Yesterday I dug out the bearded Iris in the top terrace centre bed. They had been there since the bed was created about 4 years ago.They produced about 5 flowers in that time,took up a lot of ground and the leaves were torn, windswept and fundamentally manky. They did not deserve the garden space devoted to them. I can not think where I might place them. Currently they languish, loosely potted.
What to put in their place? The bed is the sunniest spot in the garden.The rest of the planting in the bed is:
- 8 or so marmalade coloured dahlia's : Dahlia 'Mel's Orange Marmalade', Dahlia 'Alfred Grille', and Dahlia 'David Howard'
- Tangerine coloured Papever rupifragrum
- a variety of begonias which I do not dig up and are going from strength to strength year on year
- apricot and brown Phormium
- Watsonia "tresco hybrids"
- newly planted Gerbera gravenia in yellow and orange (honey glow and sweet glow)
- and the odd nasturtium(various)
It is very much a hot bed in the sunniest spot in the garden. This year I will go with the flow because in my stock of plants to go out I have six Geum "Mrs Bradshaw" and some seed grown Dahlia "Bishop's Children" - the one's that have flowered thus far are a deep red.
In spring I have tulips in pots nearby - but I think I will buy some big Aliums to replace the interest I was expecting from the Iris in May- June. Here it is now.
I shall report on progress throughout the season.