AUTUMN SUPPLEMENT 2014

 

 

Autumn Reflections
We wake up to a changed world in Scotland ...... but reassuringly gardens will continue to grow.

 

The warm dry autumn means that colours and displays are wonderful. Nerine and Colchicums and Schizostylis are providing vivid colour; Rudbeckia, grasses  and Kniphofia are giving form and interest and everywhere the autumn colours are coming in slow and steady.

 

We have a really good selection of plants to offer…some we have not had for years like Romneya and others such as the old Primroses and Auriculas looking great for the spring. 

 

Time to plant, the ground is still warm and for sure it will rain soon. Time to plan for the spring and plant some of our very good value groups and time to snap up some plants that we only occasionally can offer,  before they are sold out.

 

Happy trails. I will add autumn blogs as we go. It is a wonderful season. Right now, life goes on and I have to skin and freeze a sea of tomatoes.

 

Margaret

 

Click here to go to the Abriachan Nurseries website page to see the Autumn Supplement Online

 

Click here to download a pdf copy of the Autumn Supplement

 

       

      

ROCK ROSES - The Helianthemums

The Sun loving Rock Roses
The rock roses have always been favourites of our and a look at our catalogue will show a whole range of varieties to choose from.

We love them because they thrive in our sandy, sunny beds and look just wonderful when the sun comes out through June and July. The yellow form is one of our native plants and that would explain a lot.

They grow fast and have a great mat-forming habit that excludes weeds.  What more can you ask?  Well to top it all they really put on a great show.
A couple of years ago we; well Donald really; decided we needed a new wall in the car park area and once neatly finished, we discussed what to grow there. Of course we could plant a new rockery, but knowing all too well how difficult it can be to keep up with weeding we came around to a Helianthemum wall.  It is a great success as you see.

My favourites are the vivid orange colours such as Henfield Brilliant and the rich yellows, like  Sterntaler, but there are days when the clear pink of Rhodanthe Carneum,. Or the modest double pink flowers of Annabel attract the eye.

There was a range of Helianthemum named for some of Scotland’s highest mountains, the Bens. Hence we have Ben Macdhui and Ben Mhor and Ben Ledi etc. You can collect them after you climb them 
Two other Scots specials are Broughty Beacon and Broughty Sunrise, both named for an area of Dundee and they really do have the bright flickering colours of the ends of the day as they would be seen along the Firth of Tay. 

Maybe the manufacturers of Iron Brew should sponsor a new variety as that particular orange would look very well as a rock rose colour.

Midges - Scotland's worst kept secret

Midges...Scotland's worst kept secret...but people still often looked surprised when first bitten.
Yet they are rather like childbirth, you forget about them when they are not about.

 

 

Well today is really odd...28 degrees in Scotland and no midges on 25th July.

It is too hot for them!

These are the three best things.......if it is too hot or too cold or too windy then  - NO MIDGES.

And what a relief. I get pretty sulky some evenings because I know we can't eat outside, as before we are even 20 minutes in, they will arrive en masse as uninvited dinner companions.
One of the best things about being on holiday in Australia or New Zealand is that you can eat outside, or even simply have the windows wide open in the evenings.
If the House & Garden magazines are to be believed, you can eat outside in the evenings in the cities and also sometimes in the stylishly quaint villages, I suppose there is less vegetation...but you definitely cannot do it in a garden close to water...so that us out, or rather in!


Her Revenge

So how do we live with them?

