Following on from a very dry April and May, June has ushered in cooler weather and sporadic heavy showers. Hoorah! (I’m such a killjoy). After one such downpour, I walked about the Priory gardens and took a few photos. Why is it that a plant invariably looks better with a few drops of dew or rain on a leaf or petal?
Opium poppies (Papaver somniferum) grow like weeds (thankfully); popping up pretty much everywhere at the Priory. Their seed is obviously in the leaf mold that I use as a mulch. Some of the young trees that I have mulched up on the drive now have attendant poppies in tow. And whilst some of the flowers are far too blousy for my taste or pop up in an unwanted spot, they are easily pulled up.
Introduced from my own garden, the flowers of Arum lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica) are deathly beautiful and absolutely unblemished on opening. Perfect. These sit at the back of the new tropical border. Hardly tropical but with lovely big, spade like leaves they do look the part and share space with, amongst others,
Lily Black Pearl,
the hardy banana, Musa bajoo
and Canna Tropicana Black; not yet in flower though the leaves are looking good.
In the long borders is this pink hardy geranium, variety unknown.
I really like Phygellus, the cape fuchsia. This is one of two I grow. The other has a lime green flower.
At long, long last the everlasting sweet pea (Lathyrus latifolius), that I sowed two years ago is flowering. Reminds me of the grass vetchling in “Priory Picture Post # 6.“
Looking very exotic is this hosta flower spike.
Lychnis coronaria flowers often look rather bedraggled and sad after rain. But this one just about manages to carry it off.
Each year, I sow white foxgloves from seed. And perhaps more than any other flower they demand a few drops of water on them!
Growing the white form doesn’t mean I can’t have the common one too.
Above and around the front door is this big and very old, climbing rose. Looks to me like New Dawn.
Over in the parking area, I have planted a row of four Ferdinand Pichard. I love this rose. Strongly scented, resilient to rust and blackspot and repeat flowering.
And finally, I was given this echinops and am pleased that it is now self seeding freely. It stands about seven foot tall and the flower heads are worthy of close study (though you may need a step ladder). And on doing so, you notice that they have managed to hold on to perfectly round globules of rain. Which is pleasing. As is the word globules.