Androsace lanuginosa
Last year this was my new baby and flowering in a tiny pot. This year it’s staging a take-over of the rockery and is smothered in pretty flowers that look like mini bouquets smelling of swizzels sweets.
Here’s a close-up of the flower heads. I call this the traffic light plant as the centres of the perfect little flowers change from green to amber to red. Each cluster has flowers at each stage of colour development. It’s bizarre but beautiful.
Saxifraga fortunei
Last week I admitted to composting quite a nice penstemon. Here’s another plant I had my eye on as I was feeling it wasn’t earning this prime spot in the rockery. It’s redeemed itself this week, breaking out in beautiful starry pink flowers. If I hadn’t lost the label I may have read up on it earlier and would have known that it was an autumn flowering plant. It’s forgiven and can stay.
Dahlia ‘Karma Fuchsiana’
Sunglasses on! This is the sort of flower which could well divide opinion but in a week of dull weather and difficult news its sheer jollity and optimism are more than welcome. The name is interesting in a 70s hippy sort of way. I was finding it difficult to say out loud until I trained my brain to think ‘fuchsia’, like the bedding plant, instead of something a bit more offensive.
Vitis coignetiae – Crimson Glory Vine
Glory by name, glorious by nature – this is such a fabulous climber. I planted it against this wall a year ago this summer and it’s already stretched itself along the wire. You can love it just for the summer’s green heart shaped leaves but its main season to show off is autum. The leaves go orange and red in a multitude of patterns and variations.
Greenhouse is filling up
The weather has been wild and wooly recently but fortunately not too cold. Even so, the move of tender perennials into the greenhouse has begun. I don’t want to be caught out by a sudden early frost.
Memorial Woodland under threat
This memorial woodland, a few miles from my home, was planted up 10 years ago by Rennie Grove Hospice Care. The tree planting was funded by families in memory of loved ones for whom the charity had cared. They’re growing well and putting on a lovely autumn show. The sad news is that this is being taken over by HS2 limited as part of their works compound for constructing the high speed train line. It’s not forever, but the timetable is unclear and they warn some trees may be lost.
Here’s a picture of the neighbouring HS2 compound. The tents make it feel like a military encampment, an attack impending. It certainly felt that way. This week HS2 felled the famous Cubbington Pear tree and many sections of ancient woodland have already gone or are waiting on death row.
I wish I could be sure that HS2 is a good thing, will be worth the money and really will benefit my native North. When I see how the destruction is playing out I find it very difficult to feel positive about it. Arguments that many more trees will be planted to replace those lost don’t go far to reassure me. The trees in the memorial wood have taken 10 years and still are mere whipper snappers. It takes so many years for a woodland ecosystem to develop.
This seasonal diary is part of a weekly link-up of garden bloggers from around the world, called Six on Saturday. For more information and links to other blogs crammed with gardening activity, check the blog of host The Propagator.
Androsaces are horribly tricky plants to satisfy and I have generally been happy to attend AGS shows and admire those grown by expert growers there. I had one or two of the tougher ones in the garden and they are grand but nothing spectacular. Your mystery plant is a saxafraga fortunei of some description or other. I have it in flower here with white flowers at present, a nice thing.
Hi Paddy, yes some of those Androsaces you see at shows are things of true beauty but probably beyond my skills and patience. I’m not sure how tricky this one is. It’s certainly looking robust right now but I’ll be monitoring it over the winter.
Bloomin’ HS2, all I can see is ecological vandalism in their wake. Such a shame. Your androsace is beautiful, thanks for reminding me, I grew it once and lost it! Don’t let that put you off though. I laughed about the name of the dahlia, could be embarassing. I love it!
HS2 building is impacting quite allot around me. We had a campaign in the village last year to save some trees that were to be felled for a new road system to be funded to ease HS2 construction traffic. We saved all but one of the trees so it is possible to amend things round the edges of the project. When it comes to the main line construction though so much will be damaged. It’s sad to tree very old trees gone forever.
I’m a fan of the dahlia and the Androsace lanuginosa ‘traffic light’ plant is lovely. I’m with Gill on HS2. I hope the memorial woodland escapes relatively unscathed.
Hi Graeme, yes I hope the woodland will not be damaged too much. Fingers crossed. Yes the Androsace is a superb little thing.
Your androsace is so sweet. I do like learning about all the alpines you grow.
So sad about the trees being lost for the HS2 project. I agree with you that it is difficult to be persuaded that benefits of this project will outweigh the costs (financial and otherwise).
Hi Hortus, I’m very glad to bring you the alpines. They are tiny marvels!
I used to have Dahlia ‘Karma Fuchsiana’ and may still have, I need to check when the rain stops. Surely jollity and optimism is what Dahlias are for; it’s the pale pastelly nondescript ones I can’t understand people growing.
Hi Jim, I’m with you. The brash shades of dahlia are the best but many people prefer a pastel tableau in their gardens. Each to their own I guess but Karma Fuchsiana is a winner for me.
Those Androsace flowers have to be the prettiest things I’ve seen this Six on Saturday!
Ah thanks Lisa. They are truly delightful up close aren’t they? It’s always worth peering into a flower!
Your crimson glory vine has my vote. Now I just have to locate it hereabouts.
Hi there. I think I got mine mail-order from Burncoose nursery in Cornwall. I was ordering something else from them and spotted they stocked this. It’s a superb climber. Hope you find one.
Being from the Southern Hemisphere, I had no idea what HS2 is, but I’ve found out on line and I’m sorry about the loss of trees. Large projects like that frequently seem to cause some ecological damage.
Your first two plants which I think are lovely, are things that I’d like to grow in my garden, but sadly it’s far too hot here.
Hi Jane – yes many of the alpines would suffer in extreme heat. ps I should have explained what HS2 is. It’s pretty controversial here. It’s easy to think a train line won’t be destructive to build but the speeds this one is designed to run at means that it can’t be too sinuous. It has to plough through anything in the way.
Good idea to add a slideshow as the header image.
We don’t suspect that this close up of flower corresponds to a small plant and flowers like this Androsace. And the photos of your greenhouse are still beautiful.
No frost for the next 15 days and according to forecasts, the month of November will be mild with temperatures 2° C higher than in recent years. ( I hope they are right …)
Hi Fred, I hope they’re right too. The greenhouse is rather full although my friend arrives today to collect the huge Brugmansia. I’ll miss it but I know it’s going to a good home!