Primary Colours

"It isn't that I don't like sweet disorder, but

it has to be judiciously arranged." 
- Vita Sackville-West

Papaver rhoeas - Common Poppy

Out in the countryside shades of white still seem to prevail, with hawthorn blossom giving way to creamy clusters of dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) dotting the hillsides and interspersed on field margins with the large, saucer-shaped blooms of elder (Sambucus nigra). It might be tempting to make a batch of elderflower cordial if it were not for the huge amount of sugar involved!

Anacamptis pyramidalis

Different flowers predominate in different years and this spring it's noticeable from a distance how some fallow fields have been carpeted in buttercups, providing bold splashes of yellow which don't usually appear until the sunflowers ripen in July.

Orchids, too, are ten-a-penny in meadows and waysides thanks to all the earlier rain.

So-called pyramid orchids, which are not true orchids at all, are particularly widespread and luscious, making it hard to resist the impulse to pick a few and bring them home to admire in a vase...

Ophrys scolopax

Luckily, there's so much happening in our garden right now that we've managed not to transgress the countryside code, even when severely tempted by something as lovely as a bee orchid, Ophrys apifera - or maybe it's even a scolopax, which is the more delicate version?

This cleverly designed orchid is able to self-pollinate if there are not enough bees around to do the job - its pollen sacs are the yellow part protruding above the 'lip' of the flower.

Admiring a floral offering...
aquilegia, scabious, orlaya and
Knautia macedonia (dark pink)

Ideas for Edging

Two of the flowers which we have been picking regularly from our garden are the white Orlaya grandiflora, an attractive Mediterranean lace flower which seeds easily, and a mauve scabious which looks remarkably similar to the wild one growing in our verges.

Neither of us recalls actually buying the two clumps of scabious that have been in flower continuously for over a month, so I think it may have been a case of pulling up a couple of 'bits' during one of our walks last year!

As there's nothing remotely endangered about scabious, I can't feel guilty for purloining a plant or two and I'd definitely recommend it for use as border edging, especially if regularly dead-headed.

The new raised bed with
Cerastium tomentosum var. columnae

Removing spent flowers on pinks is also a good way to keep this fabulous edging plant in good colour; I find that faded blooms tend to detract from the impact of our dark pink Dianthus gratianopolitanus, the original Cheddar pink, which has an RHS award of merit.

Another attractive edging for raised beds is the tumbling silver-leaved Cerastium 'Silver Carpet', also known as Snow-in-Summer, which can spread its silvery mat over dry areas of gravel or on rockeries, acting as a useful weed-suppressant. Once established, it's simple to transplant rooted pieces around the garden. 

Sowing Seeds

Both of the above can be raised easily from seed, especially at this time of year. I'm busy growing my latest batch obtained from Chiltern Seeds in the UK - they have a wide selection of different varieties and I'm rarely disappointed by lack of germination or with the end results.

Dianthus barbatus 'Homeland'
and Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red'

Generally, there are sufficient seeds in each packet for at least two sowings: if I don't have success in spring then I can try again in autumn, and some seeds need to go through a cold spell anyway in order to germinate.

It has encouraged me to become more adventurous over the years and look for interesting foliage as well as flowers. For instance, the 'Homeland' variety of sweet william in this picture is nicely offset by spires of a purple-leaved penstemon which is just coming into bloom. 

Most gardens need some dark foliage to break up the sea of greenery.

And it's equally important, of course, to have plants of vertical interest to draw the eye upwards.

These foxgloves just happened to seed themselves in dappled shade under our tall ash tree and, together with the creamy blossom of pyracantha, they echo some of the wild plants growing in adjacent meadows.

Even the dots of red provided by flowers of Geum chiloense could be mistaken for field poppies!

Chelsea Fashions

Anchusa azurea 'Dropmore'

We both have a weakness for flowers of intense blue, which look great in sun or shade, mixing happily with other blooms of white, pink or red.

Chiltern Seeds always take note of what is popular at the Chelsea Flower Show and last year's TV coverage featured several shots of anchusa. Like celebrity chefs endorsing use of a particular culinary ingredient, suddenly it becomes the must-have plant for gardeners!

I duly grew some from seed last autumn and each of those plants has rewarded us with several branches of bright flowers. 

Lysimachia atropurpurea
'Beaujolais'

This year it's a silver-leaved plant from the Balkan Peninsula, Lysimachia atropurpurea, which has caught people's attention.  

The glaucous, spiky foliage sets it apart from other border perennials and its wine-coloured flowers take a few weeks to develop, adding to a sense of anticipation in those of us unfamiliar with its unusual style.

As it's my first season growing some of these perennials, I need to look carefully at where best to site them in the border, taking into account companion plants. No doubt there'll be lots of moving around come autumn!

Growing Grasses

Stipa gigantea

The end of May is when our grasses start to look fresh and burnished once again: none more so than the Stipa gigantea, or giant oat grass, which holds sway - literally - over the main island bed.

Its decorative pannicles catch the light and dance over the ferny foliage of nigella and larkspur which are all coming into bloom now.

Stipa gigantea and friends

I love the tapestry effect of these grasses which combine happily with so many other perennials such as geum, aquilegia, scabious and geranium.

Although I sense this Stipa will probably become too big for the bed after three years, its open framework means that at present it doesn't crowd neighbouring perennials unlike other grasses which form dense clumps.

For instance, we found that the plumy Chinese Fountain Grass, Pennisetum alopecuroides, spread too quickly; lovely though it was, we took the decision to dig it up from the back garden where it provided just too much of a screen. (Having grown this from an inexpensive packet of seeds, I didn't have to feel too guilty about wasting money..!)

An excellent year for roses - even wild ones