I got a free thalictrum off the dead trolley last year and I love it PS. I'd never have bought it but he threw it in with some other dead stuff...one of which was actually dead.
I planted hundreds of allium bulbs for a spectacular show and that was a dud. Oh look, a stick with a pompom. I will admit though those weird ones that I forget the name of had the bees coming in from miles away. Nectaroscordum Bulgaricum????
My Alcoholic Mollies (marmite plants) have the visitors squabbling but I love them as edgers. All frothy and ridiculous and a hypericum that a neighbour gave me because she hates it is fab.
Had to search the website for alcoholic mollies, but I get it now - alchemilla mollis. Can't say I have strong feelings about it one way or the other - it's a cheap filler when you've got a space waiting to be developed. That's another thing in favour of marmite: when there's nothing for lunch, you can always have a marmite sarnie. Yes, the more I think about it, the more I agree, alcoholic mollies are a definite marmite flower.
I love my big purple alliums. The foliage is large but by the time they are ready to open out some hardy geranium or astrantia has covered it up nicely for me. The disappointment about alliums is no matter how well l think I've marked the spot, one always accidentally gets halved when weeding.
I've discovered a true lilac agapanthus this year called Liams Lilac, absolutely beautiful in flower. Also a pure purple agapanthus called Twilight Zone, a real dark amethyst colour flower with sturdy stems.
I didn't do hanging baskets this year and tbh haven't missed them at all. My garden is usually a sun trap, alas not this summer, so the watering of them was always a pain, and no dead heading of petunias this year which has been a bonus.
I treated myself to a new clematis this spring. One that l had admired in an NGS open garden last summer. It's a Betty Corning variety. Little lilac and white scented bell like flowers, a really cute , healthy quite vigorous clematis.
Alstromeria Indian Summer has been fantastic this year. I've pulled loads of stems for the house and the flowers outside have been covered in bees.
My sweetpeas have been truly awful, not enough sun l think. But l know I'll try again next year. I can't resist the scent.
B3, alstromeria are pretty easy. I bought one Indian Summer plant reduced cheap, put it in a big plant pot with plenty of grit and blood fish and bone, it did great right into late autumn. This spring l divided into 2, again into large pots, they romped away. I'm not sure how well they'd do in a border, might be too vigorous for some.
I've tried freesias never had a flower, so good luck.
Posts
I got a free thalictrum off the dead trolley last year and I love it PS. I'd never have bought it but he threw it in with some other dead stuff...one of which was actually dead.
I planted hundreds of allium bulbs for a spectacular show and that was a dud. Oh look, a stick with a pompom. I will admit though those weird ones that I forget the name of had the bees coming in from miles away. Nectaroscordum Bulgaricum????
My Alcoholic Mollies (marmite plants) have the visitors squabbling but I love them as edgers. All frothy and ridiculous and a hypericum that a neighbour gave me because she hates it is fab.
Had to search the website for alcoholic mollies, but I get it now - alchemilla mollis. Can't say I have strong feelings about it one way or the other - it's a cheap filler when you've got a space waiting to be developed. That's another thing in favour of marmite: when there's nothing for lunch, you can always have a marmite sarnie. Yes, the more I think about it, the more I agree, alcoholic mollies are a definite marmite flower.
I love my big purple alliums. The foliage is large but by the time they are ready to open out some hardy geranium or astrantia has covered it up nicely for me. The disappointment about alliums is no matter how well l think I've marked the spot, one always accidentally gets halved when weeding.
I've discovered a true lilac agapanthus this year called Liams Lilac, absolutely beautiful in flower. Also a pure purple agapanthus called Twilight Zone, a real dark amethyst colour flower with sturdy stems.
I didn't do hanging baskets this year and tbh haven't missed them at all. My garden is usually a sun trap, alas not this summer, so the watering of them was always a pain, and no dead heading of petunias this year which has been a bonus.
I treated myself to a new clematis this spring. One that l had admired in an NGS open garden last summer. It's a Betty Corning variety. Little lilac and white scented bell like flowers, a really cute , healthy quite vigorous clematis.
Alstromeria Indian Summer has been fantastic this year. I've pulled loads of stems for the house and the flowers outside have been covered in bees.
My sweetpeas have been truly awful, not enough sun l think. But l know I'll try again next year. I can't resist the scent.
Haha! I can't remember who was first to call them Alcoholic Mollies but it's stuck with me.
AMs
I'd rather have a sardine and banana sandwich
I'm going to plant some alstromeria next year. They look so exotic, I thought they'd be difficult to grow.
Noticed freesia bulbs in the GC the last few years. Has anyone tried them?
I've grown freesias for indoor use as they are beautifully scented....planted some in the garden but they either rotted or were eaten.
B3, alstromeria are pretty easy. I bought one Indian Summer plant reduced cheap, put it in a big plant pot with plenty of grit and blood fish and bone, it did great right into late autumn. This spring l divided into 2, again into large pots, they romped away. I'm not sure how well they'd do in a border, might be too vigorous for some.
I've tried freesias never had a flower, so good luck.
I thought they might be indoor jobs but at least you can smell them all the time
I saw a recent post where someone said that they were a bit thuggish so I thought thug -good survivor