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    Cottage garden survivors and sacrifices – Six on Saturday July 7th 2018


    July 7th, 2018 - Pots and containers, Wildlife gardening

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    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

    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

    Cottage garden allium bulbs

    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.

    cottage garden allium bulbs

    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.

    autumn flowering Japanese anemones

    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.

    plants for bees

    Anthemis tinctoria – good for bees

     

    Pots in shade containing grasses, ferns and epimediums are all surviving well, looking cool and lush.

    MwJgsjLLREK3PemPZbbYQ.jpg

    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.

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    8 comments on "Cottage garden survivors and sacrifices – Six on Saturday July 7th 2018"

    1. Beverly says:
      7th July 2018 at 6:20 pm

      The spent alliums look a lot like fireworks.

      Reply
      1. Julie Quinn says:
        10th July 2018 at 4:55 pm

        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.

        Reply
    2. Jane says:
      8th July 2018 at 11:48 am

      Lovely! I particularly like the alliums.

      Reply
      1. Julie Quinn says:
        10th July 2018 at 4:55 pm

        Yes I can recommend them as they are all covered in bees all the time! Very cheap to buy by the 100s.

        Reply
    3. Gill Disley says:
      9th July 2018 at 9:25 am

      Lovely photos

      Reply
      1. Julie Quinn says:
        10th July 2018 at 4:54 pm

        Thankyou Gill – see you on Thursday xx

        Reply
    4. Lora Hughes says:
      12th July 2018 at 11:39 am

      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?

      Reply
      1. Julie Quinn says:
        13th July 2018 at 10:56 am

        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.

        Reply

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