Autumn deliveries.

I always think of Autumn as the start of the gardening year, it is one of the busiest times of year.

A painful back and hip is the last thing a gardener needs just now!

I had started planting some of the 'many' tulip bulbs purchased and then the order of bare root roses were delivered.

They have been stored, still in their packaging, in the summer house for a few days whilst the gardener and the weather improves.

Today was that day!

There are two standard roses...

...and four shrub roses.

When I originally planted the garden in 2004 there were two standard roses in the front garden which I moved to join two new ones in the main border, now christened The Blue Border.
Sadly they didn't perform too well, they were quite old roses and were eventually removed.
I have always thought the bed lacked the symmetry ( very designer speak ) that having four standard roses provided in the border, not to mention colour.
I decided this summer to plant again, two more standard roses joining, R. Worcestershire, a weeping standard and R. Bonica Std.

The new standard roses are Wisley 2008...

...and Charlotte.

The shrub roses are R. William and Catherine, a white rose that does not grow too tall.  They are destined for the White and Green garden, to compliment the climbing rose, 'Iceberg', which is trained along the dividing fence in this garden.

They are not very much to look at when planted...

The standard roses do provide a little more structure just now.

The three following pictures are from the David Austin website.

R.Wisley 2008. Std

R. Charlotte.Std

R. William and Catherine.

We hope our new additions will look this good next year.
Now to finish the tulip planting!

What's new in your garden this autumn?

Summer Tour (Part 2).

I hope you enjoyed Summer Tour Part 1, of Our Garden@19, if you haven't seen it just scroll down to below this post.

All the plants in Part 2 are either annuals bought or grown from seed also some perennials that I have grown from seed. The majority of my seeds come from either Chiltern Seeds or Sarah Raven, I do also save some seeds from Our Garden@19.

The first to greet you on the patio is a pair of planters with Rudbeckia 'Toto Rustic', it proved very difficult to keep alive as seedlings, wilting off, they are now beginning to prove their worth. Along- side are buckets of violas, behind, growing in an old tin bath is Fuchsia 'Mrs Popple'...

...these Petunias were purchased from a local nursery, they have been really good value.

This is the first time I have grown the white version of this annual climber, Tunbergia 'Susie Series' White, I think it is a beauty and will be on the seed list again for next year.

The nasturtiums self seed every year, this one is growing alongside Erigeron Karvinskianus which if happy will seed around every where.

These sweet peas are 'Cupani' originally introduced from Sicily in 1699, these are from seed saved in 2015.

A new one for this year is King Edward VII, adding a Royal flush to the garden.

I have been very impressed with Centaurea cyanus 'Blue Boy', I planted the seeds in September, overwintering in the cold greenhouse before planting out in the spring, they have flowered non stop since May.

We go through the arch past baskets of Lemons & Apricots (Begonias)...

...to the White & Green garden with the white Sweet William and Lychnis coronnaria alba, easy from seed along with its red stable mate.

In the main borders, Campanula lactiflora 'Prichards Variety' grown from seed eight years ago, surviving much longer than the purchased 'Loddon Anna' and...

...a beautiful orchid like flower, Francoa sonchifolia, another perennial very easy to propagate from seed.

New this year is Daucus carota ‘Dara’, it is supposed to have hints of pink in it, so far they all appear to be white and...

...also new is this beauty Cosmos sulphurous, I had never seen a yellow Cosmos until I read a post by Amelia who kindly sent me some seed. Monty Don featured them on Gardener's World a couple of weeks ago, we are at the cutting edge of horticulture Amelia!

One 'Old' favourite is Eryngium giganteum 'Miss Willmott's Ghost'...

...which along with the Bronze Fennel is loved by the pollinating insects.

A perennial that will seed itself around the garden is Knautia macedonica, I love its colour and pin cushion seed heads, seen hear with Lychnis coronaria.

Cosmos bipinnatus are easy to grow from seed, this is 'Dazzler'. 

We end the tour in the small greenhouse with trays of predominately biennials for next year.

What is 'Dazzling' in your garden this summer?

Please click on any picture to create a slide show.

Holidays, Mistakes and Impulse Buys!

We have just returned from an enjoyable holiday in the lovely town of Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, relaxing, following in the footsteps of Dylan Thomas, sampling the produce of the hostelries in the evening and visiting gardens by day, more of these in future blogs.

Laugharne Castle.

On returning home we welcomed a visit from Cathy and the 'Golfer' of  Rambling in the garden  fame who were visiting gardens around this part of Worcestershire. It was very enjoyable to meet another blogger and talk gardens.
Time to have a look around the garden and see what has been flowering during the end of August while we were away and now into September.

The Dahlias are of course the colour stars of the garden at this time of year, D. 'Twyning's After Eight' with its faint veining of pink along with dark foliage was particularly admired by Cathy...

...less so D. 'Thomas A. Edison', whilst admiring the colour, the heads are big and they can suffer from heavy rain and wind.

You can see more of the Dahlias growing in the garden Here

In the raised beds there was also Ricinus communis, the castor oil plant, providing interesting leaf shape and colour...



...along with a self sown sunflower from the bird feeders.

The pots by the raised beds are planted with Ipomoea lobata, Spanish Flag, which has been disappointing this year, they have only just started to flower in the one pot,...

...much more rewarding has been the 'Impulse Buy' these Petunias from M&S, they have flowered continuously for weeks.

The Helianthus 'Lemon Queen' has migrated through into the white & green garden, where the Iceberg rose is enjoying a second flowering...

...with Japanese Anenomones...

...the Phlox paniculata 'White Admiral'...

...and the Leucanthemum x super bum, Shasta Daisy blending in beautifully with the Glass Daisy behind.

Through the arch into the centre border...

...the first Aster is in flower...

...Aster divaricatus accompanied by...

...the sparkling Solidago 'Fireworks.'

A recent addition is the Cirsium rivulare 'Trevor's Blue Wonder' the bees were there as soon as I had finished planting them.

The Agapanthus in pots either side of the Banana Bench are just starting to go over...

...along with Lilium tigrinum 'Flore Plena'...

...and L.'Landini'. I liked this lily enough to order some more two years ago...

...and this is 'The Mistake'!......they did give me a refund.

Back on the patio 'Mrs Popple' is showing off in the old tin bath.

I hope you have enjoyed the Holiday season, what 'Mistakes' or 'Impulse Buys' do you have in your garden?