A type of ornamental onion, also known as round-headed leek, drumstick allium (Allium sphaerocephalon) is appreciated for the egg-shaped blooms that appear in early summer. These unique flowers open green, then start to turn a purple/crimson colour from the top, creating unusual two-tone drumstick flower heads. And the bees love them!
Flowers on Friday
Musk Mallow (malva moschata) is the perfect wildflower plant for adding of bright splash of pink or white to a summer flowering meadow. It is well suited to all wide variety of soils, but grows best on well-drained ground in full sun. Musk Mallow has large showy flowers that grow in dense clusters and are…
Flowers on Friday
If you are looking for something different to grow on an obelisk, cane teepee or trellis then why not try a Black-eyed Susan. Thunbergia is completely unrelated to Rudbeckia hirta, an herbaceous annual or short-lived perennial in the daisy family. Above is Thunbergia grandiflora an evergreen vine. The blue to mauve flowers are about 8 cm across…
Flower of the Month: June
June just has to be roses, doesn’t it? Though Cornwall is not known for growing roses. The damp climate reeks havoc on the leaves (black spot) and flowers (balling buds, browning petals) so roses are not that popular. Saying that I have seven of my own (three inherited), two from my previous container garden and…
Flowers on Friday
I just managed to go up the hill to see the last of the foxgloves this week in between all the rain we have been having. I was surprised to also see signs of the Bell Heather in flower which seems a little premature to me. Maybe this cold spell is tricking the wild flowers…
Flowers on Friday
On a trip down to the Lizard peninsula last Saturday (before the horrid rain and wind re-appeared) I discovered a whole lot of Geranium sanguineum, (common names bloody crane’s-bill or bloody geranium) that I didn’t see last year. These lovely vivid magenta-pink flowers with palmately-lobed leaves are so much nicer than the Herb Robert and…
Flowers on Friday
The most eye-catching flower to bloom here in Cornwall during May and June is the ungainly named Gladiolus communis subsp. byzantinus (Byzantine Gladiolus) or better known here as Whistling Jacks. They are native to the Mediterranean area and have narrow sword-shaped leaves and deep magenta coloured flowers, each one with an iridescent sparkle. Coming back each year this plant…
Flower of the Month: May
May is the most floriferous month in my opinion. Everything seems to spring into life as the soil warms up and the daylight hours increase. Trees are green once again and many are full of enticing blossom, but the ones that are noticeable in Cornwall are the Rhododendrons and Azaleas. Cornish gardens are simply at…
Flowers on Friday
This month is when the Allium comes into flower filling the gap between tulips and summer perennials. These plants, known as the ornamental onion, are grown for their showy flower heads which come in a wide range of sizes and shades of purple, blue, white and yellow. Even when the plant dies back the seed…
Flowers on Friday
A charming, old-fashioned cottage garden plant with bonnet-shaped flowers, often two-tone and with long graceful spurs these herbaceous perennials are invaluable for flowering in May and early June . Aquilegias fill the seasonal gap between the last of the spring bulbs and the first of the summer flowers. Self-sown they can look charming naturalised amongst shrubs…
