Baptisia & Poppy Seed Heads. Milliner's Delight!

Baptisia is a plant not to be missed for so many reasons, where shall we begin! Part of the pea family, this native american beauty was grown for the indigo dye produced from the brilliant lapis flowers. Elegant lupin-like flower heads are supported on smoke-grey stems. They are breathtaking when they start flowering in early june with the bonus of decorative pea pods in august. These are dramatic against the purple foliage of pittosporum Tom Thumb. The seed heads of our flamenco dancer, the poppy Black Cloud, also feature at this time. Transformed from latin lover with a lush,seductive flower-head to pre-historic skeleton, the stems distort into irregular spirals sending the bald, scavenger-bird pods in all directions. Against the blossoming florals of early summer, the seed heads produce much needed structural interest.

Ragwort! The stealthy Interloper.

Savouring Aphrodite's delicious honey for breakfast & marvelling at nature's ability to create a canvas beyond imagination, we were drawn to the vivid yellow flower jarring our senses from the heart of the L'Heure Bleu planting. Screaming for attention this plant was not to be ignored. A close inspection, carried out mid-mouthful, identified the interloper: Common Ragwort; Senecio jacobaea. This familiar plant can often be seen in large numbers on railway cuttings and motorway embankments. He is deceptively handsome, the national flower of the Isle of Man, but beware he is poisonous to horses, cattle & wild animals including hare & deer. Ragwort poisoning destroys the liver leading to slow, painful death so illimination from the garden is essntial to prevent the seeds spores travelling on the air. The fact that the tiny daisy-like flower-heads were in full bloom suggests that this stealthy predator had been present for two years finally drawing our attention with his defiant flash of colour amongst a reflective, blue-red planting. We are grateful for his defiant exhibitionism, a true pantomime villain, he alerted us to his presence & we celebrated his demise on a funeral pyre! Well at least for now---

Pheasant Rose is Gold Medal Gamebird.

All this excitement over 'the Olympics' is contagious. We are proud to announce that we have our own star performer, right here in the garden, the 'Pheasant Rose'. His brief was tough; create beauty and fragrance on a steep inaccessible hillside; with access limited to a goat track! In other words make a silk purse out of a sows ear! Well, he's certainly risen to the challenge with style. What a spectacular display this rose is giving this year. It fulfills so many requirements: scent, ground-cover, abundant blooms! This is the most vigorous of the game bird series. Full, pink blooms are carried in trusses over olive foliage. The creeping habit & repeat flowers make it an all round winner. We are delighted to see that poppies have self-seeded amongst his flower-heads, adding nature's essential glamour. It's all in the accessories!

Lucifer & Sambuca in The Limelight.

It's been a nerve-racking few weeks waiting to see if our impressive border specimen, crocosmia 'Lucifer', would blend into the new 'purple odyssey' planting! This dramatic plant produces an abundance of paprika blooms on slender, arching foliage. Their delicate flower heads bear a strong resemblance to freesia. When we replanted we overrode the instinct to remove this vivid flower on the merits of the light giving qualities of the lime green, transluscent foliage. Their effect is illuminating against the black and lilac roses. The planting is grounded by the presence of 'Sambucus nigra, black lace'. The finely cut, black foliage provides a perfect sillhouette for the rich crocosmia blooms. What a difference three weeks can make to a planting.

The moss rose 'William Lobb' is still flowering along the top wall. This vigorous old velvet rose laden with heavily-mossed magenta blooms infuses the air with his rich scent. Also known as 'Duchesse D'Istrie' he bears clusters of flowers along open arching branches. His enthusiasm and informal habit have endeared him to us and in this garden he is nicknamed 'Jack & The Beanstalk'.

Angel's Fishing Rods through the Sweet Haze

Today the garden is a profusion of the 'Angel's fishing rods; Dierama pulcherrimum'. The charm of this delicate plant lies the the suggestion of an ethreal world almost beyond our touch! It reminds me of a game played in the garden with my grandparents when we were children. Each of us had a fishing rod with a magnetic fly which we would use to catch coloured fish, by their magnetic noses, from the pond. This delicate plant is one of our much anticipated summer highlights. Dainty pink flowers dangle from slender,arching spikes above grassy leaves. The perfect spot for this enchanting plant is warm shelter. Our brave little' fairies wands' are perched high on the hillside in amongst our coastal planting. The result is spectacular as they shimmer above the rose 'Sweet haze'. This single flower rose is more bee-friendly than most thanks to her clusters of single, lilac-pink flowers which repeat condidently until the harvest. We introduced her in 2008 & her presence adds charm and frivolity to the planting at the juncture where we merge the wild coastline to a 1950's candy-floss seafront!

