A climbing Iceberg rose is still flowering in a sheltered spot by our front door. I cut a stem today and popped it in a small vase with a few sprigs of the Rosemary which grows at it’s feet. I love having a few fresh flowers in the house and this rosemary smells delicious.
A vase full of colourful autumn blooms is perfect to brighten up a dull afternoon. Orange and Purple Dahlias and Salvia viridis combined with a few stems of foliage… Hedera helix, Eucalyptus gunnii and Arum italicum make a cheerful bunch.
A patch of purple in autumn is always welcome, especially if you can cut the flowers for the house. Salvia viridis commonly known as Clary Sage is easily grown from seed. In my garden they are usually over by the first really hard frosts which luckily haven’t arrived yet.
Every autumn in our Gravel Garden two huge clumps of Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ make a spectacular show, one on either side of the path to our front door. Until they flower their green leaves and stems blend into various grasses surrounding them. That’s my excuse for not noticing that they were missing completely this year.
Did you know that one wigwam of Sweet Peas will give you a bunch of flowers every day? All you have to do is remember to pick them regularly to prevent the plants setting seed. They are one of the most beautiful scented productive flowers I know and well worth growing. Each year I grow a few new varieties to see which I like best of all.
Spring is almost here. Woo Hoo!
The first primroses and anemones are flowering under the oak tree and the first early daffodils are just ready to bloom. All we need is a little more sunshine and then their buds will burst open.
The crown anemone Anemone coronaria is dramatic and beautiful. I love looking at the detail of the flowers. Buds and newly unfurled petals are slightly hairy then unfurl like crumpled silk. Flower centres are dark with hundreds of stamens dusted with purple pollen. Gorgeous!