In the Reflecting Pool the battle of the blanket weed is slowly being won with a mixture of persistent removal and the addition of barley straw. The clear water is now living up to its name and reflecting the summer planting of water cannas, giant papyrus and for this year Zantadeschia ‘White Giant’ that can flower at over 2m tall. We’re also looking to start work on extending the pool at the top of the cascade system on the rock garden to further the range of plants that we can grow. Once this extension has bedded in we’ll be able to drain, de-silt and repair the lower cascade pool to stop it from leaking and get a better depth of water all year round.
An exotic summer
I was so pleased to see one of the new Hedychium flowering in the Exotics Garden this week. It was one of the nineteen new varieties that were picked up from the National Collection last year. The delicately scented, white inflorescence of H. yunnanense is worth seeking out along one of the historic stepping stone paths that we have reinstated in this part of the garden. In the opposite bed the almost black leaf and shocking red flower of Canna ‘Australia’ make it one of the top performers in the garden. This particular specimen was liberated from my mother’s garden a number of years ago and after a good bit of growing on, seems very happy amongst the other lush leaves and bright colours in the Exotics Garden. Speaking of the Exotics, that is where you’ll find me over the next few weeks, mostly sat on a digger working on the new path network. Once these are complete you’ll be able to get in amongst the big leaves, which is definitely the best way to experience this sort of planting.
