In the Garden in June….

Still mostly staying at home at the moment so I thought I would share some of my favourite plants in the garden just now……..

Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’ is one of my favourite Salvias with a long season of interest, loved by bees and works really well in so many planting combinations. Hemerocallis are wonderfully fragrant perennials - this yellow variety is an existing plant in a Client’s garden which I think might be Hemerocallis ‘Stella de Oro’. Iris sibirica (another one we planted in a Client’s garden) is a really great Iris for growing in most borders and has lovely violet blue flowers in early summer. Cirsium rivulare ‘Atropurpureum’ loves a sunny spot and has fabulous thistle like flowers which are absolutely adored by bees!

There are so many wonderful Geraniums to choose from, to suit pretty much every position. Geranium ‘Rozanne’ is a great one for a border but does need a bit of space and combines really well with so many plants, is loved by bees and has an impressively long flowering season from May to October. I’ve also included a couple of shrubs which have been looking great in June. Weigela florida ‘Wine & Roses’ (also known as ‘Alexandra’) has lovely purple foliage and pink flowers in late Spring / early Summer and Sambucus nigra ‘Black Lace’ has really beautiful, finely cut, really dark purple foliage. It is best cut back in the Spring and makes a wonderful backdrop to colourful perennials such as Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ or Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty’. The final picture in this group of 4 shows Eryngium x zabelii ‘Jos Eijking’ which is a striking thistle like perennial with long lasting flowers. It is happy in a sunny position with free draining soil and works well as a cut flower. In fact I have a particular soft spot for this one as it was in my wedding bouquet…..

Another wonderful garden stalwart with a beautiful range of flower colour is Astrantia. In my garden I have Astrantia major ‘Claret’, ‘Roma’ and ‘alba’. They flower for weeks and are also loved by bees - moist but well drained soils are ideal.

And for some fabulous foliage! Acers are some of my favourites with lovely variations in foliage colour and texture. And I couldn’t resist including the emerging leaves of this beautiful wee Hosta - Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’.

Even when they’ve finished flowering, these Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ look wonderful - even in the rain! …….and a reminder what they were like in their full glory!

Also really exciting to anticipate the delicious peas and beans that are on their way………….

Stay safe and well and Happy Gardening!

Garden furniture…. with a twist!

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and we’re all really appreciating the positive effect gardens and gardening can have on our mental well being. I thought I would look at some other ways we can introduce some happiness and positivity into our gardens - as well as with all the wonderful plants of course! So I thought I would tell you about our Happy Table. Actually it may only be me who calls it our Happy Table….. other people might just call it our table? But I’m sure it still makes them happy!

It started with a standard rattan cube dining set I ordered online and when it was delivered, the glass top it came with had completely smashed. I certainly could have returned it…. but I had already been thinking about doing something a bit different with it…… and this finalised the decision, so it stayed and we got planning and sketching and it became a family project. We have been so fortunate to have had some wonderful family adventures and we decided to use these as inspiration, choosing some of our favourite places with our happiest memories. Can you spot the cities? (Answers below….) I also included trees showing the different seasons of the year in the corners. Well it is a garden table - I had to get some plants in there somewhere!

There’s lots of guidance online and on YouTube on how to create mosaics. If you happen to have any spare tiles, broken tiles, pebbles, it could be a fun project! If you don’t have the materials though it’s great to plan ahead. Our table took quite a bit of time to come into fruition. You can make sketches and plan just how you want it to look and it gives you the excuse to browse through your photos, images and memories…. and to get creative. And until we can travel again it’s nice to dream.

It’s such an engrossing activity! We sometimes got so caught up in the task we lost track of time……. even ended up sitting out in the dark with head torches. A lovely way to spend time chatting together and getting lost in an activity - whoever wanted to take a seat and stick some pieces down for as short or long a time as they felt like. Very relaxing. And you get to smash stuff up as well :) Getting creative, having fun and spending relaxing time in the garden is all so good for you.

Visits to our local tile shops resulted in an impressive array of tiles. Some were happy to let us have broken tiles just destined for the skip - and we were going to be taking a hammer to them anyway. (Remember to use appropriate PPE!) Just to mention, not all tiles are frost resistant so it’s a good idea to take that into account for a garden table. Since we wanted some really bright colours we knew some of our tiles weren’t frost resistant but planned to provide protection over the winter.

It doesn’t need to be something as big as a table though! There are loads of mosaic projects you could do - from furniture to a decorative wall plaque or house number and you can even get some basic kits from craft shops to get started, if tackling a project from scratch is too daunting.

(Answers to the cities……… Venice, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, San Francisco.)

Stay safe and well and Happy Gardening…….. and Creating!

Garden your way towards happiness…

We’re 6 weeks into lockdown and are certainly going through some challenging times at the moment. I am so appreciating my garden and my dog walks in nature, having the opportunity to slow down and taking in all that is around. The birds singing, bees buzzing, the sound of the wind moving through plants and trees and of course the fragrance….. It calms my busy head and puts a smile on my face. Studies have shown gardening and spending time in nature has a hugely beneficial effect on mental and physical health and now is the ideal time to embrace all the benefits of nature. Noticing the beautiful, magical little things we often rush past…. the Spring blossom, the unfurling of ferns, the Larch flowers…. In a world that can seem at the moment so full of negative news, sadness, uncertainty and worry, these small signs of promise, optimism, potential……. the beauty and wonder of nature is so nurturing for the soul. It’s good to just get out there, whether you’re lucky enough to have some beautiful countryside on your doorstep, a local park or simply exploring your neighbourhood!

I’ve been particularly enjoying sowing seeds…..and there’s still time to get sowing! The positive effect of new shoots emerging from the soil is just fabulous and you don’t need lots of fancy equipment to get started. Supermarkets might have some seeds and compost you can pop in your trolley when you’re in getting your essentials and there are several companies selling online. Egg cartons, yoghurt pots and toilet rolls can be used as pots for your seedlings and there are many seeds you can sow straight outside when the conditions are right - just check the seed packets for sowing instructions. You can always get creative with your planters - just remember to put drainage holes in them. It’s great to get kids involved too. It’s so good for you to get outside and get your hands mucky - kids and adults!

Lettuce, Spinach, Radish, are really easy for starting with and you can sow some every few weeks for a continuous supply. And I just love growing peas! I know you’ve probably heard this before but oh my! home grown veg tastes so much better! It’s unlikely you’ll be able to grow all the veg you’ll need so please don’t set this as your goal. Sometimes things work and sometimes not…. it’s all part of the adventure. A really important thing to remember though is to grow things you enjoy eating! There’s no point having a whole successful crop of food none of you like! (Speaking from experience… apparently I’m the only one here who likes courgettes!) I’m just telling myself I’m going to have some lovely home grown veg to eat to supplement the shop bought stuff and I’ll have some fun along the way. And if colourful flowers is more your thing that’s great! It’s really good to also grow plants that attract wildlife and are beneficial to bees, butterflies and insects.

These are my French Beans! Aren’t they wonderful! They made me do a little dance of delight!

So whether you’ve got a huge garden, an allotment, a small space for a few pots, a window ledge for some herbs - it’s all good!

Stay safe and well and Happy Gardening!