Well you do get used to them. So for instance if you are out for a walk, you do just that, keep moving briskly. That leaves them behind...except for the odd persistent one.
You use midge repellent and over the years we have tried them all. The citronella ones, the ones based on bog myrtle, that smelt nice and the ones with evil sounding DEET as the insecticide ingredient.
I can't say I have been impressed with any of them.
Having said that I am currently using one called SMIDGE.......it is the best yet and does seem to help. I just don't like using anything chemical on my skin too often.
This smidge has been researched and formatted by the guys behind the Scottish midge forecast ..so maybe they do know a thing about the wretched blighters

The other and preferable method of protection is the midge hood. This is a fine mesh hood , that keeps them out and you can see through.
Of course it darkens the world and gets a bit hot and sweaty after a while, but basically works well. They work well and we have had a couple for some years now, and still going strong.
When our daughter Cathy came back from working in Canada she bought a gift of a full ...or any way half-body net protector.
This will be designed for mosquitoes; and the mossies in the Arctic Circle do sound like man-eaters . It works well and Donald as you see rather suits it. However I have seen more than one startled visitor come across him suited up in the garden.

Beyond that, tuck your trousers in your socks, wear long sleeved and high necked tops, all methods not really designed for the heat and so it is as well they go away over about 25 degrees.

There is also the midge catcher idea and I recall we bought one about 6 years ago. It only works, and only partially and over a small area and you have to keep replacing the propane gas as it is the CO2 they are attracted to.  We gave up on that.  Jo who works for us always offers to do any summer barbeques...as the smoke is a great midge repellent. Of course she will end up smell like a smoked kipper, but you cant have it all ways.

But don't let the rotten old midges put you off coming to Scotland,. Some years are worse than others and this summer is pretty good. But if you wonder why Highlanders retreat indoors and close the windows on summer evenings...now you know.

The Year of The Poppy

Back in winter I clearly recall saying to Donald ”This is 2014 and if ever there was one, this is the year of the poppy”
And so it is. We have the 100 year anniversary of the outbreak of the 1st world war, and as August approaches we will all be swept up in the reflection and memories that the date and its attendant ceremonies will awaken.
Anyone of my post 2nd world war generation will be steeped in family stories and memories of the 1914-1918 war. They were 50 year old memories when I was a teenager, and my grandfather was gone, at a younger age than necessary as the long shadow of the trenches and gassing and the whole experience took its long slow toll on many British men.
The memories and reflections have freshened in recent years, and the annual Memorial Day ceremonies are now very well attended, and red poppies are a potent symbol in our lives.

Looking around the nursery and the garden, it has been surprising and pleasing to see the range of poppies we grow and Donald has responded to my never ending desire to add more.
I’ll keep the reporting coming over the summer and autumn as they come into flower, but here is the first instalment and they look terrific.

Californian Poppy  (Escholtzia californica)
These are fabulous and without peer on a warm sunny day. We grow the single orange, no mixtures or frilled varieties as I find they just do not have the impact and sheer exuberance of the orange. They now self-seed for us, and that gets things moving after a mild winter.

Iceland Poppies (Papaver nudicaule)
A favourite as we used to grow lots in The Falkland Islands, where they seemed to thrive on cool summers and sea spray. Well they would wouldn’t they.
Best grown as seed & growth year 1 (sown in March/April or even May) and up to flower year 2. A good percentage carries on into years 3 and 4. 
They make really good cut flowers, plunge them into a deep jug of water.

Welsh Poppies  (Meconopsis cambrica)
Tough, easy to grow poppies. We like to create areas of the garden where they are all yellow or all orange, and I love the red ones that pop up unexpectedly in many corners. Very tolerant of woodland shade and hence extremely useful to brighten dull corners. 

Oriental Poppies (Papaver orientale)
These are the huge early summer poppies. They have large heads and centres of quivering black stamens. All colours are wonderful, but the reds and pinks stand out for us with performance and you have to love the huge whites with black thumb prints at the base of the petals and the striking black centres. Feed well and have a nearby perennial or some annuals to take over the space as these die down.  Show stoppers!

Himalayan Poppies (Meconopsis)
Any gardener will have heart stopping moments of pleasure when they see these superb blue poppies growing well.  We have acid sandy soil, and provided we keep them well fed, and watch they do not dry out, these aristocratic, elegant plants do wonderfully  well for us.  

There are a range of cultivars and some very nice coloured variants like Hensol Violet. 
I’ll try and guide you through them and all our other poppies, including the fabulous ladybird poppies, in another Blog another time.
MD

Match your friends to an auricula name.

