Gardening – June 2024 – Alison Agnew

We get close up and personal with our gardening expert Alison Agnew this month. So, sit back and enjoy as we get to see her Roseland garden from a more intimate point of view!

Most of the hard work in the garden should be done by now! Beds cut back, weeded and mulched and the new growth storming into early summer and flowers, flowers everywhere. In the kitchen garden too, we should be set up for the productive season.

Time to stand back and admire?

The trouble is, most of us gardeners are discontented with our work – this plant has failed, the colour of that one doesn’t really work there, there’s a hole in the border where the winter was tough on that just-too-tender try-out plant and –  why did I ever think that plant would be good there?

So be kind to yourself – let your eyes go out of focus when you look at the big picture but focus in on the details that nature delivers and be amazed!

The details of flowers:

Glaucium corniculatum
Glaucium corniculatum
Papaver somniferum
Papaver somniferum
Papaver rhoeas
Papaver rhoeas
Colquehouna coccinea
Colquehouna coccinea
Ammi visnaga
Ammi visnaga
Tigridia pavonia
Tigridia pavonia
Impatiens tinctoria
Impatiens tinctoria

Leaves and stems:

Heptacodium miconioides
Heptacodium miconioides
Canna
Canna
Melianthus major
Melianthus major
Tetrapanax papyrifer Rex petiole bracts
Tetrapanax papyrifer Rex petiole bracts

The bugs that visit:

Echinops bannaticus
Echinops bannaticus
Crab spider on a viola
Crab spider on a viola
Passiflora edulis
Passiflora edulis
Comma butterfly on Sedum
Comma butterfly on Sedum

The  buds that open:

Magnolia bud
Magnolia bud
Centaurea bud
Centaurea bud
Poppy bud and seed pod
Poppy bud and seed pod
Plectranthus argentea
Plectranthus argentea
Rudbeckia bud
Rudbeckia bud
Scilla peruvianan bud
Scilla peruviana bud
Crocosmia buds
Crocosmia buds
Primula bulleyana
Primula bulleyana
Cosmos bud
Cosmos bud

The way plants hold water:

Love in the Mist seed pods
Love in the Mist seed pods
Loropetalum chinense
Loropetalum chinense
Gladiolus papilio Ruby
Gladiolus papilio Ruby
Alchemilla mollis
Water on Alchemilla mollis

Patterns and abstractions:

Echeveria
Echeveria
Aeonium tabulare
Aeonium tabulare
Arctotis venusta
Arctotis venusta
Camelia lower bracts
Camelia lower bracts
Colchicum petals
Colchicum petals
Papaver rhoeas The Bride
Papaver rhoeas The Bride

Shut your eyes to the big picture sometimes and be wowed by the small and intimate.

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