Busy, busy, busy is the theme of the garden this time of year: lots of weeds to pull, veggies to harvest, seedlings to pot up, seeds to sow, and seeds to collect. It looked like I’d have to skip a Bloom Day post this month, until I came up with the idea of doing something different: a video tour instead of a long series of photos. I hope you’ll forgive the lack of professional quality, as well as my mistakes and sometimes odd pronunciations; it’s not often that I have to say botanical names instead of writing them. I’ll put the plant names after each clip for clarity. Let’s see how this goes….
Plants referenced above:
- Nicotiana langsdorffii (Langsdorff’s tobacco)
- Celosia argentea var. spicata ‘Mega Punk’ (spike celosia)
- Phaseolus coccineus ‘Golden Sunshine’ (runner bean)
- Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed)
- Humulus lupulus ‘Aureus’ (golden hops)
- Clematis (leatherflower clematis seedling)
- Silene coronaria [formerly Lychnis coronaria] (rose campion)
- Verbascum nigrum (dark mullein)
Plants referenced above:
- Rudbeckia maxima (giant coneflower)
- Chasmanthium latifolium (northern sea oats)
- Ruellia humilis (wild petunia)
- Scabiosa ochroleuca (yellow pincushion flower)
- Origanum vulgare ‘Aureum’ (golden oregano)
- Saponaria officinalis ‘Rosea Plena’ (bouncing Bet)
- Silene armeria (sweet William catchfly)
- Blephilia ciliata (downy wood mint)
- Pycnanthemum verticillatum var. pilosum (hairy mountain mint)
Plants referenced above:
- Verbascum nigrum (dark mullein)
- Ceratotheca triloba (South African foxglove)
- Nicotiana glauca (tree tobacco)
- Mirabilis jalapa ‘Alba’ (white four-o’clock)
- Solanum lycopersicum ‘Variegata’ (variegated tomato)
- Zea mays ‘Pink Zebra’ (variegated corn)
- Phaseolus vulgaris ‘Borlotto di Nova Ponente’ (pole bean)
- Persicaria orientalis ‘Shiro-gane Nishiki’ (variegated kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate)
Plants referenced above:
- Borago officinalis ‘Bill Archer’ (variegated borage)
- Solanum lycopersicum ‘Variegata’ (variegated tomato)
- Zea mays ‘Pink Zebra’ (variegated corn)
- Celosia argentea var. spicata ‘Xantippe’ (spike celosia)
- Linaria aeruginea ‘Neon Lights’ (toadflax): not ‘Neon Flash’, as I mistakenly identified it
Plants referenced above:
- Corylus avellana ‘Red Majestic’ (contorted hazel) with eastern filbert blight
- Astilbe ‘Chocolate Shogun’ (astilbe)
- Anthriscus sylvestris ‘Golden Fleece’ (cow parsley)
- Euphorbia stricta ‘Golden Foam’ (golden foam spurge)
- Weigela florida ‘Bramwell’ (Fine Wine weigela)
- Lilium leichtlinii (Leichtlin’s lily)
- Monarda ‘Jacob Cline’ (bee balm)
Plants referenced above:
- Filipendula ulmaria ‘Aurea’ (golden meadowsweet)
- Hibiscus ‘Midnight Marvel’ (hardy hibiscus)
- Sanguisorba officinalis ‘Tanna’ (burnet)
- Tanacetum vulgare ‘Isla Gold’ (tansy)
- Hemerocallis ‘Nona’s Garnet Spider’ (daylily)
- Sanguisorba ‘Dali Marble’ (burnet)
- Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’ (purple smoke tree)
- Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Monlo’ (Diabolo ninebark)
- Catalpa bignonioides ‘Aurea’ (golden catalpa)
- Spiraea thunbergii ‘Ogon’ (Mellow Yellow spirea)
- Coreopsis hybrid (coreopsis)
Plants referenced above:
- Iris domestica [formerly Belamcanda chinensis] (blackberry lily)
- Datisca cannabina (false hemp, male)
- Silphium mohrii (Mohr’s rosinweed)
- Cephalaria gigantea (giant scabious)
- Delphinium exaltatum (tall delphinium)
- Monarda ‘Raspberry Wine’ (beebalm)
- Echinacea laevigata (smooth purple coneflower)
- Datisca cannabina (false hemp, female)
- Eryngium yuccifolium (rattlesnake master)
- Cynanchum ascyrifolium (false bush stephanotis)
Plants referenced above:
- Catalpa bignonioides ‘Aurea’ (golden catalpa)
- Iris x robusta ‘Gerald Darby’
- Datisca cannabina (false hemp, male)
Plants referenced above:
- Plantago major ‘Atropurpurea’ (purple-leaved plantain)
- Phytolacca americana ‘Sunny Side Up’ (pokeweed)
