Gardening Year 2019 – Six of Summer

Summer is is where we can all have a lot to do or vey little to keep our gardens in tip-top condition. Summer for me at one time was to keep the bedding going well and trimming the hedges and lawns. On top of all that was the many vegetables I enjoyed growing both at home and on the allotment plots. Now it is about keeping plants flowering and watered as I don’t do much in the way of vegetable growing, though that may change, you never know. 🙂

One of the first flowers I was looking forward to seeing in bloom was the Clematis Piilu. It’s been rewarding to see every year and mostly because I nearly gave it the old heave-ho to the waste bin. This was because I had seen very little in its development over the years. Well, this year has been the exception. There where lots of buds and flowers, to the point I lost count of how many buds there where.

So I’m going to give it a 10 out of 10 for effort and display. It’s been exceptional, which I recommend this clematis for early flowering and repeat flowering in the late summer and autumn too if your lucky.

My next plant is some what special in that I’ve always admired these but not grown them until last year when I was given a pot of them. African Lily or Agapanthus is the one of many I’ve liked.

This awesome plant in a pot produced six stems of stunning flowers. It was so good to see it flower so profusely this year. Agapanthus Lavender Haze.

The Roses are doing superbly well. Unfortunately, I only know the name of the last two rose in the above and that’s Irish Eyes. I came across this at the end of a holiday in Yorkshire and spotted it in a tub all planted up with this rose and bedding plants and, the name tag was still on the plant so that set me about trying to find it. I didn’t have to wait long as we were back home doing some shopping locally I noticed outside a greengrocers a familiar flower and low and behold it was the Rose Irish Eyes. That was quite some years a go.

Butterfly Bush – Buddlejia. This is a variety called Purple Chip which is a smaller growing shrub. I’ve got this growing in a large pot but after three years it might need a larger pot or putting in the ground. It’s a later (August) flowering variety that produces large flowers that are strongly scented and attracts the bees and butterflies. It’s always in full sun facing south needing lots of water. It has been a brilliant shrub to see in full bloom and there’s lots of them to through into autumn. I give it a good pruning in the autumn which seems to work well.

Ipomoea or Morning Glory, which are known for this name as they bloom during the day and seem to die off by mid-day. Often I’ve missed these flowering as they’re planted somewhat out of site until I happen to notice them if watering early mornings. Now these where sown in April and about ten days later they where all germinated which is brilliant as many years a go I don’t remember it being so easy. Once they they got their true leaves they (eleven) where growing fast so had to get them support to stop them tangling up with each other. The variety was supposed to be Split Second Double, but I don’t believe this was so as none of the plants showed any signs of being frilly or double, as was described on the packet! I’ve a page all about the the process and the looking after them! See under seeds sown 2019.

This plant, has survived from last year in this same position, between the flagstones. I left it to flourish as much as it could through the summer and autumn of 2019. During that time it has flowered continuously and throughout the baking hot weather in July. It’s main source of water and nutrients has been from from run of water when the hanging basket was watered. Much like the familiar antirrhinum they can be very insistent that they flourish, this was no exception. And not a sign of rust like that of some antirrhinums. What holds for its continued life well our weather will decide.