Pink Fox Grape | Davids Garden Diary

We were away for a few days in the frozen north (Sheffield!) looking after grandchildren over half term, and came back to a garden awash with colour and scent! This is my short rambler rose ‘Ghislaine de Feligonde’, almost thornless and very well behaved. She is not very smelly but looks gorgeous on the fence mingling with the wisteria.

Pulling the old carpet back on one of the compost heaps, I was very pleased to find a family of Slow Worms having a nap before venturing out this evening on slug patrol. They are not snakes but legless lizards, and completely harmless. They are long lived, so these could be the same ones I found last year and the year before.

It looks like it’s going to be another bumper grape harvest this year. The embryonic Pink Fox Grapes are forming well and I already have requests from some of my jam and jelly making friends. If there are enough to go round, I might even try my hand at making some wine this year!

The Sambucus nigra ‘Black Lace’ is also showing signs of producing a great crop of flowers and berries. I love the pretty pink flowers and dark, almost black foliage. It gets pruned hard every winter, but seems to thrive on it and comes back bigger and better every year.

The dainty little Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Lady in Red’ is in full flower but getting swamped by a huge Photinia on one side and an even bigger yellow Tree Peony on the other. However, I love the contrast of shapes and colours in this shrubbery border.

The majestic spires of Delphinium ‘Black Knight’ are now well over 2m tall and at risk of getting snapped if we get any strong winds, which is what normally happens! They are supported with hoops but these provide the perfect snapping point! In the meantime the bees are having a great time.

I have been picking my autumn sown sweet peas for two weeks and they are coming thick and fast so I am cutting a bunch every other day. The scent in the kitchen is overpowering! I suddenly remembered why I love gardening so much!

Have a great weekend

David

Obviously, the intense heat has been the main topic of conversation this week and, for gardeners in particular, it has been difficult to cope with. Many of my potted plants have become dehydrated and flopped before I noticed, but a good drink and they all revived fairly quickly. I always worry about the longer term damage it might have done though, I am sure that like us, a sudden and debilitating change in health can’t be good for them. However, we keep calm and carry on watering!

The ‘Pink Fox Grape’, Vitis labrusca ‘Isabella’, has produced a good crop of sweet purple fruit almost ready to be picked and made into grape jelly. I am not a winemaker, and even if I was there is only enough fruit for a few bottles, but these are sweet enough to be eaten as a dessert grape as well, lovely with a bit of cheese, yum.

For those who don’t like Golden Rod, this is its refined cousin, Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’, which works well in late summer and early autumn with blues and purples like Symphyotrichum and asters, Salvias and even Cosmos. It is a fuss free hardy perennial which literally erupts in all directions with long-lasting spikes of yellow florets which are adored by bees and other pollinators.

The second flush of Delphiniums is never quite as good as the first but still impressive and the slugs don’t seem to bother with the new shoots at this time of year. I only cut these back to the ground in late July so not bad in just 6 weeks.

The Asian aster, Aster trifoliatus subsp. ageratoides ‘Stardust’, is a hardy, low maintenance and reliable, spreading perennial. In late summer it produces clusters of dark green leaves topped with masses of pure white daisy flowers with bright yellow centres. Very easy to grow and easy to create new plants from the underground spreading runners. I started with one plant and now have twenty and that’s on top of the dozens I have given away to unsuspecting friends and gardening club members!

Following on from last week’s mention of the beginnings of autumn colours, the Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Worplesdon’ has now produced the most delicious range of reds, oranges, browns and fawns as the tree slowly begins to slip into dormancy for another year.

Finally for this week the lovely Japanese Anemone ‘Honorine Jorbet’ which is delighting me with her beautiful pure chalky white flowers with green centres surrounded by bright yellow stamens and anthers. Simply a wonderful combination on a plant that enjoys the dry shade and gloom of a north or east facing garden or border.

Have a great weekend and keep cool. Rain is on the way!

David