It’s absolutely sluicing it down just now, as it has been for several hours. The wind has dropped a bit though. Good thing I did my pictures yesterday when it was only drizzling.
One.
Camellia yunnanensis. I went down to Trelissick on Thursday to a meeting about a study day on Camellias that I’m going to be involved with next year. A couple of sprays of this camellia were lying on the table for me to take away and attempt to identify. It’s been flowering for a month, so very early. I tipped the flower on its side to photograph it, it would have been facing down. There were a couple of sprays from a different bush too, very similar but spring flowering. It had fruits on it and I collected and sowed five seeds, as well as taking cuttings of both. I’m fairly sure both are C. yunnanensis.
Two.
Chilli sauce. Jalapeno, Orange Habanero and Apache chillies. As rare as the above camellia is my presence in the kitchen for two hours plus. It’s not as hot as last year’s, which is a good thing, I might stand a chance of getting through it before next years crop. Sue’s planning to make chilli jam with the rest.
Three.
Senecio crassissimus. This got planted up in a big pot with Sempervivums round its feet and put out the front of the house for the summer. It really needs bringing back in but it has been very happy outdoors for several months.
Four.
Fuchsia ‘Lechlade Debutante’. I can’t quite believe I’ve never put this Fuchsia in a six. It’s another species cross that flowers very late but it’s a beautiful variety and a firm favourite. I think I may say that about most of them.
Five.
Mahonia eurybracteata ‘Soft Caress’. I seem to recall buying this about five or six years ago and not having anywhere to put it. It stayed in its pot, deteriorating, for a year or so then was planted in next doors front garden when Des was still alive. It took a year or two to start to grow properly and when Des went I dug it up and put it back in a pot. I know where I want to put it but there’s a polytunnel in the way. It’s not flowering like you see in pictures online, but it will, when it gets a home to live in.
Six.
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Ferne Osten’. Every year this grass comes up and looks great then around the time it starts to flower, flops all over the place. At that point I resolve to get rid of it and replace it with something sturdier, then it does this. Even half collapsed it looks better than 75% of the rest of the garden. Perhaps I could swap it with something, get it somewhere sunnier and dryer.
I can’t see much gardening happening today. This mornings sorted, there’s a rugby match to watch. Perhaps it’ll brighten up later, ha ha. One of our cats has just come in looking like a drowned rat, looking for a lap to dry out on. Fat chance.
Virtual gardening today then, peering through other peoples rain spattered windows into their sodden, battered gardens. The links are where they always are in The Propagators comments section.
garden ruminations 
Do you always let the jalapenos ripen? They sure are bright red. I never see them like that. Everyone wants them green. I really don’t like them. They have such a weird plastic like texture. If I were to grow them though, I would prefer them to ripen to red. I think that they have better flavor that way. While green, they taste so unripe.
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It’s the first time I’ve grown them. I tried a couple of green ones, didn’t much like them, so left them to ripen. They’ve gone into sauce.
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It used to be one of the most traditional peppers here. It is also one of my least favorites. They do well for us, and are productive. I agree that they are better ripe.
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They have quite a strong and distinctive flavour in addition to hotness, which I thought would go well in a sauce. The hot ones I used with it meant the sauce is so hot I only use a few drops at a time and don’t really get the flavour.
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Besides the plastic like texture of the intact fruits (before processing into a sauce), the distinctive flavor is something that I am none too keen on, not because it is not a good flavor, but because it is somewhat mild relative to the spiciness. The spiciness overpowers the flavor, especially in sufficient quantity to (try to) exploit the flavor. Other peppers that are not so spicy have richer flavor, so more can be added to recipes.
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I just looked at a couple of seed lists from UK suppliers, one has 71 chillies, the other 84. It’s going to take me longer than I’ve got to work through them. I do like a bit of heat though. Chillies that aren’t hot seem a tad pointless.
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Bell peppers are good vegetables too. I would not want them to be spicy. Even some of the spicy ones should have some flavor and substance. Since they became a fad, varieties that are too ridiculously spicy have become trendy, but no one knows what they are good for. No one eats them. No one wants to add them to a recipe. They just want to brag about growing them.
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I have āLechlade Gordonā but love āDebutanteā. Must seek that one out. I have the same Mahonia but am a bit disappointed in its growth so far.
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The fuchsia is a winner, unlike our rugby team, which is a great shame. Lovely miscanthus. š
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Unfortunately, England lost in the final… They didn’t play as in the semifinal which would have assured them the victory, but it may be for next time in France in 2023 !?
Your fuchsia is very pretty: nice picture!
I have 2 miscanthus, one is standing, the other is falling. ..but it’s nice so I keep both!
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I don’t seem to be too upset about the rugby; the better team won for sure. I’m not very tribal by nature. I have another Miscanthus which always stays standing but it’s quite coarse compared to the floppy one. It’s why it stays up I guess.
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That’s a gorgeous camellia… I’m not a fan of hot sauces or peppers but they look pretty!
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The Camellia is so classy compared to most of the blowsy japonicas, I hope I can get some to grow.
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Love the Lechlade Debutante…what is its growth form? Wouldn’t this sell well in the area around Lechlade? The boss of stamens on the Camellia is magnificent…I can just image it growing in a large Victorian Orangery…but maybe it was only discovered recently. Good on you for the chili sauce…..goes a long way but adds zing during the grey days.
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Lechlade Debutante is one of a dozen or so with Lechlade in the name, all raised by John Wright. There was a Lechlade Fuchsia Centre but it seems to have been bought by Almondsbury Garden Centre in 1992 and turned into a full blown garden centre. I wonder whether they sell any of the Lechlade Fuchsias. Lechlade Debutante is a big grower, a somewhat rangy six foot plus that we’ve always cut back for lack of indoor space for the winter so it makes a lot of growth before starting to flower very late. The Camellia does seem to be a recent introduction to this country and since it has never been commercially available, is extremely rare. I really hope the cuttings grow.
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