Jearrard's Herbal

2nd July 2023

Magnolia sapaensis .
The June gap is a well known phenomenon in gardens, a spell where the heat of summer has kicked in and the last exuberance of spring has passed out. The summer excess of the herbaceous border is surging with enthusiasm, but without flower. Iris and roses can plug the gap, clematis decorate its edges, but Iris frighten me and the other two don't prosper here. As a result, the June gap has been brown. Dry, crispy and brown. There has been no rain, the garden crunched like a plain poppadom.
Fortunately greyness returned and brought the colour with it. A day of light drizzle has refreshed the garden, filled plants with enthusiasm again and filled tanks with water. Perhaps that is always what happens, June is dry and empty. I hesitate to find patterns in the weather. Iris may be frightening, but meteorology is madness.
The rain has helped Magnolia sapaensis which I planted in the shelter of a large Acer campestre when the magnolias hardiness was still an open question. Since then the Magnolia has shown itself to be tough, and the Acer unneccesary. It will be removed eventually, I will have a bold moment with a saw. The first flowers on Magnolia sapaensis have been a delight of anticipation, the large, ball-shaped buds seemed to over-inflate before they burst. The tepals are brown and have sagged with the weary demeanour of a tired cat on an armchair, revealing a trickle of blood red stamens. It has a remarkable poise, I hope it still has it when I have felled the Acer.

Hemerocallis 'Bela Lugosi'

2nd July 2023

Hemerocallis 'Bela Lugosi' .
Daylilies have been waiting for the weather to change. A good soaking has propelled them from reluctant buds to exuberant flower. Most of the Hemerocallis in the garden are very old, I brought them with me when I moved in and the chaos of names and identities has bubbled as an undercurrent through the garden ever since. Some of them remained in contact with their labels over the last decades, some of them are distinctive or familiar enough to recognise. 'Black Magic' is distinctive and not easily confused with anything else, unless you count 'Black Falcon' and 'Black Knight', but they both have labels! 'Pink Damask' has a distinctive quiddity and 'Croesus' is a very old friend, the sort that you have known for so many decades that it no longer matters if you like them or not. After 50 years with 'Croesus' I no longer care, I don't think I ever did particularly like it, but it is irrelevant. I planted it as a child in my mother's garden and we are stuck together. My garden without 'Croesus' would be like my dinner without a plate.
Hemerocallis 'Bela Lugosi' is a relative newcomer. I bought it in 2004 when I had a weak moment and felt that I needed more modern daylilies to brighten the place up. This was a perverse colour to choose but I do enjoy the lush, sombre tones of modern purple cultivars. Now I have a garden full of daylilies and I certainly don't need any more. On the other hand, 'Evening Enchantment' is rather good - would one more really cause any problems? I saw it a fortnight ago and I haven't forgotten. It is not a good sign.

Disa Trevarth

2nd July 2023

Disa 'Trevarth' .
The greenhouse is better protected from the dullness of June. Warmth, water and sunshine are available in abundance and the plants respond. Winter among the Roscoea has lasted until June, the empty dullness of the season matched by the empty surface of the pots. In a way that is only understood by Roscoea, something has changed. As the month progressed they popped their heads up and the flowers will not be far behind.
They are not alone. The Disa have been filling pots with lush leaves for months, but they have waited for the gap between spring and the first Nerine to produce flowers. Now they have started the greenhouse is filled with their glowing colours. There are some good seedlings flowering this year for the first time but there is a louder chatter of colours coming from D. Trevarth. I moved plants around during the winter and they are now standing together on a block in the middle of the bench. I sowed the seed in 2015 and they grew vigorously from the outset. The first ones flowered in 2020 and I have been prevaricating ever since. I'm sure some of them must be better than others, but every time I choose the best I change my mind. I was ruthless last year and made two groups, "keep" and "surplus to requirements". In spring I moved them all back together again. I will watch them for another year or two, there is no need to rush. In the process they have provided abundant reason for keeping them all, they have performed remarkably as a group.

x Hippeastrelia

2nd July 2023

x Hippeastrelia .
A sudden burst of colour made a welcome appearance in the Hedychium house. I had reduced the number of Hedychium growing in pots and that has left space to plant a border. There wasn't enough space for all the odd things growing in pots that would be happier in the ground, but it was a start. This x Hippeastrelia was one of the beneficiaries. I had been keeping it too dry in a pot and now I am growing it in a border that is too dry, but it seems to be happier. Perhaps it has managed to get its roots down deeper into the soil. It hasn't flowered profusely, but it has flowered, and the leaves look healthier. If I can find a way to keep the soil slightly moister, I might try one of the Hippeastrum out there beside it to see what happens.
I took a division from this plant to grow in a warmer, moister greenhouse with the other Hippeastrum. It hasn't flowered. It may be that they all do well with dry soil and some stress. It is worth doing a test to find out.
Rain in the week restored the flagging garden, but it also restored the flagging grass. Almost as soon as the surface dried I could see the new growth appearing. Mowing is going to be a priority for the next couple of months and by then the Nerine will have started. I have started writing a list of winter jobs. The June gap has ended with the heady rush of summer and there isn't going to be much free time until winter.