When giving a plant as a gift to a friend, I have always enjoyed trying to match up the name of the plant to the recipient.
I thought I would put together a selection of ideas for Primula Auricula which have some wonderfully varied and inventive descriptive names. 

FOR YOUR FRIEND WHO LOVES ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL:
Bookham Firefly, Chaffinch, Cuckoo Fayre, Eden Goldfinch, Eden Greenfinch, Greenpeace, Green Parrot, Hetty Wolf, Kingfisher, Laverock Fancy (A Laverock is a Lark), Mersey Tiger,  Piglet, Queen Bee, Skylark, Snooty Fox, Snowy Owl, Starling, Tawny Owl, Tay Tiger, The Raven
                         
.... AND ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL:

Autumn Fire, Eden Blue Star, Forest Fire, Moon Glow, Money Moon, Northern Lights, Spring Meadow, Sweet Pastures, Scorcher

 

FOR YOUR DELICIOUS FOODY FRIENDS:
Blackcurrant, Butterwick, Brownie, Caramel, Cherry, Cinnamon, Curlie Wurlie, Curry Blend, Honey, Hopley’s Coffee, Lemon Sherbet, Mandarin, Old Mustard, Pink Fondant, Pumpkin, Rosemary, Salad, Stromboli

FOR THE STYLISH FASHIONISTAS:
Blue Bonnet, Blue Jean, Blue Velvet, Chamois, Doublet, Headdress, Leather Jacket, Pinstripe, Royal Velvet, Taffeta                                                                                                       

FOR YOUR FRIEND THE ROYALIST:
Grey Monarch , Holyrood, Kingcup, Old Gold, Pharaoh, Queen Alexander, Queen Bee, Rajah, Royal Velvet, The Czar

FOR THE ROMANTIC, OR MAYBE FOR SOMEONE YOU WOULD LIKE TO WOO:
Angel Eyes, Blossom, Blush Baby, Cutie Pie, Dark Eyes, Dusky Maiden, Favourite, Lovebird, Rosebud    

FOR THE AFICIONADO OF MYTHS AND LEGENDS:                  
Astolat (Legendary city in Arthurian legends), Excalibur, Fiddler’s Green (Legendary afterlife), Golden Fleece, Golden Hind, Guinea, Nymph, Old England, Old Gold, Remus, Sword
OR SCI-FI / GAME OF THRONES FANS:

Star Wars No 1, Pippin,  Hetty Wolf (ok ok, it’s not a Dire Wolf, but it’s as close as I could get), Queen Bee, Sirius, The Raven

FOR THE ROUGH AND THE TOUGH:
Border Bandit, Charles Bronson, John Wayne, Geronimo, Raleigh Stripe, Red Gauntlet, Rodeo , Sherwood, Super Para, Sword                            

FOR YOUR FAVOURITE CULTURE VULTURE:
Chorister, Doublure (bookbinding), Galen (Greek Philosopher), Marmion (Poem by Walter Scott), Margot Fonteyn, Red Gauntlet (Novel by Walter Scott), Sugar Plum Fairy, Tarentella, Tosca, Wedgewood       


SCOTTISH ROOTS:
Glenelg, Portree, Slioch, Gizabroon (maybe not a real word, but it sounds Scottish to me), Sandwood Bay, Tummel           
ENGLISH HERITAGE:
Butterwick, Southport, Brookfield, Finchfield, Idminston, Lepton’s Jubilee, Minley,  Trafalger Square, Yorkshire Grey, Sherwood, Old Suffolk Bronze, Rabley Heath, Shalford, Southbarrow, Walton Heath                                                                    

IRISH ORIGINS:
Fiddler’s Green, Green Isle, Nantenan, Old Irish Green, Old Irish Scented                                    

FROM WIDER AFIELD:
Brazil, Everest Blue, Mojave, Prague, Zambia        

                            

CHRISTIAN NAMES:

