The solstice has come and gone but the summer has just started…
Posted on | June 22, 2010 | No Comments
EDP article for June 27th 2010
The solstice arrived and swiftly departed without stopping, heralding the start of summer whatever our temperate climate throws at us over the next few months. We wouldn’t be British if we didn’t constantly complain about the weather! Too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry, we muddle along and cope with all that out fair isle throws at us in our stride, with of course, plenty of grumbling on the way.
So our gardens are a few weeks later in growth than past years and in some years we are a few weeks ahead, though by high summer everything seems to even out and then we can grumble about the summer past! Some plants will always do better in some years rather than others depending on whether they like a lot of rain, heat, or sun, though a combination of all would be just fine and dandy. The blooms on the Torbay palm Cordyline australis for instance usually flower here at the Exotic Garden form mid May onwards and are only now coming into full bloom, with their intoxicatingly seductive Lilly scent with clouds of bees buzzing around.
Unfortunately the cold nights throughout the first half of the month often dropped down to single figures which has held many of the more tender planting back such as Coleus (Solenostemon) and Ricinus communis ‘Castor Oil Plant’ which loath cold nights, though with warmer weather they will soon perk up and grow into handsome plants by high summer.
A small tree that is doing very well here this year is the large leaved Magnolia macrophylla and what a whopper it is. This amazing small tree is indigenous to woodlands in south western United States and is hardy down to about -15°C (5°F). Mine is around 10 years old and about 3.5m (12ft) tall and doing exceedingly well, taking the past cold winter in its stride. Magnolia macrophylla prefers growing in dappled shade as it does not perform well in a full sun situation. The leaves on this monster can be from 30-90cm (12-32ins) long and 18-30 cm (7-12ins) wide. These over-the-top leaves are bright green above with a fuzzy, silver-grey underside, creating a beautiful two-toned effect with each passing breeze. From May to July it has showy fragrant blossoms, each up to 30cms (12ins) wide and pale ivory in colour with a slight rose tint at the base, lasting a day or so, hence easily missed.
On a far more diminutive scale is another woodlander that has grown to perfection over the last three years here at the Exotic Garden; Podophyllum ‘Spotty Dotty’. This perennial marvel of the plant world has been planted near the entrance to the garden under a large pink flowered Horse Chestnut Aesculus x carnea. I first saw this little gem when on a lecture tour of the US Pacific North West where I fell in love with its stunning beauty in the garden of Linda Cochran on Bainbridge Island near Seattle. This delightful, if not rather bizarre looking plant, has lobed umbrella-shaped leaves up to 30cm (1ft) across, which are deep chartreuse with dramatic chocolate-brown spotting throughout the spring and into the summer. The whole ensemble emerges in early spring where it pushes up through the soil like a closed umbrella and expands once it is clear of the soil surface. The drooping garnet-coloured flowers are found under the leaves in clusters, so you have to gently push the leavers aside to see them. The flowers appear from late May throughout June and have rather peculiar metallic scent that makes you recoil as it is not the sort of aroma you expect from a plant! Never-the-less, I think this fairly recent introduction to the UK will be seen far more often in our gardens in years to come especially as it is hardy.
Another gem from plant collector extraordinaire Dan Hinkle who also lives on Bainbridge Island is Disporum cantoniense ‘Night Heron’. This rare and exceptional cultivar emerged from wild seed collections in China. The stems emerge from the ground from late winter to early spring with lustrous deep brownish-burgundy foliage rising up to 1.8m (6ft) tall like a handsome well-mannered bamboo and by summer the foliage fades to greenish-purple. Myriads of delicate, drooping, creamy bell-shaped flowers appear in terminal clusters in spring lasting for weeks, followed by masses of small glistening black-purple fruit. Like the Podophyllum it prefers dappled shade and moist soil.
My cats are all making a racket in the kitchen – telling me that I forgot to feed them this morning! I better go and feed them and have a cup of tea followed by a slow stroll with them around the garden and soak up the summer warmth…
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