November 2009 - Last minute Bulbs

Early this month was devoted to planting out masses of early flowering bulbs, whilst praying that the soil would not be too hard to dig them in. Luckily I was OK. I put in swathes the early viridiflora tulip ‘Spring Green’ right along the front of the border to combine with the frothy Ladies Mantle … also some of the very early tulip ‘White Emperor’ to combine with the pulmonaria ‘Sissinghust White’ and mauve primroses. Waves of the small burgundy gladioli, G. byzantinus were threaded between clumps of geraniums and day lilies together with the sultry tones of the perennial foxglove planted towards the back. The purple Jacobs Ladder had self-seeded madly so I also split and planted them out in loose clumps.

I also buried several roots of the statuesque white Foxtail Lily, Eremurus Brutus at the back of the border, having been inspired by the winning garden at the Chelsea Flower show earlier in the year. I was careful to protect the centre of their splayed out roots from damp by placing a little gravel beneath each one. Nearby, clumps of the vivid blue Camassia, C. Leichtlinii Caerulea combine with White Bellflower (Campanula glomerata) and the evergreen variegated Sedge Grass, Carex 'Ice Dance' to provide year round interest. At the very back of the border, I have planted several clumps of the tall Ornamental Grass; Miscanthus ‘Super Stripe’ which looks stunning in the autumn. When all this was done, my partner Ossian finally mulched the border with many barrow loads of chipped bark … but there is still some bare soil remaining.