The Tonbridge Gardener

The conditions are perfect for Cyclamen at the moment – crisp and cold. These should flower all autumn and winter if not too wet. I particularly love the variegated pink and white variety. These and the red and white blooms are all from Floral Hall, Norwood, whose prices are very reasonable.

My neighbour ‘gave’ me an Abutilon in July (just out of shot), and the Clematis, Pelargonium and roses came from Scotland in August. I removed a few leaves, stuck them in compost in a sunny window, and after one month most of them are doing really well – though certain experts would say this should be done much earlier in the year, using hormone rooting powder. Anyway watch this space for progress.

With heavy downpours punctuated by warm sunshine, cold night and light winds, it’s no wonder the plants are confused. The foliage on this trailing nasturtium is going crazy, and the climbing fuschia has doubled in size in three weeks, and now can’t decide whether to flower…but at least there are no leaves to rake yet!

I finally managed to spend some time in my much neglected garden on one of the rainiest days of the year. There is passion fruit and Buddleja flowers and a lot of weeds. Jobs done included weeding (minimal), pruning (again, will return to it in the next dry spell) and dividing and moving Crocosmia and Iris sibirica rhizomes. Hopefully I’ll have some fantastic blooms spread around the garden next summer. Also I have a trailing nasturtium which has gone crazy – which is strange because they are supposed to prefer stony mediterranean soil and full sun, as opposed to London clay and incessant rain.

I couldn’t resist adding a few photos of the amazing planting at Floors Castle Gardens, Kelso, Scottish Borders. Well worth a day trip if you are up that way, and fantastic cake too…see www.roxburghe.net/castle

I love this late flowering Clematis viticella (0ne of our native species) ‘Alba luxurians’ variety. The cuttings survived a long hot train journey back down south, so watch this space for progress updates!

These Echinops ritro look great against a white wall – not the Mediterranean but my Aunt’s garden in the Scottish Borders.

.                                                               My SE20 garden, May 2015. Ivy pruned, azalea blooming, two of three phormiums removed and replaced by rhubarb, and a twisty witch hazel (Corylus avellana ‘contorta’).

The potential of this quirky walled garden at the side of the house appealed to me. The phormiums were wilting and unhappy and obscuring the palm, and it was shady and overgrown, but I loved it. This was October 2014, I was in by January.

The passion flower (Passiflora caerulea) has been amazing this year. It loves a host shrub such as jasmine, laurel, or as here, my enormous bay hedge.