Of course you might hit lucky and have a friend who is a Mary or a Sandra and they can plant a little bit of themselves in the garden.  Here are some more possible match-ups:
Alicia,  Adrian, Beatrice, Helen, Erica, Greta, Joyce, Delilah, Joannie, Ling, Margaret, Mary, Nigel , Peggy, Rene, Rufus, Rosemary, Sandra, Sheila, Sirius, Tim, Trudy, Winifred 

And a lot less likely, but maybe you hit the coincidence jackpot and have a friend with the same name as the original person whom the auricula was named after:
Alice Hayson, Bill Bailey, Bob Lancashire, Douglas Black, Ellen Thompson, Fanny Meerbeck, Fred Booley, Joan Elliot, Karen Cordrey, Lee Paul, Lisa Clara, Lucy Lockett, Margaret Faulkner, Matthew Yates, Neville Telford ,Piers Telford, Rachel Kinnen, Sarah Lodge    

And if nothing else quite matches, why not go with the most simple statement of all:

Primula Auricula My Friend!
 

As a wee disclaimer, I have no idea as to the original eponyms and no offence is intended by my classifications.
CD                       

David Austin Rose Special

After The Show

It is always a little sad as you take down the Auricula theatre for the year.

However, I don’t think the auricula are sad.  By mid-May they enjoy the move to a shady cooler place, and it gives us the chance to do the satisfying job of returning everything to alphabetical order and filling in gaps.

Ah if only life were always that simple.

Looking back, what were the stars of the show this year?
Well amazingly, the greens and the white edged. That’s right, the most difficult put on the best show.

Look at Teem, and Hetty Wolf and Bob Lancashire and Minley. 

Hetty Wolf

Minley

Bob Lancashire

It is an odd business but every year the show stoppers are different.

The spot light is regularly on gold centred alpines, Rodeo and Snooty Fox and Merridale are all so bright as to startle.

Merridale

Rodeo

 In recent years some of the doubles have also been very popular.

Like Mary and Gwen Baker, Fred Booley and Excalibur.

Fred Booley

Gwen Baker

Mary

Excaliber

And then there are the Stripes and Fancies. Fancies are just those flowers no one can quite classify. Look at Lord Saye en Sele and Nantenan. 

Lord Saye en Sele

Nantenan

Finally this year some of the old favourite Border varieties were just wonderful.I have never seen Old Irish Scented looking so well; Paradise Yellow flowered outstandingly for a month and Chamois and Bradmore Bluebell were beautiful enough to inspire poetry.

Old Irish Scented

Paradise Yellow

Bradmore Bluebell

Chamois

Finally we had one late flowering new Border, Cloudy Bay.  Astonishing.

It brings to mind all of that imagery of New Zealand wine and scenery.

Looking forward now to our next holiday and next years Theatre.Margaret

2014 Catalogue - Now Online

So our daughter Cat and her partner Brad are on The Falkland Islands…that is bringing back so many memories. Memories of the Camp, the wildlife and the vivid gardens full of sun loving annuals. 

The Falkland Islands were sunny, cool and windy too of course but I remember many, many sunny days. 
The new 2014 catalogue cover that Cat has done is great, showing three wonderful Falkland icons , Rockhopper Penguins, Islander planes and the Falkland island slipper plant Calceolaria fothergillii.

Our trips to New Zealand continue too, and so our love affair with the southern hemisphere goes on.

Back here On Loch Ness it has been an extraordinary mild winter. We have been spared much of the rain and storms that have plagued the south of England and Wales. It will be very interesting to see how things grow away, with so little check to their growth.

The February garden at Abriachan is a delight of snowdrops, snowflakes and the Daphne bholua sends a long trail of intoxicating scent along the pathways. The evergreens are slick and healthy and the flower buds on the Rhododendrons and Camellias are fat and full of promise, the soil is heaving with bulbs emerging as we move the leaf fall aside.

Spring is on the move.


Margaret

View our 2014 Plant Catalogue Online
Download the 2014 Plant Catalogue