- Cenolophium denudatum (Baltic parsley)
- Clematis glaucophylla (whiteleaf leather flower)
- Parthenium integrifolium (wild quinine)
Plants referenced above:
- Hosta sieboldiana ‘Elegans’ (hosta)
- Buxus sempervirens ‘Elegantissima’ (boxwood)
Plants referenced above:
- Nicotiana mutabilis (flowering tobacco)
- Capsicum annuum ‘Black Pearl’ (pepper)
- Cuphea viscosissima (blue waxweed)
- Datura metel ‘Double Purple’ (devil’s trumpet)
- Solanum pimpinellifolium (currant tomato)
- Ipomoea x multifida (cardinal climber)
- Amaranthus ‘Elephant Head’ (amaranth)
- Celosia argentea var. spicata ‘Cramer’s Amazon’ (spike celosia)
- Helianthus annuus ‘Sunspots’ (variegated sunflower)
Plants referenced above:
- Coreopsis tinctoria (plains coreopsis)
- Emilia javanica ‘Irish Poet’ (tassel flower)
- Matthiola longipetala (night-scented stock)
- Antirrhinum majus ‘Black Prince’ (snapdragon)
- Echinacea laevigata (smooth purple coneflower)
- Allium x proliferum (top-setting onion or walking onion)
- Cryptotaenia japonica f. atropurpurea (purple mitsuba)
- Platycodon grandiflorus ‘Axminster Streaked’ (balloon flower)
Plants referenced above:
- Hibiscus trionum (New Zealand hibiscus or flower-of-an-hour)
- Petunia integrifolia (petunia)
- Tagetes erecta ‘Kees’ Orange’ (marigold)
- Solanum lycopersicum ‘Faelan’s First Snow’ (tomato)
- Mirabilis longiflora (sweet four-o’clock)
- Phaseolus vulgaris ‘Cocagne’ (bush bean)
- Zea mays ‘Old Gold’ (yellow-striped corn)
Plants referenced above:
- Persicaria tinctoria (Japanese indigo)
- Briza maxima (greater quaking grass)
- Nigella sativa (fennel flower or black cumin)
- Euphorbia marginata (snow on the mountain)
- Browallia americana (amethyst flower)
- Eragrostis tef (teff)
- Crepis rubra (pink hawksbeard)
- Glebionis coronaria [formerly Chrysanthemum coronarium] ‘Primrose Gem’ (garland chrysanthemum)
- Trachymene coerulea [formerly Didiscus caerulea] (blue lace flower)
- Monarda punctata (spotted beebalm)
- Persicaria capitata ‘Afghan’ (pink pinheads)
Plants referenced above:
- Fagopyrum esculentum ‘Takane Ruby’ (buckwheat)
- Zea mays var. japonica (striped corn)
- Solanum lycopersicum ‘Lutescent’ (tomato)
- Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra ‘Burning Hearts’ (oxeye)
Plants referenced above:
- Daucus carota ‘Purple Kisses’ (Queen Anne’s lace)
- Tagetes patula ‘Cinnabar’ (French marigold)
- Calendula officinalis ‘Orange Flash’ (pot marigold)
Plants referenced above:
- Zinnia tenuifolia ‘Red Spider’ (red spider zinnia)
- Mirabilis jalapa ‘Orange Crush’ (four-o’clock)
- Scabiosa stellata [now Lomelosia stellata, but few use that name yet] (drumstick scabious)
Plants referenced above:
- Celosia argentea var. cristata ‘Cramer’s Burgundy’ (cockscomb)
- Ammobium alatum (winged everlasting)
- Phytolacca americana ‘Sunny Side Up’ (pokeweed)
- Solanum lycopersicum ‘Barry’s Crazy Cherry’ (cherry tomato)
Plants referenced above:
- Triticum dicoccon var. atratum (black winter emmer wheat)
- Tithonia rotundifolia (Mexican sunflower)
- Vigna unguiculata ‘Pretzel Bean’ (pretzel bean)
- Ricinus communis ‘Carmencita’ (castor bean)
- Ceratotheca triloba ‘Alba’ (white South African foxglove)
Plants referenced above:
- Centaurea americana (American basket flower)
- Cuphea ‘Firefly’ (cuphea)
- Pennisteum glaucum ‘Jester’ (purple millet)
- Asclepias curassavica ‘Silky Gold’ (tropical milkweed)
- Chamaecrista fasciculata (partridge pea)
Plants referenced above:
- Phytolacca americana ‘Variegata’ [aka ‘Silberstein’] (variegated pokeweed)
- Lathyrus sativus var. azureus (grass pea)
- Amaranthus ‘Hopi Red Dye’ (amaranth)
- Melothria scabra (cucamelon)
- Helianthus annuus ‘Sunspots’ (variegated sunflower)
- Celosia argentea var. spicata ‘Cramer’s Amazon’ (spike celosia)
- Amaranthus ‘Elephant Head’ (amaranth)
Plants referenced above:
- Hydrangea arborescens (wild hydrangea)
- Echinacea purpurea (purple coneflower)
- Campanulastrum americanum [formerly Campanula americana] (American bellflower)
