The MGS Forum
Our gardens, a month-by-month pictorial diary of what's looking good now => Our Gardens => Topic started by: John J on February 28, 2015, 09:00:46 AM
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I thought that maybe it was time to mention a few of the unsung heroes of our gardens, those plants that take everything the long, hot, waterless summers can throw at them and still return each year to brighten our winter mornings.
Chosen at random from my garden are; Viburnum tinus, Senna artemesioides, Euphorbia dendroides.
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So many of us coming from northern Europe are inclined to overlook "Laurustinus" as being too familiar, commonplace even, there. But its sheer vibrant enthusiasm in its Mediterranean homeland makes the cultivated plants in northern gardens seem like a different and much drabber species!
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We have had a fantastic show from St Catherine's Lace this year - Oreogonum giganteum from dry central valley of California. A really tough low shrub with rich brown peeling bark and delightful silvery green rounded leaves and HUGE flat heads of creamy white flowers. These are said to turn a pleasant shade of brown but they didn't get a chance here; they were snaffled for indoor arrangements.
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Perovskia atriplicifolia (some say what we have in cultivation is a hybrid and should be called P. xhybrida instead) is a really unsung hero in our garden. Planted a number of years ago it has self-seeded lightly through the rock gardens and exists without supplementary watering but does better when it gets some summer water.
The graceful, airy cloud of mauve-purple flowers are attractive to bees and other pollinators so should be encouraged.
Seedlings appear regularly but could not be considered weedy. However if they appear where you don't want them you need to move them early before the tap-root anchors them! They are not easy to re-establish if you can't get the root out intact - at least I haven't :-[
This autumn I'll endeavour to move some small ones like these which have come up in a bulb bed,
cheers
fermi
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Four O'Clocks (Mirabilis jalapa) were a standard in a lot of cottage-type gardens when I was growing up. Recently a friend gave us a few plants and they are getting established in a bed where they get some summer watering. I find the variation in the flower colours on a single bush intriguing (though there are 2 plants in the pics)
cheers
fermi
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I have a lot of unsung heroes in my garden. Just a few of them are....
Cestrum newellii. This is in a dry, mainly shaded area beneath the apricot tree. It was growing into a nice, bushy shrub, until last September, whilst I was still using my crutches, I backed away from a rose bush that I was trying to take some dead wood out of, tripped over a stone and sat down squarely on the cestrum. The poor thing stood no chance against my large bottom. A good three quarters of the plant was completely broken off. I managed to tape up the one largish stem that was left and that stem along with just the few remaining younger ones, have delighted me all winter.
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1455/24232845071_9f3a5edbe9_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/CVnEzD)jan 2016 021 (https://flic.kr/p/CVnEzD) by Daisyincrete (https://www.flickr.com/photos/93752583@N02/), on Flickr
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1467/24232782041_ca71f772a6_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/CVnkQV)jan 2016 019 (https://flic.kr/p/CVnkQV) by Daisyincrete (https://www.flickr.com/photos/93752583@N02/), on Flickr
I shall give it a little feed in the spring to help it recover from my assault.
Another standby is Fuchsia triphylla. You have all seen it before, but it never fails to amaze me. It just never has an off day. It looks just as good on the hottest day of the year as it does on the coldest day of the year. It is ALWAYS full of blooms.
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5827/23602617856_1d07fddc46_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/BXFzZb)IMG_4275 (https://flic.kr/p/BXFzZb) by Daisyincrete (https://www.flickr.com/photos/93752583@N02/), on Flickr
My roses are also heroes. They just flower and flower and are full of perfume. Even now, in the depths of winter, I am having to cut off blooms whilst pruning them.
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5802/23001749073_05f3c42dc3_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/B3zYCz)IMG_4279 (https://flic.kr/p/B3zYCz) by Daisyincrete (https://www.flickr.com/photos/93752583@N02/), on Flickr
I agree with Fermi that Perovskia atriplicifolia is an unsung hero. I have two and could not be without them.
