Changing The Border And Container Displays For Summer 2018

Scaffolding

For the last four weeks the planting of the last display border, 'The Border in the Corner', has been delayed due to scaffolding in situ for important building maintenance and repair.

Border Beneath The Scaffolding

 

A month ago, knowing that there would be a delay, the 300 plants that were going to be used in the border were repotted into larger pots allowing them to continue growing whilst waiting for the building maintenace to be completed, they have remained in the nursery on temporary staging until today.

24th May, 300 Plants Repotted

19th June, Ready To Be Planted

A Collection Sheet For Hedge Trimmimgs

Having been advised that the scaffolding would be dismanteled this morning, the five box balls in the border were trimmed using a hedge trimmer. To capture the trimmings as they fell a sheet was placed around the neck of the ball , this causes less mess on the surrounding soil and makes it easier to tidy by carefully collecting up the sheet with its contents still inside.

Five Box Balls Trimmed

By half past eight this morning the scaffolders had dismantled and removed the scaffolding so, with the area now clear, the gardening team focused their attention on preparing the border for planting. Weeded, forked through, a layer of leaf mould mulch spread on top of the soil, forked in, levelled, trodden down to removed air pockets, levelled again and finally a porous pipe layed along the soil's surface, the border was ready for planting by late morning. 

Planting The Border

The plants that had been waiting in the nursery were brought to the border, placed out, planted and watered in by the end of the day.

The plants used for this year's summer display are: Cleome spinosa ‘Violet Queen’, Salvia fabrinacea ‘Victoria’,Verbena rigida, Scabiosa atropurpurea ‘Black Knight’, Amaranthus dubius ‘Red Army’, Nicotiana langsdorffii, Didiscus caeruleus ‘Lace Mixture’, Ammi visagna, Moluccella laevis, Pennisetum glaucum ‘Purple Baron', Zinnia elegans ‘Benary’s Giant Wine’, ‘Benary’s Giant Lime’, ‘Luminosa’, ‘Lilliput Orange’, ‘Zinderella Purple’, ‘Lilliput Purple’, ‘Super Yoga Orange’, ‘Purple Prince’ and Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Pied Piper Red’, ‘Double Click Rose Bonbon’, ‘Sonata Carmine’, ‘Sonata White’, ‘Sonata Mixed’, ‘Rubenza’, ‘Double Click Cranberries’.

Planted For The Summer

'The Border in the Corner'

17th May, Removing The Tired Wallflowers and Tulips

Whilst the 300 plants for the corner border have been waiting in the nursery the display border at the far end of the quad and the oak planter display in the Besse Cortyard have both been planted up for their summer displays.
The quad border was planted first, the plants for this year's summer display are:

The structure is provided by the permanent planting, the perennials, shrubs and grass:

Hemerocallis 'Catherine Woodbery'; Artemisia 'Powis Castle'; Zantedeschia aethiopica 'Crowborough'; Rosa chinensis 'Mutabilis'; Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple'; Hydrangea paniculata 'Pinky Winky'; Alchemilla mollis; Kirengeshoma palmata; Staphylea colchica (Bladdernut); Indigofera gerardiana and Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light'.

The other plants grown from seed and cuttings:

Grown from seed

Antirrhinum majus 'Lipstick Silver'; Cleome spinosa 'Violet Queen'; Salpiglossis sinuata 'Black Trumpets'; Nicotiana x hybrida 'Whispers Mixed', Antirrhinum majus 'Lucky Lips', Ammi visnaga, Nicotiana alata ‘Crimson Bedder’, Gypsophila elegans ‘Kermesina’, Daucus carota ‘Dara’, Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Sonata Carmine’, Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Sonata Mixed’, Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Sonata White’

Grown from cuttings 

Pelargonium'Clorinda', Plectranthus argentatus 'Silver Shield', Salvia 'Penny's Smile', Diascia personata, Pelargonium denticulatum 'Filicifolia', Pelargonium cordifolium rubrocinctum, Pelargonium papilionaceus, Plectranthus ciliatus 'Nico'

17th May, Planting The Summer Bedding Plants

22nd May, Besse Oak Planters, Winter Wallflowers, Tulips and Evergreens

Clearing The Winter/Spring Plant Display

Empty and Waiting For The Summer Bedding Plants

22nd May, Planted For The Summer Display

Once the quad border had been planted the planter display in the Besse Courtyard was changed from its winter display to summer, the plants in the seven containers are:  

Pot 1 - Plectranthus coleoides variegata, Pelargonium denticulatum 'Filicifolia', Pelargonium tomentosum, Cyphomandra corymbiflora, Antirrhinum majus 'Lipstick Silver', Brachycome ‘Purple Splendour’, Salvia leucantha.

Pot 2 - Cyphomandra corymbiflora, Salvia leucantha, Antirrhinum majus 'Lipstick Silver', Verbena 'Aztec Plum Magic', Petunia ‘Purple Velvet’ F1 Hybrid.

Pot 3 - Plectranthus coleoides variegata, Verbena 'Aztec Plum Magic', Brachycome ‘Purple Splendour’, Petunia ‘Purple Velvet’ F1 Hybrid, Pennisetum glaucum ‘Purple Baron', Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Pied Piper Red’, Tibouchina urvilleana, Anisodontea capensis ‘El Rayo’, Lobelia ‘Rainbow Cascade Mixed’, A Dark Grass from Cotswold Wildlife Park (Name unknown).

Pot 4 - Albizia julibrissin ‘Chocolate Summer’, Pennisetum glaucum 'Purple Baron', Anisodontea capensis ‘El Rayo’, Verbena 'Aztec Plum Magic', Pelargonium Ivy Leaf 'Supreme Burgandy', Cuphea ‘Grape Wrath’, Pelargonium surcouf, Chlorophytum comosum.

Pot 5 - Albizia julibrissin ‘Chocolate Summer’, Anisodontea capensis ‘El Rayo’, Pennisetum glaucum ‘Purple Baron', Pelargonium denticulatum 'Filicifolia',  Verbena 'Aztec Plum Magic', Pelargonium Ivy Leaf 'Supreme Burgandy', Cuphea ‘Grape Wrath’,  Pelargonium surcouf, chlorophytum comosum.

Pot 6 - Albizia julibrissin ‘Chocolate Summer’, Anisodontea capensis ‘El Rayo’, Pennisetum glaucum ‘Purple Baron', Pelargonium denticulatum 'Filicifolia', Pelargonium Ivy Leaf 'Supreme Burgandy', Petunia ‘Purple Velvet’ F1 Hybrid, Pelargonium ‘Royal Oak’,  Pelargonium surcouf, Chlorophytum comosum.

Pot 7 - Cyphomandra corymbiflora, Pelargonium tomentosum, Verbena 'Aztec Plum Magic', Antirrhinum majus 'Lipstick Silver', Chlorophytum comosum, Lobelia ‘Rainbow Cascade Mixed’.

20th June, A Month Has Past and Growing Fast