Filipendula Rubra Venusta
Filipendula Rubra Venusta
This eye grabber Filipendula Rubra Venusta with large panicles of deep pink blooms in Summer demands attention.
Filipendula Rubra Venusta grew in our Aberdeen back garden just beside the
garden pond.
It did take three years for it to bulk up, well worth the wait.
This Filipendula grew to about 120cm/4ft in our Aberdeen garden and continued to flower for three weeks between July/August
Te deep pink flowers lighten in colour as they age and the large pinnate leaves are definitely striking.
The flowers have gone over
Even when the blooms have faded and turned from pink to bronze the impact is still quite stunning and looks like this until the first frosts.
Filipendula Rubra Venusta still making its presence felt in late November
Filipendula dominating the small garden pond, in a good way.
Position – Partial shade
Hardiness – Fully hardy
Soil – Heavy moist or boggy
Height – 4ft in our garden, (known to grow taller)
Common name – Meadowsweet
___________
We have settled in nicely back in Scotland on the East coast of Fife. I know I bang on about the weather too much, however, it is the weather that got me going with my blog eleven years ago.
Living in Aberdeen I was aware that many southerners were under the impression that we were gardening in conditions which made it incredibly challenging.
I set up my blog to show the doubters what could be done in the frozen North East of Scotland.
Here we are back on the East coast of Scotland once again (not quite so far North this time) and if I am perfectly honest, I do miss the milder Spring and Summer which South of the border brings.
I must say I have been surprised at some of the plants which I see here in Fife on my walkabouts, some of which surviving in Aberdeen would not have been very likely.
Trachycarpus Fortunei
This one was the most surprising of all, the owner of the house told me it had been in for twenty years and has not suffered unduly in any Winter.
Fatsia Japonica
Not exactly looking all that great in its stark surroundings, in actual fact, it looked better in Winter.
Cordyline Australis
I have had this one come through a few Winters in Aberdeen, never seen one as tall as this though.
Sorry about the picture quality, I got carried away with feeking up the picture quality and made a right dog’s dinner of it.
Cordyline Australis red star
These two lonely plants have been in position for several years.
Hebe
This one is at least seven foot tall. I have never seen a Hebe this size, have you?
Calla Lily Zantedeschia
We had this one in our front garden in Cheshire, in Aberdeen we had to over Winter it in the greenhouse.
I am surprised to see some of those plants as far North…. Filipendula is a wonderful plant and one I love in all its stages.
Hi Sunil, very observant, the trachycarpus is especially hard up against the wall, nevertheless it still surprised me.
Hello Alistair, you’ve surprised me! I have a friend up in Banchory that is growing a trachycarpus though! Those plants in the pictures tend to be close to walls or houses so benefiting from additional protection. I do that down here too with the Banksiae rose growing against the house.
Nadezda, I am sure Filipendula will grow well in your garden
Interesting research, Alistair! I did never see Hebe so tall.
About Filipendula, I liked it’s a good idea for my garden too. It’s very hardy up to -35 C (wiki) and goes well to our climate.
I will have to do some research on this Hebe Sue.
Weather is part of the context and plants grow where it suits them, sometimes surprising us. I have never seen a Hebe that tall, it’s like a giant! Glad to hear you’ve settled down in Fife, Alastair.
Gorgeous photos, Alistair! So lovely to see your post. And moving is not an easy task.
Lucy, I don’t think I could handle moving again.
It’s a difficult one, that: when a plant is imposing and when it’s overwhelming. And where things grow . . . I have moved to Halifax (West Yorkshire) where the climate is somewhat cooler and very much wetter than on the south coast of England so I was expecting a much greater difference in plant life than there actually is. When i get into the countryside the difference may be starker than on allotments and in public spaces, plants new to me growing on higher or boggy ground. I camped in Cornwall a few weeks ago and saw plants we didn’t get in Dorset and grasses new to me growing in the roadside. Perhaps we should move once in every three years to notice the differences while they are still fresh in our minds.