In my vase are :
- Sweet peas from seed that was sown in the middle of March. The wigwam made up of these did much better than the sweet peas sown at the beginning of March, both in terms of general vigour and quantity of flowers.
- Cornflower 'Blue Ball' which have been more impressive than their darker 'Black Ball' siblings. I've not grown cornflowers for years but sowed these back on 17th March. The plants became rather straggly and soon needed propping up. They have been in non-stop flower since at least 20th June, so nearly four months later I think they deserve the accolade of being 'good doers'. Plant numbers will be reduced though next year. Four plants of each was more than enough.
- Cosmos 'Double Click Cranberries'. These grew into rather substantial and sturdy plants which have flowered for most of the summer. Sadly they flopped when I picked them for the vase so their heads are looking down in the above photo. However they had perked up noticeably by the next morning. Cosmos bipinnatus 'Purity' has been a disappointment this year making tall and lanky plants which have only just come into flower in the last couple of weeks or so. I grow this most years and have not encountered the same issue before. I clocked cosmos bipinnatus 'Pysche White' in a display at the Malvern Autumn Show last month. It has most attractive small semi double white flowers and it's made its way onto next year's seed list.
- The last of the quartet is symphyotrichum 'Little Carlow'. This is a really fabulous and easy going autumn flowering plant. I have sung its praises here more than once in the past when it still went by the much more user friendly name of aster 'Little Carlow'. As well as being pleasing to the eye it's also beloved by pollinators. The plant at the allotment was visited by both bumble bees and honey bees in this morning's pleasant sunshine.
Thanks to Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' as always for her hospitality and encouragement to share our flowers at the start of each week.
Sweet peas still! Certainly some merit in not sowing till March then. Intrestingly, my Black Ball has performed much better than Blue Ball, but they and the white are all much better than the pink version. Overall goo doers though! How tall were the Double Click cosmos, Anna? I would rather not have the really tall 4ft+ varieties. Little Carlow has been recommended so much I really will need to give it a go again next year, having failed with it a couple of years ago. Such a pretty vase overall, whenever it was created!Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteI am outraged (��) that you still have sweet peas. I just can't get them to flower any more, every year I have stubby stems and mildew. Have now given up and will covert others
ReplyDeleteSweet peas!!! We're just sowing them now for spring blooms but, even if we were on the same schedule, I'm sure they wouldn't be blooming here over such a long period. they look great with the asters.
ReplyDeleteAster 'Little Carlow' is charming and I'm envious of your sweet peas, I bet they smell divine!
ReplyDeleteI have ordered that cranberry cosmos for next year, and am pleased it looks as pretty as in the catalogues, despite flopping. How lovely to still have sweet peas in flower! It's a very lovely vase Anna, and I think you should try and pick exactly the same flowers for another vase before they get caught by an unexpected frost! :)
ReplyDeleteNo one would have ever known that it was last weeks photograph if you hadn't of mentioned it. It's not cheating at all, gardening magazines use archive photographs so I don't see why you can't use one of your own a week later. Cornflowers do tend to be rather straggly. We planted or I should say sowed some cosmos seeds quite late in the season and they have developed into a huge bushy plants.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely not cheating if the plants are still flowering at the allotment! But like everyone else I'm amazed and jealous that you still have Sweet peas flowering - do you usually manage to keep them flowering for so long? I usually pull out the cornflowers about a couple of weeks of flowering I had no idea they might continue for so long. Really informative post about the flowering times for you.
ReplyDeleteThat's a very fine looking vase of flowers and utterly brilliant that it's lasted the week and still looks so good. It's been such a good year for sweet peas hasn't it? Mine are now being left to make seed for next year so I only have a handful of blooms; I might try a second late March sowing next year as well as my autumn sowing. I'm definitely putting Cosmos and cornflowers on my seed list for next year - both will be a first for me but I always love them in other people's photos.
ReplyDeleteAsters certainly come in to their own at this time of year and you've combined them with some other beauties for a pretty display. Hope your mum's getting better and still getting on well with her recovery.
ReplyDeleteI think I will look out for S. Little Carlow for planting at my sunny allotment, as whenever I've tried asters at home they've become straggly and mildewed probably due to lack of sunshine in my garden at this time of year. How wonderful that your sweet peas are still flowering. Sweet peas in October - delightful.
ReplyDeleteI grew the blue cornflower for the first time this year and have also been very impressed. Little Carlow is a must have 'Aster'.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your lovely comments which are much appreciated. The sweet peas are still going now albeit on their last legs. I will probably dismantle the wigwam at the weekend. I think that the 'Double Click Cranberry' is perhaps about three feet or so Cathy. They have made very sturdy plants which should have really had some support.
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