Hay fever

The saltire is starting to fill out now that we are having some warm weather, some things are growing incredibly fast, like the salad leaves planted in the tunnel. A couple of days ago I was asked to find a few leaves for the cafe because they had run out, it was a bit of a struggle, since then they seem to have doubled in size.


Lots of plants are now doing there thing Embothrium coccineum looks stunning in the bright sun, our magnificent Cornus capitata probably the largest in the UK is starting to show its sulphur yellow flowers. My favourite plant at the moment just has to be the Echium wildpretti we have two flowering on our rock garden in frount of the Gardeners cottage. One of them spent the whole winter out there, the other one was planted out a few weeks ago when it showed that it was going to produce a flower spike. The inflorescence on both are about 1 metre in height a dusky deep pink spike made up of hundreds of small borage type flowers in amongst the other mediteranian type plants from all around the world they look quite breathtaking. Its good fun mixing up these plants like Puya from Chile, Osteospermums from South Africa and Phormium from New Zealand they would never be seen together naturally but they do look good next to each other.


The weather pattern this year has been a bit different from last, May was much better last year which has had the effect of putting us back a bit on putting out our bedding displays. We have made a start by building on the Italianate theme near the house the Tea room terrace bed behind the ballustrading has had a makeover 5 standard Olives have been underplanted with the new hardy Gerbera Pink Everlast the sivery Pink of the Gerbera looks stunning with the Olives.

Some of the plants being used for bedding this year are fairly new, last year we were very succesful with Nemesia so I have got three great colours for this season Peach, Kumquat (orange)and Cassis (Blackcurant). Last years Nemesia suvived overwinter outside. We are also using a new Erysimum (Wallflower) which has two coloured flowers on the same cluster some mauve and some pale Yellow it's called Plant World Lemon When the Tulips die down a bit more we might be able to plant them.
Another plant we are trying at Torosay for the first time this year is an unusual type of Ipomea batatas which is actually closely related to the sweet potato. Its a foliage plant that spreads and is good for baskets and containers I fist came across this little gem a few years ago as the purple leaved form Sweet Caroline. Since then some new forms have appeared we are trying a bronze leaved type. It has fairly large hand shaped leaves like a Castor oil plant what we have to sort out is what does it go well with and does it like Scotland? only time will tell.

Having got carried away with this blog it is nearly half past ten here on Mull, time to turn in for the night, doesn't feel quite right as its still broad daylight outside!.