Purple on the Terrace

Sambucus Black Tower

Although the terrace is designed to have a black and white theme, at this time of the year there is a delightful coincidence of purple flowering. The sambucus Black Tower and Black Lace are at their best and the hebe Midnight Sky has been unexpectedly attractive. Whilst none of these plants could be described as an individual dazzler the subtlety of their flowers is an absolute joy.

Hebe Midnight Sky

Sambucus Black Lace

 Of course these are not the only purple flowering "black" plants on the terrace. The Queen of the Night lillies and the ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' (the black grass) are also quite exquisite.

Top Tip: even when planting primarily for foliage do not forget to consider the impact of the flowering as well.

A Cornish Garden

Last week we were away on holiday in Cornwall. One of the places we stayed was the Longcross Hotel which we selected partly because of its extensive gardens. It is located on the North coast of Cornwall and claims to be one of the windiest sites in the UK (not too sure they have been to the Pennines!). However, Longcross has the additional challenge of salty air to contend with, so many of the plants were originally chosen because of their salt tolerance, to quote the web site, the hotel gardens receive one hundredweight of salt per acre per year. Although not all the specimens are halophytes it was most interesting to see the variety of plants that had been used.

bamboo

conservatory and outside decking

vegetable garden

The bamboo was a recurrent theme, along with several impressive water features. The gardens could be viewed from the conservatory dining room and the veg patch was clearly well used by the kitchens. But the feature that gave me most to think about was the way the planting allowed for wind breaks and mini shelter belts. In turn, these allowed for plenty of little nooks and crannies which gives a lovely sense of mystery, prompting the need to explore around the next corner. Perhaps these are ideas that I can borrow?

Overall, we had a lovely few days there and were made to feel most welcome. Well worth a visit or better still a mini break.

Reflections

Dark and mysterious the water in the upper pond has the appearance of a black mirror. The Virginia Creeper and the Soft Shield Fern are reflected as clear as crystal on the surface of the water. The little white "confetti" specks are only fallen petals from the laburnum.

Top tip: to achieve this effect it it not necessary to use the black dye products available on the market, even though some are assured to be perfectly wildlife friendly. I would advocate just keeping a healthy balance of plant life, in particular ensure you have the right amount of oxygenators for your size of water feature.

Mili Climbs a Tree

 Mili is now into middle age. However, this does not deter her from the occasional bout of showing off. Yesterday evening she had it in mind to climb one of the trees.

Firstly, she picks out her target licking her lips in anticipation

Secondly, she arrives at the top, or at least as far up as she dare, then glancing downwards, realizes how far off the ground she really is..... uh oh!

Thirdly, comes the retreat. A rather less than dignified Mili retraces her steps backwards down the tree trunk.

Finally, she can turn  around to get back to terra firma.

Pond Maintenance

      

The lower pond is, once again, teeming with interest. I am happy to say that the division of the water lilies and their re-potting has been a total success. However, with the lily pads and oxygenating plants there is a danger that the pond could get a little over crowded.

I like to aim for approximately half the surface area of the main pool to be clear of vegetation. This seems an ideal ratio for the health of the plants and the wildlife who share the environment in this corner of the garden. In practice it means regularly spending a couple of  minutes to redress the balance, mostly with the extraction of excess weed and any lily pad that has passed its best.

Top tip: although it only takes a few moments to tidy up the pond keep on top of the job otherwise the bindweed and duck weed can build up into a nuisance.

Vertical Garden

 The patio area is looking particularly lovely at this time of the year. The main attraction for me is not the pots and baskets but the vertical garden on the retaining wall. There is a current trend for this type of planting, the idea being to make ugly walls into attractive or productive garden spaces and at the same time to make the very best use of space. particularly where it is at a premium.

It is possible to buy hanging baskets and planters from any garden centre. Connected drop down fabric pockets are also increasingly popular. DIY enthusiasts can use reclaimed pallets for vertical planting schemes but we have been lucky and are able to plant directly into the gaps in the retaining wall. It really is surprising how many plants can cope with quite small amounts of soil in the most difficult sites. Some plants like the ferns will just find a home by themselves others have to be helped along. I would strongly encourage any gardener to try out a variety of plants and flowers, certainly do not restrict yourselves to alpines, which are the traditional standby for vertiginous locations with thin soil.

The patio area is sheltered but does not always get the best of the sunshine. However, it is where you can find my plant of the month, "Gran's lillies". These tough little flowers have grown towards the top of the wall for decades. Planted by our Gran in the early 1980's they come up every year without fail and the only attention they need is to have the dead foliage cut down to ground level every October.

Their beauty lies in their unfussy simplicity and of course the sentimental value they have for us both.