I have got into the bad habit of saying that there is only one garden worth visiting in the Gers, not I should hasten to add our own, but La Coursiana at La Romieu. I must now add a second, Le Jardin d'Entêoulet at Lasseube-Propre just south of Auch. I feel guilty that it has taken me so long to visit this garden It is featured in the 'Jardins Secrets de Gascogne which was published in 2007, and having read about it in this book I had every intention of visiting it, but for some reason only got around to doing so very recently. It probably was not at its best since many of the large number of roses, many of them climbing through trees, were over. It also possesses an avenue of quinces, the first I have ever come across, but sadly it was neither in flower or laden with quinces. It shares something in common with La Coursiana that it is essentially the work of a woman, in this case, Renée Boy Faget, perhaps even more so since at La Coursiana Veronique Delannoy was able to build on the work of the previous owner Gilbert Cours-Darne who back in the Seventies had started what is now a magnificent arboretum. She may also have a little bit more help, perhaps even some provided by her very large number of offspring. But what both ladies have is an enormous amount of energy and flair.
The gardens are very different. La Coursiana has the advantage, already mentioned of a very fine collection of trees. Its soil I believe has some acidity, rare in the Gers, which widens the selection of plants. Moreover Veronique Delannoy has a wonderful flair for colour expressed in her often dramatic use of annuals along with large numbers of dahlias, hollyhocks and salvias. So it has more of a 'Gosh' factor about it and for a plantsman , or indeed woman, it has a little bit more interest. If you wished to be critical you could say that La Coursiana is a bit flashy, or even bling bling. Le Jardin d'Entêoulet on the other hand is almost 'normal', that is if Monsieur Hollande had not given the word 'normal' such a bad connotation. Along with the many roses already mentioned it is full of euhorbias, nepetas, phlomis,stachys and a very large collection of different grasses, to mention the more obvious. None of these plants are rare or difficult but they look contented, with the result that the garden looks contented. It also fits in very beautifully with its landscape, a landscape very typical of the Gers with arable and woodland rolled into an attractive mix, and like La Coursiana it has a view of the adjoining village and its collection of medieval looking buildings. It contains different garden rooms including a 'Jardin Intime' and a Jardin Cote Sud' and also a mare and thus a water garden. In one visit it is not possible to do justice to it, and in stressing its normalcy in one sense I am being unfair because if you started looking I am sure that you will find a large number of unusual plants. But what remains in my mind after a first visit is an image of a perfect Gersois garden, something that we who live in the Gers can look up to as something to strive towards, though I doubt that we will ever get there.
Just two postscripts. One is that I have been meaning for ages to recommend Hypericum kalmianum Gemo. I cannot be doing with many of this large family, and for me Hypericum calycinum, otherwise known as the Rose of Sharon, is a pernicious weed, while I have gone off H. Hidcote, a large bush with very in your face single yellow flowers. 'Gemo' on the other hand makes a much smaller evergreen bush covered at this time of year with delicate yellow flowers that look almost double because of its very prominent stamens. It has no bad side effects, such as spreading all over your garden. Indeed it is almost the perfect shrub able to hold its own in any company.
My second P.S. is that I have probably found yet another important Gersois garden. Many years ago I was put off from visiting Les Jardins de La Poterie Hillen by someone who said that they did not like the pottery, but on a recent visit to my my favourite garden nursery, that of Bernard Lacrouts, I was told by the redoubtable Ann that I must visit it, so that is what I am going to do, and will report back.
Thursday, 3 July 2014
Friday, 23 May 2014
The most beautiful Rose in the World
I have fallen in love with a rose so much so that I am calling it the most beautiful rose in the world. I will not say what it is for the moment, for I first want to make clear what I am talking about. A year or two ago I produced a list of my desert island roses, but in choosing them I had in mind a number of criteria, which might be summarised under the general title of all-round garden performers. This immediately makes me think of the Hybrid Musks, for if you were confined to only one family group they would surely be the ones to go for. They are extremely healthy, they repeat, they comes in various colours. They mostly have smell. Many of you will have some in your garden. All of you should have one or two. I guess that the most famous would include Buff Beauty, Cornelia, Felicia, and Penelope. Comparatively new for me are Belinda, a semi-double strongish pink, Kathleen a blush pink and Vanity which I would call red rather than pink, all of which thrive here. There are in fact real reds,or perhaps I mean crimson, such as Nur Mahal and Wilhelm, not in fact my favourites. One that is, and I think that I have never been without it, is Moonlight, which as the name suggests is a luminous white. What is amazing about these roses is that many of them date from the 1920s raised by an Anglican clergyman, the Rev. Joseph Pemberton, but still as good as ever in the early twenty first century.
When I composed my Desert Island two roses were at the very top of my list, Fantin Latour and the Queen of Danemark, which often appears in a catalogue as Konigen von Danemark. Fantin Latour was the first Old-Fashioned rose that I fell in love with, first seen at Sissinghurst some fifty years ago, and never forgotten. It is full petalled, blush pink and fragrant on a large and normally healthy bush. An interesting comparison would be with one of David Austin's earlier and extremely successful English Roses, Mary Rose named after Henry VIII's flagship. It is a very good garden rose of a similar pink to Fantin Latour, but unlike Fantin Latour it repeats which has to be an advantage,especially in a small garden. But if you compare the individual flower I would always plump for the old rose. The secret of the Queen of Denmark, which also does not repeat, resides in a particular moment when the bud is halfway open. The centre is of a much deeper pink which suffuses the rest of the rose. In my view this is quite unique, and for instance I do not think that anything David Austin has produced quite matches it.
