Double flowers are generally ‘Gardener bred’ and not naturally available in the wild.
Doubles are harder for insects to pollinate and therefore single flowers have survived and evolved more readily.
Double flowers were the aim of many Victorian breeders and plantsmen as they sought the awe factor.
These blousy double Peonies have this Awe factor with both colour, double petal form and a tremendous scent.
If you like daisy flowers then you will love Anthemis. A couple of varieties, to grow, are shown above and detailed below.
Anthemis arvensis is a clump-forming plant with green, ferny foliage, that produces numerous daisy-like flowers with white petals and a bright golden centre.
Anthemis tinctoria has several common names including Golden Marguerite, Marguerite Daisy, Dyer’s Chamomile, Ox-eye Chamomile, Boston Daisies and Paris Daisies.
Seeds available from Thompson Morgan
The Japanese poetic work, ‘Manyoshu’ published in 759 AD but written 300-400 years prior selected 7 flowers for Autumn. This corresponds to the 7 Herbs of spring reported on an earlier post.
Autumn has a slight air of melancholy as the summer glory fades and a last bright showing of seed and flower takes pride of place in the garden.
The names may vary as to common names or translation. In some parts of Japanese gardening culture there are slight variations to the plants selected. Often Platycodon grandiflora the Balloon Flower is substituted for one of the above species.
I have tried to grow several Pelargonium varieties this year and been pleasantly surprised at the various forms and colours I have succeeded in producing.
The Grandiflorum is an upright, shrubby perennial with soft smooth stems bearing lobed leaves and large, pinkish-white flowers with dark-purple markings. The plant above I spotted in Chelsea Physic garden this summer.
Perennials are a huge group of plants that should survive year after year. The majority of perennial plants discussed here are herbaceous in that the leaves and stems die back and new growth restarts from the buried roots in the new year.
Choosing Shapes and Colour
August is a good time to trim your hedges and create a neat appearance for autumn and winter.
When of Hedge Trimming.
The How of Hedge Trimming
Flowering Hedges
Dramatic gardens can be designed on minimalist principles. Minimalist gardens need to look good during all seasons and at all times of the day. Thus all your senses plus horticultural nous need to be considered when setting out your initial design.
Orchid flowers are available in so many different colours and forms.
It struck me that both of these Orchids had the look of Pansy flowers with the whiskery central colouring and petal formation.
Have the Pansy and Orchid genes got mix up somewhere in evolution? Not really but a gardener needs some imagination, to say nothing of perseverance, patience etc.
Miltoniopsis Species and Hybrids
Members of the Buttercup family are called Ranunculaceae. To grow the plants successfully beware the seeds tend to have a short period of viability and need planting straight away.
Seed merchant advice (but they want to sell seeds all year around.)
‘Sow April to May or September to October. Alternatively, sow in late summer in 7.5cm (3in) pots in a cool greenhouse and then overwinter plants in cool, well lit conditions.
Sow outdoors where they are to flower.
Prepare the ground well and rake to a fine tilth before sowing. Sow 3mm (1/8in) deep, in rows 30cm (12in) apart.
When large enough to handle, thin out seedlings to 23cm (9in) apart.’
Photo Credits
trollius by withrow CC BY-NC 2.0
nigella by ripplestone garden CC BY-ND 2.0
It can be very satisfying to grow more plants for free. There are several ways including layering and cuttings than can help you increase your stock of plants. Then you can give them away, plant them, resell or just use them to protect against losses of your favourites.
As shown above layering involves little trauma to the parent plant and works particularly well for plants with a single tap root.
A low stem or branch is bent into contact with the soil and pegged down to the soil. I put more soil or a stone over it to keep it down. Encourage the end to poke vertically out of the soil and tie it too a cane if it needs support. Try layering on Rhododendrons or Daphnes but not annuals.
For woody plants it will take some time for new roots to form before the new plant can be cut from the parent. To speed up the process cut the stem half-way through and make a small slit. This will form a tongue where the new roots can start to grow.
You can make your own pins to hold plants down by bending a 6 inch piece of firm wire a couple of inches from the end.
For some plants like violas, primulas and heathers, it is enough to cover the stems from the crown with new compost and in a few months new roots will have formed making pre-rooted cuttings.
Pinks and Carnations are popular plants to propagate from layering.
Hardwood Cuttings
Take a long cutting of ripened wood. Trim below a node and remove lower leaves. Remove a one inch long, thin strip of bark at the base of the cutting. Dip in hormone rooting compound and plant two-thirds into soil and firm down. Semi-ripened wood works better for some plants like Ericaceas.
Roses can be increased this way but success is not 100%.
All such cuttings should grow true to the original plant.
Other Cuttings
Young growth 1-3 inches long should be cut from side shoots or stem of the parent plant. Trim below a node (leaf joint) and remove any leaves that will be below soil level. Dip in hormone rooting powder or liquid.
Put several cuttings around the edge of a pot and water the soil from the bottom. A base heater will speed up root growth but any light place out of direct sun will suffice. Cover the pot with a plastic bag or the top of an old pop bottle to retain moisture until new growth is noticed. This method is good for Dahlias, Lupins and Delphiniums amongst other herbaceous plants.
I often just push prunings (of Box and Flowering Currant) back into the soil.
Most of my Pelargoniums are now generations old from numerous cuttings.
Rosettes
Some plants grow off-shoots or extra rosettes.
These can be potted up and treated like cuttings by putting them in gritty compost to avoid rotting. As with all propagation use clean, sharp tools and fresh materials.
Division and Root Cuttings
Hebaceous plants like Hostas, Phlox, Day Lilies, Campanulas, Michaelmas daisies and Ferns can be increased by division of the root. Take the edge of a clump with some root and replant. Alternatively dig up the plant and chop the root into large pieces discarding any poor material from the center of the plant. Replant the new pieces and you will have new rejuvenated plants next year.
Be on the look out in your garden for suckers that can be grown on to form new plants.
Loganberries and Blackberries may have rooted them selves from the tips of stems that touched the soil.
Self sown seedlings or collected seed is one of the most popular way of acquiring more plants.
Good luck with finding and creating your own Free Plants.
