Hi Philip. All very nice - wife did grow some Tigridias years ago - fantastic colours. Without any kind of pretentiousness intended I like to think of myself as a "plantsman" (as yourself) and consequently apart from the many "regular" lovely plants liked also to go for the more unusual and not so often seen ones - the accent mostly being on hardy herbaceous perennials. I have often read of the climate in Ireland being so good for plants and it comes to mind those I have grown which just did "so so" for me in my area climate but I imagine would have "romped away" in yours. Tell me please have you ever or do you now grow Smilacina racemosa - looks the same in stem/foliage as Solomons Seal but instead of the flowers hanging under the stems they are tufted at the stem ends - have a lovely scent - I used to stand a potful outside the door to catch it each time I was in or out. It did not like my dry East Anglian area too much so needed watching. I used to grow the common Solomons Seal in the garden but it spread like the clappers and became prone to yearly attacks by a grub (some Sawfly) which stripped it very quickly. Now have just a potful of a smaller variegated one. Many of these more unusual plants do not make much real impact growing and are thus bypassed but they are very interesting and to me it is the pleasure of having/growing them. Syd.
Thank you Kildale,..packed with plants is nice when walking around,..however if i neglect it for a week the paths become blocked,..its a case of forever pruning back the likes of Lavatera/Musk Mallow/Lupins/and rose bushes,..i suppose i shouldn't complain as i set out to create a jungle of flowers.
Thank you Syd,..i just can not resist a plant being offered by friends,..free is great,..my rule for the garden is do not buy plants,..so its cuttings from anyplace i am allowed remove from,..i do get seeds from friends both at home and abroad plus any that come with garden magazines. ah yes the Tigridia pavonia is a very striking bloom and nice to see you had them in your garden,..shame the bloom only lasts one day but its replaced by another next day,..mine came from bulbs some years back and have multiplied,..i keep them in containers then i know just where they are. Our climate is not a set climate and is described as mild winters but moist,..summers warm and moist,..no severe weather conditions,..we last had snow remain on the ground in 2010,..that is for The Midlands where i live,..up north it has had snow. No i have never grown Smilacina racemosa though you now have me thinking about it,..scented flowers i do like and it should grow quite well here,..Solomons seal is another i have not tried though i like the way it blooms. I tend to have plants coming along for two seasons ahead,..like Crysanthemums for Autumn and into Winter which were started last Spring and looking good today at about eight inches high.
Tigridia pavonia,..alas the bloom today is similar to the first one bloomed yesterday though bigger. Lilium 'Rialto',..creating a scent all around the garden as its highly scented. Lilium 'Dimension',..the dark one along with Asiatic Mixed. Asiatic Mix. Rose ( Rosa 'Ice Cream' ) Coleus and Clivia.
You have such lovely walks where you are. We used to have nothing but countryside around us here. Sadly much of it is now built up and we have to go further afield to see real open spaces.
Hi Philip. I love all the "regular" plants but have always also had that interest in the more unusual and lesser known ones many of which make much less impact - also a real challenge some of them to grow. No annuals just hardy or hardy 'ish herbaceous/perennials - our climate is not so very severe where I live (have lived) that less tough ones cannot be overwintered successfully with appropriate preparation and care. Many of the (diminutive but lovely in their own way) plants I have grown over the years would be overlooked by folk who really just want a good show of colour etc. We all have our own ideas about how we want our gardens and what we want to grow which is entirely how it should be. I do love flowers - grow many of them and like very much to see a great display but those tiny ones do have a special appeal to me also as does foliage. Compare say a tiny Viola with a Rose etc - both lovely in their own way. Ref sharing plants etc I have over all the years given away many many divisions etc - so much better to pass them on than scrap them - have had some nice ones given to me also. My gardening now is little compared to the past as is the range of plants I grow - that first garden of 25 years standing was "the one" - left it due to redundancy and having to move to find work. Took a fair number of plants with me but lost many due to them standing in pots whilst "moving in" had to be first priority - nuff said. Best wishes and nice to talk to you. Syd.
Philip, I inadvertently 'liked' your photo of purple loosestrife before I realized what it was. While it is beautiful (particularly your shot of the purple against a sea of green), in New England here it is a terrible invasive! So I have 'unliked' your photo! Well, I like the photo but not the plant.
Eileen,..pretty much the same everywhere,..luckily most of the walk areas i trot on get flooded so they don't build along there,..the town has built up about as far as it can so i guess it will be higher buildings in the future around here. Lol,..so you liked then unliked,..yes it was a risk posting a picture of loosestrife,..very pretty but oh boy i wouldn't like to chance it in my garden,..it seems to grow in most countries as does the yellow one. Deanna,..it never ceases to have some blooms throughout the year despite rain wind and frost,..though its a small flower it has nice markings,..oh you asked about the Harts Tongue Fern,..i posted a picture of it earlier in this thread.
Sedum,..No ID,..arrived from Texas way back. In the red corner. Lobelia,..in a pot within a pot. Rose ( Rosa 'Fond Memories' ) Hollyhock rust arrived,..so i cut off the leaves.
Hi Philip. Nice pics as always. As a cottage garden plant fan love the Hollyhocks - some lovely pastel colours. Grew some from seed a few years back. Such a great shame about that awful Rust disease - no escape from it it seems - or is there ?. Syd.
