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elegance and flowers

(60 Posts)
whitewave Mon 23-May-16 20:38:50

Just watching Chelsea with my favourite person Monty Don. One thing you could never accuse him of is sartorial elegance, but I love his style. He is his own person.

He reminds me of the style adopted by Corbyn.

rosesarered Wed 25-May-16 08:49:58

I agree with you BadenKate, it certainly would not have been my choice.

rosesarered Wed 25-May-16 08:51:00

We have two garden beds filled with cottage garden plants, and they are my favourites out of the whole garden.

GandTea Wed 25-May-16 09:39:50

Any suggestions please. We want a tall container to put by our new garden seat. We want plants that will give fragrance throughout the summer.

whitewave Wed 25-May-16 09:45:00

Love cottage gardens, but I do findthem difficult to get right. I am constantly moving mine around for instance next autumn I plan to swop around the phlox with geranium Rozanne as Rozanne isn't as tall as I thought.

rosesarered Wed 25-May-16 09:49:08

Roses! GandTea smile???????

rosesarered Wed 25-May-16 09:50:12

Possibly lavender?

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 25-May-16 09:50:30

I think the only way to get a truly "cottage" garden is to shove in any old thing any old where. Like they always used to. (And like my Granny's garden was)

Include the odd tomato plant and three or four lettuces. That kind of thing.

You need plenty of sun.

And don't forget the pot marigolds and nasturtiums.

rosesarered Wed 25-May-16 09:53:08

Cittage gardens should have no bare patches of earth showing, all the plants have to mingle ( so says DH who is a fanatic about it.)

rosesarered Wed 25-May-16 09:53:23

Typo! cottage.

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 25-May-16 09:55:40

Does anyone remember mignonette? Not much to look at but, oh the scent!

Night scented Stocks and a Nicotiana with a good scent would be good by a garden seat if you sit out in the evenings. You have to be careful with Nicotiana. Some of them are disappointingly unscented. The white ones are the best for smell.

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 25-May-16 10:00:08

mignonette here in case no one remembers it. It's quite hard to find these days. People like more showy plants.

GandTea Wed 25-May-16 10:28:46

Thank for all the suggestions, heading to the garden centre soon. My thinking atm is
Lavender
Night Scented stocks
Dianathus

I like the smell of nicotina, but the plants I have grown in the past are a bit leggy for a tub.
Roses - a bit big (the sort we like)and we have dozens already, and a fragrant climber just behind seat.

Please keep ideas coming.

whitewave Wed 25-May-16 10:45:39

I grow NSS every single year. They are at their best on warm summer nights. So not that often then?

whitewave Wed 25-May-16 10:46:27

Is mignonette the same as cherry pie jing?

whitewave Wed 25-May-16 10:48:03

Oh no I've just looked at it and it isn't. I don't think I've ever grown that. That's on next years list or even sow in September this year.

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 25-May-16 10:53:45

Just looked up cherry pie. After wading through a lot of recipes (grin) I find that it is a type of marijuana. Do you need to tell us something whitewave? hmm grin

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 25-May-16 10:56:35

cherry pie

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 25-May-16 10:59:44

Sorry! found the one you mean

whitewave Wed 25-May-16 11:02:33

grin No I've just remembered its proper name - heliotrope - smells like cherries

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 25-May-16 11:08:07

grin

Nelliemoser Wed 25-May-16 11:22:13

Ah Geoffrey Hamilton! He was a gardener. He would would say about a garden plants if that's what you like then grow it.
He did not like snobbishness about garden design.
A bit like me I buy plants I like and find somewhere to put them whether or not they don't fit anyone's design requirements. For me it's about lovely plants not garden design.
(Did I mention my lovely Wisteria which has just produced lots of flowers for the very first time. wink) I am like a mother who can't stop gazing at her new baby.

whitewave Wed 25-May-16 11:24:59

How old is it Nellie. I'm trying to get my to be a standard and it is a grafted about 3 years old

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 25-May-16 11:26:45

DH won't let me grow one up our house. Yet when we saw one on holiday, he remarked how lovely it was! Grrr.

whitewave Wed 25-May-16 11:47:15

jing I'm growing mine as a standard in a big pot. That was to molify my DH as well. I got it from Crocus and am prunning it as advised by RHS. Mine is a Japanese blue one with hopefully a good scent.

Must dash as supposed to be getting ready to take the dog to be clipped and then a picnic. Bloody cold though. Her Maj has picnics in the freezing cold so I am in good company.

Elrel Tue 31-May-16 01:48:50

Nellie - my Geoffrey Hamilton rose has suddenly produced masses of buds. So excited waiting for it to bloom!