Gaillardia Wynter Geld

Back in Winter I was lamenting the lack of colour our garden has. 

I do expect a lot, I suppose as a Horticulturist I'm allowed !

Yet one of those gems which shine through the Winter bleakness

has been this Gaillardia, which we have now started to propagate as

a colour specific cultivar after it merged from a hybrid in the stock beds two years ago.

We are calling it "Wynter Geld" for obvious reasons

 It is such a hardy specimen through sodden Winter and into the hot dry Summer

Sturdy and abundant flowers on nicely hoary leaves.

It takes a good pruning back of its evergreen form well,

replenishing any lanky growth with a thicket of foliage and flower buds.

Our plants are happily growing under the clothesline in an un-watered, and only slightly improved garden bed, with a good thick layer of bark mulch.

Pincushion Flower "Samantha's Pink"

isn't the Internet grand

for helping solve a mystery

I have finally found out what my pretty Pincushion Flower

actually is: 

 Scabiosa columbaria "Samantha's Pink

onto the next mystery plant

I guess that's the fun of buying unlabelled plants !

Faassens Catmint

Faassen's Nepeta, Faassen's Catmint, Catmint
Nepeta × faassenii

 

Catmints are one of those delights of the Summer garden. 

Its delicate blue flowers and grey green leaves

belie the fact that these are pretty tough plants.

Faassen's Catmint, is a lower growing perennial flower (to about 60cm) 

compared to its cousin the "Six Hills Giant", 

so allows for a more compact growth and 

robustness against foot traffic and wind.

Delicate blue flowers appear through Summer 

and attract bees and butterflies in abundance.

After flowering prune back its spent floral spikes, 

and you will more then likely get a repeat flowering.

In Winter prune untidy Summer growth back 

to a small foliage clump (about 30cm wide).

Full sun is best, as Catmints have a tendency 

towards powdery/downy mildews if shaded. 

Free draining soils are also preferable 

to waterlogged soils, but periodic drying out 

doesn't set plants back too far, 

though its not desirable.

Dwarf Michalemas Daisy

asters are such an old fashioned flower

they once heralded the arrival of michaelmas or easter

that of course is the northern hemisphere

here it tides the beginning of autumn weather

of nights getting a little cooler

but still hot and muggy days

this little fellow is a dwarf michaelmas daisy

known as Aster novi-belgii "Professor Anton Kippenberg"

presumably after the chap that bred it

normally easter daisies are back of the border due to their height

but these Kippenbergs are more front to middle of the garden

as they really only get to about 50cm in height

the spread, as with any of these busy herbacious perennials

they can range up to a metre depending on how good your soil is

mixed with "evangeline" roses, sedum, native rosemary and fennel for Exeter Show

best in full sun or only morning shade

tough, dry hardy once established

a lovely cut flower

a delicate background bloom for your heavier blossoms

spring tube stock

Aster novi-belgii "Professor Anton Kippenberg"

syn. Aster x dumosus "Professor Anton Kippenberg" 

syn. Aster prealtus "Professor Anton Kippenberg" 

syn. Symphyotrichum prealtum "Professor Anton Kippenberg" 

syn. Aster salicifolius "Professor Anton Kippenberg"

Helenium

Helenium "Dark Beauty"

an amazingly productive flower

heleniums are very tough once established 

only needing watering once or twice a week 

they grow to a good height of 120cm in full flower

making it ideal for a middle of the border display

planted enmasse provides a brilliant long lived floral display

Helenium "Dark Beauty" enmasse

heleniums seem pretty happy to establish in an only mildly improved soil

but the better the soil the bigger and better the plant establishment

so if you have access to good mulch or manure for Winter soil conditioning go for it

they do not like water logging, doing better on a well drained or slopped garden bed

(U.K. refereces say they need moist and constantly damp soil - but we haev not found this the case here on our harder drier soils)

Helenium "July Sun ?"

the unusual flowers have recurved petals curling down from the cone

this somehow deters people from these flowers in cutting bunches, as they mistake the recurved petals for wilting

just the same it is an excellent cut flower with a vase life of about a week
(longer if water kept very fresh and topped up) 

the flower works less well in arrangements
this is due to the slower water uptake caused by the foam

Helenium "Moerheim Beauty"

We mix our Heleniums into a hot and sultry garden bed full of dark and exotic colours of purples and deep reds. Lysmachia "Firecracker" with its deep purple leaves provides a wonder foil for the flowers.

Leave spent flowers to form dry cones for a lovely Winter display, white frost on the old seed spikes are lovely. Prune back the flowering stems in Mid Winter .

Divide established plants also in Mid Winter in Tasmania. I know that recommendations are to split these plants in Early Spring, but as our Winters are generally dryer then in the U.K. I prefer to get smaller split plants established before the wet and often water logged Spring. 

I'm not a fancy pants perennial splitter, I take to our Heleniums with a sharp edged spade once they are over 30cm wide - splitting a plant into fours directly down the plant middle.

cultivars we stock

"Dark Beauty" - a cultivar off "Moerheim Beauty" that has less of the orange streak infiltrating the petals, and great petal recurving. More vigorous and reliable then "Moerheim Beauty".