Still I am not one to do down David Austin roses. May be he has produced too many, often rather similar roses, and what I call a French criticism of them is that the actual bush is often unattractive. But that is certainly not true of all them. At the moment in this garden we have Crown Princess Margareta, Pat Austin and Jude the Obscure in full flower on very large and attractive bushes, and mention particularly of the latter reminds me to stress that many of the David Austin Roses have very strong scent.
Also in flower, but on a bush that cannot be said to be very strong growing, and rather prone to disease is William Shakespeare 2000. But the individual flower is very beautiful, a deep velvety crimson coming on purple, and it is in this colour range that I find some of the most beautiful roses for reasons that I cannot fully explain. A lot of the Old-Fashioned roses are in this colour range - Cardinal de Richelieu, Charles de Mills, Duc de Guiche, Tuscanny Superb and William Lobb to mention but a few, not to mention such wonderful climbers such as Ena Harkness, Etoile Hollande and Guinée. And then there is Souvenir de Dr Jamain which can be grown either as a largish bush or climber. It has beautiful dark crimson flowers but, and this is a general warning about many of the roses in this colour range, is very prone to browning in full sun.
Many of the most beautiful individual flowers will be found amongst the Hybrid Teas, which ruled the roost back in the Fifties. Does anybody now remember Super Star, or even Peace, which the Quest Ritsons in the RHS Encyclopedia of Roses, where it is placed under its original name of Mme A.Meilland, call "simply the most famous rose in the world" ? Hybrid teas have the great advantage that they usually come with single flowers on long stems, very useful for the flower arrangers. They often have good scent, almost always repeat and their colour range is extensive. I do not particularly like them, no doubt because my generation reacted rather violently against them, just as we did against all things Victorian. But fashions change and I guess that they are probably due for a revival. Still it is not amongst them that my new love is to be found.
My new love is called Bardou Job, admittedly not the most romantic of names - and I should, but do not know, what Bardou signifies, and I pronounce Job as I do the Old Testament character who had some trouble with a whale. But it is a rose with a history. Apparently it was bred in Wales, which in itself is slightly unusual, and then migrated to Australia; originally I thought that I was told to Alcatraz, so there does seem to be some connection with convicts. Anyway to my great pleasure it now resides in the Gers. Its flower are single going on semi, which amongst other things enables one to see the attractive stamens. One can also see very clearly the petals, and it is this fact that more and more attracts me to any single flowered rose. Take for instance the wild dog rose, Rosa canina, which I suppose because of the rain have never been so floriferous chez nous. The nuance of pinks on a single pink are a wonder. Or take the well known climber, Mermaid, with its nuances of yellow, when it first comes out. Similarly with Bardou Job, though in its case it is a mixtures of deep reds going on almost black. It is too early to say whether it is going to be an easy rose to grow. Ours in its second year has clumped up well and has produced quite a lot of flowers, but it is still under a meter and the foliage is not its most attractive feature. But I would be happy if it had only one flower a year, so much am I in love with it. It is to be found at La Roseraie du Desert, for which see www.frenchtearose.com.
When I composed my Desert Island two roses were at the very top of my list, Fantin Latour and the Queen of Danemark, which often appears in a catalogue as Konigen von Danemark. Fantin Latour was the first Old-Fashioned rose that I fell in love with, first seen at Sissinghurst some fifty years ago, and never forgotten. It is full petalled, blush pink and fragrant on a large and normally healthy bush. An interesting comparison would be with one of David Austin's earlier and extremely successful English Roses, Mary Rose named after Henry VIII's flagship. It is a very good garden rose of a similar pink to Fantin Latour, but unlike Fantin Latour it repeats which has to be an advantage,especially in a small garden. But if you compare the individual flower I would always plump for the old rose. The secret of the Queen of Denmark, which also does not repeat, resides in a particular moment when the bud is halfway open. The centre is of a much deeper pink which suffuses the rest of the rose. In my view this is quite unique, and for instance I do not think that anything David Austin has produced quite matches it.
Still I am not one to do down David Austin roses. May be he has produced too many, often rather similar roses, and what I call a French criticism of them is that the actual bush is often unattractive. But that is certainly not true of all them. At the moment in this garden we have Crown Princess Margareta, Pat Austin and Jude the Obscure in full flower on very large and attractive bushes, and mention particularly of the latter reminds me to stress that many of the David Austin Roses have very strong scent.
Also in flower, but on a bush that cannot be said to be very strong growing, and rather prone to disease is William Shakespeare 2000. But the individual flower is very beautiful, a deep velvety crimson coming on purple, and it is in this colour range that I find some of the most beautiful roses for reasons that I cannot fully explain. A lot of the Old-Fashioned roses are in this colour range - Cardinal de Richelieu, Charles de Mills, Duc de Guiche, Tuscanny Superb and William Lobb to mention but a few, not to mention such wonderful climbers such as Ena Harkness, Etoile Hollande and Guinée. And then there is Souvenir de Dr Jamain which can be grown either as a largish bush or climber. It has beautiful dark crimson flowers but, and this is a general warning about many of the roses in this colour range, is very prone to browning in full sun.
Many of the most beautiful individual flowers will be found amongst the Hybrid Teas, which ruled the roost back in the Fifties. Does anybody now remember Super Star, or even Peace, which the Quest Ritsons in the RHS Encyclopedia of Roses, where it is placed under its original name of Mme A.Meilland, call "simply the most famous rose in the world" ? Hybrid teas have the great advantage that they usually come with single flowers on long stems, very useful for the flower arrangers. They often have good scent, almost always repeat and their colour range is extensive. I do not particularly like them, no doubt because my generation reacted rather violently against them, just as we did against all things Victorian. But fashions change and I guess that they are probably due for a revival. Still it is not amongst them that my new love is to be found.
