Profusion

"Going halfway, half-heartedly, will give less than

a quarter of the satisfaction"

- gardendigest.com

There are several reasons why we started growing perennials from seed instead of relying on local garden centres and the occasional horticultural event. 

Agastache mexicana 'Sangria'
Mexican hyssop

First and foremost, it's a way of finding new and unusual specimens, or variations on a plant which you've already used successfully in the past. For instance, I didn't know much about the herb hyssop - Agastche - until I read the colourful descriptions in Chiltern Seeds catalogue and realised there were at least fifteen varieties!

Having planted a couple of South American salvias which did well in this climate, we figured that exotic hyssops were definitely worth a try.  If anything, they're even more prolific and long-flowering than salvias and their tubular flowers are magnets for the nectar-thirsty hummingbird hawkmoth.

Beauty on a Budget

Rudbeckia ordinaire or Black Eyed Susan

Secondly, of course, it's relatively cheap to buy a packet of seeds and produce a dozen plants which can put on a spectacular show of colour within a few weeks. This is especially useful now when you need vivid splashes of Cosmos or Rudbeckia to fill gaps left by plants which have gone over.

We find garden centres here mainly stock the ordinary yellow rudbeckias, whereas we wanted something with a bit more 'oomph' that would really stand out from the crowd.

Rudbeckia hirta 'Autumn Forest'

Enter the wonderful Rudbeckia hirta strains offered by Chiltern Seeds in a range of rich yellows, reds and mahogany. We started with 'Prairie Sun', a fetching mix of yellow and green, and have recently tried some of the more autumnal colours which are in bloom now.

They're all characterised by a raised central boss which makes an interesting feature on its own, never mind those arresting bi-coloured petals.  The chocolate centre on this one has risen so beautifully that it could almost be a contender for Bake-Off... "a truffle fondant decorated with dark chocolate shavings and topped with a golden couronne".  Yum!

A cheerful medley of late Summer colour, including
red spots of Geum chiloense 'Mrs Bradshaw'

A third reason to raise stock from seed lies in the fact that many plants do better when acclimatised to your garden conditions from an early age, i.e. before they grow big and thirsty, which is how garden centres tend to sell them here.

We plant out most of our seedlings from 6cm or 7cm pots once they've established a firm root system, adding a bit of blood, fish and bonemeal to the soil if they're perennials.  (In France they sell 'hoof and horn' which presumably assists root development in the same way.)

Nicotiana alata 'Lime Green'
with emerging Sedum spectabile

I really enjoy the process of pricking out and potting up seedlings and have learned from experience that it's worth paying more for good quality compost - rather than run the risk of weak, straggly growth which might just put you off trying again.

A successful group of plants lined up on the potting table makes me feel like a proud parent - whereas I'm happy to give some away, Christina often wants to keep the whole lot and make a really big display!  (Greedy or what??)

Lasting Value

Oregano in bloom, along with
Dianthus gratianopolitanus

Some plants have more to give than others in terms of repeat flowering or a long-flowering period.

This summer we noticed that our Cheddar Pinks, planted in almost pure chalk, never really stopped flowering after the first blooms appeared in June. Pinks are happiest in full sun and seem to like growing here against the stone blocks of our herb bed.

We've also enjoyed a succession of flowers from Galega officinalis, which we've just cut down to give it a rest (and to access the shutters that needed repainting!) as well as Geum chiloense 'Mrs Bradshaw', who bloomed well in early summer and has continued to draw the eye with little dots of scarlet across our rear border.

Scarborough Fair -  still going!

Amongst the roses which come back well for a second flush is David Austin's yellow climber 'The Pilgrim' and my old favourite 'Scarborough Fair', seen here. (The latter makes a very pretty match with Sedum spectabile which is coming into bloom.)

Although the actual rose flowers may be smaller second time around, they're no less abundant and are fine for picking.

Among interesting plants I'd recommend Catanache caerulea because its mauve flowers morph into papery seed-heads and Lysimachia purpurea 'Beaujolais', whose maroon flower-spikes gradually turn into extremely spiky seeds!

Rosa 'No-name'

Way back in January, when there was very little to write about, I remarked on some local roses which were still blooming bravely... and I took three cuttings of a climber I particularly admired down at the port.

Out of those, one cutting actually survived - much to my surprise - and has now given us its first flower! I've yet to find out its name but am intrigued to see whether it will manage to produce a new bloom each month.

Once again, our acer has put on an early flush of red leaves, having decided that autumn is around the corner. 

It's starting to encroach on my work bench and will need transferring to a bigger pot this winter unless we can find a space to plant it out somewhere.

With a small garden, we're always being faced with these difficult decisions - and this tree has probably doubled in size over the past year.

'His Maj' enjoying an early-evening doze
next to a patch of perennial plumbago