garden diary
garden diary
Tuesday 1st.
Did a bit more hedge cutting of Box hedge in walled garden - it has become too wide and the wrong shape, so I have been brutal. Rob will be coming tomorrow to finish it off. In the Alpine bed III, I have noticed a flowering stem of Alstroemeria isabellana which I got from the sale at Tregrehan two years ago. Protection from slugs has paid off. The foliage is also interesting and pleated, but the flowering stem appears separately and at first doesn’t seem to belong to the same plant.
Alstroemeria isabellana in tropical mix
Alstroemeria isabellana showing pleated leaves below growing horizontally. I have decided to try my luck with Senecio candicans on the Southwest bank under the studio. I put mycorrhizae under the roots, and hope the steep drainage will help it survive the wnter. The foliage is stunning white, and I remember seeing a photo of it in a book many years ago.
Monday 7th. Over the weekend, I planted up the small new bed in the small garden in front of the South Wall and it looks already settled.
Thursday 24th.
Anja brought a friend from London who helped out mainly training and cutting the wistarias on the pergola. Rather belatedly, I took the seeding weeds from the amazing Japanese Anemones and Verbena bonariensis in the lower part of the walled garden. Spectacular en masse.
Monday 28th. (Bank Holiday)
Gardening this month has consisted of cutting back the amazing amount of growth this year, and grass and hedge cutting. This weekend has been very warm (22-24degC) and because it has been such a wet month, I had forgotten to water the new plantings. Now remedied. And this morning it has been wet! Hydrangea aspera Kawakamii gp. is flowering exceedingly this year and will need cutting back afterwards.
Tuesday 29th.
Very excited that the Litsea populifolia layer I did two years ago has produced quite a few roots, so I have potted it up and hope that it will grow on. Fingers Crossed. The two Litsea cuttings in the greenhouse seem OK too. I have also sent some material to Ros Smith at Rosewarne College to try propagating it by micropropagation.
Garden Diary August 2017
Alstroemeria isabellana