘Roald Dahl’ and ‘Boscobel’ accompanied by a froth of Nepeta faassenii ‘Kit Cat’. It’s going to be a good year for roses. The hard February pruning and a cold winter have produced strong new healthy growth which is being inspected daily by our resident Blue Tit family, picking off the aphids to feed their young.

Nature has kindly produced a greeny, creamy foxglove instead of the usual pink or white ones which are everywhere else in the garden. I rather like it and hope its offspring are the same colour next year, but I doubt it.

Finally, the smoke bush, Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’, is smothered in flowers at the moment meaning a lot of ‘smoke’ to come!

Have a great weekend

David

Osteospermum. From the Greek Osteon meaning bone and spermum from the Latin meaning seed. Why? I haven’t been able to discover a reason for this name but it may be to do with the shape or other qualities of the seeds. Some botanical Latin really foxes me. Like why is Allium nigrum white when the name means black!?

This is Osteospermum ‘Cannington Roy’ which loves it in the gravel against the wall and in full sun. Could it be ‘bone’ hardy?

I mentioned this odd looking Allium roseum last year, It’s common name is Rosy Garlic because it produces what look like garlic bulbs within the flower head. Pretty little thing and has bulked up well this year.

The Bearded Iris rhizomes given to me by a friend two years ago have done incredibly well and produced masses of flowers this year. I just wish they lasted a bit longer.

Finally for now, if anyone is worried about hard pruning their Cotinus coggygria, don’t be. I have cut mine back to bone (there’s that word again!) two years running and it shoots from the stem/trunk no problem. In fact, I have to rub a few shoots off as there are always too many. I also find the new foliage is a better colour. Obviously, this is not a good idea if you want the famous smoky flowers at the end of the summer…there won’t be any! To get those you have to create a framework of shoots and that, unfortunately, usually means big and ugly.