"July Sun"  - This plant was called "July Sun" when I bought it, but I tend to think it is another cross bred variation due to its orange petal streaks, rather then clear yellow that a true "July Sun" should have. However the variation we have is a reliable and vigorous plant, flowers readily and heavily.

"Moerheim Beauty" - the original favourite to come out of the U.K. it has less recurved petals then the "Dark Beauty", but has delightful orange streaks through the petals. Less vigorous, we have found its to be a lovely flowering plant but a bit "missish" - trying a few other locations to see if it can come right !

We are currently sold out of Heleniums this year. 

Pre order or get in early for next Springs stocks in September.

getting to market

colours of summer

last weekend i finally was able to head over to perth and attend the Ut Si Produce Market in person

fresh cut flowers from our farm

my flowers have been heading to Ut Si with suburban jubilee since december

 and at last i was able to reciprocate tanya's kindness by helping out at the markets

early morning set up

Held in the landscaped grounds of an old church converted to a cafe it was a lovely summery day to spend with new acquaintances and check out the kitchen gardens that supply the cafe

collette's grown ups choc crackles - organic dark chocolate !

i was a bit superfluous to requirements - tanya had the stall running hot with her salad greens

so i supped hot coffee and chatted with the other stall holders mostly

but what a great atmosphere and so many nice visitors

my lunch

Himalayan Fleeceflower

Fleeceflower in Summer bloom

Himalayan Fleeceflower or Knotweed

( Persicaria affinis syn. Polygonum affine syn Bistorta affinis )

an unusual flower for the garden

it is suited to both full sun and semi-shade

once it is established it is a very hardy and dry tolerant plant

creeping across the ground striking down new roots this plant will quickly settle as a good strong ground cover

leaves are slender rounded blades 

deep green with slashes of reddish-purple for new leaves and Autumn colouring as well as an indicator that your soil is drying out !

it is a herbaceous perennial so expect dieback in Winter where you get heavy frosts

otherwise you can expect the foliage to stay around in gentler climates

reddened leaves for many reasons

 

spikes of dusky dark pink, turning to soft pink flowers appear in mid Summer

and continue to repeat flower through Autumn

flowers grow taller as the season progresses

starting at about 10cm and reaching 25cm in late Summer

Common Name: Knotweed
Botanical Name: Persicaria affinis
Exposure: Full sun, Partial shade
Hardiness: Hardy
Soil type: Clay/heavy, Moist
Height: 30cm
Spread: 60cm
Time to divide plants: September to May
Flowering period: July to October 

full summer form

We have seasonal stock of the Fleeceflower. 

As we get heavy frosts leafed 14cm pots are available from late Spring (October).

"Red Velvet" Yarrow

deepest red wine flowers

upon tall feathered stems

a hardy and vigorous perennial

showy flower display appearing mid Summer

best for a bigger garden

yarrow has a reputation for being pushy

growing to 120cm high with an equivalent spread

prune to ground level each winter as per regular perennial maintenance

benefits from a nice dose of manure through winter to invigorate foliage growth

mulching always helps to retain soil moisture, but will grow under poorer conditions

available through out the year from our nursery and on-line in standard 14cm pots or in Spring as Slimline Tubes

Ut Si Produce markets

how can i be in two places at once ?

ut si produce markets are on this saturday

fresh vege, cut flowers, fine foods

the wonderful suburban jubilee has generously offered to take my goodies

some little posies of cut flowers

purple garlic tips

french sorrel

sydney crimson rhubarb

freshly cut from my garden

grown without pesticides

in exchange you'll find these at evandale markets on sunday
with our christmas trees !

Yarrow "Walther Funcke"

With a name like "Walther Funcke" I'd buy this plant for that alone.

A serious quick establish-er, this vibrant orange Yarrow is best in a large garden.

Growing to a medium height of about 60cm, with a variable spread of 50 - 100cm (dependant on soil type). Cold and frost hardy. Suitable to poor to good soils, but not waterlogged.

A glorious orange coloured flowers ranges from light peach to deep orange as the blooms age.

Long flowering, repeat flower-er, excellent cut flower.

unlike many variations of the peachy Yarrow's, "Walther Funcke" has stiffer and more upright flowering stems, making it less prone to collapse.

A spreading feathery foliage that remains throughout the year. Best grown in full sun, for better flower production and leaf form. Semi shade is tolerated, but plants tend to become lanky.

Tolerant of very dry and hot weather, but not complete loss of moisture from the root area. Will always benefit from a regular drink when the Summer gets more extreme.

A good hard prune in mid winter will get this plant back to a better fresh shape for late Spring flowering.

If you find a yarrow getting out of hand in the garden, it will respond well with a touch of a non-selective herbicide applied to the outer reaches of the plant. The main plant will suffer some set back even from a judicious chemical pruning, so best applied after flowers have been spent. 

Equally if you find it creeping into a lawn - a dose of "Weed n Feed" will get the lawn back into shape and give the yarrow a knock back. Otherwise if found in the lawn, it will remain small and soft to walk on if mown regularly.

AVAILABLE NOW at the JARDINIERE NURSERY.
Healthy Slimline Tubes are ready for quick establishment.