My new love is called Bardou Job, admittedly not the most romantic of names - and I should, but do not know, what Bardou signifies, and I pronounce Job as I do the Old Testament character who had some trouble with a whale. But it is a rose with a history. Apparently it was bred in Wales, which in itself is slightly unusual, and then migrated to Australia; originally I thought that I was told to Alcatraz, so there does seem to be some connection with convicts. Anyway to my great pleasure it now resides in the Gers. Its flower are single going on semi, which amongst other things enables one to see the attractive stamens. One can also see very clearly the petals, and it is this fact that more and more attracts me to any single flowered rose. Take for instance the wild dog rose, Rosa canina, which I suppose because of the rain have never been so floriferous chez nous. The nuance of pinks on a single pink are a wonder. Or take the well known climber, Mermaid, with its nuances of yellow, when it first comes out. Similarly with Bardou Job, though in its case it is a mixtures of deep reds going on almost black. It is too early to say whether it is going to be an easy rose to grow. Ours in its second year has clumped up well and has produced quite a lot of flowers, but it is still under a meter and the foliage is not its most attractive feature. But I would be happy if it had only one flower a year, so much am I in love with it. It is to be found at La Roseraie du Desert, for which see www.frenchtearose.com.
Tuesday, 22 April 2014
Chinese Crackers
The absolute star of our Spring, or should I say early Summer garden has been the Lijiang Rose which as its name suggests has come to us from China, via in our case la Rosereraie du Desert. The flowers are very strong pink, but what gives it its 'gosh factor' is the immense quantity of flower, and the height to which it will grow. Ours is climbing up a dead tree and has only reached about 3 meters but apparently if circumstances permit it could go to ten. Alas, nothing is completely perfect in this world, and as regards the Lijiang Rose the sadness is that it is only once flowering and this early in the season. It also, as already suggested, needs a large space, so it is for the large garden, but its leaves are very healthy and not unattractive in their own right, so for a large Gascony garden I suggest that it is a must.
Technically it is not in fact a China Rose. Most of you will have come across some of these even if you did not know that they were China, for instance Mutabilis that large coppery single flowered rose that is almost continuously in flower, perhaps also Sanguinea, which one might call a red version of Mutabilis, and one of my favourites. But if you visit La Rosereraie you will find over fifty different varieties. For a Gascony gardener they have the great advantage of enjoying our summer heat while most of them repeat extremely well. The nursery, situated near Aignan in the West Gers, is having a 'portes ouvertes' on Sunday May the 4th. I am told that the garden is looking particularly good this year as a result of our mild winter, so if you like a rose, make an effort to go. And I can guarantee you that even if you think that you know something about roses, you will see roses there that you have never seen before.
Our other Chinese Crackers have been the Tree paeonies. They flower earlier than the herbaceous ones, and ours are already over. Moreover, as with all paeonies their flowers are over in a thrice, which is to say about three days. On the other hand during those three days they are wondrous to behold, so if you are looking for 'gosh factors' they are well worth having, the only snag being that they are rather expensive to obtain. We are lucky enough in the Gers - at Montegut not far from Auch - to have in Richard Pardo at the La Pivoine Bleue a leading paeony expert and a visit to the nursery at this time of year is a mind blowing experience, but do not forget to take your check book with you as you can find yourself in three figure sums all too easily. I was lucky enough to be given one of his Gansu Mudan tree paeony hybrids, and even luckier to have produced some new ones from seed. These have only taken three years to produce their first flowers. These do not come true but that is rather the fun of it, and I am very happy with what I have got. It should be said that you can find them at a rather more affordable price at a garden centre. The plant itself will be less good, and no doubt forced in order to produce a flower as early as possible, but, and this is really the only point that I wish to make, since I am in no way an expert, in my experience they are, despite appearances, extremely tough. Mine are planted on a south facing hillside and are given no special treatment, except by deer, which on fortunately only one occasion attacked them, and despite this they seem to flourish. And one last thing. The flowers may last all too briefly, but the foliage remains very attractive all summer long, so however you obtain them they are well worth having.
Technically it is not in fact a China Rose. Most of you will have come across some of these even if you did not know that they were China, for instance Mutabilis that large coppery single flowered rose that is almost continuously in flower, perhaps also Sanguinea, which one might call a red version of Mutabilis, and one of my favourites. But if you visit La Rosereraie you will find over fifty different varieties. For a Gascony gardener they have the great advantage of enjoying our summer heat while most of them repeat extremely well. The nursery, situated near Aignan in the West Gers, is having a 'portes ouvertes' on Sunday May the 4th. I am told that the garden is looking particularly good this year as a result of our mild winter, so if you like a rose, make an effort to go. And I can guarantee you that even if you think that you know something about roses, you will see roses there that you have never seen before.
Our other Chinese Crackers have been the Tree paeonies. They flower earlier than the herbaceous ones, and ours are already over. Moreover, as with all paeonies their flowers are over in a thrice, which is to say about three days. On the other hand during those three days they are wondrous to behold, so if you are looking for 'gosh factors' they are well worth having, the only snag being that they are rather expensive to obtain. We are lucky enough in the Gers - at Montegut not far from Auch - to have in Richard Pardo at the La Pivoine Bleue a leading paeony expert and a visit to the nursery at this time of year is a mind blowing experience, but do not forget to take your check book with you as you can find yourself in three figure sums all too easily. I was lucky enough to be given one of his Gansu Mudan tree paeony hybrids, and even luckier to have produced some new ones from seed. These have only taken three years to produce their first flowers. These do not come true but that is rather the fun of it, and I am very happy with what I have got. It should be said that you can find them at a rather more affordable price at a garden centre. The plant itself will be less good, and no doubt forced in order to produce a flower as early as possible, but, and this is really the only point that I wish to make, since I am in no way an expert, in my experience they are, despite appearances, extremely tough. Mine are planted on a south facing hillside and are given no special treatment, except by deer, which on fortunately only one occasion attacked them, and despite this they seem to flourish. And one last thing. The flowers may last all too briefly, but the foliage remains very attractive all summer long, so however you obtain them they are well worth having.
