After a very slow start to the year everything seems to have speeded up! I’d say things were a bit behind in April but hopefully things will start to catch up now. The biennials are at full speed, the Honesty has gone over in flower and is starting to set its beautiful disc-like seedheads. I’ve taken my wallflowers out now to make way for some more annuals, if you have the space you can leave them in and many will flower again next year but it can go a bit woody. The sweet rocket is blooming well and the Foxgloves are just starting to flower and are humming with bees. I’m still poised for the Sweet William and the Canterbury bells though!
This Bouquet makes the most of the Sweet Rocket (Hesperis White and Purple) and lots of pale yellows, whites and lilacs in the garden right now. Includes Orlaya grandiflora, Ranunculus Cream, Lychnis ‘White Robin’, Chives, Astrantia ‘Buckland’, Omphalodes linifolia ‘Little Snow White’, Silene ‘Snowcloud’ and Pineapple Mint.
My autumn sown annuals are coming now, Orlaya grandiflora and Cerinthe have been fantastic, despite its beautiful delicate looks I have found Orlaya to be one of the hardiest of the annuals. They can sometimes be tricky to germinate but I’ve had much more success from an autumn sowing. They don’t all germinate at once but over a few weeks and I think nice fresh seed is key. I’ve started saving my own seeds which is very simple to do they are quite big seeds and easy to collect once dry and brown. They would likely self seed if you let them. Love it when I can pick a big handful. Cerinthe is a bit more temperamental for me from an autumn sowing and really depends on how cold a winter we get. I lost mine the previous two winters they just went to mush after those prolonged cold spells. This year they came through, they have been in a cold greenhouse were looking a big leggy when I planted them out so I cut them back a bit and now looking fabulous. The flowers seem especially deep and rich blue with glaucous grey-green foliage. They need careful conditioning to prevent them flopping though, sear the cut ends of the stems in boiling water for 10 seconds then put in cold water and leave to condition. Even after all that they can still be a bit floppy but look good round the edges of bouquets as foliage and filler. I’ve also sowed some more of these as I can’t get enough of them, same with the bees. My patch is in a raised bed next to the potting shed and I can hear them buzzing round the Cerinthe from in there!
Another autumn sown annual is Papaver nudicale, the Iceland poppy, sown in September I grew them on and planted out into a covered raised bed with some Ranunculus, they don’t seem to mind the cold think they just liked a bit of cover from the rain. Just love these on their wiry stems.
I seem to have lots of white flowers at the moment and another little delicate star at the moment is Omphalodes linifolia ‘Little Snow White’. Again from an autumn sowing and planted at the end of the bed next to the Iceland poppies so had some protection from the worst of the weather in winter. Joyous little white flowers with lovely grey green foliage. Great filler foliage and flowers.
The cornflowers are just starting to show colour on their buds and the Corncockles are almost ready to pop open. This wind and rain has been a bit of a challenge but think I’ve managed to support them enough so not flopped. I don’t think you can beat sowing these in the autumn as you get such strong plants. They will come into their own in the next few weeks and I’m looking forward to using them lots in June.
Briza has self seeded all along a little tricky edge to one of the raised beds, its created a little hedge. Briza is fabulous but after you have planted it once you won’t need to sow it again, it is a prolific self-seeder! I fear whoever took over my old allotment will forever have it! There are worst things though.
How are your seedlings doing? I’ve started planting a few things out at last, some Salvia ‘Oxford Blue’, Larkspur ‘Imperials’ and I’m trying a new variety called ‘Frosted Spires’, Godetia have gone in, Echium ‘Blue and White Bedder’, Didiscus ‘Blue Lace’, Calendulas, a few Scabiosa and then this weekend I planted a few Sunflowers, Cosmos, Malope, Nicotiana. Now just got to wait (and keep an eye out for slugs) and watch them grow and flower to take over when the autumn sown annuals and biennials finish.
Nicotiana are fabulous, such tiny seedlings which once pricked out just romp away, the Rudbeckia are also tiny but they seem to take an age to get big but they are getting there slowly.
My Zinnias have a been a challenge for me this year, I pricked out way more than I thought I needed but a slug decided to have a feast on them and damaged most of my Zinnia ‘Envy’!! So I’ve resown some more of that and has germinated well so hopefully they will catch up the ones that survived. I’ve potted my first batch into bigger pots, going to get them nice and big before they get planted out and then more likely be strong enough to survive the slugs. Some plants are just so attractive to them and Zinnias must be super tasty.
I’m pretty happy with the perennials that I sowed way back earlier in the year. Gaura ‘The Bride’ especially I have lots of lovely plants now. My plan is to underplant my Dahlias that are in the big dustbins with the Gaura, wafty white stems of flowers amongst the big, blowsy flowers of the Dahlias. Will let you know how that goes!
Still got plenty to plant out but I need more space! Rudbeckias, Amaranthus and Zinnias are sitting in the wings waiting for a new home. I do want to get everything in soon though so that I can relax and just enjoy the garden and cutting the flowers.
Finally a photo of cheeky Jed, showing us whose the boss in this garden.
And finally a beautiful sky over the potting shed!
Hope you are all enjoying your seed sowing adventures and getting ready for the biennial seeds, we have a sparking new bundle on offer! I’m planning on sowing mine in mid to late June, so that will be in next months blog post hopefully.
Higgledy Anne
(I’m on Instagram anne_hinks if you fancy a follow)