Iris Harmony

Iris harmony

So excited just been out into the garden and my first Iris Harmony has just flowered. Didn't it look beautiful. Just 2 days ago it was just a few leaves sticking out of the ground. 

I should have made more notes about where they were planted. I planted 10 in the back garden which means there should be 10 in the front garden planted by the chrocus but nothing has come up on that side of the house.

Striking Red (40 Bulb collection)

Striking Red (40 Bulb collection)

Picked up these bulbs the other day. I have placed them in a corner of the front garden. I think they are going to be rather striking. They are going to provide some nice color from May till the first First Frosts. I'll Provide pictures later in the year. I am really looking forward to seeing the freesias as I used to work in a greenhouse farming these for Export to England the smell was awesome. I hope that I can get some cut flowers from these as well.

Common Name:	Garden anemone 'Hollandia', Anemone coronaria (De Caen Group) 'His Excellency'
Botanical Name:	Anemone coronaria (De Caen Group) 'Hollandia'
Exposure:	Full sun and shelter
Hardiness:	Zones 8-10
Height:	Full grown height 25 - 50 cm
Color:	Red
Bloom Season:	May to June
Bulb/Plant Size:	Bulb size 3/4 cm
Number:	26

Common Name:	Freesia
Botanical Name:	Freesia
Exposure:	Full sun
Hardiness:	Zones 4-8, elsewhere lift in fall and store indoors
Height:	Full grown height 25 - 50 cm
Color:	Red
Bloom Season:	July - August 3 - 4 months after planting
Bulb/Plant Size:	Bulb size 4/5
Number:	6

Common Name:	Gladiolus Traderhorn
Botanical Name:	Gladiolus Traderhoen
Exposure:	Full sun
Hardiness:	Zones 8-10, elsewhere lift in fall and store indoors
Height:	48-60" tall
Color:	Brilliant scarlet with a white center
Bloom Season:	July - September averages 75-80 days from planting
Bulb/Plant Size:	14+cm, exceptionally large
Number:	8

summer time bulbs 75 pack

Summer time Bulbs 75 pack for £1. 

Picked up 75 Bulbs for £1 Still not sure if this is a bargin or not. let me explain the  pack contain.

12 * Peacock Orchid Acididerthera Flowers July - October
8 * Gladiolus "Priscilla" Flowers Flowers July - October
25 * Liatris Spicata Flowers August - October
30 * Oxalis Dappei Flowers July to September

Nearly half the pack is 4 leaf clover. Wood Sorrel, and Sorrel can bolt and take over your whole garden so i will have to keep my eye on it. The pack comes with nearly no information so bellow is a summery of the information i have managed to glean from the net. I am excited about some of these plants

Common Name:	Acidanthera murielae, Abyssinian gladiolus
Botanical Name:	Gladiolus callianthus
Exposure:	Full sun and shelter
Hardiness:	Zones 8-10, elsewhere lift in fall and store indoors
Height:	12" To 24"
Color:	White, Purple
Bloom Season:	Mid Summer, Late Summer
Bulb/Plant Size:	14+cm, exceptionally large
Number:	12

Common Name:	Gladiolus Priscilla
Botanical Name:	Gladiolus Priscilla
Exposure:	Full sun
Hardiness:	Zones 8-10, elsewhere lift in fall and store indoors
Height:	45-60"
Color:	Flowers have a flush of bright rose over white and creamy highlights
Bloom Season:	Mid to late summer, averages 70-75 days from planting
Bulb/Plant Size:	16+cm, exceptionally large
Number:	8 huge bulbs

Common Name:	Dense Blazing Star, Kansas Gay Feather
Botanical Name:	Liatris Spicata
Exposure:	Full sun
Hardiness:	Zones 4-0,
Height:	2 foot
Color:	Purple/ Lavender Flower
Bloom Season:	Early Fall; Fall; Late Summer; Summer
Bulb/Plant Size:	12-12cm
Number:	25 bulbs

Common Name:	Oxalis Iron Cross, Good Luck Plant
Botanical Name:	Oxalis deppei
Exposure:	Full sun to light shade
Hardiness:	Zones 8-10
Height:	10"-12"
Color:	Rosy pink flowers and foliage with purple cross-shaped markings
Bloom Season:	Flowers in 10-12 weeks from planting
Bulb/Plant Size:	4/5 cm bulbs
Number:	30 bulbs

Time for an update as we are nearly at the end of September. The Oxalis was the first to come out and has been fairly constant throughout the summer. The display in the front garden was far better than the one in the back garden. but under the porch didnt start off too well see the note at the end of the page

the Liatris Spicata has just finished flowering. It didn't start until late in the season but did look fantastic. I will try to add some photos when I get the opportunity at a later date. 

Gladiolus Priscilla only a few came up but they did look fantastic. 

and finely Gladiolus callianthus. I think that they made a mistake in packaging as I had Red Gladioli come up where I thought that the Gladiolus callianthus had been planted. and a few of those came up then dissapeared in a matter of days. still not sure why. I think that the front garden under the porch might have been a bit too dry. I might have to reduce the bed that side next year but maybe make it wider as it was so narrow everything seemed squashed in there this year

Beds

Beds

I have several beds this one is the front Garden. Last week I removed 2 Lavander bushes from this bed to the back garden.

Here are the 2 lavender bushes on the right of the picture. This is a very shaded area but it is too dry to support most plants. The Lavender plants suffered in the front garden getting too wet (not surprising with this year being the wettest on record) so I am hoping that they will thrive here.

This is the new bed that I have just dug. Not a lot to look at at the moment but this is the part of the garden with the most direct sun so I am hoping that the bed is going to be spectacular this summer. When you dig a new bed you disturb the seeds that are in the ground so You find that you have a flush of weeds that will all come up.

I have planted bulbs in this bed ready to flower between May to October but I wont plant anything else here for a few weeks until the weeds have been dealt with. When all the weeds have germinated I will remove them in one go.

This is my fruit patch. There would normally be a rhubarb plant on the left (Please come back in the summer). Then Strawberries and in the cold frame are 2 fuchsias. I am considering removing the Strawberries at the moment. I feel that this would be a good bed to plant some flowers maybe a wild flower mix. I have been thinking about moving the strawberries into so large pipe I've found cutting holes in it and standing it vertically

This is the west wall so will receive a lot of summer sun. 

Challenge and garden layout

Time to start a new Blog I guess so I have decided to create one about my Garden in Newport Pagnell.

In December my wife turned to me and said “We have lived in this house for 5 Years and you have done virtually nothing with the garden don’t you think its about time you did something with it…”

CHALLENGE EXCEPTED and why stop at the front garden?

OK Step 1 planning

My Garden Layout

Here is the layout of the Front and Back Garden. The house is on a north South Access but unfortunately the back garden is facing away from the sun. On the plus side the front Garden and the far wall that is visible from the lounge is going to look amazing.

First step so far. Last year I planted 2 Lavender plants and a whole load of perennial plants in a bed in the front Garden. so I have moved the Lavender to the back garden they have suffered this winter with too much water the area I have moved them to tends to be very dry as the overhang of the garage roof is very close.

Clear the front garden making space for bulbs create a new flower bed on the back 11M wall