May is hotting up, this past week has been lovely. Here in the south-west we don’t get those mid twenty temperatures in the rest of the country, but 20°C is fine by me. I nearly drove to a nearby beach mid-week, but decided to empty some of the early spring bulb pots instead and get some salad sown. Glad I did as the roads to the beach were lined with cars so I imagine there were a lot of people on the beach, though at low tide there is a lot of space! Unfortunately car parks and toilets are still closed.
This week I am going to introduce you to six new plants that joined my household last year, but which are only now beginning to make an impression. Most of the plants I buy are to attract pollinators and I also try to avoid any that suffer from S&S (slugs and snails) damage.
(1) Rose ‘Fighting Temeraire’ is a David Austin shrub rose bearing masses of very large, single flowers. They are a rich apricot colour, with an area of yellow behind the stamens. The fragrance is fruity with a strong element of lemon zest. This rose was named for the Turner Contemporary Gallery, on Margate’s seafront in Kent. The Fighting Temeraire is a painting from 1839 by the English landscape painter, watercolourist and printmaker, JMW Turner. The flowers are ideal for attracting bees.
(2) Lupins – I received eight lupin plants last year free with another order from J. Parkers. Lupins are not plants I would have chosen because the S&S like them. A lot. Out of the eight tiny plants only four survived and one flowered. This year they have grown much stronger and there are many more flower spikes. I actually like them! As do the bees.
(3) Clematis koreana ‘Amber’ has gently nodding flowers of primrose yellow are double and have a slight hint of pink on the top near the flower stem. I bought it because it is suitable for a container and a north facing situation. It flowers from April to June and again in September. And it is a strong bushy climber. Well that’s what the description said…
last year there were a couple of flowers almost green in colour. This year I have several more flowers and they are a pale lemon / greenish colour so barely noticeable among the greenery. It is not very bushy. Maybe it takes a few years to mature, but so far I am not impressed even though the flowers themselves are a very pretty shape and size. It doesn’t require pruning, just a trim now and then. Perhaps I am becoming an impatient gardener, expecting immediate gratification!
(4) Camassias – I planted several of these bulbs last autumn in my mini-mini-meadow area. Camassia quamash (x20) is a vivid blue, with tall, bold flowers, Camassia cusickii (x5) is a vivid sky blue camassia, tall and elegant and Camassia leichtlinii subsp. suksdorfii ‘Alba’ (x5) has spires of creamy-white flowers. The quamash were refunded because they arrived in a mouldy condition, but I planted them anyway. The bees love them. (I don’t see the cusickii ones yet, leaves but no flowers)
(5) Scabiosa ‘Blue Butterfly’ – another small perennial last year, this is now flowering well in the raised bed, though somewhat overshadowed by the leaves of my Echinops. It produces huge numbers of purple-blue pincushion-like flowers throughout the summer (though mine look distinctly more pink than blue) and is attractive to bees and butterflies.
(6) Chilean Lantern Tree / Crinodendron hookerianum – this tree didn’t have any flowers last year (they form during the winter months) but has redeemed itself this year. Clematis ‘Nelly Moser’ has wound herself around it again. This exotic beauty is quite cold tolerant and displays lantern-shaped, crimson flowers, 1in. long (2.5cm), that dangle on long stalks from the branches from late spring to late summer. Mine grows under the Goat Willow trees so I think it might be in too much shade, but I pruned a lot of the lower branches last year to allow more light in which may have helped.
That’s all folks! 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.
Remember to stay alert out there!
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Cornwall in Colours 
Beautiful, as always. That is a gorgeous rose. I have a few spaces in my rose garden where some didn’t make it through the drought. I’ll looking for new ones to replace them soon.
Cornwall isn’t known for roses, but I chose a couple for an area in the ‘wild garden’ but they weren’t doing very well so I moved them into the raised bed. FT seems to be very happy here.
Lupine are another favourite I can’t grow here. My dear old Dad was a great gardener and he loved lupins. A beautiful selection again this week Jude
I haven’t grown them before, but I must admit they are very attractive as long as the S&S leave them alone!
Beautiful David Austin rose. We had a lovely rose garden on the farm, so I enjoy viewing your garden photos without the work! There’s a largish public rose garden across from us which I enjoy. I think you made the right decision to stay home than head to the busy beach. Enjoy the sunshine 💐
I love wandering around a rose garden, but I do find them a lot of work to maintain. I much prefer plants that don’t require so much mollycoddling. Saying that I am glad I have room for one or two.
Reading your comment about Amber makes me realise that it is indeed the lack of impact that is its downfall. Good to read about your newbies – it is always interesred to read how long it takes things to establish. I grew lupins from seed last year but don’t think they are big enough to flower yet
Strangely since my photos several of the flowers have disappeared, eaten I suspect by snails! Is that normal?
Not sure about normal, but I have had snails crawl half way up a clematis plant to eat the blooms before!
🙁
I love the open flowers of Rosa ‘Fighting Temeraire’ and it would look good near a couple of other apricots I have in the garden. 😁
Clematis koreana ‘Amber’ is beautiful and I hope it fills out well for you. Perhaps, as you say, it just needs a little more time. This is one I was looking at earlier in the week, but it was purely thoughts for next year.
Camassisas! Wonderful, beautiful. They’re a must for my garden for next spring. I hope your Camassia cusickii flowers for you soon. Love the close-up photo of the Camassia.
I hope Amber fills out too! I won’t trim her at all this year and see how well she grows next. The Camassias are pretty, though the flowers don’t last long. They start opening at the bottom of the spike and then continue upwards, but I’d say the individual flowers only last one day.
Thanks for more lovely photos of your gorgeous garden Jude – you must put so much time and effort into it 🙂 The David Austin roses are so beautiful – I have some in pots in my courtyard that miraculously flower twice a year 🙂 🙂 Plus wonderful to attract the bees! I spoke too soon about the storms here – the large sail cloth that shields our back garden and pool from the hot summer sun came a cropper this afternoon, ripped off its pole at one side 😦 The weather has been absolutely wild 😦 I had a couple of errands to do this morning and nearly got blown away plus it was a bit scary on the roads with the high winds and trees and branches down everywhere. Staying put now and we’re about to light the wood fire for this evening 🙂 Enjoy the lovely mild weather! 🙂
Your glorious garden Jude, each flower more beautiful than the one before. Loved your S&S strategy but also love a field filled with lupines, s&s notwithstanding. 😊. Who needs beach when a garden is this beautiful and you don’t have to drive to enjoy it
Aw, thanks Tina, the garden keeps me busy, but it does become very samey not going anywhere else.
I’m glad you showed us a closer view of your mini-mini-meadow. It is really beautiful, and I’m intrigued with the Camassias – they look delicate, but perfect for the meadow. I will have do some reading up on them. And yet another set of Lupins to tempt me to try them next year!
Only just catching up on last week’s posts. Super bee pics. The lupins get tougher after the first year and hold up better to the s&s. Looking nice now and for free can’t grumble.