August 2010 - The Allure of the Mediterranean

PLANTS IN FLOWER: Lilies, Achillea, Agapanthus, Roses, Begonias, Lavender, Chives, Fremontodendron , Water lilies, Day lilies,  Astrantia, Echinacea, Euphorbia, Penstemon, Buddleja, Sarcococca, Ceanothus.

I have planted a grape vine next to the kitchen door on the west side of the farmhouse in place of the lovely mimosa which died due to the freezing temperatures.  It is hardy variety which bears black fruit so I am hopeful that it will survive in this sheltered spot.  It is certainly looking very healthy at the moment and sending up masses of new shoots which will all need to be trained along wires eventually!  At its feet there are lots of begonias in flower in warm reds and oranges which have much the same leaf shape as the vine! Various types of lilies have also been flowering in pots along the terrace this last month - some with virtually black flowers, some with magenta red and others of pure white, such as the heady madonna lily. My Fremontodendron from California has also been flowering for weeks on end against the west wall with its gorgeous, bright yellow cup-shaped flowers, despite having an aversion to the cold and damp.

I have bought a hardy 'Turkey' fig tree for the south side of the barn as well as the tender pittosporum 'tobira' which I am confident I will be able to look after if I provide cover over the winter.  The allure of the Mediterranean plants which I most associate with holidays spent in Italy and France is very seductive.  I have even filled in the gaps in the sloping gravel bed with another variety of rosemary, 'Miss Jessups Upright', which has very narrow leaves and is hopefully therefore going to prove hardier than the prostrate forms which I lost over the winter. I have also planted a few purple liriope (lily turf) next to the steps in this bed since they flower in the bleakest of seasons.

I have given up on the driveway and woodland area for this year as they have both become very wild and overgrown. However, I have had a new idea for the development of the driveway inspired by a property which I drive past on my way from London to Green Valley, near Crickhowell. Now I have simply decided to systematically grass the areas on both sides of the track and plant interesting ornamental shrubs at intervals, under-planted with seasonal bulbs. This will be much easier to maintain than my former plan of creating a kind of woodland border with foxgloves, bluebells, ferns and hellebores etc.  I will need to add some extra top soil and move some of the existing plants though. To one side of driveway in the woods, the stream bed is completely dry - something which I have never seen before in my three years of residence.

Planning the new potager has been a great source of pleasure.  I visited the old and vast traditional vegetable garden at Hergest Croft near Kington earlier this month and loved the way they mix flowers, fruit and vegetables throughout the plot. I would like to do the same on a more modest scale, as well as having an area specifically for growing cut flowers and for perennial plants, such as artichokes and strawberries.