The 2020 picture Diary

[AndyC]

At 4ft you must be feeling a tad disappointed! My long established clump with periodic irrigation is 10ft high and flowering.

I'm not dsappointed. I'll give it pride of place next year and feed and water it to rival your 10ft specimens :)

[Chad]

In a more sheltered spot I have some things standing up to the gales.



Impatiens rothii in front, and three Hedychium.

Hedychium densiflorum 'Assam Orange' in the middle, with H.densiflorum Edward Needham's Embossed Leaf on the lower right and Tara towering over them.

You wouldn't know how battered the rest of the garden looks from that selected shot!

Chad

[charlie]

Have to say, Lonicera prolifera in fruit is quite a show, shame its not particularly scented

lonicera prolifera 001 by charliepridham, on Flickr

So far the birds seem to be leaving the berries alone

lonicera prolifera 002 by charliepridham, on Flickr

Here it was in flower earlier this year

lonicera prolifera 013 by charliepridham, on Flickr

[AndyC]

What it lacks in scent it makes up for with looks, very striking. I've read that it can be grown as a self supporting shrub, is that your experience?

[charlie]

annual stem growth is 15-20' so I think it would be a bit ungainly, perhaps it were more of a framework it would be ok, for once the botanists have named well it is indeed Prolific!!

[AndyC]

Goood summer/autumn ground cover, not hardy but easy to propagate and over winter in the greenhouse.
Plectranthus bojeri by Andy Cowlishaw, on Flickr
When this Hedychium flowers it always reminds me of a trip to Jaques Amand's nursery in Stanmore about 12 years ago. Back then you could go in and have a good rummage through numerous boxes of goodies. Of all the bulbs/rhizomes/tubers etc I came away with this is the only one that I still grow.
Hedychium 'Himalayan Lipstick' by Andy Cowlishaw, on Flickr
I think he is still the only retailer selling Hedychium 'Himalayan Lipstick'. The leaves are somewhat like H. greenii but a much darker shinier green on top and maroon undersides.

[Paul S]

That's nice. I wonder if it is this form of H. spicatum, as per the ancient pages of the Late David Constantine that, somehow, are still out there.
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~drc/h ... images.htm

[AndyC]

Wowser, that is almost certainly the one.
A quick search on the 'Singalila' name indicates it was first brought to the UK by Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones back in 1994.
Nice to have a proper name for it.

[Chad]

The Hedychium season moves on. Densiflorum is over, Tara is fading and the torch has been picked up by H.gardnerianum.



This is a short form [4ft] from Steve at Lower Kenneggy and low evening sun has caught it and made it shine!

The taller 'normal' form [6ft] is behind it again. Last year I didn't see the taller form at all and thought I may have lost it.



Hedychium wardii has been in flower now for over a month and in the right light is an extraordinary luminescent clean yellow.


It was hit hard in The Beast From the East, growing back from a few deeper in the soil than the usual surface rhizomes.

This year it is quite a clump and has been in flower longer than any of my other Hedychium types.

This picture was from when it was just starting.

Chad

[charlie]

I must try harder with wardii, mine is still not out!