About 15 of my Meconopsis have flowered, but the first one came out deep purple, what a disappointment! We have got a few the bright turquoise blue that they should be but the rest were lilac, grey, pink or purple! I went onto the Meconopsis website & found some information which said that if the seedlings were too warm as the flower-buds were forming down at soil level, they might be inclined towards purple colour. At that time we were having a heatwave here so I suppose that could be the reason – will just have to try again next year, saving seed from the best blues and make a nursery bed in the shade.
The rest of the garden is looking good ready for our open weekend in 2 weeks time — rhododendrons and azaleas are looking fantastic at the moment. Will they still be out or will they be over? The roses are just starting to flower along with all the clematis, they should be looking wonderful in 2 weeks time. Iris, peony and poppies are just starting and the bog garden and ditch are looking very lush with all their contrasting foliage and pretty with all the candelabra primulas. Hostas are looking very good and getting bigger and bigger each year – some are really huge now and seem to be able to withstand attacks from slugs & snails now that they are older plants.
We actually took Sunday afternoon off – a rest from all the weeding. We spent a lovely afternoon looking at other peoples gardens in Talaton, a pretty village just a few miles from here. Lovely plants to look at and buy, we came home with our batteries recharged and full of enthusiasm for our own plot. The best time is wandering around the garden at 5.30am with a mug of tea and my tame robin for company, it is a magical time – everything is so fresh, flowers are looking beautiful with the rising sun shining through them – it makes all the hard work worth while.
