One or two people have expressed surprise that I grow Elephant Garlic as an ornamental onion rather than for culinary purposes, but when you see the beautiful lavender purple globe flower it produces you will understand why. Big too, cricket ball size and very attractive to bees and butterflies. One bulb may have up to 8 big fat cloves which makes it a very economical alternative to the more expensive alliums.

Having said that, the massed blooms of Allium angulosum, (Mouse Garlic), still have the edge for sheer flower power and butterfly attractiveness.

WARNING: Unless you have oodles of space or a massive wild area to cultivate, do not, under any circumstances, grow this plant, as attractive as it may be. Soapwort, Sapponaria officinalis, is highly invasive and extremely difficult to control. I made the mistake of planting it in good rich soil with my roses thinking the soft pink flowers would work well with other whites and reds. And it does, until it takes over! It spreads by underground runners which, in my case, have tunnelled under a hardcore and gravel path and emerged several feet away in another bed. You have been warned!

The Japanese Wineberries are about to ripen and will be on my morning granola next week. Small and sweet, like miniature bright red raspberries, they are a delicious treat for a few weeks in July and August.

Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’ has really enjoyed the recent spell of rain and cooler temperatures. Her big fat flowerheads holding up well aided by a discreet woven hazel girdle beneath! I understand that ‘Strong Annabelle’ is now being marketed as a more beefy alternative but I am a sucker for femininity!

This is just to show that it is sometimes best to watch and wait. Earlier in the Spring, this Penstemon ‘Just Jayne’ was, to all intents and purposes, dead. A tangled mass of brown, brittle twigs and a complete absence of the usually seen green shoots at the base. But I waited….and waited……and waited. Until finally, in late April, it came back to life and after some judicious pruning, has rewarded me with a few flowers. Time to take some cuttings!

I wondered what was munching its way through my dahlias and here it is. The caterpillar of the Vapourer Moth which has venomous spines on its body that can cause symptoms like swelling, redness, and intense pain if they come into contact with human skin. In some cases, the venom can even cause an allergic reaction. Needless to say, it is still there! Anyway, what’s a few leaves!

Have a great weekend

David