Garden Notes

[callmemadam]

Those awful deer have been munching my sedums. I suppose it will save me doing the Chelsea chop. Other unwelcome wildlife: an infestation of ants around the kitchen door. No doubt Flavia de Luce could mix me a good poison to deal with them but in her absence I used Nippon.

Since moving in here, I’ve been wanting to put my own stamp on the garden without spending a load of money on landscaping. This means getting rid of plants I don’t like and planting some I do. Last week a man spent a couple of hours digging out two huge clumps of unwanted plants, leaving lovely planting space! At the weekend ramblingfancy kindly drove me up to the garden centre for essential supplies. Everything was so tempting, but I was strict with myself. I bought the plant shown here, Euphorbia characias ‘Black Pearl’ and planted it with Erysimum ‘Bowles’ Mauve’. I’m hoping to recreate an effect I had in my old garden. Next year, I’ll fill in with wallflowers and tulips (doomed, in this clay). I also bought a few perennials, good value as they are still in small pots at this time of year. All planted and I hope the deer don’t fancy them.

My one failure was with the garden hose. Every time I try to reconnect it, I get soaked. Hmm.

Comments

[aellia.livejournal.com]

You garden centre looks nice :-)
And I like that effect in your old garden.
One of my favourite perennials is a plant that I don't know the name of. It looks like a black spder plant and has small inky flowers coming off the occasional stem.
Happy gardening!

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

It *is* nice and rather upmarket (read, expensive).
Could your plant be Ophiopogon ‘Nigrescens’? Low growing, clumpy thing? I used to have it; the flowers were very pale pink, though, not 'inky'.

[aellia.livejournal.com]

That's my plant!
Thank you and I missed the "P" off my "pinky" :-)

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Hurrah!

[gghost.livejournal.com]

That effect is lovely. I am trying my hand at a variegated wallflower this year.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

I like those and have tried them but here they can be what's called 'miffy'. One nurseryman once raised a new plant (not a wallflower) and called it 'Miffy Brute'. People still bought it! Gardeners are nuts.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

They're so pretty but so destructive. Only an electric fence will keep them out, unfortunately.

Thank you! No point trying to recreate my old garden but at least I've learnt something from all the years spent tending it.

[ramblingfancy.livejournal.com]

I'm sure it'll be a lovely combination. It was great fun doing the garden centre with you - very very informative too. If I ever want to buy a plant (not I admit terribly likely!), I'm definitely going to bother you for plant wisdom first! What a nuisance re hose!!!

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

A very successful outing IMO and all I know about plants is at your disposal!
*****hose! It's only a knack, which I haven't got.