What's looking good in May 2012

My first Calendula appeared today.

 

Simbad - I've just had to take three of those large garden sacks full of Woodruff to the dump! Still got at least another two square metres to sort out yet.........

 

Simbad, that aquilegia is lovely ... but do you get fed up with it seeding itself all over the place? I started out with one pretty double and ended up with large numbers of deadly dull seedlings, and they are a pig to pull out. So now I am ruthless about chopping off the flowerheads before the seeds ripen. Even so, I've still got the odd volunteer appearing in strange places.

 

Yes it is a bit of a spreader Meanie, I'll have to keep my eye on it , although I'd prefer the wood to be full of this instead of ivy

 

To be fair, it was doing a good job of hiding the Ivy and Perriwinkle runners!!!

 

I love this little veronica, Veronica gentianoides. A great plant for the front of the border, as its foliage stays close to the ground. Unfortunately it doesn't like my garden much - I think there's just too much competition in my overcrowded beds - but it seems to enjoy life in a pot. It's a bit washed out by sunlight in this pic, but it's actually a lovely pale powder blue. I like the whorls of shiny leaves, too. There is apparently a variegated form.



People are generally advised to choose a sunny position for roses but even they can have too much of a good thing. This Gloire de Dijon is growing on a wall which faces due south. The wall is like a radiator in hot weather and the ground dries out really quickly, even after the kind of monsoon weather we've had recently. The poor flowers get a bit frazzled on hot days, but generally the plant still manages to put on a good show. It's late this year - generally I get the first flowers in April.

 

Funnily enough Clara the aquilegias don't seem to self seed an awful lot in my garden, maybe too densely planted, no room .
I have the same climbing rose planted round my lounge window, its sooo rampant though I had to cut it right back last year it'd grown round the upstairs bedroom window , I do love it, lovely scent.
I have the variegated veronica , flowers a bit later though, its just sending up flower spikes now.

 

result just what I want mine to do

 

Somehow I thought you might, Simbad!

 

Same here cos at mo ive got lots of weed still this yr so ive put the wood ruff around so il have less next yr till i can top up my un sightly areas its going to me serve a good purpose

 

I collected seed for these plants in a park in Hammersmith 2009, the weekend of that concert Claralou :WINK1:, didn't have a clue what they were but looked interesting, large clump 3ft tall, anyway 3 years on they're flowering , some sort of beardless iris I think , got 3 plants, the first one has lovely dark blue flowers, and looks like another will be the same, but the second is very strange and lovely, I think anyway, has lots of extra petals hope its not a fluke flower and the others are the same

 

Excellent Simbad!

This one emerged in one of the areas that I've not got around to yet...........

 

I'd like to collect seed from my dwarf irises, where do I find the 'pod' for them please.