Weekly catch up with garden and propagation

This week in the garden

with Mattie

Spring has whizzed by into summer and the garden has benefitted from lots of rain this week after a dry season. It's all looking lush and rejuvenated ready for the summer. 

In the Reservoir Garden there's the feathery glow of the smoke bush (cotinus), yellow Glaucium flavum, and slender spires of Verbascum chaixii 'Album'. While high in the treetops is Rosa 'Paul's Himalayan Musk' blooming with its light pink flowers. 

We've mainly been out in the woodland where spring rush has evolved into a green tapestry with feathery ferns, yellow Doronicum paradalinches and the stunning purple bells of Campanula latifolia. Here we're doing our annual sweep around of arums, cleavers, and weeds. It's a bit of a race against time to cover the whole garden before they all set seed again. 

While down in the Water Garden we've been tidying up the beds, taking out foxgloves and hesperis which have gone over, strimming nettles and brambles, and reducing thalictrums from smothering Peonies and other plants. We've also been updating our plant labels so visitors can identify the plants they love. 

We had lots of fun doing a geranium ident with least 23 different species or cultivars with @steveiriswatti . It's a great way to get out our eye in and challenge ourselves over the micro differences! 

We've also been joined by the lovely Jas this week who will be starting at @chelseaphysicgarden they've been a great and enthusiastic help! Together with Cathy we put together out weekly ident for our visitors celebrating what's looking good in the garden.

Last week we mentioned the exciting flower spike of Hesperoyucca whipplei in the Scree Garden, here you can see it in all it's glory!

We hope you've stayed dry admist the thundery showers and have a lovely weekend!

This week in propagation

with Rob

Another week of glorious amber mornings, swept away by mean winds and heavy rain. Still, no amount of drizzle could dampen the Growing Department this week, for it was a week brimming with new faces!

To begin though, let's catch-up with a familiar face... the incredible Emily!  Em took a moment to show me the wonderful selection of pelargoniums we currently have for sale. Both 'Lord Bute' and 'Black Knight' are proving to be very popular! The "peles" as they're affectionately named, are close to Emily's heart, for they all stem from Beth's vast collection formed over many years. If you visit soon you'll be able to enjoy the Pelargonium Theatre, where much of this collection is showcased.

Holly, Jas and Jess stepped into the propagation building this week, where they've been spending time with Debbie and Emily, learning tips and tricks on all things seedlings and cuttings. Holly headed out with Debs to take cuttings of Symphyotrichum novae-angliae 'Guido en Gezelle', which Head of Horticulture Steve refers to being, 'one of the best for blue flowers.' These cuttings are now putting down roots in the Prop House.

Jas got the fiddly job of pricking out and placing into plugs some miniature Eutrochium fistulosum (Albidum Group) 'Ivory Towers', which as the name suggests can reach around 2 metres in height! It works best in a damp border which gets a good amount of sun.

Jess is our new WRAGS trainee, who will be splitting her time between here at Beth Chatto's and Bottengoms in Suffolk. It's been a lively start for Jess, plugging up some Aruncus dioicus seedlings, before switching to the cuttings bench and everybody'a favourite Armeria maritima 'In the Red'.

Finally, Jack stepped into the world of horticulture just this summer, lending a hand to Pete, Callum and Kiran in the Packhouse. He's taken to it like a duck to water, and I know many of our visitors have enjoyed seeing that winning smile on the nursery!

It's such a beautiful time at Beth's, with a plethora of plants bursting with flower. Textures, colours and contrasts galore! And, from a quick look in our poly tunnel, there's a whole lot more who have just started their growing journey on the way!

Until next time!