A final look at our Aberdeen garden in the Summer of 2013
Our Aberdeen Garden Its not the end of Aberdeen gardening, however this is the last post coming to you from our present garden
Most of my regular followers will know by now that our house has been sold and we are heading south to Cheshire at the end of November.
I will resume blogging at some point in 2014 once we are settled in and feeling more comfortable within ourselves. In the meantime here is how some of our garden plants were looking in the glorious Summer of 2013.
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There are not so many blooms in the Aberdeen garden in early June. The Spring flowers have gone over and we are waiting for the main Summer display to get going.
The Aquilegia at this time are a welcome sight. Many of them are quite short lived, however those with darker colouring such as Alex Guiness on the left seem to do much better, lasting for many years.
On the right we have Celmisia Spectabilis. Coming into bloom a couple of weeks later than the Aquilegia.
Celmisia has silvery green evergreen foliage with superb white daisy flowers which if cut back as soon as flowering is over will give a second flush in early August.
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The Enkianthus Campanulatus above was introduced to the woodland area last Autumn. I love it, a very interesting shrub which bloomed well in its first Summer. The clusters of small peachy flowers opened in the third week of June.
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Also flowering in June and going on well into July are the Thalictrums.
Aquilegifolium album is first to open with Thundercloud following soon after.
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The trumpet Lilium Pink Perfection performed very well planted in a container in this its first season . The heavy fragrance filled the air in the new area of our garden.
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Another Trumpet Lily African Queen didn’t bloom quite so prolifically but what a fabulous colour.
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Tropaeolum Speciosum self seeded itself all over the garden this Summer. It really does do well in northern gardens. It is a very special plant which we kind of take for granted until we hear of other gardeners further south desperately trying to get it to take hold.
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These annual Marguerites were purchased online. The small plug plants arrived in early May. I potted them up and left them in the greenhouse for four weeks. By the first of June they were ready to plant out and soon made quite large plants blooming from mid June till the third week in September.
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Peardrop, a relatively new Begonia on the scene makes a bold statement planted in this terracotta pot.
The Aster Frikartii Monch happens to be one of my favourite perennials. Flourishing even in the semi shaded spot where we have it planted.
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Rhapsody in Blue, its a very nice Rose but blue its not.
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Alstroemeria Little miss davina defying the critics who claim this plant is not hardy enough for the North East coast of Scotland.
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The climbing Rose Parkdirector riggers has to fight to make its presence felt planted along with the Clematis Blue Angel which is quite robust. This year it fought a bit harder and made a grand show of it.
Rose de rescht can be depended to bloom well every year, this one has an amazing fragrance.
Tree lily (Orienpet) Anastatasia in our garden normally struggles to flower owing to the cool Summers which we have. This year it was sensational, we all by now know the reason for this.
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Rosa Mundi, a firm favourite of ours, planted in the round garden.
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Two fabulous climbing Roses in the round garden. The one on the left Blush Noisette has been trained up an old dead stump of a large conifer.
Climbing Rose Creme de la creme has been trained along the trellis fencing between the round garden and the woodland area.
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Such a great colour is the Clematis Durandii. This one weaves its way on ground level in the border just outside our kitchen window.
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Clematis Kaiu was introduced to the front garden last Autumn. The small bell shaped flowers appeared in July and continued blooming into October.
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Echinacea Purpurea Magnus is a flowering plant which survives in Aberdeen but generally is not robust. This one I planted in a pot last Autumn it produced a single bloom in August of this year I hope to have more success with this one in our Cheshire garden.
Also planted in a pot at the same time was Echinacea Purpurea white swan. This one faired much better producing many blooms from late July through till early October.
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Although Rudbeckia Goldsturm is happier than Echinacea in our climate. I still planted it in a pot. Glad I did as it means we can take it with us when we move.
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The hardy Geranium Patricia did take three seasons to settle in and accept our garden.This Summer it gave a magnificent show in the front garden.
The Rodgersia Podophylla planted near the pond has large leaves which are as spectacular as the blooms.
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Monarda Croftway Pink was introduced last Autumn and also planted in a pot. It looked really good from late July well into September. It did show signs of a powdery mildew which I will consider treating next year.
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Lilium Regale in our new area of the garden was a sight for sore eyes and the fragrance was heady.
Well thats all folks. Its been an absolute delight keeping in touch with you all from our Aberdeen garden. Watch this space though I am not finished yet, well I am from Aberdeen. I will be back next year at some time and will look forward to catching up with you.
Oh! I almost forgot to tell you. I received an email from the folks at BBC Gardeners World. Seems like they picked up on my blog and are interested in doing a small feature on our garden. Its all arranged now and they are arriving on Tuesday morning and will be here for the whole day. It will be shown on Friday 8th November. You will get a chance to see my old face and possibly my droll Aberdeen voice, unless they give me a voice over using Anthony Hopkins.
