Mystery perennial. Can you help?
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Cottage tales | 18 comments
Photo: Mystery plant
The main herbaceous borders are planted in a haphazard cottage style. The borders either side of the bower are about 10 feet deep. Many of the new plants come from the secret garden stand . At three for just £1.00 they are a bargain as they are always good strong plants.
This past couple of weeks I’ve been drawn to gaze at this wonderful combination – pink Aquilegia that reminds me of giant shrimps (I have a passion for sea food) and a pretty white perennial which shares similar leaves to a phlox but has a wonderful almost lazy wildness. Tall blue and white lupins stand behind them and the last of the forget-me-nots and bluebells bloom and at their feet.
Danny is intrigued by my trips to pay homage.
“I saw you looking at your border again this morning.”
Living things change a little everyday. Each journey to the border is a revelation and the pleasure just breathes a bit deeper every time. I know that by next month the flowers will have faded and another combination might seduce me but for now I’m delighted to dive in here every morning and evening.
I’ve been trying to discover the name of the white flowered perennial.
Does anyone out there recognise this plant? Can you put a name to a beautiful face for me?
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Forgot to tell you the pasta is £3 for the 6 kilos. My pantry is so full I cant shut the doors!
hey there Fiona, just thought I would let you know Asda has 2 specials first one 2x 3kg of pasta penne and the shells (cant think of the name) and the second bargain of the day (on saturday) was 3 cans of heinz baked beans for £1! Bargains.
Just thought I would let you know. Not even sure you buy those products! LOL
Hope you are both having a fabulous weekend in the sunshine. No clouds here! 🙂
Fiona- so pleased others were able to identify this beauty for you. Thank you for sharing a photo showing such natural beauty.
Here has been very cold and nasty with a storm of many days straight from the Sub-Antarctic. Never mind, am off to the Folks’ place on Thursday to prepare for their big 50th Wedding Anniversary Do on June 6th.
Hope Danny’s potatoes continue to do well, and the rest of your lovely garden too.
Care and huggles (and more smuggled hugs for Dr Q), Michelle and Zebbycat
Hi Chris,
I couldn’t help Fiona, but maybe I can help you. There a many preditor-odor based repelants on the market,(I found a huge amount of them online) and it will just be a case of finding the one that works on your rabbits. There is everything from wolf urine to cayanne pepper, so you have to give them a go.
Here’s one-
http://www.plantskydd.com/deer-resistant-plants.html?gclid=CLKlmLiJ1ZoCFRk_awodTgqd3A
I also found lists of plants that are supposed to be more rabbit resistant than others.
Here’s one list- http://www.gardenseeker.com/rabbit_resistant_plants.htm
Hopefully between the two that will help.
As for me, I have fenced my entire yard and my Chesapeak bay retriver and my black lab chase anything that moves. Don’t worry, my girls wouldn’t know what to do if they ever caught anyone! Why do I say that? Because I had to relocate a very slimy bunny that the chesapeak caught about a year ago……..
Beautiful. Abslutely divine. I adore English cottage gardens. But I do envy you. We are remote and inundated with rabbits which appear to eat anything and everything! It is so frustrating and makes me sad I cannot grow anything, not even in pots without it being completely destroyed. It came to mind when you said each day there is something more to see… each day here it is a matter of is a matter of what did they destroy overnight and watching the odd survivor fighting a losing battle until the day they finally give up. Very sad. Don’t suppose anyone out there has any ideas of plants/shrubs they definitely would not touch? I won’t give up!
Oooo I love a challenge! But Mary and Joosfw beat me to it 🙂
Dame’s Violet (Hesperis matronalis) I grew it from seed and now it’s well esblished in the garden. Ours is a pale lilac colour and the evening scent is so subtle and delicate. as the light fades its flowers seem to glow and float above the borders. (Well they do if you’ve had a large G&T)
Celia
x
What Mary said. I did wonder if it were soapwort, but that has five petals per flower, not four.
Precisely Mary. Its Sweet, or Dame’s or Lady’s Rocket or Smock.
Its flowers can be pure white or variable pinky-mauves: its invasive but not in a bad way 🙂 well not in England: in some US states its regarded as a hazard (e.g. Missouri,I believe).
Classic cottage garden plants: I grow them form seed every few years to get the purer colours again .It will seed itself in pat of the garden where it looks best_ it is very obliging 🙂
P.S.Poupton recipe will be with you by Tuesday 🙂
Could it be sweet rocket (hesperis matronalis)?
Hi Fiona,
I think it might be Hesperis matronalis, or Dame’s Violet. Usually about 100cm to 120cm tall stems, slightly scented flowers, leaves very Phlox-like, as you say.
It looks lovely with those pink Aquilegias, so early-summer-in-an-Enlish-garden-ish! It makes me very nostalgic as I’m now living in New Zealand, although there are so many wonders here too.
By the way, I made a batch of Chestnut jam from your recipe the other day, absolutely fab, thanks!