Dahlia ‘David Howard’ | Davids Garden Diary

I have been absent for a couple of weeks due to holidays and a very poorly wife who contracted a nasty dose of Covid courtesy of Easy Jet! Air travel still carries risks, and several friends have succumbed to the pesky pandemic in recent weeks. On a lighter note, Dahlia ‘David Howard’ looking resplendent in the morning dew and new to me this year, but I am disappointed to find that the flowers do not go over well, hanging on in tatters unless I am extremely diligent with deadheading, removing the spent flowers as soon as they go over. This is a shame as I love the beauty and art of the flower.

I have a love-hate relationship with Ivy. It is making a takeover bid on my western boundary fence and is quite a nuisance. However, when it matures and turns arboreal, the flowers are a magnet for bees, wasps, and butterflies at this time of year, and the black fruits are a favourite of Blackbirds in the winter. On mild days it is literally buzzing with life. I think the wildlife will win this one!

It has been a bumper year for grapes and the harvest from my single vine was 11.3kgs which is astonishing. The variety is Vitis labrusca ‘Isabella’, the Pink Fox Grape, predominantly used for jam making in the US but sweet enough to eat as a dessert grape, if you don’t mind the pips!.

The fruits look more like blueberries than grapes!

The stand out pollinator food plant this year has undoubtedly been Salvia uliginosa, which has constantly been covered in bees, particularly bumble bees, since May and is still going strong. It is very tall and ethereal, swaying in the slightest breeze, but the bees hang on determinedly. As I have mentioned previously, due to their size, the bees do not enter the flowers, they make a hole in the base from the outside to sip the nectar. Clever little bees!

We all make mistakes! Some years ago I planted one small pot of the tall grass, Miscanthus sinensis, at the back of the shrubbery where I naively thought it would stay and provide a nice backdrop for other, shorter shrubs. It has now spread throughout the shrubbery, popping up everywhere and taking over. A real survivor, it is totally bombproof and makes the very best of whatever conditions it finds itself in.

The seedheads are also beautiful at this time of year and will stand throughout the winter, looking particularly good after frost.

Another casualty of last year’s harsh winter was my only remaining Canna ‘Tropicana’ which I leave in the ground under a good mulch of compost. This would usually flower in August but here we are in October and it is only just beginning to flower. It only has two flower spikes this year instead of the usual three or four which probably means part of the enormous tuber turned to mush due to the cold and wet.

Finally, surely the purest white of all pure whites, (with just a hint of green!) Lathyrus latifolius ‘White Pearl’, planted many years ago and almost forgotten until these perfect, but unscented, everlasting Sweet Pea flowers adorn the arch over which they mingle with the delicate pink rose ‘Dorothy Perkins’.

Have a great weekend

David

Just back from a few days in Yorkshire and, despite the torrential rain at times, enjoyed the change of scenery. Very impressed with Ilkley where we stayed, such a well kept riverside town with absolutely no litter, clean and tidy streets, busy independent shops and friendly people. Good municipal planting too although a little regimented for my liking!

I came back to the first flowers on Dahlia ‘David Howard’ AGM, a sturdy variety with burnt orange flowers on long stems rising from purplish bronze foliage. Keeps its heads up even in rain. I believe they call this type a water lily dahlia and you can see why.

First blackberries picked yesterday. Another wonderful crop of ‘Merton’s Thornless’ which makes tying in and collecting fruit so much less painful! I will be picking them for several weeks as many are still green and there are even a few flowers left to pollinate. The granddaughters will enjoy a spot of fruit picking during the holidays! Washed and simmered on the hob for ten minutes, they will be on my granola tomorrow!

Very tricky to get a good shot of Salvia uliginosa but thought this was worth featuring to encourage others to grow it. Tall, and ethereal, the gentle movement in the slightest breeze adds movement to the border, but the thicker square stems at the base prevent bending and snapping, even in strong winds. Adored by bees which puncture the flowers to get at the nectar because the flowers are so small. I imagine they are attractive to hummingbirds in their native South America.

I am always impressed with the flower power of Lobelia and just six little plugs of alternative blue and white have filled this pot, completely surrounding the stem of the standard rose above. Not particularly exciting, different or special, just a pretty thing.

I think Liatris spicata is an underused summer flowering bulb. They come in purple and white and are very hardy and reliable. Just plant and forget. They flower for several weeks. opening from the top down so you don’t get that ugly brown spike of dead flowers beneath. Bees absolutely love them and they are as cheap as chips to buy. Highly recommended.