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Gardening

This summer's star plant?

(79 Posts)
shysal Tue 20-Aug-19 17:24:38

Which annual or perennial plant has performed the best for you this summer?
For the first time I grew Petunia Tidal Wave, some from seed and others from cheap plug plants from a TV shopping channel. They climb and trail and look like they will keep going until the first frosts. Each of the examples pictured shows a single pot containing 3 or 5 plugs. Thank you Monty for featuring the Velour red ones which prompted my purchases.

midgey Tue 20-Aug-19 17:32:03

I dislike begonias, however the ones I bought in the reduced aisle in B and Q, for 50p, have flowered like machines all summer through gales etc etc! My runner beans however were blown down and are now compostsad

BBbevan Tue 20-Aug-19 18:01:42

My camellias have born fruit. Everyone I know has never seen this before. The fruit looks like round figs, but I think can't be eaten. An absolute star though

Liz46 Tue 20-Aug-19 18:11:24

Last year I bought some pansies from the local, family run garden centre. The flowers were big and beautiful so I gathered some seed and stored it in a paper bag over the winter. I have had beautiful posts of pansies again this summer so am on the hunt for more seeds for next year.

I've bought a lot of other things from the garden centre this year so am not putting them out of business!

GrannyLiv Tue 20-Aug-19 18:11:58

Funnily enough midgey I don't like Begonias, but when I admired the glorious orange cascading flowers in the hanging baskets at my local, I was amazed to be told that they were Double Begonia's! I have resolved to get some for next year smile

nanaK54 Tue 20-Aug-19 18:43:24

shysal they are beautiful. Our petunias grown from seed have been good as have our dahlias

nanaK54 Tue 20-Aug-19 19:50:29

Oh asters too, first year of growing, will certainly be repeating

Fennel Tue 20-Aug-19 19:51:09

I love petunias, but haven't tried them yet here.
As I've said before, we moved last year from rural SW France to urban NE England, and I'm still discovering some of the differences. I know more about growing veg. than flowers.
The last owners of our house left some interesting plants.The main star up to now is crocosmia. I know it tends to be invasive, but the bright orange colour is cheerful.
We have some beautiful roses too. I cut off the dead blooms and they keep flowering.

Nannytopsy Tue 20-Aug-19 20:02:22

My Judas Tree (Cercis) always sets seed but they say they won’t germinate in the UK. This year I have at least seven seedlings!

joannapiano Tue 20-Aug-19 20:09:41

Our white and pink cosmos have been very nice this year. We dead head them regularly to keep the flowers going. Some have had to be staked because of all the rain this year and we might try dwarf ones next year.

Labaik Tue 20-Aug-19 20:39:15

I've learned to love Petunias. But I don't like to see them with all different colours; just a tub of one solid colour. I've been away a lot this year and my Petunias have just looked after themselves. Also, having a new puppy that forages for anything they aren't poisonous like a lot of my favourite plants. I also love Sedums.

lemongrove Tue 20-Aug-19 20:46:04

The ‘million bells’ always do well, but this year the pelargoniums have been really good, ditto pink scabious and orange helianthemums.?

shysal Tue 20-Aug-19 21:37:27

My million bells, in wall baskets with balcony pelargoniums, have been disappointing this year. It may be that they are double flowered, whereas last year's were single and more prolific. I used them instead of trailing lobelia which go over too soon.

crazyH Tue 20-Aug-19 21:40:26

Shysal, absolutely beautiful

Callistemon Tue 20-Aug-19 22:07:37

Pelargonium Rozanne is still lovely ( recommended by another gransnetter) but it is the roses which have been wonderful, prolific blooms early on and now blooming again.

The lavender flowered very well too, despite the wet weather.

Lisagran Tue 20-Aug-19 22:12:02

My clematis have done well this year - and still going strong! Sweet peas were lovely this year too - a lovely scent on warm evenings

CanadianGran Tue 20-Aug-19 22:32:49

My lilac earlier in the summer, and my clematis now. Both went wild with blooms this year! Both photos are in the back garden.

In my front, I have mixed pots and I have to say the osteospermum have done really well. In the past I have had them bloom from the time I plant them well into fall.

Labaik Wed 21-Aug-19 00:00:11

I once saw a huge tub full of million bells and it was beautiful, but I've never had much success growing them myself. Contrary to how I like larger Petunias to be planted I do like million bells in a variety of colours. My favourite trailing plant is Bacupa and I have some in a pot that comes back year after year.

shysal Wed 21-Aug-19 09:08:37

Lovely photos Lisagran and CanadianGran. My favourite colour palate.

grannybuy Wed 21-Aug-19 10:08:29

My begonias, without a doubt, also a basket of pansies, bought at Dobbies.

grannybuy Wed 21-Aug-19 10:10:44

Also New Guinea Impatiens.

Davida1968 Wed 21-Aug-19 10:22:10

My beautiful cornflower, which is still going strong. It's the most gorgeous blue and the bees love it. The only drawback is that it needs regular dead-heading to keep it blooming.

Esspee Wed 21-Aug-19 10:27:14

My garden is full of slugs and snails so all my plants have to be fairly slug proof.
For impact the Begonias take top prize though having to lift them every year is getting to be a chore. Japanese anemones and Crocosmia lucifer are looking wonderful at the moment and cause no work but for flowering power and insect attraction perennial wallflowers have to get my nomination. With occasional deadheading once every flower on the stem has bloomed they flower from Spring through to the end of the year. Beautiful.flowers

SillyNanny321 Wed 21-Aug-19 10:30:43

My lovely Twisted Willow tree that lived for 5 -6 years in bigger & bigger tubs until I moved to my bungalow over 10 years ago. It was a couple of dead looking twigs with a few leaves when we planted it in my front garden. Now it has to have a regular 'haircut' from my gardener as it just does not seem to want to stop growing. Its catkins are beautiful in spring & then the leaves come in & the tree is truly wonderful, now as tall as my bungalow & every year is my pride & joy in my gardens!

HannahLoisLuke Wed 21-Aug-19 10:45:25

I have to say that my least favourite plants in my garden have always performed the best and longest.
Geum Totally Tangerine in my hot colour corner. They've even bloomed in the snow in former years. About mid July I chop them right back and within a week or two they're covered in flowers again. They'll carry on well into winter. Wish the more delicate Mai Tai would do as well but she's pathetic in comparison.
Can't post a photo as haven't found out how to do it.