SUMMER 2000
A view of the garden showing the new Jungle Hut under construction
It looks like we have paid for the mild winter with a one of the poorest summers for many years. A lack of sunshine and strong winds delayed the gardens usual progress with the likes of the ginger lilys emerging from the ground several weeks later than usual and failing to flower this year. All however is not doom and gloom in the exotic garden, Phormium Cookianum flowered for the first time in the garden, throwing up tall spikes of flowers that attracted birds and bees in great numbers.
The
Black Bamboo (Phyllostachys Nigra) planted last year has put on
an amazing spurt of growth, now standing some 3m high you could
almost stand and watch its height increase with the naked eye.
The new canes are already starting to turn black and should look
stunning next year contrasting with its delicate light green
foliage.
Argave Americana variegata that had caused me some concern in the winter has pulled through with just the loss of some of the new leaves in the centre that had turned brown and rotted, these were carefully removed to reveal a nice firm unscathed leaf in the growing point. This winter I shall keep the argave completly dry to avoid this problem. News of the Cordyline Indivisa is not so good after surviving the winter ok and putting on some new growth in the early part of the year it suddenly went into decline and is no longer with me. Indivisa`s are notoriously difficult to get established but I think I will try another next year.
New plants I have tried this year are Melianthus Major and Cyperus Papyrus, both I have been very impressed with. Melianthus Major is a wonderful plant the deeply lobed and serrated leaves are a glaucous grey-green measuring 70cm long with a very exotic look to them. Cyperus Papyrus from the banks of the river Nile although frost tender makes a stunning clump in the garden it has reached 160cm tall and seems to tolerate quite dry conditions I shall lift it for the winter and replant in the spring.
The Tree ferns have been wonderful this year the largest producing 27 new fronds in the spring, resembling a massive shuttlecock as they unfurled to their 180cm length. I feed the tree ferns during the summer with dilute seaweed extract at fortnightly intervals into the top of the trunk which they seem to thrive on. Their underground roots however are becoming rather invasive finally strangling a hosta growing beneath them, but a price worth paying for the mood they lend to the garden.
Other projects in the garden this year include the building of the jungle hut, that is still ongoing as I write this( thanks David for all your help its not that often that carpenters get to work with large diameter bamboo ! ). Once finished it should provide a nice retreat to sit and enjoy the garden from.
David behind the Tree fern working on the Jungle Hut
The
pond seems to have flourished this year Zantedeschia Aethiopica
the Arum Lily flowered from early spring to mid summer with its
beautiful white flowers, also flowering this year was Green
Goddess a form with green flowers, to my mind it is a little to
hard to distinguish the flowers from the leaves making it not as
attractive as the species. Also growing in the pond is the
smaller form of Papyrus it is said to be hardier than its larger
relation and I may split it and leave half in the pond for the
winter and see how it fairs.
Papyrus growing in the pond
Considering the general lack of sunshine this year the garden has faired very well. Now entering October it is still a sight to behold with the bananas still pushing up huge new leaves and Fatsia Japonica forming plump buds ready to flower, the ginger lilys are still growing strongly, and who knows, they may get time to flower before the first frost !
