GBBD - Flaming June

Click on the image to enlarge it if needed.

From left to right, top to bottom: Clematis obelisks (C. 'Elsa Spath', C. 'Dorothy Walton'? and C. 'Hagley Hybrid' on the left and my 2 clematis sports on the right); Gladiolus byzantinus*; C. 'Crystal Fountain'; Rosa 'Rambling Rector'; C. 'Rouge Cardinal'; Aquilegia 'Mckanna hybrid'; C. 'Arabella'; Cosmos 'Chocamocha'*; sport of C. 'Crystal Fountain; Geranium 'Splish Splash'; C. 'Rouge Cardinal' & C. 'John Paul II', self-sown Allium christophii; C. 'Hagley hybrid'; Erysimum 'Bowles Mauve'; the label says C. 'Duchess of Albany', I think it looks more like C. 'Ville de Lyon'; this year's new welcoming hanging basket; sport of C. 'Josephine'; a bargain Regal Pelargonium*; C. 'Elsa Spath'; and creamy Euonymus flowers

* = new this year

What a difference 2 weeks makes! Dan Pearson said at the Hay Festival he felt one of the joys of designing here in the UK is how regularly a garden changes on a daily basis. I feel this must have been happening whilst I was away as the garden looks well and truly in its summer clothing. I make no apologies for showing off my Clematis and some of this year's new arrivals.

My garden trail for Blooms Day has also revealed some new lessons to ponder: I'm pleased to report that my Dahlia duvet has worked for D. 'Moonfire' and D. 'David Howard' in spite of last winter's chills and my misgivings. It looks like having a duvet and being closer to the protective terrace wall have been key factors in their survival. Sadly the middling bed D. 'Happy Party' and D. 'Romeo' have yet to put in an appearance.

The pictured Erysimum 'Bowles Mauve' is the result of an experiment from my spring trimming tasks. I have 2 plants from last year which flowered continually from April until the really cold weather this February. After that both were very woody, but with some tiny side shoots towards the bottom of the plants. I ruthlessly chopped everything back to these, gave them a good mulching and left them to their own devices. The result you see is the plant with a good crop of new flowers and growth. This was the one with the healthy looking sideshoots when cut back: the other had rather sickly looking ones and looks even worse at the moment...

Why didn't anyone tell me how wonderfully scented Regal Pelargoniums are? I've had an an aversion to all things Pelargonium since infant school, where musty cuttings of the more common types of annual Geraniums were overwintered in a corridor outside the headmaster's study. Their awful scent put me off all Pelargoniums for life, but no longer. I want more of these ones please. I'm also enjoying the delicate blooms of the Cosmos, but have yet to detect anything of a chocolatey scented nature...

The Rosa 'Rambling Rector' has yet to get fully into its stride on the side fence, but NAH has complained already about it clawing at his clothes since we got back home on Saturday. Happy sigh. Now I really know it's summer :)

Garden Bloggers Blooms Day is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Comments

  1. Rob (ourfrenchgarden)15 June 2009 at 12:13

    Hi VP

    I think your blooms/garden look superb!

    It's nice creating a little piece of paradise.

    Rob

    ReplyDelete
  2. Helen/patientgardener15 June 2009 at 12:14

    Hi VP

    The Erysimum 'Bowles Mauve' take very easily from cuttings. The plants dont last too long because as you say they have a tendency to get leggy and woody. I replace mine every couple of years with plants grown from cuttings.

    ReplyDelete
  3. VP15 June 2009 at 12:20

    Rob - thank you :)

    PG - Yes and that's exactly what I've done previously. I usually manage to make mine last 3-4 years because they particularly like that spot in the garden. These were newly planted last year and I didn't get round to taking any insurance cuttings. So when I saw the little sideshoots and in view of the plants relatively young age, I thought it would be worth an experiment to see what would happen if I gave them a severe haircut instead! As you can see from the post - success depends on the state of the sideshoots in the first place.

