A Quiet Bank Holiday

It's been a quiet few days here - mainly because I have almost totally lost my voice so am unable to speak!  However, the weather has been lovely so I've managed to get a lot done in the garden, which I think is looking rather lovely.

On the first patio rosa Fighting Temeraire is flowering and has clematis Ville De Lyon scrambling through it.

The oriental poppies are also in flower - this is Patty's Plum.

Going further down the garden there are more Patty's Plum in bloom,

alongside rosa Felicia.

The potato vine is flowering its little socks off

and there are more oriental poppies too - this one is Ruffled Patty.

But it's not all been about flowers, I've managed to plant most of the veggies out too.  On the this side the runner beans, broad beans and courgettes are planted with an edging nasturtiums and calendula so I can have some edible flowers in salad.

I finally planted the tomatoes out in the greenhouse too.

It's that time of year when everything looks lush, even the self sown 'weeds' amongst the paving!

So even though I have no voice, I've had a lovely few days :-)

Chelsea 2016

Yesterday I left Suffolk very early and went to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.  The last time I went was 9 years ago and last year I'd thought about going but by the time I'd stopped dithering the tickets were all gone.  So last Sunday when I saw the first BBC programme I bit the bullet and ordered a (very expensive) last minute ticket.

I didn't have just one favourite garden, I had several:

Cleve West's M & G garden was inspired by Exmoor and had beautiful natural planting and water running through it,

the LG smart garden had delicious, romantic planting,

and I just loved the dark pinks and purples, highlighted with whites and greens, in the Husqvarna garden.

The Modern Apothecary garden, designed by Jekka McVicar was not only beautiful but was full of plants known to be beneficial for health and well-being,

and the Chelsea Barracks garden, designed by Jo Thompson was stunning.

There were also the 300,00 individually crocheted poppies in front of the Chelsea hospital, a tribute to those men and women who have served in all wars, 

and the Modern Slavery garden designed by Juliet Sergeant was really poignant.

The grand marquee was full of all kinds of deliciousness, including a pullman train carriage taking visitors from London to Singapore, but my favourite exhibition was this one celebrating 90 years of allotments - I bought some heritage seeds.

My favourite artisan garden was the  Papworth Trust's Together We Can garden as it included not just beautiful painting, against a very vivid purple, but sound and water too.  It was designed by Peter Eustace, and Dame Evelyn Glennie worked with them as well as and I was lucky enough to see her perform in and with the garden.

My overall impressions of the show were of beautiful planting, lots of native plants and general prettiness.  I took lots more photos, and a video of Dame Evelyn and if you want to see them they're on my flickr stream.  

When I returned to Suffolk I found that this beauty had opened - Ruffled Patty.

She's a bit like Chelsea, beautiful but short lived! I can't wait to go again, who's coming with me?!

And There Were Poppies Too

After having had a lovely few days in Ireland last weekend I took myself off for a day in London yesterday.  I spent the morning in the Chelsea Physic Garden, somewhere I'd never visited before.

It is an oasis of calm, surrounded by beautiful buildings.  As someone who is very interested in the properties of plants, especially for healing and dyeing I found it all fascinating - and the glasshouses were fab too :-)

After a short tube ride and an unplanned walk from Green Park (courtesy of 'significant delays on the Piccadilly Line') I arrived at the theatre to see this:

I never managed to see it in the 80s when it was first on and all I can say about is that it is totally brilliant.  I've seen many many West End shows over the years and this has to rate joint first (joint with Phantom of the Opera which I saw with the original London cast in the 80s).

Then I set off on a long walk - first of all along the south bank where I wanted to see some of the Books About Town benches.  These are 50 benches in all designed to celebrate London's literacy heritage and to promote reading for pleasure.

William Shakespeare

Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler

If you're in London it's worth taking the time to find some of them as they are all so different and such fun (and free!).  The War Horse bench was my favourite.

Micheal Morpurgo's War Horse

But the poppies on the bench weren't the only poppies I'd come to see.  I had come to see the Tower Poppies - an art installation by ceramic artist Paul Cummins with setting by stage designer Tom Piper entitled 'Bloodswept Lands and Seas of Red'.   888,246 individually made ceramic poppies will be 'planted' around the moat of the Tower of London, each one representing a British Military fatality during the 1st World War.

They start off tumbling out from a window in the Tower

and meander their way along the west wall (clicking on an image will enlarge it)

before appearing to leap over the main entrance bridge.

At the moment they don't go much further than this but by November the sea of red will completely surround the Tower.

You can find more here, including a video of how they were made, and also how to buy one if you so wish.

If you're in London between now and the end of November it really is worth visiting this very poignant and beautiful tribute to the British Servicemen and women who died fighting for us in the 1st World War.

Bursting Into Life

Despite the cold spring my garden has been bursting into life over the last week or so. The colours are vibrant and despite the lack of rain in this area the plants still look lush. 

Patty's Plum is one of my favourite oriental poppies and I love how a self sown euphorbia is nestling next to it, a perfect colour combination by pure chance!

The roses are just starting to open, this one is Lady Emma Hamilton and has a delicious fruity scent.

Even the plants in the densely shaded bed are doing well.  Lots more self sowns here, all the aquilegias have arrived by themselves, as has the purple heuchera peeping through them.  I generally leave self sowns, especially in areas like this that are difficult to find plants for.

More Patty's Plum dot their way through this bed on the way down to the pond.

 And in the greenhouse the tomatoes are doing very well., some even have a few flower trusses on!

Cup of tea anyone?

Blowsy Blooms

This week my peony has opened.  Not many buds (actually only two have made it to the flowering stage, but that's double last year so I'm reasonably pleased!).  It's very blowsy, but also looks delicate and subtle in its shades of white with a hint of pale pink:

Peony Shirley Temple

Peony Shirley Temple

But it's not all tasteful and subtle here at the moment as this oriental poppy has also opened:

Oriental Poppy Garden Glory

I don't usually do orange in the garden, but this is more salmon than bright orange and it does bring a splash of colour onto the patio.   I love its frilly edges.

Oriental Poppy Garden Glory

 
You can't beat a bit of blowsiness occasionally can you?!

Winners (and a not winner)

Some plants are simply winners aren't they?  This magnificent Cedric Morris iris opened this week, for the first time ever.  I bought it a couple of years ago from Sarah Cook at the NCCPG plant sale at Helmingham Hall in August, it's Benton Caramel.  Cedric lived near here, just outside Hadleigh, so it's nice to have a little piece of local history growing in the garden.

Cedric Morris Iris - Caramel

Cedric Morris Iris - Caramel

It looks magnificent against the Abraham Darby rose, which is always a winner in itself - both in looks and scent:

Rosa Abraham Darby

But this plant is definitely not a winner as far as I'm concerned.  It was sold as Papaver Orientale 'Royal Chocolate Distinction', and is supposed to have "chocolate-maroon flowers above the grey-green leaves" and it looks promising at the bud stage:

Oriental Poppy

But when it opens it's like a faded version of Patty's Plum, far more maroon than chocolate:

Oriental Poppy

Of course it might have been labelled incorrectly and really is a different variety, but a chocolate coloured poppy it isn't!