I’m regarding the coming few days with trepidation, as I’m sure many of you will be. I will be moving potted plants into shade or putting shade up where they are. We still have stored water at the moment but it’s running low. At least it looks like it will be a short spell down here. Our next garden opening is not for a fortnight, so we at least have a chance to get back on track for that.
On the plus side, It’s high summer and there’s lots flowering. Some will be over quickly with the heat but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.
One.
Lilium leichtlinii seems to be a species, though the name is often written ‘Leichtlinii’ as a cultivar. We saw it at Wildside a year or two back and once I’d worked out what it was I ordered 10 bulbs which I put into a 20L pot. The pot is now sunk to about half its depth in what would have been a gap, with a few Salvias screening the pot. They are around 1.7m tall, from the compost surface, which is very respectable and more than it said in the catalogue. I absolutely love them and will certainly do more next year, the only question being whether it is more of the same or different varieties.
Two.
Crocosmia ‘Paul’s Best Yellow’. Did I ever work out who Paul was? I may have done but have forgotten. Pretty much the same colour as the Lily, which is fine by me but will get the ‘don’t like yellow’ brigade’s teeth on edge. Fairly tall too, though not as tall as ‘Lucifer’, and vigorous.
Three.
I must admit to having considered doing six strident yellow things, I have Calendula, Escholzia, Hemerocallis; might have struggled for a sixth, Tagetes perhaps, or sunflowers. Anyhow, I’m going pink instead, partly to force myself to look up the name of this thing, having been asked several times of late. Filipendula palmata ‘Rubra’ is the name I have in my plant list but it seems to be wrong. I’m going with Filipendual purpurea, aka Filipendual palmata purpurea. It’s in our bog garden, masquerading as an Astilbe but not doing a good job of it, its camouflage has been rumbled by several of our visitors who then of course want to know what it is. Filipendula not rubra venusta has been my inadequate reply. It’ll be over by the time the next lot come.
Four.
Purple now, in the shape of Geranium pratense ‘Plenum Violaceum’. A plant that is good from a distance and just as good when you zoom in on a single flower. Tempting providence, it is standing up, unsupported.
Five.
Indigo, specifically Indigofera pendula. Hands down the most asked about plant in the garden. Very long racemes of small pea flowers and neat pinnate foliage. Responds well to pruning so controllable in size. Last year it had seed pods but seemingly no viable seed. I cut it to around six foot and it will grow three feet or more, flowering on new and old growth.
Six.
What sort of plant can’t decide whether to have green or purple leaves so settles for striped, and also can’t decide on a flower colour, yellow, red or a bit of both. That would be Canna ‘Cleopatra’. It started last year in a three litre pot and is near to splitting a 20 litre now. I’d expect it to be a Marmite plant, that’s fine, you can hate it all you want.
Perish the thought that there might be other things vying for a place on the list, they get a slot on the flowery footnote. Some will get their own space next week, maybe. I’m off to pick raspberries and blueberries on my allotment; slow gardening. I had a look at The Prop’s six earlier, mercifully he doesn’t seem to be doing any crazy runs in this heat. There are probably 50K training runs we don’t hear about.
garden ruminations 
Those lilies are so striking! Really gorgeous. Love the crocosmia color too.
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The lilies are beautiful. Just learned what “Marmite” means – personally, I’m in favor of cannas these days, though I find their foliage much more attractive than their flowers.
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I think I still prefer Hedychium to Canna, for both foliage and flower. They’re hardier, untouched by slugs and the flowers are showier and longer lasting. The Cannas are staying for now though, see how I feel in a couple of years. (And we have a jar of Marmite in the cupboard)
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Hey! Seriously! I just got my very first ‘Cleopatra’ canna yesterday! I never thought I wanted one, but procured it from someone who happens to grow them. Sadly, it is virused. (She was not aware of the virus.) Most of my eight other cannas are virused, so some that seem to lack the virus must be separated from them. I am not certain if I like ‘Cleopatra’ much, because of that weird mix of colors that everyone else likes about it. I like the dark bronze foliage of ‘Australia’, and the clear green foliage of my unnamed yellow canna, but I am not sure that I like them together. Also, I am not sure that I like the red and yellow together in the bloom. It looks like it squirted out of the far side of a Whopper. Well, I got it now, and will enjoy growing it, whether or not I ever get accustomed to the colors.