Thursday, 3 April 2014
Don't forget the Ipheions
My impression is that they are rather neglected, which is a pity. For those who have never come across them, they are small bulbs, their leaves slightly smelling of onion, so that you might think that they are alliums, especially as their leaves have a rather allium look about them. Their flowers are star-shaped, none of the varieties more than 15cms high, and these appear early, which is to say right now. The bog standard I.uniflorum is what I would call a rather dirty white, though in the catalogues it will be a very pale blue, with apparently some scent, though I would not buy it on that account. I.un. Wisley Blue is certainly more blue and has moreover won for itself an Award of Garden Merit from the RHS, as has I.un. Froyle Mill, which is of a much stronger colour on the purplish side of blue. I.un. Jessie, this new to me, is a deep blue, while I.un.Charlotte Bishop is almost claret. All these are in fact worth having, as they clump up well to make a good show, die down quickly, if you forget where they are they do not seem to mind being disturbed, and they come free of problems. But for me the stars are I. Alberto Castillo and I.Rolf Fielder. The former looks much like the others so far mentioned but with bigger and definitely white flowers so creating a bigger impact. I.Rolf Fiedler is rather different being much lower to the ground, and it does not clump up in quite the same way, though it does slowly increase. You might think that this would make it a less desirable plant, but so intense is its blue, that even one flower will catch the eye from afar.
Also I suspect rather neglected are the early flowering buddlejas. We have got three in flower at this moment. Perhaps my least favourite is B.officinalis. Its flowers are a very pale lilac, but in sufficient quantity to make a good show. What I do not like about it is its habit, rather too upright, making a rather gaunt bush, even when pruned back after flowering. B. agathosoma's flowers are also a pale lilac, but what makes this a particularly attractive plant is the combination of flower and leave, the colour of the leaves being a silvery grey. I have planted mine in a very difficult spot, that is to say towards the top of a South facing slope, and it suffers because of this, but it still gives me great pleasure, as apparently it does the great Irish gardener, Hellen Dillon, who recommended it in a recent edition of 'The Garden'. But the star of the show for me is B.officinalisVicomte de Noailles. It is the first year that it has done for me, as it has taken about three years to get to any size, but what a picture it is making. Its advantage over its cousin is the much stronger colour of its flower, better leaf colour, and a very attractive recumbent form. I am rather opposed to the current obsession with 'health and safety' but I suppose I ought to issue a slight health warning. These early buddleyas are slightly more tender than the bog standard B. davidii. My bible for all buddlejas is Le Jardin de Rochevielle's catalogue, where the three budlejas that I have mentioned are put in the minus 10.C. range, which means that for most winters they will be fine. No doubt the fact that we have had a very mild winter explains the fact they are looking particularly good, but even if there is a slight risk it is one that should be taken.
Also I suspect rather neglected are the early flowering buddlejas. We have got three in flower at this moment. Perhaps my least favourite is B.officinalis. Its flowers are a very pale lilac, but in sufficient quantity to make a good show. What I do not like about it is its habit, rather too upright, making a rather gaunt bush, even when pruned back after flowering. B. agathosoma's flowers are also a pale lilac, but what makes this a particularly attractive plant is the combination of flower and leave, the colour of the leaves being a silvery grey. I have planted mine in a very difficult spot, that is to say towards the top of a South facing slope, and it suffers because of this, but it still gives me great pleasure, as apparently it does the great Irish gardener, Hellen Dillon, who recommended it in a recent edition of 'The Garden'. But the star of the show for me is B.officinalisVicomte de Noailles. It is the first year that it has done for me, as it has taken about three years to get to any size, but what a picture it is making. Its advantage over its cousin is the much stronger colour of its flower, better leaf colour, and a very attractive recumbent form. I am rather opposed to the current obsession with 'health and safety' but I suppose I ought to issue a slight health warning. These early buddleyas are slightly more tender than the bog standard B. davidii. My bible for all buddlejas is Le Jardin de Rochevielle's catalogue, where the three budlejas that I have mentioned are put in the minus 10.C. range, which means that for most winters they will be fine. No doubt the fact that we have had a very mild winter explains the fact they are looking particularly good, but even if there is a slight risk it is one that should be taken.
Sunday, 16 February 2014
Winter Wonders
My previous blog was entitled 'I am dreaming of a Dry Garden', which should now perhaps be modified to 'I am desperate for a dry garden', as the rain continues to fall. In fact we have not had quite as much rain as the previous January, when in this garden in SE Gers I recorded 184mm of rain, the average being around 60mm. This year it was 129mm, but it comes after what was a very wet year with last November 154mm of rain, well over twice the average amount, with the result that the ground is completely saturated. On the other hand, so far, and the 'so far' needs to be stressed, it has been very mild.. Our first daffodils - N.February Gold, are already in flower, as also the Iris reticulatas, cyclamen coums, and occasional crocus, along with the half a dozen snowdrops, which is all that we seem to be able to manage. Also in flower is Prunus x subhirtella Autumnalis Rosea, and it is this that has prompted the title of this blog.It has been in full flower now for almost two months, this an extremely long time for any flowering tree or shrub, and it could well continue for at least another month. It is one of Robin Lane Fox's favourite trees, though he would much prefer the white form to the pink. I am perfectly happy with the pink, and can strongly recommend it to you all. In previous blogs I have raised the question of why there are not many more varieties of flowering cherries in Gascony. The problem may be a certain conservatism of our local nurseries, or may be there is a real problem with our summer heat, and fairly frequent secheresse, but all I can say is that our 'Autumn Flowering cherry' has flourished exceedingly, and in six years is now quite a large tree which has never failed to perform. In a cold winter it will cease flowering if the temperature drops below freezing, but will then burst into life in any milder spell. Lane Fox suggests that it may flower for six months, which is a bit of an exaggeration, but its ability to stop and start certainly prolongs its flowering period. And just coming into flower is another flowering cherry, P. Okame. I do not rate it quite as highly as the afore mentioned - it is a stronger pink, which some people may prefer, but its flowering period as for so many flowering cherries is brief, and after flowering what you have got is a rather shapeless tallish bush. Still I am happy to have it, and it seems to be happy to be here.