- Filipendula rubra (queen of the prairie)
- Oenothera glazioviana (magic primrose)
- Anthericum ramosum (branched St Bernard’s lily)
- Agastache foeniculum ‘Golden Jubilee’ (anise hyssop)
- Lathyrus chloranthus and L. odoratus ‘Matucana’ (sweet peas)
- Betonica officinalis [formerly Stachys officinalis] (betony)
Plants referenced above:
- Arachis hypogaea ‘Jungle Striped’ (peanut)
- Gossypium herbaceum ‘Nigrum’ (black-leaved cotton)
- Solanum pyracanthum (porcupine tomato)
- Pentapetes phoenicea (scarlet pentapetes)
- Oxypetalum caeruleum [formerly Tweedia caerulea] (blue tweedia)
Plants referenced above:
- Ludwigia alternifolia (seedbox)
- Rumex sanguineus (bloody dock)
- Phaseolus vulgaris ‘Flageolet Vert’ (bush bean)
- Petunia exserta (petunia)
- Oryza sativa ‘Black Madras’ (ornamental rice)
- Heliotropium curassavicum (salt heliotrope)
- Gomphrena haageana ‘Strawberry Fields’ (globe amaranth)
- Solanum lycopersicum ‘Faelan’s First Snow’ (variegated tomato)
- Mirabilis jalapa ‘Limelight (four-o’clock)
- Daucus carota ‘Rainbow Blend’ (carrot)
- Gossypium herbaceum ‘Nigrum’ (black-leaved cotton)
Plants referenced above:
- Raphanus sativus var. caudatus ‘Dragon’s Tail’ (dragon’s tail radish)
- Mirabilis jalapa ‘Limelight’ (four-o’clock)
- Sesamum indicum ‘Kingoma’ (sesame)
- Centaurea americana ‘White’ (white American basket flower)
- Dioscorea batatas ‘Variegata’ (variegated cinnamon vine)
- Oxypetalum solanoides (pink tweedia)
- Dahlia (dahlia, variegated)
- Silene gallica var. quinquevulnera (French catchfly)
- Nicotiana suaveolens (Australian tobacco)
- Celosia argentea var. cristata ‘Variegated’ (cockscomb)
- Emilia javanica ‘Scarlet Magic’ (tasselflower)
Plants referenced above:
- Capsicum annuum ‘Fish’ (fish pepper)
- Cicer arietinum ‘Black Kabouli’ (garbanzo bean)
Plants referenced above:
- Albuca shawii (Shaw’s albuca)
- Petunia exserta (petunia)
- Solanum quitoense (bed of nails)
- Ipomoea batatas ‘Sweet Caroline Purple’ (sweet potato vine)
- Asclepias curassavica (tropical milkweed)
- Ipomoea nil ‘Keiryu’ (Japanese morning glory)
- Rubus cockburnianus ‘Goldenvale’ (ghost bramble)
Well, that didn’t end up saving much time, but it was kind of fun for something different. Feel free to let me know if you liked the videos better than the photos, or if you’d rather I went back to the old way of posting, and we’ll see if there’s some sort of consensus. I hope you’re all having a wonderful summer in your own gardens!
It’s great that you took the time to make the videos and identify everything and gave a new understanding of your gardens and their layouts and relationships to one another. The variety of what you grow is simply astounding. I prefer the still photography, however, now that it’s clear the videos don’t save you time. They make it easier to focus on the individual flowers and plants – I’ve learned to identify a lot of flora from your photos and captions over the years. And though it hardly needs saying – your photography is always superb in and of itself.
Thanks, Christina; it’s very helpful to know that, I appreciate you taking the time to leave feedback. Have a great Bloom Day!
-Nan
Great idea, the little walk round and wow, you REALLY know all those names. You are a genius
You’re so kind, Caroline, but ugh, trying to keep all of the names straight is getting increasingly difficult, particularly with all of the changes to the botanical names!
-Nan
Wow, Nan. Thank you for the delightful videos. They’re a wonderful new way to enjoy Hayefield, and I learned a lot, as always.
Hi Sandy! Thanks ever so much for taking the tour today. May you enjoy a beautiful Bloom Day in your own garden.
-Nan
It felt like taking a garden walk with you, Nan! I think it helped to see plant habits and height, and some added information about your likes and dislikes of a plant. I like both methods, and thank you for sharing your wonderful garden!
