Saturday 27 August 2011

Top 5 Favourite Summer Flowers

As it is the end of the month, I thought, instead of doing an August review, I would pick what my best performing plants have been throughout the summer.
The Clematis Victoria which adorns the fence of my patio garden has been a really good 'doer' this year.  Some years the slugs strip the soft covering off the stems and it dies back.  Because of the dry weather this year the slugs didn't manage to do any damage and the plant has blossomed it's little socks off.


The Rudbeckia 'Rustic Dwarfs' in my allotment cutting garden reappeared magically after the hard winter and set about growing themselves, even though they were supposed to be annuals.  I have been cutting them all summer long, and there are still plenty of flowers on the plant.



             After a very slow start the Sweetpeas eventually came good.  I planted three stands of them in different parts of the garden  and a long row in the cutting garden, using up all the old seeds I had accumulated, even those past their 'sow before' date.  As a result I have had a bounteous harvest every day.  The ones in the cutting garden are finished now, but those in pots are still growing strong, but the stems are very short now and can't really be cut.  But, they have definitely been value for money.





This is the only Hollyhock that I have in the garden, it still has flowers at the very top of the stem.  I have been so impressed with it that I have made a decision to grow a lot more of them next year.









And finally, Zinnias.  This is the first year that I have been really successful with them.  I love their range of dusky colours, and they have truly been an asset in the cutting garden.  I have kept cutting the central flower stalk and they keep sending out new flowers. They are still going strong, and will hopefully carry on right through to the first frosts.  Definitely on my 'must have' list for next year.

It would be interesting to know what other people's Top Five would include.

10 comments:

  1. Pretty blooms. Unfortunately both my Clematis totally burned up with this heatwave. Granted they were both only a year old but still. Sure they won't come back up next year and will have to decide what I will put there instead. Yours look beautiful.
    Cher Sunray Gardens

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  2. Shame about your Clematis - they don't always do well, but this year they have been exceptional.

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  3. Hm-mmm-m...I will have to give it some thought. Your top five are performing beautifully. I particularly like that variety of Rudbeckia. The color combinations on that bloom are so lovely and striking.

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  4. Those are a beautiful selection... puts me to shame!

    (At this time of year my top five would have to be tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes, plums and onions. Hm.)

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  5. You have nice list of summer favorites. Here, my holly hocks are done, and here they spread like weeds, so we have to chop them out. should try sweet peas, too. Your's are really pretty, but I each year I keep forgetting to plant them.

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  6. Good choices! I think that I would have to say cornflowers, cosmos, pot marigolds, sunflowers and sweet peas. Flighty xx

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  7. To be honest I have loads of favourites including some of your choices Flighty but I picked these as the ones that have done the best over the summer for me.

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  8. Those zinnias of yours had me searching seed catalogs! I've grown them in the past, but a little difficult now that most of the flower beds are spoken for. If clems would grow for me, they'd be a favourite too! Here's my list: roses, alstroemerias, geraniums (pelargoniums and true geraniums), nicotianas, lobelias.

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  9. An excellent selection Nikki

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  10. I love your top 5! I will share mine with you, IF there is anything left when we get to the other side of this Hurricane!

    Sweet Peas! (Sigh) I try every year, but my success has been limited; I dont think they like our hot humid summer.

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