Highfield Farm Garden (Monmouthshire, Wales)
I am lagging behind with my England tour posts, not that there is an urgency, but I know if I don't get them recorded and organized, my feeble memory will begin to muddle them. The three previous gardens ( Hidcote , Kiftsgate , and Bourton House ) were visited on the first day of the tour. Day 2 took us across the border into Wales, where we saw two gardens. Our group (about 25 people) rode in a comfortable bus, and everyone kept saying that it was much smaller than the buses they normally used. I thought it was fine, and most of the time, I had my aisle to myself. Unlike the Japan trip, where our mode of transportation changed daily, we kept the same bus during the entire trip. I soon learned that it was best for my mental health to sit on the right side of the bus. The country lanes of England are indeed as narrow as they appear on television, and the ever-present hedgerows grow right next to the roadside. Watching these hedgerows fly by within an inch of your window...
Nice photos. I like your grasses and the coleus especially. I saw masses of switchgrass at the Chicago Botanic Garden. It made me want to try some. Are they invasive at all?
ReplyDeleteWhat is Shell Ginger? Sally Holmes is one of my favorite roses.
ReplyDeletePam, I just planted the switchgrass a few weeks ago. I hope it is not invasive!
ReplyDeleteChuck, the botanical name is 'Alpinia zerumbet'. It is not hardy here - I dig it up and store it in the basement over the winter. It is worth growing for the foliage alone. It blooms in warmer climates and has small flowers that resemble seashells, thus the name.
You have so many beautiful flowers, Phillip - but that 'Buff Beauty' is especially fine.
ReplyDeleteIt's amusing to see how many garden bloggers have Black & Blue salvia in their posts!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
I like to torment myself by looking at southern gardens to see what won't grow well in my own zone 5 garden. I love that Shell Ginger, and knowing you have to take it inside to overwinter, makes me think I could do the same up here in Indiana.
ReplyDeleteThanks for showing us some lovely blooms for GBBD.
Carol at May Dreams Gardens
Annie in Austin led me over here by telling me that you had posted a particularly nice picture of the 'Buff Beauty' that I covet andn plan to plant next spring... but I'll definitely be back for more of your lovely photos and posts.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos! My sasanqua Camellia is blooming too. I think it's quite amazing that plants a thousand? miles apart could be blooming at the same time.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw the Camellia I thought of Ki. Your plants look really, really good and I am with the crowd thinking that 'Buff Beauty' is a great looking rose.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to add that Switch grass ain this part of the woods is a slowly spreading clump. It has not been invasive at all. I haven't seen that cultivar before and it looks nice.
ReplyDeleteIt's so rare that I ever see Angel's Trumpet -- those are beautiful flowers. I like the salvias you have there, too. Great photos!
ReplyDeleteWonderful pictures Phillip!! The roses are very nice, I too think that buff beauty is great. Wonder if it will grow here in zone 5? Might have to research that. Shell ginger looks like it would be worth digging up and storing over winter. Thanks for sharing!! Cliff
ReplyDeleteNice pictures! You sure have a lot of beautiful things blooming! As a gardener, I'd kinda like to live in a warmer climate with a longer grow season, but as a person who loves the cold-no way!
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