Following our National Garden Scheme open weekend now is an opportunity to relax and enjoy what are our June garden stars.
In the sunny front garden is Dierama pulcherrimum. I am pleased to see this flowering I grew it from seeds I chose from the HPS member’s seed scheme. https://hardy-plant.org.uk
Dierama thrives in sunny positions with poor soil, I have seen it growing at Great Dixter between paving slabs.
On the patio the Dahlias are beginning to flower, some in pots others in the raised beds. I prepare their sites by adding local recycled garden waste and Rose fertilizer. I then water them well with occasionally an addition of seaweed plant food.
If I had to grow just one Dahlia it would be David Howard, with its dark foliage and butterscotch-coloured flowers, as Christopher Lloyd from Great Dixter decribed it, just in case your friends do not like orange flowers! It is very vigorous producing huge tubers.
In the Blue Border, the Geranium Johnson’s Blue is spreading through the glaucous leaved yellow flowering meadow rue, Thalictrum flavum subsp. glaucum.
A reliable drought-tolerant plant here is the red and white Lychnis Coronaria. Whilst it will happily self-seed around the garden I always propagate some from seed for the garden and to sell on our open days.
I have trained the vigorous Rose America Pillar through the trees and shrubs along the reflective path. I am now being rewarded with a magnificent display. This Rose grew in my grandparent’s garden and then my mother’s from which I propagated the two I now have in the garden.
The understated Rose glauca. syn. Rose rubrifolia is worth a place in any garden not just for its delicate flowers but also the slatey Blue leaves and autumn haws.
The āweedā wildflower Pilosella aurantiaca (Fox and Cubs) has self-seeded by the side of the potting shed. It is a stunning colour and is much loved by pollinators.
I think the current stars of the garden are the pelargoniumsā¦
Especially, Pelargonium Stadt Bern, it is such a vivid red, given to me by my gardening friend, Pam Thompson, Pear Tree Cottage. http://www.peartreecottage.me
I feed these once a week with a liquid seaweed tomato feed.
Pelargonium Stadt Bern
We are being rewarded by our June garden stars. What are your June garden stars?
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Hope your opening went well, Brian – we are in the ‘afterglow’ period here too! It was lovely to see your stars, including lots of bright dahlias! My dahlias haven’t grown as tall this year, not yet anyway, although I did take out some of David Howard;s stems as he usually ends up top heavy. Interesting to see your American Pillar, as I was wondering whether I could grow another rambler up the holly hedge. Good to see you promoting the lychnis too, something every gardener should have – the pink, white and occulata. I find even the older seed is viable if I forget to save fresh seed – you gave me the original white, I think! Best wishes to you both
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Thank you, Cathy, the opening went very well. American Pillar is very vigorous and thorny! I have it because it came from my mother’s garden. One of my favourites is Rose Francis E.Lester, beautiful with great scent.
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