2025

The weather is holding steady, temperatures as high as 30°C, although 20-25°C is more the norm. The few showers we have experienced have barely dampened the ground. Typically for this time of the year colour is sparse, so the lilies are welcome. Although they do not hold their blooms well in the heat. One thing I have noticed is the lack of butterflies. We were inundated with them earlier, particularly with the Peacocks. Although the eupatorium, now Eutrochium purpureum, is in flower, a tremendous bee and butterfly magnate, there are hardly any to be seen. This is the exact opposite of what happened last year so I am putting it down to the warm spring. For anyone who is interested I have taken the liberty to include a few links to some of my previous posts devoted to lilies that I have grown, with many more pictures.

The ever popular Lilium ‘Stargazer’. This is one of the first lilies that I ever grew and remains a favourite even now. I took this picture a couple of days ago but it is already looking worse for ware in the heat. Another Oriental, Lilium ‘Hachi’, which I featured a couple of weeks ago, is very similar with its upturned blooms but the flowers are notably much larger than those of ‘Stargazer’. Here is a link to Lilies Part 1 – Updated for more lily pictures.

I have shown Anemanthele lessoniana, pheasant tail grass, before but is now at its best. The leaves are taking on some red splashes which are complemented by the airy inflorescences floating in the breeze. I’ll be quoting poetry next!

I have never grown Lilium ‘Red Flash’ before and I am rather enamoured with the strong colour. Unfortunately the bottom bloom is past its best. For even more pictures of lilies that I have grown Lilies Part2 -Updated

A good old standby for late summer/autumn colour Rudbekia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’. I don’t think you can beat these simple “cone-flowers” to add a splash of colour, at this time of the year. I did have some echinaceas but they have decided not to come out to play this year. The splash of blue in the lower right-hand corner is Geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue’ which, in my small garden, is becoming far too invasive. I intend to remove it altogether shortly. Even though I reduced it by half last winter. It is taking up far too much space for one plant, and I have plenty of stuff stuck in pots which can take its place.

Another strongly scented Oriental. Lilium ‘Casa Blanca’ is another old favourite of mine. I have to admit that I had forgotten it was there until I checked the label before it came into bloom. It is a true pure white and all the better for it. I am in a bit of a quandary at the moment. I have no room to plant the lilies out, so do I keep the pots overwinter and chance that they will come good again next year, which they should do. Or do I buy in some more to guarantee a good show next year. I will probably do both! Here is some more about lilies including Cardiocrinum giganteum. Lilies Part 3-Updated

I bought this hydrangea from Thompson and Morgan at least eight years ago when they were selling it as Hydrangea ‘Incrediball’. I think it is now better known as, and is certainly synonymous with, Hydrangea arborescens ‘Strong Annabelle’. My plant is still in a container, and although the blooms aren’t the size that they should be, it still puts on a fairly good display every year. I intended to cut it back hard last winter but forgot. I need to remedy that this year, and put it on a high potash diet to see if I can improve it. Re-potting would be ideal but it is in a very large container so I will continue to nurture it where it is for as long as I can.

This meme is hosted by Jim Stevens who is to be found with all the details and links to plenty of other blogs to enjoy at Garden Ruminations.

Six on Saturday 02/8/2025

The weather has been very unsettled but rainfall has been sparse. Daytime temperatures remain at 17-20°C. Yet again the worst of the weather has bypassed us in High Peak. I think the valley I live in has its own macroclimate. It can be very annoying to keep getting messages on my phone informing me rain is expected to stop whilst the garden remains bone dry. This Saturday, unusually, there are some pictures of my back garden, warts and all. The garden is very small, the wall you can see is the gable end of the bungalow to the rear of me. This was an old railway yard and considering the initial planting was done with a pick and trenching tool it isn’t turning out too badly. My previous garden was large so this one has proved to be quite a challenge. I did however, have a vision of what I wanted, which was basically cram it full of plants. I am slowly getting there. Currently there is hardly room to move!

The plants in the foreground, other than the buddleia, are in containers sitting on a six foot wide flagged patio which drops down a couple of feet to the garden below. The oriental lilies are starting to make their display now that the hardy geraniums are mostly leaf. Geranium x oxonianum ‘Wargrave Pink’ is still flowering in the “garden” area along with a few yellow verbascums and some Begonia Illumination Apricot Shades in a basket, hanging under the foliage of Rosa ‘Rambling Rector‘, a rampant honeysuckle, and a purple clematis. The Joe Pye Weed, which I think is now Eutrochium purpureum, is just coming into flower at the top of the picture. This will then become the main attraction for the bees and butterflies as the buddleias finish.

Oriental lily ‘Curly Sue’ is just outside my back door. The scent on a warm day is quite something. I am unhappy to report that I have found my first beetle today!

This is the patio area, I use the term loosely! The sage in the foreground is growing from between the flags which along with the self-seeded plants of Geranium pyrenaicum make every trip an adventure. The staging to the right is a new acquisition, purely to increase the space that I have to grow plants, and has proved a nightmare to keep watered. The older staging is where I initially raised all my plants, but it is now so shaded, that only the top tier is of use. There are even a couple of tomato plants in there somewhere which were foisted on me. If I get one tomato off these it will be a miracle. Phyllostachys nigra is poking its head in top left.

This picture gives a better idea of just how tight room is. The Phyllostachys aureas help to break up the wall behind them, and there is a Viburnum making its way up there in the middle. The Joe Pye weed also makes an efficient screen for the summer, as well as attracting plenty of butterflies and bees. There is a Fatsia japonica in there somewhere also. I think I am going to have a problem keeping the acer in check in the future as it is now beginning to put on quite a bit of growth.

Another Oriental, Lilium ‘Hachi’.