What other winter wonders are? Well, my mahonias are still in flower , and this coupled with their shiny evergreen leaves have helped to keep the winter gloom at bay. M. Winter Sun seems to have out-distanced its competitors in our local garden centres, though one can find the occasional M. Charity. There is nothing much wrong with either of them, except that neither of them has much, if indeed any scent.Moreover the catalogues are slightly cautious on this subject. According to my 2002 Hilliers M.Winter Sun does have fragrant flowers, but M.Charity's are only slightly fragrant. I wish that I could get hold of M.japonica: not so architectural as the aforementioned but genuinely fragrant flowers. The most architectural is M. Lomarifolia, a plant that I have always desired but never succeeded in growing so alas I cannot comment about its fragrance. I know that I am always going on about the mahonias, I suppose because they appear to have fallen out of fashion, and I think that this is a pity.
At this point I should perhaps confess that here our winters are never going to contain as many wonders as,say, an English, or indeed any countries woodland garden. The obvious stars of such gardens, for instance the early flowering camellias and magnolias are difficult, if not for many of us impossible to grow. I did grow some of these reasonably successfully in a garden much closer into the central Pyrenees, and I guess that the nearer you get to the Atlantic, and especially if you have acidic soil the more chance you will have especially if you can provide some shade. But here in the Gers they are almost impossible, though camellias will grow happily in a pot if you can assure summer watering, and in many ways their very smart appearance suits a pot well. Less showy but famous for their scent are the Hamamelis, and since they have also autumn colour they are wonderful things to have. I have seen some in local gardens, but they need shade and moisture to flourish, and these two things in most years at least are difficult to provide.
So I will end with three Winter Wonders that present no problems that I know of. Cyclamen coum is the winter version of the more common autumn cyclamen, C. hederifolium. The leaves are rounder than its autumn cousin but the variation in the leaf patterns is probably as great. The flowers smaller, or at any rate the stems are certainly shorter, but again share the same colour variations, this from white through pink to deep red, and almost purple. They seem to be indestructible, which is not true of the crocus, and after two or three years you will suddenly find them popping up in unexpected places which is always a delight. There are of course a good many other varieties - in other gardens I had some success with C.africanum with bigger leaves and flowers than the two already mentioned. C.cilicium should do perfectly well, and my one C.graecum survived without ever looking very happy, but these do not come into the Winter Wonder category.
What does is Iris unguicularis. Ours have been in flower for as long a time as the Autumn flowering Cherry, which is to say at least two months, and I do not think that they are about to stop!. In fact the individual flower shares the characteristic of almost all iris - from bud to death about two or three days max - but once your clump is established it will produce this amazing succession of flowers. We have only got the bog standard, but my now out of date Plant Finder lists over a dozen of which I.ung.Walter Butt with I seem to remember slightly larger and paler blue flowers is one that I would love to find. There is also a white, which I tried here and failed, consoling myself with the reflection that perhaps I prefered my Iris unguicularis blue. What we have not failed with are the various Iris histriodes/reticulatas. They come in a much greater range of colours, with some exciting markings, and flower happily in February, so they are certainly a winter plant. Why they perhaps just miss out on the 'wonder' category is that their period in flower is so brief: two or three days with no ability to produce a succession.
Finally the humble Chaenomeles. This is a great concession on my part, being a self-confessed plant snob! But common it may be and thus obviously very easy to grow, and once out of flower with nothing much to recommend it, it is such a cheerful sight so early in the year, that in the end I think it qualifies as a 'Wonder'. I have a preference for the deep reds, but there is a huge choice to be made, mainly in the red/pink range, but also white and even, which I do not think that I realised, some that are yellow, or at least yellowish. What I think they show is that almost anything that flowers at this time of year is something to be included in all ours gardens, since it brings such cheer, which this year in particular, as the rain still falls we are much in need of.
What other winter wonders are? Well, my mahonias are still in flower , and this coupled with their shiny evergreen leaves have helped to keep the winter gloom at bay. M. Winter Sun seems to have out-distanced its competitors in our local garden centres, though one can find the occasional M. Charity. There is nothing much wrong with either of them, except that neither of them has much, if indeed any scent.Moreover the catalogues are slightly cautious on this subject. According to my 2002 Hilliers M.Winter Sun does have fragrant flowers, but M.Charity's are only slightly fragrant. I wish that I could get hold of M.japonica: not so architectural as the aforementioned but genuinely fragrant flowers. The most architectural is M. Lomarifolia, a plant that I have always desired but never succeeded in growing so alas I cannot comment about its fragrance. I know that I am always going on about the mahonias, I suppose because they appear to have fallen out of fashion, and I think that this is a pity.
