Plant List – Our Front Garden

WISH LIST for 2012

Escholtzia are so colourful and seed prolifically there’s no need to sow for the following year, however will be trying new variety Peach Sorbet from Thompson & Morgan

Cosmos want lots of clumps of white to keep bed ‘lit up’, will sow more T&M Purity variety
Cornflowers the deep blue ones - need to source these – some coming in 2012
Lots more penstemons to complement the foxgloves, again T&M seeds to sow
Campanulas – low growing to use as edging – need to source these

Must have a clump of these gorgeous blue verbascums from T&M

PLANTS/SEEDS 2011

November

Have ordered all the seed I need and a lot more, I always order more than I need because I generally find some seeds are more fruitful than others. Have ordered some brassica plants, it will be interesting to see how they fare.

The first plants have arrived – 12 strawberry plants – Malwinnie. I tasted these at the Press Event at Thompson & Morgan in the summer and they were dribblingly good! Will have to think of some surefire way of keeping off the mice, birds and other creatures that know a good strawberry when they find one!

Weather: Don’t know what’s happened to the fog and cold usually associated with November. It’s 21st today and we have been warned we may have some frost this evening. Will be taking in my tender plants, including a precious orchid.

October

Last year the first frost was on 21 October, we are now almost at the end of October and no sign of cold weather.

September

Just a case of deadheading and fingers crossed that frost doesn’t come early.

August 28

Removed Evening primrose and white foxglove and replaced with a red veined sorrel and an oriental poppy Punch Bowl.

August  Purple thyme plants grown from seed, from SowSeeds, planted in the gravel on the drive. I was inspired to green up the drive following a stimulating talk about the need for urban greening at one of the RHS shows in London this spring.

July 2011

Planted the Verbascum from Thompson & Morgan, Blue Lagoon and Clementine and the large flowered, new dahlia Aztec XXXL.

23 June 2011

Papaver Summer Breeze*, my favourite poppy

7 June 2011

Everlasting Sweet Pea White Pearl* x 3 under the cotoneaster
Sempervivum* at edge x 5 – 23 June – not doing very well at all, probably planted out too soon, will overwinter rest of seedlings to plant next year

These Padparadja pansies* planted on front edge, are probably a mistake – they are so bright! Bugs have attacked the leaves, no sign of flowers

Kniphofia Elvira from Bressinghams planted, next to David Austin rose. I saw one in Hatfield House garden that was enormous. Time will tell if it will fit in.

Cosmos Purity*

Forever Daisy Gerberas* plug plants, also known as Transvaal Daisy, from Thompson & Morgan have been planted. Each one was named so I was able to plant them to fit in with the overall colour scheme. I have high hopes for those strong growing plants, they are winter hardy and expected to flower strongly year after year.

Replacement dahlias were purchased as last year’s plants didn’t survive my efforts to store them. We chose Preston Park and Moonfire again. Probably put them out too early as they have been very slow to grow. Watering is important.

Some sturdy white lupins from B&Q have been placed near the back wall area

Knautia Macedonia*

I’m looking forward to seeing  the Echinacea* in flower, will use them as cut flowers for indoors too.

About 100 snowdrops in the green were planted in March.

Potash was applied liberally to the dying-back tete a tete miniature narcissi as a feed for next year.

* All plants marked with an asterisk have been either raised from seed or bought as plugs plants from  Thompson & Morgan

Plants added 2010 in Our Front Garden