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Most of the Cannas on sale in garden centres here are virused, the few I grow are clean so far, including Cleopatra. In truth there’s probably a childish part of me that likes growing things like just because the odd person is offended by it.
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WHAT?! I am odd?! Well, that explains a lot. Although, I am not exactly offended by ‘Cleopatra’. I am just not so keen on the odd color combination. Is it childish to grow odd or offensive plants? At work, I grow what is practical. In my home garden, I grow what I want, which includes a few items that others dislike. For example, I still grow my first lily of the Nile, even though everyone else thinks that it is cheap and common. I could eventually grow some sort of pampas grass (that will not escape and naturalize into the forest) just because I remember it from when I was a kid. I sometimes grow something that I dislike, just so I can get to like it. I will eventually do that with lemon bottlebrush.
Anyway, I can find almost NO information about the canna viruses. I sort of suspected that most are infected, and that most cannas just live with it, rather than die out like they are supposed to if infected. Mine still grow like weeds. I do believe that my ‘Australia’ is uninfected though, and will try to keep it that way for as long as possible. I suspect that it would be likely to express symptoms if infected.
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I must admit I know very little about virus in Canna, I just assume that streaking in the leaves is virus and walk away. It presumably doesn’t affect their growth and flowering a great deal or people wouldn’t grow them, let alone sell them, but who knows. Yet another knowledge gap that I’m not in a great rush to fill.
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That is about where I am at. Some seem to be virused only because they are distressed. Only one of the two here that I suspect are viruses exhibits major symptoms. I will keep it separate from the rest, but doubt that the others are uninfected.
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I also like the canna but it is the Lilium leichtlinii that caught my eye this week.
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That lily is a topper, Jim, and perfectly grown! A great credit to you. And then you add the indigofera, an exceptional plant and ‘Cleopatra’ a striking one. A good selection. Now, to the shade and the beer for the next few days!
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That reminds me, I need to get more beer in the fridge. I measured the temperature in my shady corner the other day and it was 4.6°C cooler than in the shade behind the house.
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I like the Lilium leichtlinii. My martagon have suffered with lily beetles this year though the Asiatic lilies are looking good.
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Interesting, I’ve had exactly the same. More Asiatics it is then.
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Wow to the Lilium leichtlinii and the Geranium, but I can’t find the love for the Canna. Your garden is a riot of colour and all the lovelier for it.
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Two for, one against for the Canna. I expected it to divide opinion.
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Those lilies are glorious. I can understand why more are on the shopping list. You are not going to tempt me though. I have too much lily beetle here and have just decided to stop growing lilies completely. Our stored water was used up weeks ago and we are on a water meter. I have to let nature take its course. Lovely photos.
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I’ve found a few lily beetles (as nothing compared to vine weevils) but they’ve almost all been on my martagons, leichtlinii has been almost completely clear. I need a water bowser, then I could fill up from someone not on a meter.
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Long may the leichtlini stay clear.
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As always, beautiful blooms and interesting information about them. But, that geranium wins the prize for the best this week. As you say, good from a distance and close up.
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It’s one of the Geraniums I wholeheartedly like, among not a few that I’m ambivalent about. Just the one flush of flower unfortunately.
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Really enjoy our virtual tour of your garden each week, Jim. It is a splendid display and the result of lots of hard work, I expect.Thank you.
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Thank you. I just finished plumbing in yet another water butt at 9pm, so yes, work is involved and mostly I enjoy it.
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I like Ywllow! Your lily is amazing, must remember that one when I get round to ordering. I also Have Paul’s Best Yellow, I thought it referred to the Paul that bred it who held the National Collection and lived I think in Plymouth, maybe wrong, it was a long time ago that I heard that.
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It seems to be credited to a Ken Ridgely on most websites that mention it, but I dare say they all copied the first one.
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Hi, the canna ‘Cleopatra’ on my wishlist. The two-tone leaves are so original and pretty…! I also really appreciated in your Six the lillium leichtlinii: it seems to withstand the heat. Good luck for the next few days..
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The lily is going to get properly tested for heat in the coming days. It’ll probably do better than me.
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I have recently rediscovered Cannas. Could not grow them for toffee and then I discovered they grow well in pots. Love the cleopatra
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That’s a tick in the ‘for’ column for Cleo.
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