Month: July 2021

Sweet Violets

On By CathIn Flowers, Wildlife5 Comments

Instead of a vase I have a tiny cup this week. It is one my grandmother used to give me with a rare cup of sweet tea when I was little, so I’ve placed it on a string table mat she made. The violets have such short little stems this cup is perfect for them.

Even this tiny cupful casts a strong scent.

I planted violets on top of my dahlias and put rocks around them to protect them from random spades and hungry pheasants while they are dormant in winter. As it happens, they are fairly obvious because they push up out of the ground, and I usually leave a bit of stem when I cut them back. The violets get enough sun to flower in winter, and shade all summer while it’s hot.

Violets growing over dahlias in winter

Luckily the pheasants don’t go to the lengths they will go to get sweet potatoes and don’t normally dig up a whole clump. They seem to be a handy starch in winter, not tasty enough to bother with in summer. Even so, they can do quite a bit of damage eating the above ground tubers, leaving a way in for slugs when they are finished.

Dahlia bulbs eaten by pheasants and invaded by slugs

This particular dahlia is big and bright crimson and incredibly prolific. (I got it originally from a big clump of tubers left at our local dump) I love it, but there are only so many places where a big red dahlia will fit in, so I don’t begrudge the pheasants if they do a bit of growth control on this one.

The dump dahlia in summer.

I love to see the big boy pheasant stalking around on the lawn, making a show of patrolling while the girls hide in the garden. He is shy, and walks quickly away, trying not to run, if I come out while he is there. So it may take a while for me to get a photo of him.

Thanks to Cathy for hosting this meme and here is the link to ‘Sunshine on a Cloudy Day’ in a vase on Monday.

Spring bulbs and Scabiosa in a vase on Monday

On By CathIn Flowers, Light and dark, Photography, Spring Bulbs, Weather and Seasons3 Comments

Scabiosa ‘Black Night’ is another summer flower which put on a growth spurt during the extra warm winter weather in June. Luckily it’s in a dryish sunny bed close to the house, so was sheltered from the frosts and cold rain which July has brought. I love this flower, and Penstemon ‘Raven’, which is growing in the same bed, along with Osteospermum ‘Buttermilk’ which is making a fairly unenthusiastic attempt at flowering. Crepuscule roses farther from the house are covered with drooping buds.

The first of the Dutch Iris has bloomed, and a dill is blooming in a well drained bed. Narcissi of all types are blooming in most places and smelling sweet.

It’s interesting to see that vases from all around the world today have calendulas – this one is a self sown one from an original sowing of ‘Snow Princess’. Osteospermum Buttermilk looks a bit the same in this photo, but it has the darker coloured back of the petals and a darker center which isn’t showing.

It’s another cold and rainy day today, and while I am shivering, it’s comforting to see Cathy’s Sizzling Vase and other hot weather flowers at Rambling in the Garden.

Salvia flower with Erysimum

Lots of scents in a vase on Monday

On By CathIn Flowers, Spring Bulbs12 Comments

A mixture of strong scents are in my vase this week. One of the strongest and and a favourite of me and the bees is the yellow Erysimum, a shrubby perennial wallflower which flowers all winter.

Vase of cut flowers - narcissus

The Narcissus Earlicheer, Soleil d’or, and Grand Monarch all have strong scents, each a little different. The kniphofia is a small, fine leaf type, maybe poco yellow, or yellow popsicle.

The Salvia is either ‘Amore’ or Salvia sagittata. I’ve only taken a little of that as all the bees love it and I like to leave it for them when it’s warm enough for them to venture out. Thank you to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden who has Zinnias this week.

More sweet scents, Gladiolus murielae

On By CathIn Flowers, Summer bulbs5 Comments

I always think of these as Callianthus, and they are also known as fragrant Gladiolus, which makes total sense to me. Some people say the scent is like Gardenia; to me it smells like tropical evenings, a nice vision in this frosty weather.

The ones I planted years ago have been miserable and haven’t flowered since the trees around them grew big. This one popped up in a small terracotta pot on a sunny deck – a strong hint that I need to move them to a sunnier spot! They normally flower in autumn, but it’s been a warm winter until 2 weeks ago, and I suppose it’s been so dry in the little pot that it didn’t start to grow until late.

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden who has a sweet vase of Cornflowers today.