Chris's Weblog – City Chickens

My diary from 2006

Tag Archive: shrub

Chris's Weblog - City Chickens > shrub

Phlox Paniculata Sweet Summer Snow

April 29, 2024 Garden , , , ,

Phlox paniculata, Sweet Summer Snow is a hardy perennial, that will be happy in sun or semi-shade and almost any soil. This is a short stemmed variety which will do well in a pot. Bees and butterflies will find the flowers irresistible. So I am assured by Farmer Gracy. Phlox in this form is completely new to me. I do have a couple of old creeping phlox but have never had the shrubby paniculata type.

After a short soak in water I am planting this into quite a small pot to grow on a llittle before I decide what size of pot it needs.

Update 7th May 2024 – For ten years or more I have had a very large blue ceramic pot, bought by Adam and Kirstie, by my kitchen door. It has housed many different plants over the years This year I decided that it needed emptying and new compost put in. I did the job this morning and when it was finished decided to put this Phlox in as a centre piece. I am still going to leave the new plant in the small pot to grow more roots and put that pot into the large one. When it is more established I can remove the small pot and plant directly into the blue one.

Favourite Flower 2019 Gaura the Bride

October 17, 2019 Garden, Photos by Glenn and Laura, Spring, Summer , ,

Although this plant was started from seed last year, 2018, it didn’t come into its own until this Summer. This years favourite flower then is Gaura Lindheimeri, commonly known as Whirling Butterflies. The variety I have is white and called, The Bride.

It is such a lovely plant that, although I intend to propagate the plant I have, I intend to start more of the other varieties and colours. There is a dark pink variety, Belleza, that is smaller than mine and I am on the hunt for some seeds.

To propagate in July dip each gaura stem in powdered, gel or liquid rooting hormone, then plant the stems in the holes, just deep enough to stand upright. Pat the soil lightly around the stems. Be sure the leaves are not touching the soil.

Deutzia Scabra

March 17, 2017 Garden , ,

I bought this shrub on impulse from the pound shop knowing nothing about it at all. I have planted it into the back garden. It already has a few pale green shoots and having inspected the root system am wishing that I had bought another couple. There were Philadelphus and Spiraea.

Deutzia Scabra is an upright, deciduous shrub with arching branches, peeling, pale brown bark, dark green leaves and dense panicles of fragrant, single, star-shaped, white or pink-flushed flowers from early to mid summer. The shrub can grow up to six feet .