The heat and sunshine has brought the garden on in leaps and bounds this week but keeping up with the watering is a bit of a nightmare. The acid lovers that I have in pots are having to be watered with our hard water. I hope they forgive me. It’s been difficult to choose, but here are my six for this week.
1. Crambe cordifolia. I grew this from seed many years ago. It seemed to disappear for a few years but had a resurgence last year. The leaves are rather coarse and almost spiky but that doesn’t deter the slugs and snails at all. The flowers are amazing (a bit like Gypsophila’s big brother) and the stems then remain for months with small berries on.
2. Another white flower, this is Ammi (I can’t remember if it’s visnaga or majus). I first read of this in a Christopher Lloyd book. It’s very elegant and flowers for a long period. I think the heat has made them shoot upwards and flower rather than branch more first.
3. Last white flower for this week, a Leucanthemum I think – it used to be in my Dad’s garden and I know it as a Shasta Daisy. Again, it’s a bit taller than usual.
I deadheaded the Foxglove in the background after I looked at the picture! The strong winds a couple of weeks ago bent them all over. I couldn’t bear to cut down the ones that hadn’t snapped.
4. In early spring I succumbed to an offer from a well known on line nursery for some very inexpensive perennials. Some are now in daughter’s garden and I filled gaps in my garden with the rest. Some will have to be moved in the autumn but the colour of the flowers of these Verbascum match the foliage of Physocarpus ‘Diablo’ perfectly. I’d like to say it was planned but…..
5. Two beautiful Clematis growing together up an obelisk – Blue Angel (the darker one) and a forgotten name one.
6. The lovely beasties have finally arrived. The first ones I’ve seen in my garden this year. Hopefully, there’s many more as they’ve a lot of aphids to get through.
That’s my Six (I hope it all looks okay as I’ve used my phone and it put up a fight). I can’t believe it’ll be July for the next one! Don’t forget to check back to our hosts site for your weekends reading.
Six on Saturday 
Lovely images – thanks for sharing! Doesn’t the ladybird larva look like something that should feature in a B horror movie? Imagine if you were the size of a greenfly? Your verbascum is really striking. I’ve got Physocarpus ‘Diablo’ as well – I’m tempted to imitate! :~)) Still, I’m trying to get sky blue Clematis ‘Justa’ to grow up that. I think, with your two clematis, the light blue one is ‘Blue Angel’ (‘Blekitny Aniol’) – I put together some Group 3 clematis images for the class yesterday, and that was one of them. Loved seeing your white flowers.
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Thanks. My past labelling and memory have not been as good as they could have been. I just need to identify the other Clematis now. I also have a ‘Justa’, it’s climbing up a post.
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Your verbascum is gorgeous! I am beginning to grow fond of tall flowers, but in my windy garden that might come at a price. I do have some Ammi though, the Majus is in full flower (and tall), but the visnaga has still to show signs of buds!
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My garden seems to be getting taller. I’m being drawn to tall herbaceous plants, but they do take up a bit of space!
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Looking at your garden, it’s hard to imagine that it’s needing watering. Everything looks lush and healthy, and the clematis are particularly beautiful.
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Thanks. I have a real soft spot for Clematis but I’m running out of places to grow them. I just need to stop buying them!
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Stop buying clematis? Does not compute. Syntax error. Reboot immediately.
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Apologies! Must have been thought transference from the non-gardener. I meant to write that I must plant the two I have before buying any more.
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All systems nominal.
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Wow … lovely Verbascum picture ! I don’t have but it makes me want to grow them now… thanks for sharing
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What a gorgeous verbascum, perfect against the ‘unplanned’ foliage! I love those clematis, too – that blue is so striking. Very envious of your crambe cordifolia, I tried for years to grow one in our Welsh garden but the slimy ones defeated me in the end.
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I turn the leaves over every day to pick the S&S off but they still look a bit like net curtains. I grow other plants around the Crambe so that only the flower spikes show.
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I’m on Team Verbascum, too. Stunning. Really love the choice you made of clematis for the obelisk as well. And thank goodness the baby ladybugs have arrived!
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Really love the colour of your Verbascum – does it have a name? I posted a pic of Ammi majus this week – grown from seed from Great Dixter – and it doesn’t look quite the same, but may just be different growing conditions.
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Maybe my Ammi is visnaga? I can’t find the packet, sadly. I think I tidied up too soon! The Verbascum is a phoeniceum variety
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Looking at my Ammi today it looks more like yours now it is maturing.
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All looking very lovely. I like the clematis. I have a blue Angel, hiding behind the loosestrife. Hoping it grows on a bit next year.
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