JEARRARD'S HERBAL
16th October 2022
Nerine 'Unnamed Salmon' .
There is no doubt about it, summer has left the garden. Warm afternoons and evenings do not disguise the chill in the shadows or the thick
sparkling carpet of dew on the grass in the morning. The Hydrangea have slid from sprightly colour to faded glory in the last weeks.
Fuchsia are having a flowering party at the end of the twigs even as the older leaves are falling to show their bare stems.
The Nerine bowdenii outside have started to flower. I should have weeded them assiduously in August, but it was too hot and prickly. It will wait for another day.
In the greenhouse the tender Nerine are approaching their peak flowering period.
There are a small number of plants around the place that fall between the two groups. This N. sarniensis form came to me from the Nerine society bulb exchange as
"Unnamed Salmon", which summed up the situation admirably. I grew it in the Nerine house for a few years before I ran out of space, so I moved it to the sunny terrace beside the
house, expecting it to die discreetly while I wasn't looking. It was made of sterner stuff, has survived the winter and gone on to flower magnificently.
"Unnamed Orange-Red" has not been so good, its winter survival has been a cause for less celebration.
If it continues to come through the winters then it deserves a change in the "Unnamed" element. Next year will be fabulous.
16th October 2022
Allium thunbergii 'Ozawa' .
Organisation in the greenhouse happens by a strange process of chance operating over years. From time to time I get an entire bench clear and immediately fill it with plants
that have been waiting for a home. However it is organised, one thing is certain; it will not remain that way. Things that don't prosper get moved around looking for a suitable
home. I have a few potted Lapageria that have been struggling here for many years. They have moved from one extreme (too dry) to another (too wet)
without ever looking healthy. Last week they moved again - more warmth, more shade, less water. Perhaps they will finally arrive at contentment.
Autumn flowering bulbs have also struggled to find a home, but they are slowly accumulating under a small porch where they are cool, well ventilated, bright but still dry.
Allium thunbergii 'Ozawa' has joined them. It isn't a classic autumn flowering bulb, resting through the summer and then bursting into flower at the first rains
of autumn, but it seems to enjoy the same conditions. Just like the Lapageria, it had wandered about for a while seeking satisfaction. Among the autumn bulbs it has prospered
and increased. The greenhouse has a way of organising itself, I just do the fetching and carrying.
16th October 2022
Colchicum 'Waterlily' .
On reflection, I do the planting as well. At the top of the garden the Colchicum are looking good. They were planted in four stages.
The first stage was a trial that I watched for a couple of years, a few bulbs were planted to see if they survived under the conditions. The top woodland looked suitable for Colchicum
but you never really know about these things until you try them. Stage one was a success, so I progressed to stage two, planting 100 bulbs just before they flowered in the autumn.
They came up and looked really good. Stage three owed more to opportunism. Late in November of the same year I was offered another 100 bulbs by a wholesaler who hadn't managed to shift them.
They were a bit sad by that time, but they were also very cheap!
The display under the trees is the consequence of stage one and stage two. They are well established and the flowers are standing on strong stems, looking as good as I have seen them.
Stage four happened last year. I bought another 100 bulbs and used them to fill the gaps in the planting. Stage four bulbs are looking a bit pale and patchy this year, but they will recover
from the shock of planting. Next year will be fabulous.
16th October 2022
Nerine bowdenii 'Mollie Cowie' .
Nerine bowdenii is completely hardy. I always imagine that it will be easy in my garden, but as the trees grow and the shade increases, the Nerine outside
struggle to find the sun. I keep acquiring them and there are plenty to plant out but only a small space left that is suitable. I have a plan, but these things don't always
work out as expected.
'Mollie Cowie' is a particular favourite and the only stable variegated Nerine that I know. I was delighted when I first got it and have raised a number of seedlings,
hoping that the variegation might be inherited - it isn't. The parent plant has suffered. I kept it in the greenhouse where it sulked and was going backwards and turning green.
I finally planted the remaining bulbs out and they have staged a comeback. It has returned to strength and returned to flowering, even the variegation has returned.
It should act as a spur to plant all of the Nerine bowdenii out while there is still space. I have a plan, next year will be fabulous.
Next year's garden is always going to be fabulous.