Glowing Jewels

February 29 2012

The St Veda garden looks like a setting for Sleeping Beauty. I guess that thought may be a little exaggerated but the unseasonal pattern of recurring rain over the preceeding few months has caused mighty growth.

Of course when it rains then garden tidying stops. Tousled and tangled are words which come to mind. Also weed infested and black spot ridden. But that is enough about me.

Here are some photos taken on the last days of summer  when it was threatening rain or actually raining most of the time. In the low light of the cloud blanket the colours can appear to glow like jewels.

  Will flower for water. These somewhat shade affected dahlias usually flower quite well in normal conditions. As pointed out the conditions have not been normal. It really goes to show what happens when they are spoilt. Maybe it is just as well they were not fed too. We might have had to move out.

 

 




Lime Glow is flowering heroically between the roses Graham Thomas and Sally Holmes. It is a  pretty , sturdy dahlia.

 

The name of this dahlia is lost at the moment. It might be ‘Yellow Hammer’ but ‘Yellow Hammer’ photos don’t seem to have as much orange in them. Hopefully is can be re-christened after protracted investigation. Meanwhile it is making a fine show in a bed which is planted with shades and tints of pink.

The fading bloom behind is of ‘Perfume Delight’. It is a well-named rose.

Dahlia ‘Fire Glow’ and Rosa ‘Just Joey’.

The dahlia is prolific. I keep dividing it and it keeps on producing.

Just Joey was hit by the dreaded black spot as have all the susceptible roses this year. Being a good strong rose she is doing her best to overcome the disease.

She is much admired and rightly so. On a good day her enormous blooms exude rich beautiful fragrance.

 

A section of the lower garden.

Nerine fothergillii major shootingforth from below  a Cotoneaster horizontalis  ‘Variegatus’. A self seeded Euphorbia wulfenii characias  is in danger of being relocated if time and energy allow.

A waterlily dahlia with Fraxinus excelsior aurea, yellow kangaroo paw and variegated box possibly buxus sempervirens ‘Variegata’.

I have always thought of Sleeping Beauty as being embowered by roses and ivy. Therefore this hot tangle may not have been for her. It surely must be as tousled as her sanctuary.  Here are  Canna ’Tropicanna Gold’; Solidago; Dahlia ‘Fire Glow’; flowers of Calamagrostis acutifolius ‘Overdam’; hips of Rosa moyesii ’ Geranium’. In the background are a variegated red and yellow dwarf canna; Achillea ‘Cloth of Gold’; Cedrus deodara; Cupressus torulosa ‘Arctic Green’ and Bronze fennel Foeniculum vulgare.

Canna ‘Tropicanna Gold’ with hips of Rosa moyesii ‘Geranium’ glowing behind.

Sue  gave me cuttings of this rose but she didn’t know the name. So now it is referred to as ‘Sue’s Rose’. It is being squeezed by Achillea ‘Cloth of Gold’ and Yucca recurvifolia.

Who knew how large they both would grow? See how the red colour  flares?

This dahlia has me intrigued. As far as I know I didn’t plant it there. I am wondering whether it is a seedling and am keeping an eye on it now it is flowering.

 

Yet another dahlia the name of which has been lost. If the above mystery dahlia is a seedling then this is a candidate for parent. If it is not a seedling then this may be where the tuber came from. Note the similarity of the unopened flowers.

 

Miscanthus sinensis  

‘ Flamingo’  is clumping up hugely and is flowering hectically this year. How beautiful it is in all aspects. It may now have reached the stage where it needs to be divided. It seems a shame.

 

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Variegatus’ is doing really well here. This is its first flowering. It has been planted with Achillea tormentosa ‘Walter Funcke’; Dahlia ‘Fire Glow’; a bronze-leaved red-flowered canna and Stipa gigantea. In winter Kniphofia ‘Winter Cheer’ will flower beside the dry leaves of the Miscanthus. Yes, the ‘sculptures’ are CD towers (from the local ‘recycling centre’).