JEARRARD'S HERBAL
6th August 2023
Nymphaea 'Pygmaea Helvola'.
After the heat of last year, a return to more typical Cornish weather has been delightful. The sunshine has been moderate, the rainfall frequent and there has been enough
traffic on the road to keep me at home. The first Cyclamen in the garden have appeared on schedule, neither frighteningly early nor dispiritingly late.
Anemone x hybrida 'Andrea Atkinson' has started to flower with a clean simplicity and relaxed optimism that is making the last frantic writhings
of the Hemerocallis look foolish. Hemerocallis always look foolish, it is part of their guileless charm. Beside them the Anemone
look like old men in deck chairs watching cricket. They are very calm, very patient, and make no sudden moves (deck chairs can be whimsical in their supporting role).
Beside the house, my collection of miniature water lilies has increased. I planted a seedling of Nymphaea tetragona out a week ago. It was about an inch tall,
and I don't know how it will fare, but it seemed to have more chance outside than growing in a beer glass in the greenhouse. I put it beside
N. 'Pygmaea Helvola' where I can peer at it obsessively when the urge occurs.
A month of rain has filled the water lily tub to the brim. The young N. tetragona has a lot of work to do to get to the surface, but I think it will prefer the light
intensity outside. If not, I have another seedling in another beer glass.
6th August 2023
Buddleja davidii 'Tobud1202'.
At which point I went on holiday. I have a full set of pictures from the garden, I could show what it looked like last Monday, but there doesn't seem much point.
I will be back tomorrow and I'm not expecting much to have changed.
There are a few Buddleja in the garden. Most of them are seedlings that I discourage. They are a good source of nectar for butterflies so I don't discourage them
too hard, but they get too big eventually and then they have to go. A seedling growing in the retaining wall behind the house is now blocking the path. It's days are numbered.
Not far from it, B. davidii 'Buddma' MOONSHINE has grown large. I had hoped that the combination of yellow leaves and purple flowers would be interesting but
the reality has been disappointing. It is a big, gangling thing. The leaves are pale in the spring but rapidly become green and from then on it is just
another Buddleja.
Small growing Buddleja have been the latest thing to attract my attention. Reviews of their performance in the garden have been mixed
but I wanted to try one with good rich flowers. As luck would have it, just when I needed a break from driving, I reached a Hilliers Garden Centre. A very good cup of coffee
provided the fortification required to buy B. d. 'Tobud1202' BUZZ HOT RASPBERRY. I have just the place for it where I can watch the butterflies dance gaily between
glowing flowers on the compact bush.
Failure on any count and it will be out again.
6th August 2023
Hypericum 'Allmadne'.
Hilliers is a dangerous place to stop. I was quite determined to have a cup of coffee and move on, but the allure of good plants is difficult to resist.
Over the last twenty years I have noticed the proliferation of new Hypericum being grown for their cut stems of berries and for their performance as pot plants.
They seem to be a mix of selections of H. androsaemum and possibly H. x inodorum. They are interesting, but I have wild specimens running through the garden,
I haven't felt the need to add any more just for the sake of their coloured berries. However, Hilliers had some selections that might look good in a garden setting.
The dark foliage and darker than normal flowers of H. 'Allmade' MIRACLE NIGHT stood out. It will be coming home with me to take its chances.
It might be a mistake but I'm having a carefree holiday. I would rather have an irresponsible moment with a cheap Hypericum than a rowdy night with some cans of cheap lager.
I suppose that's age for you.
6th August 2023
Nymphaea 'Xue Fei'.
By Friday, John and I had got to the RHS garden at Hyde Hall. The Plant Fair had been running all week and the weather was cool and dry. The quality of light at Hyde Hall never ceases to amaze me.
Sunshine gilds the garden, and the view over the Essex cornfields from the hill top is a wonder. Relaxation in the Hilltop cafe had to wait
until the Plant Fair had been inspected. I was determined not to buy anything new. It is a strange thing to go to a Plant Fair determined not to buy anything,
but I come from the wet south west and this is the dry south east. The gardens here are filled with golden grasses and flowering prairies.
There was hardly a Camellia to be seen. Nothing for me to grow, or so I thought.
The fascination for tiny water lilies continues to grip me. N. 'Xue Fei' is a new, dwarf, red water lily from China. It seems to be small.
I will plant it in a tub and see how it differs from N. 'Pygmaea Rubra'. I think that the weather under water will be much the same as it is in Essex.
If I get back in time tomorrow then it will be planted, released from its captivity in a plastic bag.
I have already started to wonder what has been happening while I have been away. Probably not much, but it will be nice to see.