JEARRARD'S HERBAL
Thats enough introduction - on with the plants!
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... out in the garden.
19th July 2026
Hemerocallis 'Persian Princess'.
The week has softened slightly. The hot weather hasn't gone but the extremes have reduced. Last night was the first in a long time when the bed was cool enough for easy sleep.
Some rain would be nice, but a moderately cool breeze through the day has been a relief.
In the garden the ground is parched. Those things that are well established are suffering stoically. The first of the hydrangeas are showing signs of drooping.
Hydrangea 'Long March' was planted in the spring and has wilted but hopefully it will simply shed leaves and regrow in the autumn after some rain.
Hydrangeas are vulnerable to drought but usually forgiving.
I also cast an eye over x Sycoparrotia semidecidua which was almost the last thing I planted this spring. It is looking bronzed but still turgid so I don't need to intervene.
The last of the Hemerocallis are going out in a blaze of glory. It doesn't always happen that way, sometimes they sputter to an end like a lawnmower running out of petrol.
This is 'Persian Princess'. I moved it to a spot nearer the house and then lost the label. I have spent all summer trying to remember and it finally came to me.
Reference to earlier pictures of it in the new location confirmed the identity so this is something of an aide-memoire celebration picture.
19th July 2026
Hoya carnosa .
It is impossible to get into the greenhouse during the day. I have a friend coming to help me put up some more shade netting to keep the Disa cooler and hopoefully it will be possible if we do it in the early morning.
Meanwhile I have a few Hoya that are enjoying the heat. I was amazed when I first discovered that Hoya carnosa would grow in a cold greenhouse -
thanks to Jeremy Wilson at Strete Gate Camellias who also let me have a plant of his proven clone. I had always assumed that the genus was entirely tropical. Since then I have tried a few more. Hoya australia
stretches into eastern Australia and looked like a good candidate but defoliated in the first winter and had completed the transition to death by spring.
I have tried some of the other clones of H. carnosa but I think many of the more recent cultivars are actually hybrids. 'Krimson Queen' didn't last but 'Tricolor' has been through
two winters and grown away strongly this year. I'm not going to get carried away with Hoya, that would be one madness too many, but I don't mind an occasional, well considered trial (= impulse purchase).
Most recently I have added H. 'Mathilde Spalsh' (H. carnosa x serpens) and it's still with me.
In the greenhouse, H. carnosa produces its heads of astonishing flowers and is always a delight.
19th July 2026
Dahlia (australis x tenuicaulis) .
Incidental mention of lawnmowers introduced the next triumph of the week. The mended lawnmower has been returned. It broke down in the middle of May, when the grass really needed cutting.
It wasn't possible to get it fixed so the grass grew through June and into July without being cut. Only the dry weather has held it back. Fortunately yesterday evening
I was able to get out there in the cool and make a start. It's a rough cut, but I have paths and access again. I will worry about a finer cut when the fallen hay has dried off enough to get through it again.
In front of the house, the first of the bush/tree dahlias has flowered. Dahlia (australis x tenuicaulis) is more of a tumbler than a tree. In the front garden here it grows about 60cm tall
and then tumbles down the bank beside the steps. However it has perennial stems which give it an early start in spring and carry at least some of the new growth above the reach of slugs.
The Dahlia australis parent reduces its stature and magnificence a bit, but brings it into flower earlier. My Dahlia tenuicaulis is a delight of frothy green foliage that sparkles in the sunshine
at the moment, but I won't see any sign of flowers until October as the skies darken and the light starts to flatten.
The other side of the coin is that this flower opened yesterday and had shrivelled in the heat by this morning.
19th July 2026
Prospero autumnale 'Miranda' .
In the greenhouse almost everything is slowly grinding to a summer halt but the first of the autumn bulbs has sprung into life. I was watering in there during the week
and found the first blue flowers of Prospero 'Miranda'. It is a sensational form of Prospero autumnale that grows vigorously with long spikes of flowers and will continue for
many weeks. Its origin is shrouded in some mystery, introduced as Prospero obtusifolium intermedium from an unknown source.
Recent investigation by David Cann and John David have confirmed that it is a really good form of P. autumnale and they have named it 'Miranda'. I have it in a pot under cover because, although the species grows
on the cliffs locally, I haven't managed to cultivate it in the garden. However, I have seen that some people are managing with 'Miranda', and I have some spare to try.
Hopes for the week are coming focussed on the possibility of some light rain. It won't solve the garden's problems but it would provide some respite and reduce the stress.
And possibly Impatiens gomphophylla would recover enough to flower in the autumn.
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