I was looking around my garden today and realised that it was lacking in flower colour. It looks it's best in May and June with lupins, lillies, astilbas and hardy geraniums. I have lots of verigated shrubs and of course bedding plants in containers but I would love more colour in July. Any ideas please.

On 12/07/2017 22:45, kerrygirl wrote:

I was looking around my garden today and realised that it was lacking in
flower colour. It looks it's best in May and June with lupins, lillies,
astilbas and hardy geraniums. I have lots of verigated shrubs and of
course bedding plants in containers but I would love more colour in
July. Any ideas please.




Why not visit your local nursery or garden centre and see what takes
your fancy , they should have lots of plants in flower or almost in flower.
David @ the sunny side of Swansea Bay

On 12/07/2017 22:45, kerrygirl wrote:

I was looking around my garden today and realised that it was lacking in
flower colour. It looks it's best in May and June with lupins, lillies,
astilbas and hardy geraniums. I have lots of verigated shrubs and of
course bedding plants in containers but I would love more colour in
July. Any ideas please.

Delphiniums last well enough and caster oil, sweet pea (annuals),
passion flower, day lilies and tender cannas are just coming into flower
now. Fragrant honeysuckle and roses are still going nicely too.

Do you have a particular colour scheme in mind?

Even my beans and courgettes add a splash of colour about now.

Best bet visit a garden centre make a note of things you like the look
of in flower and then go and buy them when they are reduced (or pay the
huge "in flower" premium if you must have instant gratification).

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On 13/07/17 08:13, Martin Brown wrote:
On 12/07/2017 22:45, kerrygirl wrote:

Best bet visit a garden centre make a note of things you like the look
of in flower and then go and buy them when they are reduced (or pay the
huge "in flower" premium if you must have instant gratification).

+1

We have a rather strange "garden centre" fairly near. There is always an
odd range of plants available. Sometimes dozens and dozens of the same
plant, and then one or two of a rare, desirable variety. The prices can
be /very/ keen if the plant is not in flower. Best example is rhodos in
late summer or early autumn. Plants around 12 - 18" high in a 7" pot
were three for £5!!! We bought nine (all different) and last spring six
of them flowered. We expect all to flower next spring.

--

Jeff

In article ,
kerrygirl wrote:

I was looking around my garden today and realised that it was lacking in
flower colour. It looks it's best in May and June with lupins, lillies,
astilbas and hardy geraniums. I have lots of verigated shrubs and of
course bedding plants in containers but I would love more colour in
July. Any ideas please.

Clematis viticella hybrids, Crocosmia, Campanula glomerata and
Lonicera x brownii "Dropmore Scarlet" are all in full bloom for
me at present.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will Google the list of plants, yes going to the garden centre is a good idea, I actually took a trip to one last week. The only thing of interest was some dahlias, which I bought as I love them. I think I will have to visit another one.

On 13/07/2017 13:30, kerrygirl wrote:
Thanks for all the suggestions. I will Google the list of plants, yes
going to the garden centre is a good idea, I actually took a trip to one
last week. The only thing of interest was some dahlias, which I bought
as I love them. I think I will have to visit another one.

Other things in full flower here in July include centranthus, buddleia,
lavender, perpetual sweet pea, pelargoniums, geraniums and carnations.
Some of these will flower well for quite a while if you dead head and
the odd one will become an invasive weed if you don't dead head.

I grow the buddleias and centranthus for the butterflies and hummingbird
hawk moths that they bring in. Both of these set way too much seed.

One oddity with centranthus ruber coccineus is that there are three
forms that look identical apart from the colour. A dark pink bordering
on scarlet, a mid pink and an white. I have the dark and light pink
variants but the white form never arises as a seedling. Not that far
away on the cliffs at Whitby the white form is locally common. Why?

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

In article ,
kerrygirl wrote:

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will Google the list of plants, yes
going to the garden centre is a good idea, I actually took a trip to one
last week. The only thing of interest was some dahlias, which I bought
as I love them. I think I will have to visit another one.

While cycling today, I also saw cardoon / globe artichoke (seriously),
buddleia, 'olly'ocks and lots more.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Thank you Martin, they sound interesting. I will add them to my list. You must have a lovely garden.

On 12 Jul 2017 22:45, kerrygirl wrote:

I was looking around my garden today and realised that it was lacking in
flower colour. It looks it's best in May and June with lupins, lillies,
astilbas and hardy geraniums. I have lots of verigated shrubs and of
course bedding plants in containers but I would love more colour in
July. Any ideas please.


Looking at our garden now..
Clematis
Honeysuckle (long tubular flowered type)
Hydrangeas
Violas various
Dianthus various
Roses (small patio type, flower all summer)
Lavender
Cannas (Kept growing in greenhouse over winter)
Day Lilies (just finishing)
Geraniums
Pelargoniums (Greenhouse over winter)
Pots of summer bedding stuff
Tuberous Begonias. (tubers kept overwinter and started in greenhouse)
Oleander (planted in sheltered corner)
Pomegranate (as above, couple of flowers)
Agapanthus (good year)
Arum Lily
Alstromeria
Kniphofia
Platycodon grandifloras (white variety)

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

Wow Bob, that's some list of plants in your garden

On 13 Jul 2017 20:46, kerrygirl wrote:

Wow Bob, that's some list of plants in your garden


Violas are excellent as low ground cover (instead of geraniums?), come
in quite a variety of colours and flower constantly as long as you dead
head, shears work OK.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

In article , kerrygirl.13dc4dd3
@gardenbanter.co.uk says...

I was looking around my garden today and realised that it was lacking in
flower colour. It looks it's best in May and June with lupins, lillies,
astilbas and hardy geraniums. I have lots of verigated shrubs and of
course bedding plants in containers but I would love more colour in
July. Any ideas please.

My fuchsias, hydrangea, marigolds and antirrhinums are currently in full
flower and I am just starting to get dahlias and sunflowers.