This weekend we are all celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. It’s not too late to book a visit to my garden in Seaford, later today or tomorrow, as part of your celebrations and enjoy a tea and cake with a royal theme in the garden. You may even encounter Her Majesty. Call 01323 899296 to book a time.
There may even be a few pre-booked tickets left for the special evening opening, later today, to commemorate the jubilee, check my website to see if any tickets remain.
Looking very resplendent in the pond this week are the stunning yellow iris, I was given them by my neighbours a couple of years ago when they removed their pond. Yellow flag is a vigorous water iris, typically found growing at the edges of large, sunny ponds. It bears large clumps of green leaves from which elegant, yellow flowers appear in late spring. It is ideal for wildlife gardens, and looks particularly good if planted in naturalised drifts among other moisture-loving plants. It also associates well with dark blue flowered plants. If you don’t have room for a pond or bog garden, try growing it in a large container filled with water. Mine have to be lifted and divided every couple of years to avoid them taking over as my pond is quite small.
The National Garden Scheme has a few gardens open over the celebration weekend too. Why not visit Bradness Gallery in Barcombe, or 51 Carlisle Road in Eastbourne, both open on Saturday and Sunday, or Offham House opening on Sunday. Full details on all three gardens and many more can be found at www.ngs.org.uk.
I’ve been busy at Driftwood with my first few visitors of the season and am pleased to say that the reaction to the major changes I’ve made garden have been very positive. I had two French visitors a couple of weeks ago before we had officially opened, who were keen to see the garden and were able to enjoy freshly baked cakes too before heading off to Sissinghurst.
Now is the perfect time to take softwood cuttings of many shrubs, including lavender, fuchsia, philadelphus and forsythia. Collect healthy shoots from the tips of the plants and make 5cm to 10cm long cuttings. Next, slice through the stem below a pair of leaves and remove the lower set of leaves. Carefully push them into a small pot filled with cutting compost and place on a warm windowsill or propagator until rooted.
My feeding regime is well under way, many plants already having received five waterings with the soluble feed I use. The garden is coming alive with lots of pretty blooms as a result.
Read more of Geoff’s garden at www.driftwoodbysea.co.uk
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