At this point I should perhaps confess that here our winters are never going to contain as many wonders as,say, an English, or indeed any countries woodland garden. The obvious stars of such gardens, for instance the early flowering camellias and magnolias are difficult, if not for many of us impossible to grow. I did grow some of these reasonably successfully in a garden much closer into the central Pyrenees, and I guess that the nearer you get to the Atlantic, and especially if you have acidic soil the more chance you will have especially if you can provide some shade. But here in the Gers they are almost impossible, though camellias will grow happily in a pot if you can assure summer watering, and in many ways their very smart appearance suits a pot well. Less showy but famous for their scent are the Hamamelis, and since they have also autumn colour they are wonderful things to have. I have seen some in local gardens, but they need shade and moisture to flourish, and these two things in most years at least are difficult to provide.
So I will end with three Winter Wonders that present no problems that I know of. Cyclamen coum is the winter version of the more common autumn cyclamen, C. hederifolium. The leaves are rounder than its autumn cousin but the variation in the leaf patterns is probably as great. The flowers smaller, or at any rate the stems are certainly shorter, but again share the same colour variations, this from white through pink to deep red, and almost purple. They seem to be indestructible, which is not true of the crocus, and after two or three years you will suddenly find them popping up in unexpected places which is always a delight. There are of course a good many other varieties - in other gardens I had some success with C.africanum with bigger leaves and flowers than the two already mentioned. C.cilicium should do perfectly well, and my one C.graecum survived without ever looking very happy, but these do not come into the Winter Wonder category.
What does is Iris unguicularis. Ours have been in flower for as long a time as the Autumn flowering Cherry, which is to say at least two months, and I do not think that they are about to stop!. In fact the individual flower shares the characteristic of almost all iris - from bud to death about two or three days max - but once your clump is established it will produce this amazing succession of flowers. We have only got the bog standard, but my now out of date Plant Finder lists over a dozen of which I.ung.Walter Butt with I seem to remember slightly larger and paler blue flowers is one that I would love to find. There is also a white, which I tried here and failed, consoling myself with the reflection that perhaps I prefered my Iris unguicularis blue. What we have not failed with are the various Iris histriodes/reticulatas. They come in a much greater range of colours, with some exciting markings, and flower happily in February, so they are certainly a winter plant. Why they perhaps just miss out on the 'wonder' category is that their period in flower is so brief: two or three days with no ability to produce a succession.
Finally the humble Chaenomeles. This is a great concession on my part, being a self-confessed plant snob! But common it may be and thus obviously very easy to grow, and once out of flower with nothing much to recommend it, it is such a cheerful sight so early in the year, that in the end I think it qualifies as a 'Wonder'. I have a preference for the deep reds, but there is a huge choice to be made, mainly in the red/pink range, but also white and even, which I do not think that I realised, some that are yellow, or at least yellowish. What I think they show is that almost anything that flowers at this time of year is something to be included in all ours gardens, since it brings such cheer, which this year in particular, as the rain still falls we are much in need of.
Wednesday, 22 January 2014
I 'm dreaming of a Dry Garden
and this not just because we have seem to have had a great deal of rain recently, and our garden is at this moment completely saturated. The real reason is that I have been reading Olivier Filippi's 'The Dry Gardening Handbook' in the Thames and Hudson English edition, though of course it can also be found in French. In the past I have suggested that if you have already got the nursery's catalogue you do not really need the book, since the catalogue is full of information, but there are of course pluses with the book, with amongst other things some very good photographs. It has not been all pleasure for me since it has brought home with a vengeance the many mistakes that I have made, especially as regards my so-called gravel garden. This occupies a large area, c.20mx5m in front of the South-East facade of the house, and it seemed to me because of its southerly exposition it would be ideal for Mediterranean plants. I knew enough about them, having amongst other things read Beth Chatto's 'Gravel Garden', to realise that the key was drainage, but being lazy, and not having access to the right sort of equipment, I thought that I could get away with putting a layer of gravel and peat over the existing earth. What I did not allow for was that this area was especially composed of clay soil, and that moreover clay soil that had been compacted by the farming activities of previous owners. The result was instead of creating a Dry Garden I had created a damp one, though one that admittedly might dry out during the summer. I was also unlucky with my allegedly sterilised peat which came with a very active weed that I never identified, but which in the end I was able to eliminate. I then made the great error of planting the creeping evening primrose, Oenothera speciosa, which in my view should be banned from all garden centres, and which I have not been able to eliminate. Of course in a different situation it might not spread so rapidly, but clearly it finds the peaty/gravel mix much to its liking, while its tough roots can happily resist the winter wet.
Winter wet combined with clay soil and hot, dry summers are a fatal combination, so that my 'Dry Garden' may have to remain a dream, though I have not completely given up. Two reasonably sized urns and a tiled path through the middle have given it a bit more shape. I am also increasingly looking for plants with a bit of shape. Recently Gamm Vert have been selling various varieties of mound growing Hebe's - H. Green Globe, and H.Pinguifolia to name two - which I hope will help, especially as they will look well during the winter, that is as long as the winter is not too cold! I am increasingly keen on Saturejas. These come in various shapes and sizes, but I especially like S.montana which makes a large mound which in late summer is covered in white flowers, while I have recently acquired from Aromaticulture S. montana Purple Mountain. I was very hopeful of the various Teucriums, but while T. fruticans flourish like the proverbial bay tree, but are none the worse for that I have had great difficulties with T. ackermanii and T. cossonii, which look so wonderful in the Filippi book and catalogues, but struggle to survive chez nous, I suppose because of the winter wet. Thymes are very variable. One whose name I have forgotten but may be T. x citriodorus is almost as bad a thug as the aforesaid oenothera, while its various variegated cultivars such as T.Archer's Gold or T.Silver King struggle.
