Pastel Bed

pastel theme with plants of differing form and textures

Our garden might be regarded as the antithesis of the Mormon temple. The mixture of pastel themed plants visible from the kitchen is intended to be informal and pleasingly haphazard. In reality it is anything but ad hoc, this year a lot of thought has gone into the planting scheme. In truth, it is still far away from the finished article and plans are already being made as to how it might be improved for next summer.

The sea holly, achillea and gaura work well but the central position of the cranesbill which has long been over and done rather detracts from the seasonal picture. The sweet peas screening the shed fit nicely and I am pleased that the crocosmia has been pared back to the far fringe of the bed.

It is also a space much enjoyed by the bees at this time of year. It is vital that there is a season long supply of nectar rich plants for them to utilize. 

However, it is not from this section of the garden that I have selected my plant of the month for July. The water lily has to take the honour again although the hare's tail grass will soon be at its best.

Upper Pond

Hare's Tail Grass

Hecate is better at resting than helping

More Reflections

I just could not resist sharing another lovely reflection. This time it is in the lower pond, by the patio and is the first water lily of the year to open out. The tumbling water can be seen in the background but it is worth remembering that water lilies do not really like disturbed water conditions. As you can see the lily in this pond is far enough away from the stream of falling water and the reflection would not be as clear if the water was rippled.

However, for those people who have larger ponds with filtration systems it is apparently perfectly fine for the lilies to have moving water so long as it is not "disturbed" with excessive surface motion or splashing.

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.

Repotting Water Lilies

The water lilies have been a feature of the garden for decades. Although it is somewhat of a lottery whether they will produce many flowers in any given year, they do seem to quite like the ponds. This is a little surprising given that the lower pond is shaded by the patio and according to the literature is not an ideal location for these aquatics.

Every few years it is necessary to lift the lilies and repot them into a fresh medium, primarily because they will outgrow the container. The divisions will also provide you with new plants. Earlier this week I managed to tackle the lilies in the upper pond.

1. The lily has been removed from the water and the rhizome divided to make two plants. The old basket can be seen to be clearly damaged by the strength of the roots.

2. One of the divisions. The growing tips can be easily identified, even at this early stage of the year, and some roots can be trimmed a little.

3. Using aquatic water baskets the lilies are ready to be repotted, I would also recommend a light sprinkling of proprietary feed.

4. The lily is firmed into the basket with either special aquatic compost, or as I use, some of the heavier unimproved clay from the top of the garden.

5. Finally, the potted lily section is covered with prewashed grit or pea gravel. The washing avoids clouding the pond water with dust and the gravel holds the soil in place when the plant is resubmerged.

Of course, all of this is that little bit easier if you have a bit of help, thanks Mili,

 .....and hopefully the lilies will survive to flower again in the summer, as this lovely pair did last year.

Successes and Failures

It seems to me that 2017 has seen more than  usual garden disappointments. So to cheer myself up I thought I would list the surprise successes to try to balance matters out. I am realistic enough to appreciate that gardeners will inevitably have their set backs and out right failures. Perhaps I  have a higher proportion than most, partly because of the hostile conditions but also because of stubbornness. I admit to not taking defeat lightly; why I imagine I can grow certain plants I do not know.......

Failures
~ the blackberries, victim I suspect of a virus from the neighbouring wilderness just beyond the top of the garden
~ the dahlia, not a single bloom despite being over wintered very carefully in the conservatory
~ the millet jester, for the second year I have attempted to grow from seed. They germinate and start to grow but promptly die when taken outside!!!

Right the black bamboo is beginning to from a screen
Below the water lilies are still blooming in October!  


Pleasing Successes
~ the water lillies, which produced more flowers than I can recall for a long time
~ the black bamboo, growing splendidly despite its rather miserable appearance back in March
~ the agapanthus, all of which seemed to flower this year (again they were over wintered inside but this time were not repotted)

In short the gardener must be philosophical.