We visited John’s Garden late in June because the temperatures had dropped a little after a week of temperatures well in the 30s, so we felt we would appreciate the garden more fully.
We were impressed with the two triangular beds running outwards from the greenhouse. the planting was impressive with a rich mixture of shrubs, climbers and perennials. We particularly liked seeing a Dierama, the Angel’s Fishing Rod flowering away and gently swaying in a gentle breeze and a yellow flowered texensis type clematis rambling through perennials.
Seeing this clematis so early in our visit I thought I would keep an eye out for others throughout the garden. I found plenty so here are just a few.
Hydrangeas were so prominent throughout the garden where they can take advantage of the shade from deciduous trees. We both particularly like the sort with flatter flower heads rather than the paniculata ones so we noticed the flat heads in particular.
Whenever we wander around John’s Garden we come across a few surprises and our June visit was no exception. This first plant made us scratch our heads even though we knew we had seen it somewhere before. The blue flowers gave it away as a sort of solanum, so a member of the tomato family. It also had beautifully coloured foliage of a glaucous grey-green
Solanum pyracanthos is a real show off plant but not one to get too close to with its orange spines running along orange central veins of the glaucous unusually shaped leaves. This plant teases you. After pulling you in the study its beautiful colours and foliage shape, you are made to stop and not get too close so to avoid its spines.
The second plant that fooled us was a shrub with white scented flowers. We couldn’t remember ever seeing it before. Research told us it was Clethra possibly Clethra barbinervis.
Some borders stopped us in our tracks simply because the colours were so exciting together. The plants here have been placed so beautifully and work together so well.
Sometimes using different coloured cultivars of the same plants, in this case astilbes, can be equally exciting. I am not a great fan of astilbes but I couldn’t help being impressed by this mighty patch.
This colourful patch of plants were all in pots allowing John and his staff to recreate the area whenever they wish to, when new plants await their turn or when some pots are passed their best.
We moved on right to the far end of the garden as we had heard John on his saying it was looking at its best. So that will be the subject of my next post.
greenbenchramblings 