    ReplyDelete
  4. CanadianGardenJoy15 June 2009 at 12:48

    VP girl ! Long time no see ? LOL
    You have some awesome blooms going on here .. the garden is truly showing off for you and us ? .. I haven't heard of those "geraniums' before .. I'll have to look into that ! Thank you for the heads up : )

    ReplyDelete
  5. Monica the Garden Faerie15 June 2009 at 12:50

    Ooh, pinks and purples--perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Zoë15 June 2009 at 12:51

    The Clematis are looking great VP, lovely selection.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mr. McGregor's Daughter15 June 2009 at 14:00

    I love your Clematises, how neat that you have so many sports. Our 'Crystal Fountain's seem to be at the same stage. After seeing all the photos of purple Erysimum on UK blogs (including yours), I got one this spring & stuffed it in a container, thinking it would provide some spring color. I can't tell you how surprised I am that it's still blooming & loaded with buds. Of course it's been unusually cool here...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Rose15 June 2009 at 21:29

    VP, I can only imagine how your different your garden must have looked after being away for two weeks! Beautiful blooms--I really must look for that chocolate cosmos. I love pelargoniums (I still call them geraniums) and have so many in different containers here. However, I can understand how an association with them can make you dislike them. I am that way with gladiolias--they remind me of funeral homes:)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Unknown15 June 2009 at 21:34

    Oh, that geranium is just gorgeous! You've got quite a nice collection going on. I suppose a collage would save people lots of scrolling through my incessant babbling. Oh well. Happy bloom day!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Joanne15 June 2009 at 22:21

    I think Rob said it well it does look and I bet smell like paradise.
    June is the best, with the clematis and roses and perfume. Perhaps you should find room for a Vilchenbleu rambler as it doesn't have thorns to grap at you when you pass.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anna15 June 2009 at 22:54

    I enjoyed strolling round your June garden VP - your colour palette looks similar to mine. I think that it needs to be quite warm before you get that chocolate niff :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Gail15 June 2009 at 23:08

    Your flower quilt of bloom is beautiful VP! Such lovely pinks and purples, two favorite colors for a garden~~I've recently brought home the chocolate cosmos and I see a bloom...can't wait to se my own chocolate blossoms. gail

    ReplyDelete
  13. Karen - An Artist's Garden16 June 2009 at 00:09

    Lovely montage VP - I do enjoy looking at your clematis they are wonderful
    K

    ReplyDelete
  14. VP17 June 2009 at 12:08

    Joy - yes, we've been on hols and as you can see the blooms have welcomed us home. I can send you some 'Splish Splash' seeds when this year's have finished flowering if you'd like some?

    MMD - I've had my Erysimum flower non-stop for 3 years before now, so I'm not surprised you're pleased with yours.

    Rose - fortunately for us the Gladioli association is much more positive thanks to Barry Humphries and his Dame Edna Everege (or however it's spelt)!

    Cinj - you keep on nattering, after all that's what you invite us all to do over at your place :) The reason why I do collages is because they take up much less space in my Blogger allowance whilst still allowing you to see lots of what's in my garden at the moment. I've already used up more than 50% in just 18 months...

    Joanne - Vichenbleu's a good one one to ponder. However RR was chosen for a reason - to deter people from climbing over the fence and it doesn't mind an Eastern facing aspect.

    Anna - I lifted the pot up yesterday and had a good sniff and guess what, there was a distinct whiff of chocolate :)

    Monica, Zoe, Gail and Karen - thank you and I'll head on over for a visit real soon :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dreamybee17 June 2009 at 12:45

    Oh, these are all beautiful! I got to your 9th picture and went, "What is THAT!?" and if I'm reading correctly, it's the sport of C. "Crystal Fountain"-love it!

    ReplyDelete
  16. VP17 June 2009 at 17:19

    Hi Dreamybee - welcome! You're right - it is a sport of 'Crystal Fountain' and it certainly does have the wow factor :)

    ReplyDelete

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