Viewing comments posted by okus

Irises fall into several categories and do not all have the same growing requirements.
Bearded Irises of all sizes like sun and are happy in dry soils. They grow from rhizomes.

Dutch Irises grow from bulbs and can handle partial shade - they are more picky about their soil than bearded Irises, preferring a better quality growing ground.

Siberian Irises are excellent garden plants from the beardless group of iris, easy to grow in most soils, and any position that is not too dry, but fairly sunny.

Iris foetidus actually prefers to grow in shade, and is not usually grown for its flowers but its seed heads, which are spectacular in autumn/winter.

In the summer this bushy plant is covered in blossom and each flower stalk has multiple bees and butterflies.

If you love butterflies and honey then plant English lavender! It is easy to grow, drought tolerant and not picky about its soils. My soil is very light and stony and retains virtually no moisture but my lavender is abundant.

This one looks very 'black' on the day it opens but the colour doesn't stay that intense. By day two it is looking dark purple.

This is my favourite Iris. The blooms are dramatic and relatively long lasting and it survives inclement weather very well. It does not grow as tall as some, mine reach between 18 and 24 inches, which means it does not suffer quite as much from strong winds.

When they have flowered, do not deadhead; the seedheads are most attractive feathery concoctions that are as decorative, if not as colourful, as the flowers.

They do well in poor sandy/stoney soil.

If you are a butterfly lover, this is a must-have plant. It is so light and airy that it doesn't block out anything else and grows readily from seed. Just scatter some seeds about and enjoy the "flying flowers" as they come and visit to enjoy your plants.

Because they are so much shorter than ordinary tulips these are great for giving a spring show in windy areas.

This one likes a damp place in semi to full shade.

Fruit has a distinct russet skin with gold/orange flush when ripe. Pick early to mid autumn but store for a couple of weeks (at least) to allow flavour to develop.

Great flavour on this apple. Although they will keep well if stored, mine never get the chance. The family's favourite apple.

When we grew this in Texas it never reached the size it can in cooler areas, but it did flower twice in the year, early summer and fall. It does well in poor soils and can take a great deal of neglect.

In the UK it self seeds and comes up in odd places like between paving slabs, if it does, remove early as once the roots get established it is very difficult to shift.

It can be cut back drastically once flowering is done and will grow back again and flower in the one year. If left to grow to tree size the stems can become brittle and snap in high winds.

This iris is very susceptible to bad weather. The blooms look dreadful after even a light rain shower, much worse than most other varieties.

Bees love this plant!

Tree Lupins come in Blue and Yellow so the popular names that start with Yellow can be confusing.

Their leaves are much more delicate and 'feathery' than the herbacious lupin that is a more common cousin. The flower spikes are carried in profusion and the plant goes on flowering for most of the summer. It makes an attractive small bush.

In the UK it proved to be doubtfully hardy, though perhaps 2010/11's deep snow and -14C was pushing it a bit!

Very easy to grow from seed, and they self seed freely, they flower the year after planting. Plants have a deep taproot so care is needed when transplanting if they are raised in a nursery bed.

If the first flush of flowers are dead headed as they go over, the plants will produce a second and sometimes a third flush of blooms.

They thrive in light, dry, poor, and stoney soils and are an impressive early summer display.

British native plant found growing wild in hedgerows everywhere. Tough, can be a weed, but produces edible berries which not only feed the birds but make excellent wine. The flowers too make a very acceptable Elderflower Cordial.

The true English/British Hawthorne, a fast growing, thorny British native deciduous hedging plant with dark glossy green leaves. In spring, clusters of prominent scented white flowers open within a few days of the initial buds appearing, followed by glossy red haws in autumn. These sustain native bird life. The Hawthorn leaves are bright green and tinged with red and make attractive deciduous hedges full of autumn colour.

Traditionally layered as part of the autumn 'hedging and ditching' process, they make a dense impentrable, living stock-proof fence.They provide nesting habitat for birds and winter food as well as attracting bees in the spring.

This David Austin Rose is a delight, it has long arching stems and benefits from support, but has been in bloom in my garden, non-stop, since early June. It is not only an eye catching bush but is also beautifully scented.

One of our oldest and best cooking apples. The main drawback to this tree is its size, it is too big for most small urban gardens and it doesn't do well on dwarfing rootstocks. If you do have the space though it is well worth growing. A mature tree will keep you and your family and neighbours in cooking apples most of the year as, stored properly, the fruit keeps well.

A very vigorous grower, it requires regular pruning to keep it to a manageable size and will require another apple tree somewhere in the vicinity, (not necessarily your own garden!) as it is self sterile ( a triploid variety). The pollinator will also need another apple to pollinate it unless it is self fertile as Bramleys, being triploid, are poor pollinators themselves.

This Hydrangea has huge panicles, 8-10 inches long and 6 inches across, on very long stems. They change colour as they mature, starting lime green, turning true white, and finally developing a rusty pink tinge as they go over.

It is drought tolerant and grows well in my dry stony soil. It is also hardier than the "mopheads." When they were cut back to ground level by -14C temperatures and deep snow last winter, Limelight retained its structure. It is now, after 3 years, a large bush about 5 feet tall and the same across.

Supposedly borderline hardy in the Northern UK, this one has cheerfully survived two winters with prolonged cold spells with temperatures down to -14C. It hasn't "batted an eyelid" and has flowered and grown as if this was normal. The secret may be in the excellent (excessive!) drainage of our light, stoney soil, which has meant its roots didn't suffer too much, and in the situation in the semi-shade in the lee of other taller plants and a latticework fence, which protect it from our biting winds.