#cornus capitata

Early morning on the last day of June

One of those mornings when you just can’t sleep. Birds were happily singing just outside the open bedroom window so up I got for tea and toast before 5:00am.

It rained in the night so all was fresh and dewy. Photos in order:-

1) Lichnis Coronaria. this pops up all over the garden, but for some reason is all white which is a blessing as the pink is a bit too bold.

2) A white clematis. All clematis seem to be doing well this year and this is quite profuse.

3) White foxglove. again, mostly pinks have appeared but we are trying to prevent the re-seeding and hope for an all white year sometime in the future.

4) Linaria. This is another one that just pops up. Often a bright purple, but this pink form is a welcome change.

5) campanula. Planted last year and about 1.2m tall.

6) A yellow aquilegia that seems to be holding on after all others are over. perhaps too acid?

7) Astrantia. another plant that is doing well this year. But we never seem to achieve success with the darker strains.

8) A tangle of clematis.

Late June in the garden

The various salvias are well into bloom now and keeping the bees happy. The garden is readying itself for the main summer flowering after the hiatus following late spring. THe cornus capitata has been covered in pale yellow bracts again but now is taking on a reddish blush; once again the fruit are going to cause the branches to droop and will require thinning.

Other pictures are of aubergine flower, cosmos, scabious, osteospermum and ammi with kniphophia.

Garden refresh

The season is changing. New plants are starting to shine, while others are looking drab and sad. We have tried to have mostly white foxgloves and, of course we have failed. Even if we remove pink ones after flowering they have hybridised and white ones are inevitably in the minority. But we have bought a few white ones to boost the chances for future years.

Most alliums are fully out and steadily forming seeds but one variety is only just starting to come out. It looks darker and has a flat base so far. Unfortunately we haven’t recorded all the varieties we bought. roses “The Lark ascending” and “English Garden” are looking good as is Philadelphus “Belle Etoile” and a new clematis in deepest purple. This latter has clambered high into the cornus capitata and I almost missed it hiding up in the branches. The cornus is less impressive this year, only just coming into flower now and, although still covered in bracts, they are smaller and less yellow. Similarly cornus kousa, “china girl” has just one white bract.

Plant of the week; Cornus Capitata

This small tree is covered with buttery yellow bracts in May and June and develops strawberry-like fruit that weigh down the branches. this year it has been the favoured food source for the blackbirds, several of which happily feast together on the yellow flesh. a squirrel has also been coming but this is shooed away as it is a meance on bird feeders and not welcome naer the house.

Just a bit of garden colour

I got carried away last week with too many plants so that I could not choose any one as plant of the week and selected several. So this week I’m just showing off a bit of colour.

The Cornus Capitata is in full colour. Its bracts are a soft yellow that can become buttery. We also have Cornus Kousa but it has white bracts that are abundant but I would need a drone to get above it to take a picture.

So many roses out now along with clematis although one or two roses have finished their first flowering and at least one won’t flower again this year once its flush is over. One of these is “The Rambling Rector” whose abundant white flowers have deep yellow centres. We have encouraged it up into a pittosporum and is now a good 5 metres high and spreading into our neighbour’s tree. It may only flower once, but it is well worth it for its superabundance of blossom.

Early June garden 

It’s early morning. The sun is bright but low casting shadows on the wall of the garage. The cornus capitata has eventually come into its own. This year it has been slow to colour up but now it is festooned with yellow bracts. I think it is one of the highlights in the garden every year and it will eventually have strawberry-like fruits that will weigh the branches down and have to be thinned. Birds eat the fruit but only when other food sources are scarce. Each year we find small cornus growing around the tree and have run out of places to donate them to.

The deep purple clematis contrasts superbly with the yellow bracts. Meanwhile in the borders the poppy that had volunteered itself is out and beautifu. But it’s the wrong colour so will be removed, but not until it has set seed and I can collect some for scattering in the public spaces nearby. The aquilegias are generally over now, washed out and sad, but a lone bright yellow one has appeared. It must have been a purchase but I cannot recall when it was bought. And the first of the lillies are out. A bit too bright yellow for my tastes but no sign of lily beetle damage. Every day we check for these little blighters. They crawl up the stems once the sun is on the plants, clambering towards the tops to mate and lay eggs. I feel a bit guilty about killing them; they are, after all, quite beautiful themselves with their scarlet bodies. But the damage their grubs to is revolting, so a smear of red on the paving is the result.