My garden is having a purple patch. I have Chive flowers that are just opening.
The Oxalis "Red Burgundy" has just started to put up its leaves. All this lot appeared in the space of about a week. One day there was a pot of bare compost, then up pops one little leaf
and a week later there was this:
The little green seedling at the top of the photo is a self-seeded Winter Savory, so I shall let that get a bit bigger and then transplant it.
Watching the TV reports about the Chelsea Flower Show this week I see that Heuchera is very much in fashion. Alan Titchmarsh was singing the praises of a variety called "Pacific Purple", which looks quite similar to the one I have, which is "Palace Purple". Its leaves are a very dark colour, almost chocolatey:
Heuchera has never really done well in my garden, so maybe my soil doesn't suit it. I re-located it to a new position last year, so perhaps this year it will do a bit better...
Aquilegias are also in fashion, which is nice because I am currently having a bit of a craze on them. These are leaves of Aquilegias grown from seeds sent to me by my blogging friend David Ford. In the absence of an official name for them I have called them after him.
They haven't flowered yet, but this is what they are going to look like (very much in keeping with the Purple Patch theme...)
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| Photo courtesy of David Ford |
This is another Aquilegia, one which has been in my garden for years. It may not be new and exciting, but I love it.
My Cotinus is not yet "fully clothed", but is already displaying a huge splash of purple:
The very young leaves are quite red, and almost transparent, but as they mature they go a deep purple colour.
Unfortunately the beetroot which might have added a veggie note to this purple post are a long way off being ready.
Lovely Mark, as usual :)
ReplyDeleteI just ripped out one of my Heuchera varieties. I really didn't like the purplish color very much. One kind was pretty which I kept. But the other just seemed ugly to me. They weren't that far off in color for one another either, so I find it weird that I would like one and hate the other.
ReplyDeleteAhh...it does your heart good to see Mother Nature putting on such a good show.
ReplyDeleteI'm so looking forward to getting back to a UK garden. It's going to be very interesting with lots of trials and tribulations but as you've shown here, hopefully well worth the effort.
Enjoy your weekend and good luck for the beetroots! ;D
I love purple so try to have some in the garden at all times,along with my Aqueligias I have some lovely Alliums at the moment
ReplyDeleteSo with heuchera and aquilegias I'm in fashion again. I think it's just the plantsman's way of making you buy different flowers. One thing for sure is I won't be digging up unfashionable plants and composting them. I would be like throwing out old-fashioned friends just so you could make trendy new ones!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful flowers in your garden. Lovely photography.
ReplyDeleteI prefer the more lilac colours than purple I find it rather sombre - but give me a patch of blue flowers and I'm all yours.
ReplyDeleteI like the theme!
ReplyDeleteLovely purples - I'm really enjoying purple flowers and foliage at the moment too. They make a great contrast to all the fresh greens and the lighter spring colours, great focal points.
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