We’ve had a lot of sun and a lot of showers this summer and many of our August gardens are in full bloom, positively blowsy – a flower bomb of colour and scent as you sit on your favourite garden bench with a book and a glass of homemade lemonade…
Or is your garden more a sea of green? Full of spring flowering shrubs and herbaceous perennials gone to seed? Are you lacking that high summer garden feel?
I hope you haven’t got an overgrown tangle of evergreen shrubs that need pruning with weeds rampaging through the borders? If you have this ‘how to’ video may give you some tips.
Whether you have a flower bomb or a bombsite of dead plants, why not ignore the garden for a while and read on.
A ‘girlie’ visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum – the ‘V&A’ – Wedding Dress exhibition in London had us ‘oohing’ and aahing’ over delicate lace and the tiny waists of corseted brides.
We each of us had our favourites, and while the girls loved the subtle tracery of embroidery and simple lines I found myself drawn to the more extravagant gowns, including Ian Stuart’s ‘flower bomb’ bridal gown. I had loved this when he first designed it, however I had forgotten how deliciously the roses and silk flowers flowed waterfall-like down the gown.
We chatted away about the history of wedding dresses and cultural differences as we ate lunch. Did you know that white was not a usual colour for European brides until Queen Victoria popularised it by wearing a white gown when she married Albert?
Flowers play an important part of weddings; Queen Victoria wore orange blossom in her hair. Orange blossom is considered a symbol of both purity and fruitfulness and is one of the traditional flowers used for weddings; many Greek orthodox brides wear orange blossom garlands in their hair (see below for more on flowers and herbs for weddings).
When we returned home I sat in my own garden, considering whether my plot came into a ‘flower bomb’ August gardens category or whether I too had a need to do some weeding!
The honest answer is both are true.
I currently have Salvias in flower bomb mode – a selection of shrubs that bloom from April to October, covered variously with magenta pink, pale pink, purple and blue flowers.
Salvia ‘black and blue’
Salvia macrophylla, known as ‘blackcurrant sage’ for its aromatic foliage
Salvia ‘ice cream’
If your garden is sheltered, then shrubby Salvias excellent easy maintenance plants. If you get heavy frosts in winter then take cuttings as a backup (if you can find a non-flowering stem!). Or grow in large pots if you have a greenhouse or cool conservatory where you can over winter the Salvias.
Unfortunately my garden backs on to one of those shared alleyways where bindweed and brambles rule, so I have a perennial fight against the invaders. This is despite adding a membrane barrier when the fence was replaced and digging out to two spits depth (two spade blades’ deep) and removing all roots in the adjacent border. I have won a few battles against the weeds by using these techniques, so I would recommend them.
Also, when I go away for a few days in the growing season I choose a cat-sitter who is also happy to pull out some bindweed in exchange for eating strawberries and tomatoes!
Next week, I’ll share some more ideas on how to have a ‘flower bomb’ garden and not a weedy bombsite of a garden and suggest some plants you may like to add to your wish list. But if you can’t wait, and need to pop to your local plant nursery or garden centre, first read our tips (link below) on what to look for when buying plants.
Related Gardening articles you may enjoy from our Award Winning Blog
How not to buy plants
Weeds – Bindweed
Spring wedding flowers
