What's Looking Good In July

I wondered where this thread was this month. Im still a bit n00b to have started it myself!

Fabulous poppy walkway Shiney. Very striking. Do you use the seeds for cooking?


Ive got some Cosmos in flower- so a massive thank you to whoever put them in the seed swap!
Also, sweetpeas, jasmine and passionflowers in bloom. I'll stick some photos up in a bit.

 

Shiney, what does that pathway look like for the rest of the year?

I do love poppies, they are so transient and ephemeral.

 

Wait, is that the same walkway?

Amazing! I cant conceive of the amount of work necessary to transform a border so completely every couple of months.

 

Just some little snaps of whats out at the moment. The majority have only been established less than a year.








(Under the shade of the hedgerow and field boundary)



wonderful Lupin Gallery pink, a real focal point



Gallardia Goblin



some Lillies purchased in bulk for a pound from B&M. I'm always on the look out for a bargain....anything is worth a try!! These were worth it, but have grown very short.



Japanese horsetail grass i think? Picked it up at the NEC a few weeks back. The guy at the stand said that a few students have been using them in pots lying in a saucer of water to retain the moisture this plant needs (we dont have a pond). So far so good, and as you can see the bottom of the pot is nicely shaded by the huge nasturtiams weaving their way along the boundary fence and the horse raddish leaves in the veg planter.



Lovely colour, not sure of the type as they're usefully labelled as 'hardy red.' Maybe venture? I love how they merge into our fence paint :P



Lilium- Triumphator. Huge and wonderfully scented, but very very delicate.



Just started opening.....Dahlia Black Narcissus a breathtaking deep red.



My fuchsia cuttings.....taken last July from a friends Fuchsia -Heidi Anne (lilac and red). Such healthy plants with an abundance of flowers. I pinched out very hard.....and it's paid off ...very rewarding. Just a close up here though. I love recycling plants.



This was intended for the competition, but I missed the cut off! Two types of Trifolium Repens creeping around one of the borders with some creeping jenny. The three contrasting colours together are stunning.

 

I planted some Rudbeckias for cut flowers last year, only about 20 plants or so, and they're now flowering properly for the first time:



Our second big bunch of flowers homeward bound:



Yesterday I pricked out 120 rudbeckias sown earlier this year and last week I bought a couple more packets in the Wilkos 75% off sale.

 

Beautiful. I have some Cherry Brandy and Indian summer from seed I did this year.

 

Few pics as we go into July... the rain has been a bit hard and rather alot has got bashed. I have just rushed out to tie up a sunflower. But I'm rather proud of my Dahlia and my fuschias. Last year the Dahlia was munched before it even grew a few inches. This year I have been a bit less forgiving on the snail population. And I have gone from zero fuschias to 4! Lady Boothby which is a strange straggly thing which I shall photo when it flowers but I like it as I have tied it to a trellis. But my FIL gave me three other small fuschia plants and they are lovely. I love shrimp cocktail!





My Dahlia which survived all winter underground though it said to lift it and put it in the shed. But I didn't.



My fuschias - Delta Sarah and Shrimp Cocktail

 

I'm glad somebody's survived, I left mine (nearly 100 of them) in the ground until it was too late and lost the lot. Having said that I'd probably have lost them even if I'd lifted, cleaned and packed them away in my shed what with the temperature got down to in there. At least I've got some other flowers for cutting.

 

Ouch Scrungee... that must have been a set back! I have to confess this is my first and only Dahlia ever! and I am frankly astonished it survived! But I live in Bristol and the winters are comparatively mild I guess... I like the look of Dahlias - quite old fashioned and yet pretty. I didn't know they grew so big too! Always learning!

 

Echinocereus



The BOPs are coming.

 

This is my mixed herbaceous/annuals border. I've had to find out what works in this bed by several years of trial and error, I'm pleasantly surprised with the results this year.



The main challenge with this border is the established Privet hedge which runs right along the back, its roots turn up everywhere and it will quickly suck the whole area dry if there's not enough rain.
A lot of the plants here are annuals which I've simply allowed to seed themselves and grow where they will.