What’s looking good in August 2019

@Verdun I'll take your advice and split the big salvia I bought recently into three - can I do the same with crocosmia lucifer, liatris and an unnamed toad lily bought at a plant fair? They are all strong growing plants and I've repotted them into bigger pots before going out in the garden.

 

Well the weather wind and rain ( mainly the rain ) has made a mess of some plants, flowers to to mush or leaned over with the weight of water.

I do like pictures with water on

Veronicastrum Daine - Monarda Scorpion

Dahlia Syliva sure its a ball type don't think its fully opened yet.


Allium Summer Drummer just starting to open , I am quite pleased with this allium its been grown since MArch providing interest and structure.

What some of the perennials are like at the moment

 

Yes Alana....you can divide them all

 

I've stripped the leaves on the tomatoes to the ones below the first truss Verdun, been staring at them for 3 weeks, perhaps I should avert my gaze or sneak up on them. I know they will change but it's the watched kettle syndrome, innit.

 

Hi @RobB , just remember that strpping all the ( or most of ) the leaves means the plants can't photosynthesize or get any natursl food or benefit from the sun.. I personally would not strip the plants for at least another month/six weeks. I only take the leaves off if they are in the way.

 

Hello KFF, I did strip too many a couple of years ago so limit it now, they have got very large leaves and plenty of them and most of the ones I took off were starting to yellow or looking moth eaten after all that wind. I didn't touch the bush stems except to thin around the trusses slightly to get some light into the bush.
Fingers crossed something will happen soon.

 

Crocosmia "Dusky Maiden"

Crocosmia "Honey Angel"

Liriope muscari

Echinops tjanschanicus

 

RobB

Proof is in the eating
...I have been picking tomatoes for a few weeks now, they are ripening fast. We are in mid August and time for ripening fruit is diminishing. I find the sweetest tomatoes are produced now and less so in early autumn so to hasten the ripening process, by removing leaves (starting from the lowest) regularly now helps this. I removed even more leaves today. the plants have lots of green fruit that will all ripen and lots of ripening fruit ....yes, more fruit than foliage now, as every year for me. For me, the foliage has little effect now on the fruit I have and the fruit is kept clean and airy.

I never have to struggle to ripen green fruits in September. Removing foliage works for me but I cannot claim the credit ....It was a tip I picked up from an accomplished allotmenteer a few years back who produced masses of tomatoes over a very long time.

Maybe try an experiment......defoliate one plant and not another and compare. It’s what
I did

Gardening is all about trying things out.

 

Last year we were still picking tomatoes in October.

 

@Perki I'm loving the combination of the veronicastrum and monarda, brilliant planting mate!

@NigelJ That's a lovely echinops, very nice with the white allium, which allium cultivar is that, Nigel?

Nick

 

That is the Echinops @Nikolaos its white and its a giant of the Echinop family, I have a young plant in its first year about 1m -1.2m tall ( mature upto 2m ) its spelt differently though Tjanschanicus I think its the same variety just spelt different unless someone else can enlighten me ?

 

Yes, I think you're right @Perki, shows you how much I know! Just them at a later stage of flowering, I think.

Nick

 

@Nikolaos Perki is correct it is all echinops. There are several different spellings of the last name. Just checked with the Plant List and the accepted name is tjanschanicus. I grew it from seed (Chiltern Seeds) about 15years ago and it has flowered every year since it was planted out. It is now about 75cm across. It does need to be staked in my garden, but is pest free. Scent is good and the bees and hoverflies love it.

 

My Myrtle is flowering and is a delicate addition to the border when everything is big and bold. I love the tight buds amid the creamy flowers. Such a delight.
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One of the Bishop's Children dahlias - my favourite this year but the picture doesn't reflect the velvety feel and the rich purple colour of the flower.
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All my Bishops Children were shades of red and orange Alana but yours is lovely colour. I kept half a dozen or so and gave the rest away...how many dahlias of the same sort do we need? However, I think I’ll sow a few more to see if I can get different colour too