Sea Thrift (Pinks)

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As spring comes to a close it seems to be all pink and yellow in the garden (and coast) this week. The sun has brought the flowers out to play, but the ground is seriously dry.

1. Clematis ‘Nelly Moser’ – what a beauty! This grows in the ‘woodland border’ and uses the Goat Willow trees as a support despite there being a fence and trellis for it. No matter. ‘Nellie Moser‘ is easy to grow, producing large, flat flowers 6 to 8 inches in diameter with distinctive, gleaming lilac bars on each petal. I cut this down last year in February as in previous years I only saw one or two blooms at the top of the trees. She didn’t produce any flowers last year, but plenty of growth and this year she is amazing! I might cut the plant down every two or three years even if it does mean going without the flowers occasionally.
   
2. Two more Alliums made their presence known this week.
   
   

   
3. Iris pseudacorus (yellow flag, yellow iris, water flag) – slowly opening.  A marginal iris with sword-like leaves. Striking yellow flowers. And loves being in full sun. This patch is next to the patio and shares its space with Meadowsweet and Japanese Anemones and wild mint and no 4.
   
4. Arum lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica). I have two plants, but only one has flowered this year and only one flower so far. I do like the elegant shape of these lilies and wish this would bulk up somewhat. I suspect it is too crowded by the irises.
   
5. For the final two I am leaving my garden and going to the coast to show you two magnificent wild flowers that are in flower at the moment creating a wonderful colourful carpet. The first is Thrift or Sea Pink (Armeria maritima subsp. maritima) which can be found all around the coast of the UK. It is a perennial and flowers mainly from April to July with cushions of springy foliage and rounded, pink, clover-like flowers. I have a tiny plant in my alpine sink, but to appreciate this flower at its best you must head to the coast.
   
6. The second is Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria) with its small yellow flowers and woolly appearance low to the ground on sand dunes, chalk grasslands and cliffs in summer. Kidney Vetch has round clusters of small flowers that are mainly yellow, but can also be orange and red and the hairy calyx give the flower cluster its woolly appearance. Also known as Woundwort, unsurprisingly it was used by traditional herbalists to relieve swelling and heal wounds, and to treat stomach and kidney problems.
   

We have had a lovely week here in Cornwall, no rain and even the wind has lost its chill. I have spent a few quid at the local garden centre on compost to carry out my annual re-potting of the pelargoniums. I have a ton of rooted cuttings from the scented ones as when I cut them back I was reluctant to throw the bits away so stuck them into pots. I shall plant them into my summer bedding pots for extra colour.

As always, if you want a peek over other people’s garden walls then please pop over to our host, the lovely Jon, AKA ‘The Propagator’ where you find links to many more wonderful garden enthusiasts from all over the world

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Six on Saturday