The purple and silver window box has not survived my recent absence and is now looking rather bedraggled. The Children from Down The Road who water my plants when I am away do a wonderful job but window boxes can go over very quickly if they are not properly soaked. I'm OK with that because I can plan new colour combinations for late summer.
Notes
The white Geranium at the back was a dismal failure - it always is because Geraniums need more light - I don't know why I keep trying. I loved the combination of dark purple Verbena and mauve Scaevola. The pale mauve trailing Convolvulus was very pretty but took a long time to establish. The silver Helichrysum went a bit mad and would have looked better in a bigger space. I quite liked the blue Lobelia in the end - who knew!
Confession: it looks really good to me. In fact, better than the begonias I pretended to want.
ReplyDelete(Got my color fix today along the Tweed: rosebay willowherb, St. John's wort, meadow cranesbill. Very pleasing. Looking forward to promised heather.)
The Rosebay Willow herb is looking spectacular in Devon at the moment - fabulous banks of pink against the sky.
DeleteQuite like that bonkers Helichrysum. And I really like the dark purple Verbena.
ReplyDeleteThe Helichrysum has been clipped several times otherwise it would have been like Sleeping Beauty around here with the whole house wrapped in silvery leaves.
Deleteevery time I plant Helichrysum it skulks off and dies on me.
ReplyDeleteIt looks as though it will be drought tolerant - silvery, furry leaves - but it dries up quickly and does not recover.
Deletehttp://elephantseyegarden.blogspot.com/2014/04/a-mermaid-with-hat-Monty-Don.html
DeleteLook at his Helichrysum hedge. That is what I would aspire to one day!
Amazing - there are so many varieties of Helichrysum that I am sure there is one that could used in this way but would not survive the winters here. Fascinating to know that you visited that garden because I have only just read about it. Next time we are in Franschoek!
DeleteI put some miniature asters in my window box thinking they would last the summer - they didn't - now I have gaps - not an attractive look.
ReplyDeleteYou should nip off to your garden centre - most are selling off bedding plants at bargain prices.
DeleteI am intrigued...what do you have planned for late autumn or is it a secret surprise?
ReplyDeleteUm. It will be a surprise for me too - it depends what I see at my local nursery - probably some reduced price bedding plants to cosset back to health.
Delete