Some funny signs at our local allotment - Elder Stubbs, Florence Park, Oxford

“Giant Leek for Mankind”

“Spuddau Ballet”

“That’s One Small Spud for a Flan”

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“The Peatles”

- I’m Dried,

- I’m Sweet

- I’m Musy

- I’m Frozen

- I’m Ringo

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“Thank You! Thank You Very Mulch”

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I was very pleased with my picture of Coreopsis from my garden without any comprehension of the variety available. That was before I came across another blog Transatlantic Plantsman with the picture below by the Dutch perennials wizard Luc Klinkhamer

Anyway back to my small observations.

• I purchased one good plant from a nursery last Autumn and split it into 3 before planting. Two plants are now larger than the original and all are flowering in a nice group.
• My plants are flowering very well.
• They are great additions to my garden design of bright yellow and oranges that will bloom most of the summer. They fit in well with most plants and have a good compact habit.
• Coreopsis makes a neat 14 inch tall edging plant as well as nice cut flowers.
• Check the habit of the more exotic types as they may not be as compact or floriferous
• Coreopsis is attracting a lot of attention from breeders and will be a perennial plant to be reconed with over the next few years. Watch this space or the one at your garden center.

The Latin part of a plant name often gives a hint about the attributes of a plant or flower.

Maculatus or maculata means spotted in leaf, bark or this case flower. It also means spotted in the insect world.

Look out for other obvious hints like odorata and fragrans which will be scented . Alba means white whilst nigrescens will be black. The spellings may differ and it isn’t a fool proof method of plant selection but it may help.

Similar to spinach with a slightly bitter flavour Swiss Chard is pungent and slightly salty. It contains an exceptionally impressive list of health promoting nutrients. Although Swiss Chard is available throughout the year, its season runs from June through August when it is at its best.

• Swiss Chard is a tall leafy green vegetable with a thick, crunchy stalk that comes in white, red or yellow with wide fan-like green leaves.
• It is ornamental enough to grow in the border.
• Chard is easy to grow from seed and grows upto 18 inches tall and spread.
• Eat and cook Chards like spinach. Both the leaves and stalk of chard are edible, although the stems vary in texture with the white ones being the most tender.
• ‘Ruby Red’ has stunning deep veins and can be picked young.
• ‘Bright Lights’ is a seed mixture ready within a month
• Organic seed is available and if growing it organically watch out for slugs

If you find an old Victorian sack cart or wheelbarrow it probably won’t be cheap. However such old tools are often made from good materials are very well designed for the purpose and are proven by years of experience and wear. Look out for such tools at car boot sales and second hand market stalls as they can be a fraction of the price of new and more to the point they can do a great job.

The right tool for the right job can make things easy like this old lawn edger. However there is money to be saved by having a multi-purpose tool that will grub out weeds in paths, hoe, rake and scrape a bit like this edger in fact.

Other Tools and Device Tips

• Buy the best you can afford it should make the job easier, more pleasurable and last longer
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Evening Primrose is a wonderfully scented flower for summer evenings.

Verbena Bonariensis is one of my favourite plants. This is actually poking up from some cracks in the patio; giving an impact of meadow planting. It like its informality, height and delicacy of flower. I think it is best when grown in random clumps.

Generally verbena bonariensis grows well from seed. Scatter some on the soil in late July / August and if lucky it will continue to self sow for many years

The Bearded Iris offers a huge range of colours. This is a deep purple variety growing in the Oxford Botanic Gardens.

Bearded Iris do well in a sunny, well drained soil. They can provide years of spectacular colour in May - July.

Rudbeckia is a favourite of the cottage garden.

Rudbeckia comes from the family Asteraceae whose members are commonly known as coneflowers; the others are Echinacea, Dracopis and Ratibida.

The variety Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullvantii ‘Goldsturm is a favourite of gardeners for its very long flowering period.

Rudbeckia are fairly easy to grow preferring

• Full sun / partial shade
• Well drained soil
• Moderate staking may be required for some of the taller flowering varieties.
• Spreads at a steady rate.
• The plant can be divided in autumn time to increase number of plants

I took this photo in Autumn last year, outside Merton College, Oxford near to Christchurch Meadow. The natural sunlight highlights the colours of the changing leaves.