What's Looking Good in July 2024

Discussion in 'General Gardening Discussion' started by shiney, Jul 1, 2024.

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  1. LunarSea

    LunarSea Front Garden Curator

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    Know what you mean @Plantminded. I've never known a season like it. I'm just hoping there are still Calamagrostis stems to come. Even my 'wispy' Deschampsia has been flattened, although thankfully not broken. But the Stipa gigantea seems to be shrugging it off.

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    • Plantminded

      Plantminded Head Gardener

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      Yes, it’s the first year for me to lose so many flowering stems @LunarSea. It’s probably because the flowers are fully expanded with seed now and get weighted down by rain, rather than their later slim shape. I was considering replacing them a few days ago but then thought the garden would be bare in winter! I’ve done two lots of pruning away the snapped flowers, they look a bit better this afternoon after some dry breezy weather, until the next downpour!
       
    • LunarSea

      LunarSea Front Garden Curator

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      I've done three lots and there'll be more to do tomorrow! Good job Calamagrostis seed is sterile cos' it's all gone straight into the compost heap.
       
    • Escarpment

      Escarpment Super Gardener

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      My Ammi Majus keep getting battered by the rain, then the sun comes out and they turn their heads up again. I'm ending up with some interesting U and S shaped stems! One of my lilies got broken so that's now next to my desk in a vase, and scenting the whole downstairs of the house.
       
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      • Escarpment

        Escarpment Super Gardener

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        Looking and smelling great - Lily "Polar Star"

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        Ammi Majus demonstrating the twisty stems from the rain battering:
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        Astrantia "Shaggy"

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        • Plantminded

          Plantminded Head Gardener

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          Now I know what caused the twisty stems on my Achillea @Escarpment!
           
        • simone_in_wiltshire

          simone_in_wiltshire Keen Gardener

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          @Escarpment Very nice white Astrantia. I will keep that name in mind.
          My Ammi Majus broke in many parts because the heads were too heavy. I try to keep them upright, but t's now 2 meters high. My bamboo sticks are only 1,8m.
           
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          • Escarpment

            Escarpment Super Gardener

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            Yes I've got the same problem with the height. I have put the very tall twisty metal supports from B&Q on 3 of them.
            I sowed some more directly in May and they have started to develop flower heads though they're only about a foot high!
            The Astrantia is a new plant ordered as a bare root in the spring, so it's pretty small still. Hoping it will really take off next year.
             
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            • fairygirl

              fairygirl Total Gardener

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              I have a white Astrantia - Superstar. It's got too big really, for the site it's in, but it's a really good doer. These things all need well staked here or they'd be flattened every year with weather.
              I hate the smell of it though.

              My white lilies [maybe Mont Blanc?] have been devastated by slugs this year. In recent years it's been the rise of lily beetles getting to them, although they often get slug damage, but the beetles have been less problematic on some of them. Possibly that Grazers stuff I used has helped after all. This is one of the few relatively untouched flowers. I'm having to remove them after a very short time due to being eaten, which is annoying.
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              • Michael Hewett

                Michael Hewett Total Gardener

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                Francoa in a pot with Loropetalum - the seeds get everywhere but it is rather pretty :smile:

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                A rose I can't remember the name of (something velvet ? - deep velvet ?)
                the colour is much darker than in the photo

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                Lewisia

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                Oxalis tetraphylla

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                Fuchsia 'Cecile'

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                Fuchsia 'Celia Smedley' (rather large flowers)

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                Weeds are doing well :heehee: so I leave some alone ...

                Pilosella aurantiaca

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                Anagallis arvensis (a very pretty little flower)

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                Prunela vulgaris

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                They're only wild flowers that come from the hedgerows :smile:

                I am pleased with my little Hebe cuttings, I've got two trays of them :smile:

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                • CarolineL

                  CarolineL Total Gardener

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                  Your hebes are doing well @Michael Hewett !
                  Here I managed to kill a supposedly hardy dark leaf one
                   
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                  • shiney

                    shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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                    Parts of our front garden
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                    40+ year old non-spreading Bamboo
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                    Another Bamboo near it that suffered badly during the last two winters and a lot of it went brown. We've chopped it and shall now try and cut out the dead stems. It's going to be a fiddly job.
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                    Bronze Fennel grows wild in our garden and at this time of year turns green. We harvest the seed and give it away in packets to members of Mrs Shiney's gardening and flower arranging clubs. They also get packets of Nigella seeds - have over 100 packed already.
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                    This lawn is a bit difficult to navigate our large mower on - the lawn goes off to the right with little space for turning it around
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                    Part of our front verge
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                    • shiney

                      shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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                      We have some Zebra grasses around the garden and they are just starting to show their stripes, They're an attractive background plant, grow up to 2m, but can spread. The spreading is easy to control by just cutting out the root spread - which also makes for very easy new plants. According to the RHS they are very good for pollinators but must admit that I haven't noticed it. Possibly because we have lots of other pollinator plants.
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                      I sold six of these on Tuesday at £5 each - all for charity. I don't know the name of the variety as its parent was already here when we moved in 52 years ago.
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                      • Plantminded

                        Plantminded Head Gardener

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                        The perennials on my bank are now advancing to add colour to the grasses.

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                        More purple and orange!

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                        • Victoria

                          Victoria Lover of Exotic Flora

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                          @Plantminded What is the climbing plant in the centre above please?
                           
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