New Plants For The New Garden (part three)

When I moved house I was faced with the dilemma of which plants to lift and move with me. It's a difficult choice as we buy the plants that we like, but to lift everything would be unrealistic. There are some plants that also just plain dislike disturbance once established (I lifted my Digitalis lanata and parviflora plants knowing this and only succeeded in proving this to be correct) which also needs to be considered.

So after a fair bit of thought I decided to take the following from the beds;

Polygonatum hybridum.............

Uvularia grandiflora.....................

Both early bloomers, so as soon as the move was a done deal I lifted them. Not ideal as they were just starting into growth, but both flowered well in the end.

Blooming in late spring/early summer, Iris japonica...................

It's always a job to keep the slugs away from this, and this year was a particularly bad year in that respect - note the slug eaten bud in the top right.

Alstromera psittacina was a no brainer!

The lousy UK summer this year did Lobelia laxiflora no favours, but it's still one of my favourites...........

For Salvia "Black and Blue" I took a different approach and lifted a root section which I potted up................

Before long the new shoots started to emerge and by late summer I had this......................

My white Tradescantia blooms all summer so had to come...................

And there was no way that I was leaving my Tricyrtis collection! This is the common T.formosana..............

I decided to try something different this year and use one of my favourite houseplants in the main bed - Impatiens niamniamensis...............

It flourished! The beauty of this plant is that it is easily propagated by simply slicing it up and sticking in compost.

For parts one and two see here and here. 

Growing From Seed - A Passion

I've been going a little mad seed wise of late! I see something that I fancy, track the seeds down and then order three or four more packets from the range to make the postage worthwhile! It's a passion! It's not just a cheap way of getting your hands on a wide range of plants - it's as much to do with making your garden your own work. It's easy to buy a plant, but growing it from seed takes that bit more effort.

It's not as if I don't have enough seedlings to care for already. "Projects" on the go already include Anigozanthos manglesii and viridis, Bauhinia variegata, Iris chrysographs and best of all, Cubanola domingensis................

All the above came from Chiltern Seeds. One of the finest seed suppliers in the UK! An incredible range of interesting and/or rare plant seed, backed up by excellent service.

I also spent some time today pricking out tiny Tricyrtis lasiocarpa seedlings. Seed was sent to me from a forum acquaintance who I've lost contact with, so if you're reading this Pims get in touch!

Plant World Seeds is another excellent source of seed. Amongst the treasures I've had from them in the past is my Bomarea hirtella. From my most recent batch I have already sown the Lobelia bridgesii which are now germinating.
Lobelia are suitable for late sowing in my opinion, as what I'm after is good rootstock by the spring for planting out. If they get leggy it's of no concern - cut the lanky stems off and new shoots emerge. I've grown all my perennial Lobelia like this for years with great results. Today saw the L.excelsa and polyphylla seeds sown too - these will benefit from being outdoors during the first light frosts of the British autumn.They can then be bought indoors to a windowsill in one of my cooler rooms and should start germinating (that's the theory at least). L.bridgesii sown a couple of weeks ago are germinating already and will need pricking out sooner than I had expected.
But best of all, I now have seeds for L.gibberoa! It's a totally impractical proposition here in the UK growing as it does (rather huge and intolerant of frost) and as such will almost certainly never bloom for me, but I had to have a giant Lobelia.

Lobelia seeds tend to need to be fairly fresh. There are many plants whose seed become less viable with age rather quickly. So if you've ever failed  to germinate Bomarea, Lapageria, Rhodochiton or Tacca (to name but a few) do not feel to bad - the seed was probably too old (which is my standard excuse).

Seeds are a great way to swap plants too. Two of my favourite seed grown plants this year came from forum swaps.
Cerinthe palestina................

And Fuchsia procumbens....................

If you have interesting seed and fancy a swap, leave a comment.

New Plants For The New Garden (part two)

Part one was about the new plants that I grew from seed, so in part two I will feature the  plants that I purchased to help fill my new garden.

Arisaema are a fascinating genus and this year I added two more;
A.ringens.................

And A.tortuosum...................

Both need a sheltered spot with very free draining soil if they are to survive the winter.

I must admit that I knew nothing about Penstemon smallii when I bought it (there wasn't even a picture) so I just went by the nursery owners recommendation..........

