Wednesday 24 July 2013

Some plants in our garden


Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote'
The zingy lime green leaves of the Catalpa aurea - Indian Bean tree
Lots of wild Opium poppies 
Allium seedheads
Seed pods on the Piptanthus nepalensis - evergreen Laburnum from the Himalayas - the stems turn black as they mature.
Piptanthus nepalensis as it looked in May


Spiraea douglasii
Lychnis coronaria - rose campion - silver-grey foliage and stems
Echinops bannaticus 'blue glow' globe thistle
Cephalaria gigantea - giant scabious
Crocosmia lucifer
The Callistemon citrinus - bottle brush - a shrub endemic to Australia. This is considered a hot house plant in the UK, but ours, now standing over 2 metres  high, is covered in blossom and also bees, having survived another cold snowy winter in the garden.
Ipomoea - morning glory - heavenly blue
I can't believe that I have missed the opening of my first morning glory of the season. This photo was taken at 8.00am, and it is just beginning to close. A case of 'hello' and 'goodbye'.
Dierama pulcherrimum - Angel's fishing rods

61 comments:

  1. That are verry nice flowers.
    My flowers have a heavy time now, it is so hot, yesterday it was 35 grades, they need the hole day water....
    You garden is verry nice...

    Summer Greetings,
    Inge, my choice

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    1. Dear Inge - it is very difficult for the gardens at the moment and we are desperate for some long heavy rain. The ground is baked hard and the grass is like straw. Amazingly many of my flowers seem to be enjoying it as long as H spends at least an hour every evening watering them.

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  2. A lovely collection of flowers. You're slightly ahead of us, we also have globe thistles and crocosmia but both are yet to flower. In fact we have very little flowering at the moment, I always find there's a lull after the paeonies and alliums etc before the buddleia and hydrangeas. Have you a favourite flower at this time of year?

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    1. What a very difficult question to answer - they are all my favourites, but if I am pushed I do love the blue of the morning glory and the delicacy of the Dierama flowers as they gently swing back and forth on their angel's fishing rods.

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  3. A perfect visual delight, so lovely. Suzy x

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    1. Thanks Suzy - flowers are such lovely things to photograph.

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  4. Gorgeous images, thinking of Wordsworth - "And my heart with pleasure fills ... " - while looking through them!

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    1. What a very kind comment Merisi - thank you very much.

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  5. Dear Rosemary, I am so envious. What beautiful diversity you have in your garden. Everything looks so healthy and green. I see many, many hours of hard work. Lovely and beautiful images. ox, Gina

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    1. Dear Gina - we do not work as hard as we should in the garden, too many trips away I fear. I always feel a sadness when flowers have had their time, but before you know it a new crop of different flowers arrive.

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  6. That was lovely, Rosemary. I enjoyed the 'bee's eye' view of the plants. The intense green of the catalpa leaf is gorgeous. I've had very little to show for all the crocosmia leaves in my garden this year. I think it's time for some serious thinning!

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    1. I do not know whether the Catalpa Tree and in particular the aurea grow in your area, but if you can, it makes a wonderful impact with the luminosity from its large yellow/green leaves. May be your crocosmia will still flower, my orange one has not flowered yet, and I cannot see any sign of the flowers, but I am sure it will given time.

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  7. Gorgeous! Gorgeous!! Gorgeous!!! Beautiful plant portraits, Rosemary. After three seasons, our Hidcote Lavenders are out. Gone! Just didn't do well with our hot, heavy air and humidity!!

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    1. Thank you Loi - shame about your Hidcote lavenders - they like the heat as per Provence, but not sure about the humidity - I know that you will have clipped them back each season.

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  8. Absolutely gorgeous Rosemary - a delight to look at.
    Patricia x

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    1. Surprisingly the flowers seem to be relishing the heat - it is the lawn that is suffering really badly.

