SPECIAL TOURS & GIFTS
HIGHGROVE GARDEN: THE GARDEN NOW
MID JUNE
Even with the long day lengths there are not enough daylight hours to both enjoy the Garden and spend time gardening.
Highgrove has been fortunate to have had a good measure of rain over the last few weeks; this has helped with the planting out that is happening throughout the Garden. This is primarily annuals and tender perennials which fill the spaces left by the bulb displays as well as new areas being planted. There will be some wonderful displays of cosmos, salvias, and Nicotiana which will take us through the summer period when the hardy perennials are less prolific in their flowering.
At the moment the Delphiniums are coming into their own, in a range of colours from white, through pink to blue and deep violet; all with an iridescent quality which is so captivating. We have staked these well, earlier in their growth, which is what is so important with these statuesque, but easily wind blown stems.
A signature plant at Highgrove is Alchemilla mollis which edges borders and paths, fills gaps and adds a wonderful backdrop to other planting schemes.
It is such a useful flower for arranging, a “filler” of space much like Gysophila, with a colour that blends with almost any display and a heady honey sweet scent.
Some say that it is rather invasive, but this is rather a strong word to use for such a lovely plant; better to qualify it as garden friendly, with always a self seeded plant or two to give to gardening friends.
The Meadow is gleaming of golden buttercups, swaying with Oxeye daisies and humming with bees!
The introduced Gladiolus byzantinus to the Hornbeam Walk is adding a subtle touch of pink at this otherwise yellow period of flowering. This Mediterranean plant stands long in flower and will establish well in dry meadows.
With all the prodigious plant growth at this time of year comes a good measure of weed management. However much we try to stay on top of the weeds, this is a time of battle! How can Sow Thistles grow so quickly, and right where weeding was done only a few days ago? If you feel you are succumbing to a garden full of weeds, first tackle the ones that are coming to seed, stop this future generation of weeds. Then move on to the ones that are taking over precious plantings which are not robust enough to survive the competition. The rest can be removed at a slower pace with the onset of summer shortening their rate of growth.
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