In this weather I’ve had to sacrifice the look of some plants to protect them and I have some plants that are surviving quite well. I’ll show you both.
Re: watering, I give pots a gallon or two each every few days and I don’t water the rest of the garden.
Hardy geraniums cut right down
I’ve cut to the ground anything that has already flowered and anything that had lush green growth now shrivelled to a crisp. No amount of watering will revive spent hardy geraniums for example so it’s time to shear them off at ground level and let them put on new green growth when it rains. New leaves will appear within days
Alliums foolishly planted in a pot
These drumstick alliums (Sphaerocephalon)) are a huge success in that they look marvellous but I had just popped the bulbs into my pots and that was a mistake! They are now 4 ft tall and leaning precariously. Next year I will plant them in the middle of the borders where other plants can hold them up. They’re a bee magnet and a splash of colour.
You can also see the dead allium heads (Purple Sensation) which I think look lovely. This year I have left them rather than pulling them out. The huge heads of allium Christophii are even more dramatic.
Heads of spent allium Christophii
Most of the garden is green now – just dots of colour here and there. Strangely the Japanese anemone is flowering – it’s not supposed to come out till September.
A delicate Japanese anemone flowering now
A new success from rosybee.com are these yellow daisies. (Anthemis tinctoria). I love yellow and will be getting some more of these next year. It says they are perfect for solitary bees. Sounds a bit sad to be a solitary bee.
Anthemis tinctoria – good for bees
Pots in shade containing grasses, ferns and epimediums are all surviving well, looking cool and lush.
Also the sunny pots I planted with advice from Harriet Rycroft’s course on container gardening are looking lovely and have looked good all winter. I love the grasses in there which are coping with heat.
Have a look at other people’s Six on Saturday at The Propagator blog and thankyou to him for hosting this meme.
The spent alliums look a lot like fireworks.
Yes this is the first year I thought to leave them in the border – don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. They still look lovely two months after flowering.
Lovely! I particularly like the alliums.
Yes I can recommend them as they are all covered in bees all the time! Very cheap to buy by the 100s.
Lovely photos
Thankyou Gill – see you on Thursday xx
Great selection all around – you hardly look parched for rain, so your watering/purging regime works. What’s the red flower in the 2nd allium seed head photo? It sets off the foliage & flowers quite nicely. Also love the colour of your nasturtium in the yellow daisy photo. Is that small red/purple flower the same as the other I’ve asked about?
Hi Lora, the little dark red pin cushions are knautia Macedonia which, from a small plant in a small hole, spread out a few feet in every direction and flower for months if I deadhead them, which I do. And yes there it is again in the pot. Easy to buy online and especially from rosybee.com who sells flowers she has tested for bee magnet uses. Thanks for your interest.