JEARRARD'S HERBAL
21st May 2023
Evergreen Azaleas .
In a moment of optimism I had thought that perhaps the wet weather of spring would extend into June. It hasn't happened. The last two weeks have been dry,
which is wonderful for hanging out the washing but a worry for the garden. Last year's drought is a memory and a caution. I have planted a few things out this week, particularly some Trachycarpus
that were discovered when clearing brambles and a Rhododendron fortunei that will be dead if I try to keep it in a pot until autumn. They have been watered in, but I have used all the water
in the water butt at the top of the garden. Now they are at the mercy of the weather.
The water tanks in the greenhouse are still looking full, but for the first time this year I checked the level to be sure. When the sun comes out it is hot and things dry out rapidly. I was going to re-pot the primulas,
but it will have to wait, they won't appreciate being disturbed in this weather.
The evergreen azaleas bring the mad rush of spring to a close with a spectacular show of colour. I have them all planted along a single path. I intended them to be loud and they have achieved it.
There are a few spaces, and I have a few extra plants that could be planted during winter. Nothing subtle, you understand, lots of noise.
They only last for a week or two, the balloon of spring bursts with a loud pop and the warmth of summer descends. The azaleas don't get time to drop their flowers, they desiccate in place
and wrap the plants in brown parchment until the new growth obscures it.
21st May 2023
Magnolia wilsonii .
The warmth has stopped me planting new things in the garden. I have almost stopped cutting down brambles and clearing space. It is a job for the winter when it is simply scratchy. In the summer sun it is hot, sweaty
and scratchy. Unpleasant little pieces of prickly stem tuck themselves into the bodily nooks and crannies to be discovered later.
The last spectacular magnolias of spring still have a few flowers hidden among the developing leaves. I have a few late magnolias that produce a more subtle display
through the early summer. M. tripetala is a good thing here. It has grown strongly and tolerated the brisk wind. It has good foliage and flowers profusely over a long period.
The thin, pointed tepals fall slightly onto the brown side of white but I find myself looking forward to them every year.
Magnolia wilsonii makes a brighter mark in the garden. The large white flowers hang below the branches and on a good day they perfume the surroundings.
The tree flowers as the leaves are unfolding. The branches aren't bare but they aren't yet leafy, it is a curious thing. I have raised seedlings from a number of magnolias and planted them in the garden.
Names and sources are long lost, but I hope there is a M. wilsonii among them. I would like to have another one in the garden. The drought last year stopped it from producing seed,
which it usually does in abundance, but if I get seed this year then I will sow a lot more. A forest of M. wilsonii would be delightful even though a small grove would be more practical.
21st May 2023
Nymphaea 'Pygmaea Rubra' .
In general terms I like to think that I garden by observing the things that grow well, and planting more of them. The garden is full of camellias as a result of that simple principle.
It is also filling with ferns and I have run out of spaces to plant more Hedychium and Roscoea. It is a pity, because I still have a lot in the greenhouse needing garden space.
I am also uncovering more from beneath the brambles where they were stood a few years ago as part of the process of getting them out. It was a good plan but not entirely successful.
Nymphaea have been simpler to accommodate. There is no suitable water in the garden to grow water-lilies and although I once marked out a pond it was never completed. In its place I had a single large tub
of water, and a single tiny water lily that dwelt in it. Nymphaea 'Pygmaea Helvola' is a wonderful thing that has grown well. The obvious thing to do was buy another tub
and plant another lily. N. 'Pygmaea Rubra' was the result, and the first flower of the year has just opened. It has done well, and I have my eye on some other dwarf cultivars,
but I don't have much space in the sun for big tubs and so I don't have room for many water lilies. So far I have a collection of two, and it could well stop there.
21st May 2023
Paeonia 'Julia Rose' .
This garden is slowly becoming shadier as the trees grow. At the same time I seem to be planting more peonies. It's a sort of madness, as though the peonies will attract the sunshine they need
once they are growing in the ground. It doesn't happen. Already there are a couple of peonies in the herbaceous border that must be moved. They are down to an hour or two of sunshine in the
day before the shadows creep over them, and it isn't enough. I'm not sure where they are going to go. Just like the water lilies, there aren't very many options.
The situation has been clearer with regards to the intersectional hybrid peonies. I have a small collection of very large tubs that stand beside the path to the greenhouse.
I use them for plants that like dry soils and sunshine and they are slowly filling with peonies. Once the tubs are all full, that will be that. 'Julia Rose' was the first and it has been impressive enough for me to want to grow more.
The flowers inflate like fragile globes in punctured pink, the colour slowly draining away over a few days to warm cream. It is a delightful thing and it has been followed
by a number of others. They are new and they have set new standards. The most opulent shrub and herbaceous peonies have dignified, sober names
but intersectional hybrids have changed all that. It is strange, but I find that I am getting used to it.
Last year I added 'Going Bananas' and this year I have my eye on 'Yankee Doodle Dandy'. Brave new world.