He was right when he said that it was worth buying. I'm still unsure as to how hardy it is, but it has produced lots of what I now know to be viable seed.

Another plant that I bought on a whim was Ligularia przewalskii..............

Brugmansia sanguinea was certainly not bought on a whim as I had wanted one for a few years. I did however luck in on the young cutting in the last place that I would have thought of looking, and it was very cheap.

If ever there was a Brug that really likes a cool summer this is the one! The blooms are smaller than the more common forms, and certainly lack the heady fragrance, but this is the Brug for me!

I have a bit of a Tricyrtis collection, and bought two plants to add to it this year;
Taipei Silk................

And T.ishiana.....................

I was particularly pleased to see this one bloom as it is variously described as being tricky - I just gave it lots of shade and kept it moist.

Another impulsive purchase was Manfreda elongata, which rewarded me with flowers a few weeks later........

The flower spike grew to a height of 1.6 metres. I suspect that each fan is monocarpic (it dies after flowering), but the plant now has five new fans growing so I'm not overly concerned.

Bulbs are a good way of increasing the gardens stock and two new gems follow;
Gladiolus communis..............

 And Galtonia candicans................

This is a tremendous plant with some of them growing to two metres this year....................

Lastly, Belamcanda chinensis. It's a cracking Iris relative, and fairly hardy here in the UK...................

New Plants For The New Garden (From Seed)

When you get a new garden you want to introduce plants that will make it your own. When you take one over that is full of invasive plants (Japanese Anenome, Crocosmia, Hemorcallis etc.), what I regard as weeds (Forget me Nots, Perriwinkle and Teasel) and plants that you just plain dislike (Japanese Anenome again, Primula and Muscari) it means that you will be busy (see this post)!

But it can cost you a fortune! But there are many ways to go  ways to go about it.......................

From seed;

I love growing from seed! It will take longer (but not that much longer in some cases) and self collected seed may not always come true, but it is the most rewarding way for me to stock my garden.

Lobelia tupa is a beauty! These grew up to a height of 1.5 metres this year.....................

L.tupa is borderline hardy here.

Lobelia Queen Victoria is hardy, although short lived. Allow three seasons (four at most) for this plant. Produces seed readily though.

Nicotiana are very easy from seed. I added two this year. Nicotiana langsdorfii is an early bloomer that grows up to about one metre tall...............

Best of all, the green blooms fit in with just about any other colour.

N.sylvestris on the other hand blooms late in the season.

Very fragrant, and the huge leaves give it a rather exotic look........................

I frequent a few gardening forums and the next few have all been grown from seed sent by fellow forumers.

Bearing in mind my dislike of invasive plants Impatiens balfourii may seem like a strange plant to introduce. But the forumer who sent me them assures me that they are easy to keep in check. It has been an invaluable plant this year and grows anywhere! Next year I'll be growing it in the shady area where it did very well this summer.

A kind gentleman in New Zealand collected seed from his Fuchsia procumbens and sent them to me............

It can be used as ground cover or as a trailing plant in baskets or pots placed up high.

Commelina tuberosa is a lovely little plant. Each flower only lasts a few hours but are produced in great numbers.

Leonotis nepetifolia came to me from someone who grows it well in the north of England, so it should have been a winner here in the warmer south! I had reckoned without the lousy summer that we had to endure. It finally bloomed in September at a height of 1.5 metres - in a good summer it should reach two or even three metres. The wait was worth it though.................

Sutherlandia frutescens did well initially, but then struggled as the temperatures cooled down.

Cerinthe palestina is about as hassle free as growing from seed gets - just chuck the seeds down where you want them and let nature do the rest!

Abutilon x hybridum is a good example of seed not coming true. The seeds were collected from the same plant yet there are two different colours. The first plant is in the ground (I don't fancy its chances this winter if I'm honest) and the second is being pot grown.

The final plant from forum seed is Salvia glutinosa. Even as a young seedling this proved to be fully hardy. Like most Salvia it is very floriforous....................

Climbing plants are an essential part of my garden, and none is easier than Eccromocarpus scaber................

It's a rapid grower that is far hardier than it is given credit for.

Rhodochiton is easy from self collected seed, but less so from purchased seed as it has to be fresh.

Finally, not only my favourite climber, but my favourite plant of the year - Bomarea hirtella!

Slow to germinate, but blooms in less than a year.