Aphrodite's Honey

We are buzzing with excitement, having just extracted Aphrodite's first crop of honey! The liquid is clear gold and flavoured with a hint of lime, suggesting that the colony have been collecting pollen from the lime trees in the woods. The bees were patient as we removed frames of capped honey from the top super; the produce of their foraging throughout the spring & early summer. Under the guidance of knowledgeable apiarists, we spun the honey to extract it from the frames. The kitchen smelled divine, a sweet melange of lime and beeswax. It was magical & we feel honoured that Aphrodite & her girls have settled happily in the garden.

In fact the colony is thriving to such an extent we have had to increase their living accomodation from a single brood chamber hive to a multi-storey! On our last inspection we discovered five new Queen cells, suggesting that the colony is expanding at such a rate that they are trying to rear a new Queen and move on to a new site. With the aid of a smoker we managed to destroy the little princesses, hopefully allowing Aphrodite's reign to continue. The extended living space within the hive should alleviate their desire to move on - we will have to monitor them very carefully.

Agile Hunter

Our woodland enclave is the natural habitat for a sparrowhawk. Tonight an impressive young female was spotted, through binoculars, perching high on a telegraph pole taking a breather. Larger than her male counterpart, she is distinguished by a pale grey line over the eye just below her slate skull cap. She has a barred grey and white breast. Famed for their dexterity & manoeuvrability in tight spaces, they are impressive predators. A few weeks ago, relaxing by the birdtable with a cup of coffee, we witnessed a sparrowhawk hunting at close range. Swooping low from the telephone wire; flipping diagonally onto the wing, like Maverick in 'Top Gun', the sparrowhawk brazenly abducted a baby cole tit from the bird table just two metres away. The speed and focus were breathtaking. Now that's a hunter in his prime!

Our other close encounter was with a young, female green woodpecker. Inspecting the veg in an old walled garden, we were alerted by indignant squarks to the plight of a bright woodpecker trapped under the strawberry netting. Tempted by a supper of strawberries the bird had crawled under the net to feast on the fruit. Protesting wildly, she allowed us to pick her up and painstakingly release her wing, feet and claws from the tangle. Free from her shackles she swooped upwards to perch on the bough of an apple tree. Dishevelled and weary she called across the garden for her mother. Her shrill song filled the air as it bounced, in descending order, over the notes.

Wagtails On The Lilly Pads

The pond is a peaceful spot for reflection. The light dancing on the water is mesmeric and allows the gardener space to contemplate his art. Our waterlillies float on the surface, turning their heads before opening to bask in the sunshine. These water jewels adorn the surface demanding little, yet rewarding us handsomely with a profusion of vivid flowerheads throughout the summer. Thankfully, they tolerate the small waterfall as they are planted in underwater baskets anchored in the still water. Dappled light is provided by the canopy of ash trees.

The evening's entertainers are a pair of yellow wagtails gracefully hopping across the lilly pads, dining on an al-fresco supper of pond insects! Wassala, our 'lady of the lake', reigns supreme with her foliage spear!

Black Cloud Dances The Flamenco

We have a new arrival this month,'Papaver somniferum Paeoniflorum', the poppy 'Black Cloud'. Grown from see this beautiful black/purple poppy has double flowers, that romantically allude to the smokey interior of a traditional opium den! This majestic plant bows his head dramatically over his slender aqua stem as he invites the roses 'Nina'& 'Darcey Bussell' to dance the flamenco. Maintaining his striking colour will be a challenge & demand great discipline. All the self-seeding red poppies in his environs will have to be removed; to preserve his integrity. This is something that we struggle with as some of the most inspired combinations are often the result of plants doing their own thing! The alchemilla that has moved into the red rose wall is a perfect example.