If you happen to leave a comment I will be sure to visit your site and do the same
Thanks Lynn, to be honest the garden here is very small and will never match what we had in Aberdeen.
All the best in your new home. I will look forward to seeing and reading about your new garden.I know it will eventually be as breathtaking as your Aberdeen one. You are an inspiration to me (living in Canada — probably equally cold and unpredictable). Again, all the best and have a merry, merry Christmas! Lynn
Thanks Larry, catch up with you some time next year.
Hi Alistair… apparently I can not get the link since we are ouside the UK, but I did want to congratulate you. Your garden has certainly been one of a kind and worthy of recognition! Left out the “not” on my first attempt”… sorry… larry
Best of luck with your move and congratulations on your feature! Please let us know if the show makes it to the internet so we can check it out.
Hi Jennifer
I am hoping to add the recording to a blog post failing that you tube is another option.
Hi Alistair,
How exciting that your garden will be on Gardener’s World! What a fitting tribute to the garden you have created. I love Gardener’s World when I can manage to find recordings of the show online. Is there anyway you can tape the show and post it on You-Tube so we can all see it?
I am looking forward to seeing how your new garden will progress. Good luck with the move. I hope it all goes well.
Thanks Deb, Myra said it made me look fuller in the face.
Congratulations on being featured by BBC Gardeners World! If you want to use it, I’ll send your hat you wore in the pumpkin display, as I thought it suited you perfectly. And with that great smile, who cares what the rest of you looks like!
Best wishes on your move! It must be bittersweet to leave such an outstanding garden, though there must be exciting possibilities ahead. I will be looking forward to seeing your new garden. Best wishes! Deb
Thanks Esther, it will be warmer however Myra has become obsessed with the rainfall statistics.
Hi Linnie, When you experience my television performance you will be sure to think hmm, once is enough. I will provide an online link and possibly subtitles and live with it regardless.
Hi Alistair
Thanks for reminding me to order a Rosa mundi this winter– I have had it in mind, and your lovely image did the trick. I think you should be on television every week, it would be about right considering your experience and knowledge, but we will make do with the one program (huge congratulations on that), to which of course you must somehow provide an online link for those of us here in the colonies– please! So relieved to read that you are moving 100 pots of plants with you. Plants, seeds, cuttings… all fair I think. I will be looking so forward to your updates from the new place.
Maintaining your garden will be a great challenge for whoever lives in your house next. I’m not surprised Gardener’s World want to feature it. It’s quite something!
Hope gardening in Cheshire will be fun. A different climate – warmer and wetter I would guess.
Best wishes for the move. Looking forward to your reappearance. Don’t leave it too long.
Esther
Thank you very much Donna, I think the new owners are considering getting a gardener.
I will definitely keep in touch when I get started again Carolyn. I will find a way to add the Gardeners world clip to a post which I may well post sooner than I initially intended. They will have some amount of editing, I guess I was too self conscious regarding my local accent.
Thank you Helene, the feeling is mutual I have also gained much insight from keeping up to date with your blog. I have a feeling that Enkianthus would behave itself in Aberdeen, not so sure about Cheshire though.
Congratulations on being featured on Gardeners’ World, what a great finale to your successful garden! I watch it every week, I will see and hear you, voiceover or not 🙂 I have got so many ideas for my own garden by reading your blog, you have introduced me to plants that have ended up in my garden and plants that are still on my wish list. The Enkianthus Campanulatus looked really interesting, until I looked it up – final height and width 4.5 metres!! I suppose you will have to start thinking more like me from now on when you plan your new garden, tall and thin or small and compact, that way it is possible to squeeze in as many plants as possible. Enkianthus Campanulatus sadly does not fall into that category even though it looked lovely and probably would have liked my soil very well.
I wish you both good luck with your move and I so look forward to reading about your new garden.
Glad to have the chance to see one more series of photos from your garden. That’s very exciting about the BBC segment. Is there any way you could post a link or send it to me? I would also love to know when you are up and blogging again. Please don’t lose touch because I so enjoy communicating with you through our mutual love of plants.
I wish you luck in your new home. I hope the new owners care for your beautiful garden. Much congratulations on the BBC interview/feature. You are very deserving.
Thanks Donna
I will be in touch soon before I sign of from Aberdeen for the last time. Will definitely look you up again after I get my act together.
Congrats…perhaps I will find the video online to watch. I am so glad Alistair that you did this wrap up of your amazing garden so I could see all the beauty once more. I kept looking each of these plants, over and over savoring them one more time. I look forward to your new adventures…keep in touch and visit when you can!!
Thanks for that information Diana, I will keep in touch.