Hey there, Donna! I appreciate hearing that; thanks. It was something different, anyway.
-Nan
I’ve always looked forward to taking a walk in your garden but today was quite different. Normally, I brag about each new entry and share the link with my gardening friends, but not this time. Sorry, I may be the only one but the intense black background was too much for me to handle. I’m hoping this is a work in progress and the background will soon be changed. I was not able to watch any of the videos and feel bad about that. Sorry.
I’m really sorry about that, Mary. I’m not seeing the black background on my end; maybe it appears differently in different browsers? Sounds like I’ll have to go back to the still photos, maybe with a much smaller number to save time.
-Nan
I love that you made lots of short videos as opposed to one or more long ones, and it was wonderful to get a sense of what your amazing gardens look like when you take a step back. I still prefer the still photos, but this was a nice treat!
That’s useful to know, Kem; many thanks. Another vote to go back to the old way. I thought everyone would be bored with that by now, but I guess the folks that still visit here are ok with it, and it’s ok with me too!
-Nan
Hi Nan, nice to see the plants in action, so to speak, but I had difficulty with the sound level. Maybe it’s my laptop, but if you do the videos again in future, is there a way to pump up the sound your end?
Also, I appreciate (as always!) your listing botanical names and common names, but when I enlarge the videos full screen, the list goes away and I lose the benefit of identifying the plants as you go along. To see the list at the same time you’re naming the plants, I have to watch the videos at a much-shrunken size so a lot of the detail of the plants is lost. Sorry to sound critical! But I thought I’d let you know. Thanks for all you do for us. —Vicki
That’s all really valuable feedback, Vicki; thanks! It was worth a try, but I now know not to do videos anymore. Look for a return to photo-based posts next month.
-Nan
Good morning Nan, this was a lot of work for you, thanks! I loved hearing your voice! That was fun. Hard to imagine how many plants you grow and seeds you save, amazing walk about. Glad the cicadas are gone. Now Japanese beetles, always something. Things are so early for me this year, hope that doesn’t mean an early winter! I have dahlias blooming and I usually don’t get them till mid Aug in the pots and these ones that are blooming are in the ground. And we are even having rain, great summer so far. Picking broccoli Raab and zucchinis too. Some tomatoes, cherry style are ripening. I did up window boxes of peas and beans early in the cold greenhouse and have been eating them too. Can’t complain. Hope all your plants give you lots of seeds, have a great day! TTFN…Sue
Hi there, Sue! Great to hear from you. Gosh, I too hope you don’t get an early winter; your growing season is short enough as it is. May your rain and mild temperatures continue to give you a bountiful harvest and an abundance of blooms for a couple more months!
-Nan
I love the short videos.
I grew that Solanum ‘bed of nails’ one year from seed you shared. I think it’s so cool.
I’m growing the tassel flower ‘Irish poet’ and the Moldova marigolds this year…also from seed you shared some years back.
I collect my own seed from that flat yellow bean seed you shared. We just love them. They take a bit longer to produce but they’re worth it.
Hi Mel! Thanks for the feedback on the videos. Yeah, that solanum is amazing. I’m growing it in a container this year with the idea of being able to drag it into the greenhouse if there’s a possibility of getting seeds to ripen this fall. I greatly appreciate that you shared back some of the ‘Moldova’ marigold with me, since I had lost my supply. I’m looking forward to it coming into bloom any day now. (Got a late start due to the first sowing getting slug-eaten.) Great that you too really like the ‘Merveille de Venise’ pole beans. It seems like they are never going to start producing, but once they get going, it’s hard to keep up with the bounty! And such a wonderful, almost nutty flavor.
-Nan
Hi Nan, thank you so much for taking the time and effort, to show us around your beautiful garden. I enjoyed it very much, sorry to hear that you won’t be doing more videos ☹ I am going to watch it all again, as I want to make a note of several of your plants, hope I can get the variegated sunflower in England, as we’ll asTanacetum Vulgare Isla Gold, Monarda Raspberry wine, and
Heliopsis burning hearts to name just a few. You mentioned Chiltern Seeds so I will look there. Thank you once again Nan, take care.
Lovely to hear from you, Allan. Well, now that I know the videos weren’t horrible for everyone, maybe I’ll try again. The ‘Sunspots’ sunflower seed was from Plant World two years ago, and they usually had it every year before then, though I think it’s not on their site right now; perhaps they’ll relist it this fall. Make sure you read the description if you find seeds somewhere: there is also a strain called ‘Sunspot’ (singular) that is NOT variegated. The golden tansy was originally from your part of the world, so you should be able to find plants. Not sure about the monarda availability, It doesn’t look like Chiltern has the heliopsis, but I see other UK seed sources do. I wish you the best of luck in your search. Hope your garden is treating you well this summer!
-Nan