Clematis integrifolia | Davids Garden Diary

Definitely NOT what you want in your prized white Allium ‘Mount Everest’. I am plagued with snails this year. I have looked in all the usual hiding spots to clear them away, but still they appear.This chap obviously thought he would be safe here!

First Sweet Pea flower of the year. A pretty pink one, which is amazing because I only sowed white and blue ones! They were supposed to be a mixture of creamy white ‘Cathy’ and blue flaked ‘Betty Maiden’. No matter, they are all gorgeous.

This little plant hardly ever gets a mention, maybe because the leaves look very similar to Wood Avens, and gets weeded out earlier in the year. Tellima grandiflora or Fringe Cups, is a western North American wildflower which is now a common sight along British hedgerows and in deciduous woodland in spring. It has tiny yellow or red flowers and soft felty leaves..

Not in my garden (obviously!) but an ocean of wild garlic along the banks of a stream in Painswick this week. I found it interesting that the flowers were more prevalent on the sunny side of the stream.

A veritable forest of perennial sunflowers, Helianthus ‘Miss Mellish’, which are due for the ‘Chelsea Chop’ next week. I try to tier them by chopping them shorter at the front and leaving some untouched in the middle. That way I get more flowers over a longer period.

Just emerging is Clematis integrifolia, which would normally sprawl over other shrubs but I keep it contained within a grow-through ‘lobster pot’ to get it to grow vertically and so I can appreciate the beautiful mauve flowers en-masse. It works well with roses and the background of Trachelospermum jasminoides which will hopefully be in flower next week if this beautiful weather continues.

Have a great weekend

David

Aren’t gardeners kind people. After my post last week I was contacted by a lady who lives not far away, offering to replace my lost purple Hesperis and craves the white one, of which I have seedlings galore. I always find that gardening folk are keen to share and help others. The dainty bells of this Clematis integrifolia remind me of this when I recall the kind gardening friend who gave it to me many years ago.

The Photinia x fraseri ‘Red Robin’ hedge is bursting with blossom despite the rather pale and chloritic colour of the foliage! I believe it is suffering from a deficiency of some sort but not sure what. It could be a form of rose replant disease, the hedge being in the position of old roses. Comments and suggestions welcome!

Not Geranium ‘Rozanne’ as most people might assume, but ‘Orion’, another sterile hybrid with very different foliage but the same red veined, violet blue flowers but slightly less of a white centre. Looks very interesting under polarised sunglasses!

Allium ‘Mount Everest’ looking splendid in the long border and towering above its purple cousins. The leaves, however, have been shredded by our slimy friends and must now be removed. I am reliably informed that this will not affect next year’s flowering as it has already formed in the bulb. Just noticed the aircraft coming in to land from the West!

I struggle to grow Astrantias in my garden, even the tough old Astrantia major, unless I am constantly watering them over the summer, something I neglect to do. I have tried to grow the dark pink ones like ‘Roma’ but they just curl up their toes. Sometimes you just have to cut your losses and move on!

Finally for this week, Lonicera nitida ‘Baggesen’s Gold’ which I grew from cuttings many years ago and about which I now have mixed feelings. In my ordered world of ‘painting with plants’, I find this scruffy and untidy, extremely fast growing and therefore high maintenance. I fear it may be time to consider a more attractive replacement……or maybe topiary!

Have a great weekend.

I’m off to Sheffield for our Granddaughter’s Christening tomorrow.

David