Just to let you know – Blotanical is in beta and Stuart is still working on the new version. Keep in touch and I’ll keep the Blotanical News updated on my blogs sidebars.
Hmm, Why didn’t I think of that Rick.
Depends which way the wind is blowing!
going out with a bang. Congratulations on being chosen for the BBC!
I think I will also find space for this Enkianthus in the new garden Rick. Our nearest town will be Crewe, do you know if Crewe is even wetter than Manchester?
Hi Janet, good to get confirmation that White Swan is a particularly strong Echinacea.
So much colour Alistair, it will be strange not to carry on charting the development of your Aberdeen garden. I love that Enkianthus Campanulatus. “White Swan” is one of my favourite echinaces, and seemingly much longer lived and robust than many of the more colourful hybrids out there now. I am growing some from seed and hope to have it flourishing in my front garden next year.
All the best for your move, I hope it and the extension build go really smoothly and you find yourselves settling in to life in Cheshire and finding it feels like home faster than you anticipate. Look forward to “meeting” your new garden and catching up with you again in the New Year.
Hi Alistair,
Love the Enkianthus, and I am very tempted to get one. It must be very difficult to leave your garden, I suppose you have to think of it as a completed canvas and you are moving on to your next creation. I hope your move to join us down here in Cheshire goes well and I am sure you will soon want to get stuck into your new garden. Will watch your grand finale on the BBC and look forward to when you resume your blog. Best of luck for the future.
Thanks Holley
If its not too embarrassing I will see if I can add a link to the programme.
Hi Larry
The folks moving into the house do love the garden, they don’t actually have much in the way of gardening experience but I think initially they are getting a gardener to help out. We are taking all the plants which are in pots which number a little over 100. I havent bothered with blotanical for some time, just tried it just now and it came up fatal error. Look after yourself and continue to enjoy your garden for many years to come. I wont be blogging again until next year, I will look forward to catching up with you then.
Alistair… you know how much I love this garden of yours and I’m certain the next chapter with your talent will also be spectacular! Will this garden live on… did folks with a love of plants purchase your property? Will you be taking certain plants with you to the new garden? Just the other day I was telling my son that when I’m gone, there will be a small fortune in plants so don’t get the chainsaw out! Now that I’m switching to dwarf and miniature conifers more heavily, they will be like an investment and easily moved if necessary, several years down the road. There must be a great excitement about having a fresh canvas… sometimes I try to imagine what that will be like. I’m just now awaiting the backhoe to pull out a number of specimen shrubs which I will give away… the older I get, the more I seem to appreciate openness in the gardens. One other thing… I can no longer access Blotanical… do you know anything about that or is the problem just here?
Take care Alistair and enjoy these changes…
Friends,
Larry
That first photo is just amazing. My jaw dropped open when I saw it. I hope the new owners of your home and garden appreciate what you have created and handed over to them. How exciting to have the BBC come! Congratulations on that. I hope you can provide a link at some point where we could watch it from our computers. Good luck with all the aspects of moving. Looking forward to see what you will do with a new space!
Thanks Carolyn, I will be in touch soon
Angie, Our other Monarda Cambridge Scarlet is not troubled with mildew.
Pretty indeed all those lovely spring flowers that really brighten up your home.
I guess its going to be a new beginning to the place you are shifting and I hope that you would find more greater joy and happiness in your new place.
Congrats on quite an achievement you have created there on your little piece of Aberdeen, my friend. It’s wonderful how your blog will keep the memories fresh of your glorious days in the sun there for you and your family for many years to come. Good luck with Aberdeen South, Alistair.
You’ve went out on a high Alistair! Your summer garden is magnificent. I think the fact that your last summer in Aberdeen has been the best one we’ve had for a while must feel good too.
I was given a tip re Monarda last year – mulch in Autumn is supposed to help. I will say that it’s only now that I am seeing signs of it. I know not whether it worked or because the weather has been so good. I’m going to do the same this year so I can compare. Echinachea doesn’t do well here does it. I’ve bought countless plants and only ended up disappointed. Think how much fun you are going to have trying different plants.
I hope all goes smoothly and look forward to reading your first post.
Oh you are going to miss those beautiful blooms Alistair. And I’m going to miss your posts about them! I sense your love and devotion to every one of those beautiful blooms you’ve nurtured so well. Safe travels as you move. Remember… “You can take the gardener away from his garden… but he’ll just create a new one.” Looking forward to hearing of your new gardening adventures in Cheshire. What a wonderful send-off by the BBC Gardeners World. You certainly deserve the accolades.
Your garden was always such a treat, Alistair. Not only did you have very noteworthy plants but they always looked to be in excellent shape, attesting to your regular maintenance.
I very much look forward to seeing your new garden and the challenges it will present.