Erysimum cheiri | Davids Garden Diary

It is getting more and more difficult to find six interesting things for the blog but some things, like this Rose ‘Camille Pissarro’ continue to surprise me. Flowering as strongly in November as he was in June and no sign of giving up any time soon.

This unnamed wallflower, not a perennial just one of the annual cheiri types, is still here after three years and producing lots of self sown seedlings. I left it because I like the flower colour, less gaudy than most and unobtrusive at any time of the year.

Earlier this year I resolved to link my seven old water butts together to try and capture as much rainwater as possible. However, I am not patient enough to stand while a watering can slowly fills from the tap. I am a dipper. I plunge my can in the open water butt at the top instead! The problem is that some of my butts are old juice barrels with no lid. So, I experimented with joining them all together at the bottom by their taps or outlets whereby they all empty at the same rate. This means my open dipping butt never seems to go down! Every time it rains, the water from my 18′ x 8′ shed and greenhouse fills 2 of the barrels which in turn fill the other 5. This gives me a constant 1500 litres of water all year round. The manifold of old hose pipe and ‘T’ pieces was a bit of a faff but it all works beautifully!

A few Saturdays ago I mentioned the self sown cosmos seedlings and wondered whether they would survive the winter. Well, I needn’t have worried because they have all flowered! Never had this happen before and I think it must have been the hot summer and mild autumn which promoted germination and flowering in just a few short weeks.

The shrubby salvias, like this ‘Trelissick’ are still going strong with lots more flower buds and fresh growth at the base. I tend to cut the top third off about now to avoid wind rock, but I can’t bring myself to do it just yet!

And finally, let’s end on Hardy Geranium ‘Orion’ which has been flowering non-stop since May and is a real stunner. One of the sterile hybrids like ‘Patricia’ and ‘Rozanne’, she keeps flowering in the vain hope that pollination will occur, and seeds will form, but they never do.

Have a great weekend

David

The garden plants escaped any major storm damage. No fences down, greenhouse intact, trees all still the right way up. However, my very heavy and expensive glass topped patio table was upended and flew against the wall causing a million tiny bits of safety glass to spread themselves far and wide. I will be picking it up forever! Fortunately, Bramblecrest still provide replacements but at £180 + delivery, it was an expensive storm!

Finally, some decent weather has arrived after the storms and I can get out there and start some actual gardening. The 1000 litres of soil improver is still sitting on the drive where it has lain for two weeks untouched! The Anemone blanda is loving the sunshine between the showers and is stretching her little faces upwards to catch the early morning rays.

Th Cyclamen coum are hardier than their delicate appearance would suggest. They can take everything the weather throws at them. The snowdrops are gradually fading after giving a great show, even holding their flowers aloft in 70mph winds last week. Next, it’s the turn of the daffs and hyacinths.

This multi-headed little beauty always cheers me up when she appears. The label disappeared eons ago so I can’t help with a name.

I don’t have many Hellebores, I found that they all gradually turn out to be a sort of muddy purple colour but these are a couple of beauties.

Finally, a Wallflower, Erysimum cheiri, which was sown four years ago , has flowered every year since and looks better than ever. The books say it is a biennial but this one appears to be perennial. The solitary bumble bees were all over it today.

Well, that’s my six for this Saturday.

Have a great weekend.

David