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  9. I would love to have the morning glory in our garden and an Indian bean tree! The only bean tree I've ever seen was in the churchyard of St. Mary's Minster in the Butts in Reading, Berkshire. It looks very exotic. It's good that we now have the lavender season which is a welcome addition to the high Summer garden.

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    1. Morning glories are so easy to grow Linda - give them a try. I have a packet of Thomson & Morgan seeds which last ages. At the moment I have a dozen plants coming up from last year, all are self seeded - shocking pink ones and midnight blue ones.
      The Bean Trees are not easy to find, but I expect the internet would help if you are interested. I like the aurea one best because it brings so much bright limey/yellow light into the garden.

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  10. Beautiful photo's from your garden Rosemary! We have lots of similar flowers in bloom. Is it as warm and dry in the UK as well? We have to water the garden every day.

    Madelief x

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    1. Hello Madelief - the weather is very hot here too, and the ground parched - our lawn is yellow. However, the flowers are flourishing in the sunshine.

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  11. What a wonderful display of flowers from your garden in July. I remember admiring your Angel fishing rods last year too. We have acquired a giant scabious this year and we are enjoying seeing it come into bloom.
    Sarah x

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    1. The giant scabious is a wonderful foil at the back of a border -the angel's fishing rods are so delicate especially when they gently swing on their narrow stems.

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  12. You have some wonderful flowers in your garden - I especially liked the Piptanthus Nepalenthus (did I get that right). I must say I was surprised to see the bottle brush in your garden.

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    1. The Piptanthus nepalensis is a very attractive plant, and especially like its black stems against its bright yellow flowers. The bottle brush has been flourishing and surviving in our garden for about 14 years when everyone tells me that it shouldn't.

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  13. Gorgeous photos, Rosemary. I'm happy to see some seed heads made the set. I love them, but they are under-appreciated. I also love the poppy bud and the bottle brush photos.

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    1. Thanks Marie - some of the seed pods are really lovely and add interesting structure to the borders. The poppies are now forming their seed heads which I think are beautiful. I intend to gather some this year and have them in a winter vase.

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  14. Beautiful garden Rosemary. Those opium poppies are so gorgeous. Summer really is the best season for gardens.

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    1. Luckily our flowers are enjoying the heat although H is getting rather tired every evening from watering them.

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  15. Dear Rosemary,

    Your garden is absolutely beautiful! The photograph of the morning glory and its visitor could be out of National Geographic.

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    1. Thank you Mark that is a very generous compliment and some compensation for the fact that I missed seeing the morning glory when it was fully open. The flower must have opened at about 5.00am - early enough for the hoverflies but too early for me.

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  16. Dear Rosemary , so many beautiful flowers in your garden !! Here grow up similar plants !Have a lovely day !

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    1. Dear Olympia -the flowers are a constant source of pleasure. I love wandering around in the morning to see what has newly arrived each day.

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  17. A wonderful array of flowers in your garden. Kast year I brought back a bunch of Allium seedheads from Canada, but sadly, none germinated.

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    1. The seedheads will produce seedlings, but the most successful way of getting them established is by bulb.

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  18. Lovely photos of some gorgeous flowers. I love the poppies unfurling. The bottle brush is beautiful, too and it's wonderful to hear that the bees have discovered it. I wonder if it would survive the winters where I am as it has survived the snow in your garden.

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    1. Dear Wendy - I think it would. Ours is about 14 years old - I have it in a walled corner with the plant facing south/east.
      Last evening it must have had at least 50 bees working busily on the flowers.

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  19. Your photos, always wonderful, brightened a somewhat grey day here. Such a pleasure to see what's growing in your garden this time of year. Thanks for introducing me to the Piptanthus nepalensis with black stems and yellow flowers.

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    1. Thank you for your visit, and I am pleased that you enjoyed seeing some of the flowers in our garden. That Laburnum from the Himalayas is a particularly attractive shrub.

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  20. Nature is wonderful.
    Like your Callistemon, Bottle Brush and pleased it grows up your way.

