Jo's latest June 2018
Hello Everyone
Hope you are all enjoying this glorious weather even if it is being a little bit contrary.
The garden has continued to look lovely & is full of colour everywhere you look so I'm starting with the Front Lawn. We were all sad that the cedar tree had to be cut down but nature does have a way of helping us over these tragedies and the display of Papavers, poppies to you and me, set off against the array of delights in the beds scattered around the Front Lawn have delighted everyone who has visited the garden, photo 1.
Not many people will have realised that lurking in the border on the far side of the lawn is an unexpected treat. The Dranunculus vulgaris known as the Dragon Lily or Black Arum, photo 2, is in flower but don't bend down to inspect it too closely as it smells awful! Another plant that doesn't smell nice is the Iris foetidissima, photo 3. Now I know what it is, I have noticed that there are a lot of them around the garden. This is our second native Iris, the Flag Iris featured last month is the other one.
Following the path around to the side of the house I noticed the Catalpa erubescens 'Purpurea, photo 4, in the border now known as the Bowles Bed. The new leaves are very striking as they are a very dark purple almost black colour, photo 5. These will turn green as they age.
Walking around the pond the Liriodrendron tulipifera, Tulip Tree, photo 6, is in flower. Some say it takes it's name from the leaves, photo 7, but I think that the flower, photo 8, so closely resembles a tulip that it must have been named accordingly.
Just beyond the Alpine Bridge is another wonderful collection of Papavers, photo 9. They have sprung up everywhere around the garden and look amazing in the afternoon sunshine, photo 10.
Further on around the pond is the Wisley Corner. The display of Digitalis purpurea, photo 11, has gone from strength to strength and as you know I now refer to this area as Foxglove Corner. This has definitely been the best seat in the garden this month.
Across the path is the Rose Garden and the Market Cross is a wonderful backdrop to the stunning display in the bed on the New River Lawn, photo 13, a collection of Geranium 'Wisley Blue' (yes, it escaped from the Wisley Corner), Papavers, Echium and Yuccas. The Echiums, photo 13, have been grown from seed and include Echium 'Red Rocket', E. 'Wildpretii' and E. 'Pink Fountain'. There were so many enquiries about this plant that it now has it's own name tag. This plant has the common name of Viper's-Buglosses!!!! But I think I'll stick to Echium!
Down in the Kitchen Garden there are some beautiful new signs on the produce cart, photo 14. They add a certain touch of class to the sale of produce from the garden. Steph has also introduced other signs around the Kitchen Garden giving information about different plants and what is in the different areas, photo 15. In the cut flower bed these Dianthus barbatus, Sweet Williams, are doing really well and have put on an amazing display all month, photo 16.
Leaving the Kitchen Garden and walking through to Bowling Green Lawn the Eremurus border is full of colour from a collection of Kniphofia, Papavers, Grasses and Alliums, photo 17, but I could only find one Eremurus robustus, photo 18. I'm not sure what's happened to them so I'm just going to blame the weather!
Finally, at the end of the border the collection of Allium 'Globemaster' have continued to look amazing and have now been joined by Allium 'Forelock', photo 19. Personally, I think they belong in the Asylum as they look very strange!
Well, that's the round up of delights for June.
Best Wishes
Jo