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3898/14895409513_190648902a_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/oGfSip)aug2014 028 (https://flic.kr/p/oGfSip) by Daisyincrete (https://www.flickr.com/photos/93752583@N02/), on Flickr
Daisy :)
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We have a form of prostrate rosemary which I think deserves to be sung about
cheers
fermi
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A belated "thanks" to you Daisy for persuading me to try a Fuschia. I am not, or at least wasn't, a big fan of Fuschia because of memories of seeing the gaudy colour clashes of some of the hybrids, Seeing F. triphylla though has made me think twice and I shall be looking out for it both here in Italy and in the UK.
Must say, it was good to see you back on the forum when I eventually got back myself after a 4 month break. It took that long to get my internet service connected at my new address! Look forward to more photos of your amazing garden. :)
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Re my last post on Daisy's Fuchsia triphylla. If anybody is interested in a UK supplier I found this mail order supplier who had the plants to my sister's UK address within 2 days. They will be flying out with her shortly.
There were 3 suppliers listed on the RHS plantfinder but this was the only one who did mail order. www.fuchsiaplants.co.uk/TryphillaFuchsias.html
Thanks again Daisy. Wish me luck.
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I thought it might be worth reviving this thread.
Although relatively recently introduced Gaura lindheimeri has been an integral part of our summer gardens.
The original one was white which faded to pink, then 'Siskiyou Pink' became a huge "hit" and now there seem to be more cultivars each year. Here are a few variations which have come up from seed where a white and a dark pink with burgundy foliage have been liaising!
cheers
fermi
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In full agreement regarding Gaura lindheimeri Fermi - continuous flowering and the variations from self seeding can be lovely. I also love the " movement" they provide- the slightest breeze sets the long, delicate flowering stems gently swaying not to mention the
visits of bees and butterflies.
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Yes, it really is a "top plant", thriving even in hot gardens where it's dry for months (though it won't flower in periods of long drought unless watered). Because of the swaying stems that Carole mentions, my sister knows it as "that office toy plant"!
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Looking wonderful now Euphorbia myrsinites. Good for hanging over low edging or walls and a perfect foil for other spring flowers such as Narcissus and Violets.
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Having a lot of trouble with my Photogene⁴ ap for reducing photos for the Forum so this is a bit of an experiment ....
Unsung hero Salvia lavandufolia - wonderful display of flowers in Spring and of course highly aromatic leaves.
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Well at least that worked although the colour reproduction is poor. Flowers are a much bluer/ purple shade rather than so pink.
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Saxifraga stolonifera deserves to be recognised as an unsung hero, I think, not only putting up without water but without much light too. Just starting to flower for me now.
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These "Stocks" came from a friend who calls them "Brompton Stocks" - perhaps someone here might know why? They last a few years but always set a few seedlings to replace themselves - fortunately they can be moved while young to where we prefer them to be growing!
They go well with Cerinthe major 'Purpurascens' in one of our garden beds,
cheers
fermi
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I'm not sure why we only have two types of Arctotitis in our garden - perhaps because they are often used for council plantings and industrial sites! Definitely an unsung hero and unlike their fellow South Africans, gazanias, they don't seem to self seed around the place,
cheers
fermi
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Fermi, I love the combination of "Stocks" and "Cerinthe", also the dark "Arctotitis" . The yellow....?
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I was searching for some information when my eyes fell one of Fermi's postings back in January 2016. It was about Perovskia atriplicifolia (Salvia yiangii) and it said how well they did in his garden. Well today on a plant trip I saw in the garden growing out of very dry looking corner an enormous Perovskia. I thought it was a sign for me to search for them. I asked the young girl and she pointed me to an area full of them . I bought three. She also said that they are tough. I did not tell her that mine are still struggling to establish and that I had many failure before. So here is a photo of them and some of the other plants that we bought. Teucrium chamaedrys and Muhlenbergia capillaries.
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Known as "Curry Plant", Helichrysum italicum, smells strongly of curry, especially in warm weather.
We have some under the Olives on top of a rock wall - I thought this was deserving of a photo,
cheers
fermi
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They are lovely Fermi. They grow wild on the hills in Cyprus and in the summer the hot air is full of their aroma. We also have some growing in our garden.
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Hello to everybody. I am posting a photo of our Thunbergia grandiflora. It seems to love the hot summer days alike some of our other plants that droop until the sun goes down.