In reading the Filippi book I made quite a long list of plants that I would like to acquire, though not immediately. For one thing Filippi, perhaps surprisingly since we are talking Mediterranean plants which might succumb to a severe winter, strongly recommends autumn planting: the soil is still warm and it is a period when roots put on growth and thus the plant is more quickly established and thus does not need so much watering during its first summer - and perhaps I should add that apart from the first year Filippi, like Beth Chatto is strongly opposed to watering of any kind, though especially of an automatic variety. But more importantly I have just got to improve the drainage for otherwise most of the plants I desire will not flourish. So my slogan for the year 2014 is 'Drainage, Drainage, Drainage', and it is one that I would recommend to you all.
Winter wet combined with clay soil and hot, dry summers are a fatal combination, so that my 'Dry Garden' may have to remain a dream, though I have not completely given up. Two reasonably sized urns and a tiled path through the middle have given it a bit more shape. I am also increasingly looking for plants with a bit of shape. Recently Gamm Vert have been selling various varieties of mound growing Hebe's - H. Green Globe, and H.Pinguifolia to name two - which I hope will help, especially as they will look well during the winter, that is as long as the winter is not too cold! I am increasingly keen on Saturejas. These come in various shapes and sizes, but I especially like S.montana which makes a large mound which in late summer is covered in white flowers, while I have recently acquired from Aromaticulture S. montana Purple Mountain. I was very hopeful of the various Teucriums, but while T. fruticans flourish like the proverbial bay tree, but are none the worse for that I have had great difficulties with T. ackermanii and T. cossonii, which look so wonderful in the Filippi book and catalogues, but struggle to survive chez nous, I suppose because of the winter wet. Thymes are very variable. One whose name I have forgotten but may be T. x citriodorus is almost as bad a thug as the aforesaid oenothera, while its various variegated cultivars such as T.Archer's Gold or T.Silver King struggle.
In reading the Filippi book I made quite a long list of plants that I would like to acquire, though not immediately. For one thing Filippi, perhaps surprisingly since we are talking Mediterranean plants which might succumb to a severe winter, strongly recommends autumn planting: the soil is still warm and it is a period when roots put on growth and thus the plant is more quickly established and thus does not need so much watering during its first summer - and perhaps I should add that apart from the first year Filippi, like Beth Chatto is strongly opposed to watering of any kind, though especially of an automatic variety. But more importantly I have just got to improve the drainage for otherwise most of the plants I desire will not flourish. So my slogan for the year 2014 is 'Drainage, Drainage, Drainage', and it is one that I would recommend to you all.
Tuesday, 12 November 2013
More Fun at the Fairs
After the Silly Season comes the Plant Fair season, essentially October, though increasingly they are to be found in May as well. When I first came to this region, over twenty years ago now, there was little doubt that the Fair to be seen at was Gaujacq, Gascony's Chelsea you might say. I doubt that that is still the case if only because plant fairs, like every other sort of fair have become much more common, and in fact you will find many of the same exhibitors in which ever fair you go to. Still I suspect that Gaujacq still attracts nurseymen from further a field than most. For instance we have bought many a tree from M. Le Cam of the Pepineres Botaniques Armoricaines from way up in Brittany. It has to be said that Le Cam is not a loquacious man but he has a good selection of mainly trees and shrubs at prices that are extremely reasonable. The only eucalyptus we have bought from him - E.mannifera maculosa with most attractive bark - sadly did not survive its first winter but he has a very fine collection of the genus; similarly Acers, camellias, and Hollys, some of these perhaps more suited to the North of France than down here in the South West. But he also has a very good selection of oaks. Our much mentioned Q.shumardii, incidentally just beginning to show some autumn colour, came from him, and this year we bought Q.stellata, this because apparently it can put up with drought but also because with luck it too will have good autumn colour. Also bought was a Cedar of Lebanon, probably rather too grand for this garden, which has not anything remotely like a park where they can be seen to most advantage, and of course it will not look anything very much for at least another thirty years, but I suppose that is what planting trees is all about. Anyway my strong recommendation would be to anyone wanting to plant trees is first to get hold of Le Cam's catalogue - he does not do the internet - before buying elsewhere because qualité/prix he is hard to beat.
Sadly the Pep:Filippi, frequently mentioned in these blogs as the great specialists of all plants for dry gardens, no longer appears at Gaujacq, though various nurseries have taken its place including Aromaticulture, as the name suggests excellent for anything remotely 'herby', and Les Senteurs du Quercy, Iris and Salvia specialists amongst other things. And I have a rather soft spot for Le Petit Jardin, 'petit' because their nursery is 'petit', or they grow plants for a small garden I am not sure - and there is the song of Jacques Dutronc but that I think was a Parisian garden while this nursery is situated in the Pyrenees Orientales. Anyway I find that increasingly I am tempted by what they have on display, since amongst other things their plants always look in very good condition. This time around I fell for a Caryopteris incana with its very deep blue flowers and attractive foliage, Euphorbia Copton Ash, this partly because I used to visit Tim Ingram's nursey near Faversham, where presumably this plant was discovered, and finally Lavendula latifolia x lanata,one of these felty grey leaved lavanders that I love, and which I think they may have bred.
