Rowley Gallery Blog
The leaves are now rapidly falling off the cotoneaster, soon to be followed by all its berries. As the leaves fall they get snagged on residual lines of spiders’ silk, and are left suspended in mid air. Continue reading “A November Garden”
Bees and butterflies love Verbena bonariensis, which is at its floriferous peak right now. I rescued two large pots of it from B&Q a few months ago – they were sitting atop a trolley and hadn’t been watered for probably a week. They were brown and crispy, but I could see that there was a little life left in them at the base. They were marked down to fifty pence, so I took a gamble and parted with a pound. I took them home, chopped all the foliage off to the base, and stood them in a bucket of water. Now they are huge plants, waving about in the breeze with purple puffs of flowers atop 5ft high stems. I’ve planted one in the border but haven’t decided what to do with the other one. Maybe it’ll stay in a pot, to be moved about the garden wherever there is a stage for dancing flowers. Continue reading “An August Garden”
I have three of Gunnera tinctoria. It’s the little brother of Gunnera manicata (those huge waterside plants you can stand underneath at posh gardens) – but it’s still plenty big enough for a small suburban garden with 3ft wide leaves. I used to have only one but repotting gave me the chance to sneak off a couple of sideshoots for propagation. Continue reading “A July Garden”
The first of the poppies has unfurled. There’s a cluster of about twelve of them on one plant just waiting to pop open one morning – what a sight that will be! Though I fear the predicted rain might put the mockers on their fragile display. Continue reading “A May Garden”
Just some of the lovely blossom that has appeared recently. This is pink cherry blossom Continue reading “An April Garden”
Sarcococca
A fantastic shrub that just missed out on being in the January blog. It started flowering 1st February and filled the garden with the most delicious scent. The black berries are the product of last winter’s flowers. It’s a small evergreen plant that does best in shade or semi shade, remains small, and is another contender for Most Useful All-Round Plant. Continue reading “A February / March Garden”
Frost laden spiderwebs
I think this is a Tomorrow’s World April Fool’s hoax and they’re made out of string… Continue reading “A January Garden”
The garden has been quietly putting itself to bed for the winter. I’m a bit reluctant to tidy too much away, as dead stems provide shelter for a plant’s crown as well as a winter home for mini-beasts. Even hibernating snails are worth mollycoddling (though once I would have thought myself nuts) as they provide food for Medge the Hedge, who, incidentally, hasn’t gone into hibernation yet. Since buying a HotBin composter last year I’ve had significantly fewer slugs and snails, but that’s for another blog. Continue reading “A November Garden”
There seems to be a lot of pink in the garden at the moment. Not a colour you normally associate with autumn but welcome nonetheless. Grouped together are Schizostylis (easy to say when you’ve had too much grape juice), antirrhinums and geraniums. Continue reading “An October Garden”
Echinacea
Although I consider we’re on the downward slope now into winter I do love this time of year. Rich autumnal colours and bright spangly berries are beginning to appear, though we’re not quite there yet – next month will be the firework display. Meanwhile, here’s a chance to enjoy some late summer flowering plants. Continue reading “A September Garden”