Summer Herbaceous Border

The herbaceous border is starting to fill out well, although there are still a few gaps where I need to improve the planting scheme. My favourite three plants for summer in the herbaceous border are the vibrant red Lychnis Chalcedonica, the pretty pink sweetly scented Phlox Paniculata and the classic white Chrysanthemum Maximum, better known as the Shasta Daisy.

Lychnis Chalcedonica, also known as Jerusalem Cross or Maltese Cross, was introduced into Britain in the 14th century and has always been linked with returning pilgrims. Although it was collected in the Middle East it actually originated in European Russia. The first part of the name comes from 'lychnos', the Greek word for lamp, and is thought to refer to the woolly leaves which were used as wicks for oil lamps. The second part of the name comes from 'Chalcedon' which is the classical name for Kadekoy, the district of Turkey opposite Istanbul. Flower heads composed of small bright red cross shaped flowers are borne on upright stems above the mid green leaves in early to midsummer. The plant grows to about 3 feet tall and will self seed freely. It likes moist but well drained fertile humus-rich soil and prefers a position in full sun or light dappled shade.

Phlox Paniculata is a lovely scented border plant which has flowers in varied shades from white through to pink, red, purple and blue, often with contrasting centres. The flowers appear throughout summer into autumn, and are long lasting when cut. I have three varieties in my garden at the moment and intend to plant more. They are a really good reliable hardy perennial with a long flowering season. The delicate fragrance is an added bonus. Grow them in any moist fertile soil, positioning them in full sun or partial shade. This welcome addition to the herbaceous border was introduced into Britain in 1730 from the Eastern United States.

The perennial Chrysanthemum Maximum, also known as the Shasta Daisy, is one of my favourite plants. The lovely white daisy flowers are up to 3 inches across with a golden eye and make a cheerful display from June to August. There are varieties available with semi double or double flowers but I think the single flowered variety is the most beautiful. It grows to between 24 and 36 inches in height and likes a sunny position in a well drained fertile soil. Propagate by taking 2 - 3 inch long cuttings of basal shoots in March/April or by lifting and dividing established clumps, again in March/April.

Harvesting the first Potatoes

. The veg patch is looking good at the moment. The runner beans have their beautiful scarlet flowers and have not been too troubled with blackfly this year. The beetroot is looking healthy and I have just planted twenty winter leeks and ten curly kale plants. Hopefully these will give me some lovely fresh veg this winter provided we do not get such severe weather as last winter. The last of the strawberries have been picked and eaten and I have now turned my attention to the potato crop. Today I lifted the first of my new potatoes. I have been a bit concerned about them as the weather has been so dry, but the first two haulms have been lifted and they look like they have produced a reasonable crop. I will be cooking the first of these potatoes for lunch tomorrow and intend to serve them with a chicken casserole and some sweetheart cabbage. Mmmm - can't wait!

Lilies

I grow two types of lilies in my garden - small Asiatic Hybrid lilies which only grow to about 15 - 18 inches tall and are therefore suitable for growing in pots, and a species lily called Lilium Pyrenaicum which was given to me by a friend. The Asiatic Hybrids have beautiful large trumpet flowers of varied colours and are the ones which are widely available in garden centres. The species lily, Lilium Pyrenaicum, which is pictured left has much smaller bright yellow flowers with curved petals and long orange stamens. It is not as flamboyant as the Asiatic Hybrids but is much more of a traditional cottage garden plant and grows to about 24 - 28 inches in height.
My lilies flower from May to June and have just finished. The bulbs in the pots will increase and become pot bound eventually and I then transplant them to a sunny spot in the garden.
Lilies thrive in sun or partial shade and should be planted between October and March. The Asiatic Hybrid lilies are stem rooting. This means they produce roots from just above the bulb as well as from beneath it. These require deeper planting than those that just root from the base of the bulb. A good rough guide is to plant at a depth of two and a half times the height of the bulb. Young lily bulbs have contractile roots and can pull themselves down to the correct depth if planted a bit too shallowly. If planting in pots use a good soil based compost such as John Innes No.1.
One word of warning - watch out for the bright red lily beetle. The larvae can cause severe damage to your plants. They also cover themselves in a black slimy excrement which looks horrible. Luckily the beetles are very easily spotted being such a bright red colour. Just pick them off and squash them. You need to be vigilant and check your plants regularly. I find they seem to be more active in the evening. There are chemicals which can be used to control this pest but I don't like using strong chemicals in the garden where they could have a detrimental effect on other beneficial insects such as bees. Anyway it's much easier and cheaper to just remove the beetles by hand and kill them.