At the other end of the “patio” we have Control Central for the garden, the potting bench! Almost everything is done here. I no longer have the luxury of a covered area, although I have done some potting up on the kitchen draining board. Incidentally, I have to thread my way onto the chair. There are meconopsis plants on the floor on one side and a campanula growing out of the flags on the other!

Reading this post I’m sure that you have surmised that I very much miss my old garden. Unfortunately it was unavoidable that I downsized. At the end of the day, I am lucky not to be fussy about garden design and I am only interested in the plants. I initially filled the space with plants that I knew would survive the far from good conditions. As the ground is improved, I am beginning to replace them with plants I really like to grow such as my meconopsis. I do seem however, to have become keen on hardy geraniums on the way. I might manage a post for the front garden soon, although it’s past its best. It is even smaller!

This meme is hosted by Jim Stevens who is to be found with all the details and links to plenty of other blogs to enjoy at Garden Ruminations.

Lilies Part2 -Updated

When I first started this blog, having scrapped any that had gone before, it was mainly as a brain exercise, plus, not a little, nostalgia. I came across the Six on Saturday meme run by Jim Stephens at Garden Ruminations and, through that, organically increased my presence on the web. This has prompted me to re-publish some of my old material some of which is updated. These posts are purely about the plants that I have grown and photographed, mainly in my previous garden, unless otherwise stated.

Lilies generally prefer a slightly acid soil, originally I planted them in pots preferring to have the scent close to the house. As their numbers grew, I started to remove them from the pot intact and planted the whole thing in the border after the first year. This worked quite well as many of the “transplanted groups” gave a good display for years. If planting direct into the garden it is recommended that a layer of grit is placed beneath the bulbs to aid drainage. The thing to avoid is creating pockets in heavy soils which will fill with water during the winter. If planting in heavy ground a thorough cultivation of the planting area adding grit and additional grit under and around the bulb would seem prudent. I usually plant at 100mm which also helps to stabilise the stems as many lilies do actually throw roots out from the stem. Remember using odd numbers in a group always looks better and less artificial.

**Lilium ‘Pink Perfection’ Scented Trumpet Lily**

**Lilium ‘Robert Swanson’ Giant – Tree Lily.**

**Lilium ‘Salinas’ Highly scented Oriental.**

**Lilium ‘Salmon Star’**
**Shorter than most this scented Oriental (sometimes Dwarf Oriental) lends itself to container culture.**

**Oriental Lily ‘Starfighter’** **Very large upturned flowers.**

**Lilium ‘Stargazer’ Oriental Lily. A deliberate cross between two species to produce an upturned flower. Traditional lily which has been around for some time.**

**Oriental Lily ‘Tom Pouce’ Extremely large trumpets.**

Watch out for the lily beetle! Next post miscellaneous, plus pest and disease and the giant of them all Cardiocrinum giganteum.

Six on Saturday 5/7/2025

Temperatures are remaining around 20°C which rather suits me. I am writing this on Friday and we are expecting heavy rain later which is much needed. The garden has really filled out now and I can hardly move for plants. Which is making it difficult to get to any weeds without treading on things I’d rather not. A mixed bag this week of plants I can name, and those I can’t.

Update 6.00am Saturday. As always, it seems, the promised heavy rain went north of us. When I looked out this morning everywhere was dry! More heavy rain forecast for early morning tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

This little campanula is from a packet of seed labeled large white flowered. The flowers are white and also large for the plant, which is typical of campanulas. The plant itself however, is less than a foot tall. It reminds me very much of Symphyandra hoffmannii which I used to grow.

I am not a great fan of grasses but I find Anemanthele lessoniana, the pheasant tail grass outstanding. Unfortunately the picture doesn’t capture the effect of it glinting in the sunlight as it does. It will carry on throughout the year with the leaves taking on yellow, orange and red streaks towards winter.

This white, self-seeded verbascum has improved year on year. I know the wild plant is somewhat looked down on as a weed but I find them rather attractive. A big plus is that they are constantly visited by numerous bees. Both the white one, and the smaller yellow one, in the foreground, originated from a packet of mixed verbascum seed, but these plants have seeded themselves, into the paving, from elsewhere in the garden.

Primula x bulleesiana showing fasciation. This is one of the few botanical “coveralls” that I can relate to. x bulleesiana is obviously the combination of bulleyana and beesiana. Fasciation is quite common in primulas, particularly the candelabra types. There seems to be a myriad of things that can cause it from genetic mutation to viral or insect damage, which means, I think, that nobody is really certain.

Another plant that has seeded itself into the garden. This rather neat astrantia has been with me for several years now, and I have just left it alone to do its thing.

The first lily flower this year from a pot I have had for years, so, naturally I have lost the label! At a guess, I think it could be Lilium ‘African Queen’ a Lilium longiflorum hybrid. But please don’t take my word for it!

This meme is hosted by Jim Stevens who is to be found with all the details and links to plenty of other blogs to enjoy at Garden Ruminations.

Lilies Part2

Lilies generally prefer a slightly acid soil, originally I planted them in pots preferring to have the scent close to the house, later as their numbers grew, I started to remove them from the pot intact and planted the whole thing in the border after the first year, this worked quite well as many of the “transplanted groups” gave a good display for years. If planting direct into the garden it is recommended that a layer of grit is placed beneath the bulb to aid drainage however the thing to avoid is creating pockets in heavy soils which will fill with water during the winter. If planting in heavy ground a thorough cultivation of the planting area adding grit and additional grit under and around the bulb would seem prudent. I usually plant at 100mm which also helps to stabilise the stems as many lilies do actually throw roots out from the stem. Remember using odd numbers in a group always looks better and less artificial.

Watch out for the lily beetle! Next post miscellaneous, plus pest and disease and the giant of them all Cardiocrinum giganteum.