Quite different from almost any other nursery that I know in France is Le Jardin de Rochevielle. I hope that Jean-Francois Giraud and Dominque Permingeat will not mind if I say that there is something slightly amateurish about their approach which I mean to be a compliment: they are obviously passionate about plants, but also travelling in order to discover new plants, but perhaps not so passionate about presenting their plants to best advantage. I have often mentioned them, especially in connection with buddlejas, of which they have a wonderful collection, some of which have been bred by themselves, but in fact what makes their list more interesting than most is its eclectism with plants from all over the world, many of which I for one have not heard of. Abelias we all know but Abelia mosanensis from Korea? And how many Bauhinias do you grow, these from Mexico and South Africa? Hesperaloe funifera, also from Mexico ? Reinwardtia indica, this from SE Asia? And so one could go on, and I have not even mentioned their interest in begonias of all kinds, perhaps because I do not share it. One of their plants that has done very well for us has been Anisacanthus quadrifidus wrightii, this from Arizona Texas. It is like a more substantial zauschneria with bright orange flowers in late summer. I see that it could grow to over a meter, but ours has so far always been hit back each winter, so makes a fairly compact bush of some 50cms. Anyway well worth a try if you like bright colours.
Of the other plant fairs this autumn I only managed to get to Ordon-Larroque. This has the great advantage for me of being much nearer than Gaujacq, which is to say that it is in an attractive 'hill-top' village just north-west of Auch. Unlike Gaujacq it is only one day - the Sunday. You park just below the village, but there is transport provided to get you to the top if the climb puts you of, and also to help you to get your 'booty' back to the car. It seems well organized but above all it has very friendly feel to it, perhaps because not too big but with good exhibitors, including my favourite Bernad Lacrouts for the vivaces, the Pépinière Spahl for trees and shrubs, and my two favourite rose nurseries, Yan Surguet's les Roses anciennes du Jardin Talos, and Becky and John Hook's La Roseraie du Desert. We are beginning to run out of places for new roses, but alas I cannot resist, so inter alia a Marie d'Orleans from Surguet and N 92 Nanjing from the Hooks. The later deserves, and no doubt will get, a more attractive name since it is a very promising rose with a clusters of smallish semi-double flowers of a good strong red which hold themselves well away from the foliage.
At the end of any plant fair I always ask myself if I have spent wisely, and I think that this autumn I have, though perhaps I always think that. But the mood from both fairs was that times were hard for nurserymen and women, so to a certain extent any spending is good. These small specialised nurseries are the source of enormous pleasure for us passionate gardeners so their survival is vital.
Sadly the Pep:Filippi, frequently mentioned in these blogs as the great specialists of all plants for dry gardens, no longer appears at Gaujacq, though various nurseries have taken its place including Aromaticulture, as the name suggests excellent for anything remotely 'herby', and Les Senteurs du Quercy, Iris and Salvia specialists amongst other things. And I have a rather soft spot for Le Petit Jardin, 'petit' because their nursery is 'petit', or they grow plants for a small garden I am not sure - and there is the song of Jacques Dutronc but that I think was a Parisian garden while this nursery is situated in the Pyrenees Orientales. Anyway I find that increasingly I am tempted by what they have on display, since amongst other things their plants always look in very good condition. This time around I fell for a Caryopteris incana with its very deep blue flowers and attractive foliage, Euphorbia Copton Ash, this partly because I used to visit Tim Ingram's nursey near Faversham, where presumably this plant was discovered, and finally Lavendula latifolia x lanata,one of these felty grey leaved lavanders that I love, and which I think they may have bred.
Quite different from almost any other nursery that I know in France is Le Jardin de Rochevielle. I hope that Jean-Francois Giraud and Dominque Permingeat will not mind if I say that there is something slightly amateurish about their approach which I mean to be a compliment: they are obviously passionate about plants, but also travelling in order to discover new plants, but perhaps not so passionate about presenting their plants to best advantage. I have often mentioned them, especially in connection with buddlejas, of which they have a wonderful collection, some of which have been bred by themselves, but in fact what makes their list more interesting than most is its eclectism with plants from all over the world, many of which I for one have not heard of. Abelias we all know but Abelia mosanensis from Korea? And how many Bauhinias do you grow, these from Mexico and South Africa? Hesperaloe funifera, also from Mexico ? Reinwardtia indica, this from SE Asia? And so one could go on, and I have not even mentioned their interest in begonias of all kinds, perhaps because I do not share it. One of their plants that has done very well for us has been Anisacanthus quadrifidus wrightii, this from Arizona Texas. It is like a more substantial zauschneria with bright orange flowers in late summer. I see that it could grow to over a meter, but ours has so far always been hit back each winter, so makes a fairly compact bush of some 50cms. Anyway well worth a try if you like bright colours.
Of the other plant fairs this autumn I only managed to get to Ordon-Larroque. This has the great advantage for me of being much nearer than Gaujacq, which is to say that it is in an attractive 'hill-top' village just north-west of Auch. Unlike Gaujacq it is only one day - the Sunday. You park just below the village, but there is transport provided to get you to the top if the climb puts you of, and also to help you to get your 'booty' back to the car. It seems well organized but above all it has very friendly feel to it, perhaps because not too big but with good exhibitors, including my favourite Bernad Lacrouts for the vivaces, the Pépinière Spahl for trees and shrubs, and my two favourite rose nurseries, Yan Surguet's les Roses anciennes du Jardin Talos, and Becky and John Hook's La Roseraie du Desert. We are beginning to run out of places for new roses, but alas I cannot resist, so inter alia a Marie d'Orleans from Surguet and N 92 Nanjing from the Hooks. The later deserves, and no doubt will get, a more attractive name since it is a very promising rose with a clusters of smallish semi-double flowers of a good strong red which hold themselves well away from the foliage.
At the end of any plant fair I always ask myself if I have spent wisely, and I think that this autumn I have, though perhaps I always think that. But the mood from both fairs was that times were hard for nurserymen and women, so to a certain extent any spending is good. These small specialised nurseries are the source of enormous pleasure for us passionate gardeners so their survival is vital.
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