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    1. It is not supposed to survive outdoors here, but as you see it does - must be global warming.

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  21. Excellent red flower and the bee with the blue flower is super.

    Greetings,
    Filip

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    1. I love those blue flowers - morning glory - they are such a wonderful shade - like a perfect summer sky.

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  22. What exceptionally lovely plants you have Rosemary.
    I have two bottle brush trees.. The flowers on your tree look more fluffy than my flower..that could be due to the climate.
    When my garden are in full bloom and all looking so lovely, I dont want to move.
    I cant remember the names of all the photos you have shown.. they are though..so lovely
    A pleasure to see all the hard work come to fruit..
    Thank you for showing some of beautiful garden.
    val xx



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    1. Thanks for your kind comment Val - perhaps you could take a photo of your bottle brush shrub I would love to see it.

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  23. A beautiful garden, so lush and green ... Love your poppies, Rosemary, I simply can't grow those beauties ...
    Have a peaceful evening, my friend !

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    1. Thank you Dani - I do not grow the poppies they just arrive in the garden themselves, but where they come from I am not sure - most likely from birds or the wind. However, I am very happy to accommodate them.

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  24. Dear Rosemary,
    Your July garden is spectacular! Thank you for sharing it-- I hope you're getting lots of opportunities to sit and enjoy it after your travels. We had an interesting visitor to our phlox blooms last week: a creature called a hummingbird moth. We'd never seen one before, but this is a hovering moth that in both size, color and behavior seems just like a hummingbird-- except he has 6 legs and a spiral proboscis... But beautiful and fascinating all the same! Happy gardening, Rosemary!
    Warm regards,
    Erika

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    1. Dear Erika - I know the hummingbird hawk moth, we have it here. It is a fairly recent arrival in our country during the past 10 years travelling over from France. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds are always getting reports of humming birds because people don't realise they are a moth. I saw several last year, but none so far this year. They are really delightful things to watch. Still hoping I might see one this year - I did see some in Spain when we were there this Spring.

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  25. Dear Rosemary,your garden is so beautiful!!!And you must take care all those plants and flowers!!!I like the opium poppies,a flower that i never have seen!!Exellent photos and shots!!!Thank you for sharing!!!
    Dimi...

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    1. Dear Dimi - I think perhaps the opium poppies do not grow in Greece. I do not plant mine, they just arrive in the garden but we are happy to have them here. Glad that you enjoyed the photos.

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  26. Everything is luscious at the moment! I hope the storms don't come.

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    1. Some heavy rain, just during the night, would be very welcome Nilly. H is getting very tired lugging his watering can around every evening. However, the flowers seem to be very happy, it is just our lawn that is really suffering.

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  27. Your garden has some wonderful flowers Rosemary and I was so interested to see your bottle brush thriving! x

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    1. I think that it must be another hint towards global warming!!!

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  28. You have a garden of wonders, many gorgeous colours and curious shapes :)

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    1. I always forget just what is in the garden - I feel a sadness when the flowers finish and will not be seen anymore until the following year, but next morning there is always something else to discover.

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  29. The summer weather of your place looks more gentle on the plants as I see such flowers in profuse, vigorous bloom and (literally) full of beans. In my garden, plants look worn out in the sizzling daytime and restore themselves in the cooler morning and evening.

    Yoko

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  30. You have got a nice garden. I specially like the first circle photo on this site. Opiums are great ang I like Allium very much.

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    1. Thank you for your visit Maatuska and your kind comment.

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  31. A fantastic selection of flora from the five valleys Rosemary. Your Piptanthus nepalensis is new to me and looks fab, I love the contrast in the stem. I wonder if you pollard your Catalpa or if you allow it to do its thing?
    Wishing you a wonderful week ahead.

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    1. The Piptanthus nepalensis is very hard to find, but its black stems are very attractive against the bright yellow flowers.
      We do absolutely nothing at all to the Catalpa, so yes, we just let it do its thing.

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