By Hank
Cheshire, United Kingdom
At this time of year the right hand side of my front garden goes a bit wild, but I haven't a clue what - if anything - to do about it.
My son tells me the 2 flowers are foxglove digitalis.
- 12 Jul, 2017
Answers
I think it looks lovely. The more flowers you have in your patch, the less weeding you have to do. I bow to Bamboo's judgement, she's the professional. After it all dies down, then take out what you have too much of.
12 Jul, 2017
I agree with Bamboo that the two spikes flowering in the picture are Acanthus which will make up into a really large clump and also seed everywhere unless you remove the seed heads after flowering. Behind that there looks to be the blue globe thistle Echinops bannaticus which also makes a large clump and is beloved of bees, hover flies and butterflies and they need all the help they can get!
The Crocosmia is pretty and compliments the spikes of the tall grass it looks like to the middle right of the picture.
Under and at the front looks like Alchemilla mollis, the lime flowers which make a nice under-storey.
To the left of the picture it looks like a seed spike of foxglove, finished flowering which will seed itself or you can collect the dry seed and sow yourself.
Perhaps on the right hand side of the picture you might have some bindweed, difficult to tell from the picture, which would need to come out.
I agree with Cammomile that it looks lovely, perhaps if you want to re-vamp some of it, pick a small patch and do that first, but remember that it will take some time to get a nice full bed of plants to mature back to what you have now. Full beds take less upkeep as the plants keep the weeds down and keep the moisture in.
13 Jul, 2017
Thanks for your comments, guys, a neighbour came past the other day saying how well it looked so I think I'll mainly leave it alone, perhaps locate and get rid of the bindweed.
13 Jul, 2017
I think your garden looks lovely also Hank
13 Jul, 2017
I can't see any bindweed?
13 Jul, 2017
I hate to admit it but I wouldn't know bindweed if I saw it. Might google it to see an example.
And thanks C.
13 Jul, 2017
Got it, thanks, and have a large photo of it in a file. Will be out tomorrow morning to see if I do have it, and if so will find what to do about it.
13 Jul, 2017
It would have smothered a lot of your plants by now, Hank, if you had it, it twines up anything it can... and it would be in flower at this time of year, white trumpet flowers
13 Jul, 2017
Enlarged the pic and had another look - I see what you mean now - just two stems. Lets hope its something else....
13 Jul, 2017
Have been struggling with my iPad all morning, but will get back to the bindweed very shortly. And I do remember seeing the white flowers somewhere.
14 Jul, 2017
Previous question
No, they're not foxglove - they're Acanthus, A. spinosus by the look of the leaves. I can see one foxglove, a short pink one, in front of that grass clump, and I think I can see some Echinops, the ones with the blue thistle like flowers. Can't tell what the red ones are, its too blurry, but I'm guessing they might be Crocosmia. Typical cottage garden look... but if you think its too messy, then dig out anything you don't really like, remove some of the Crocosmia when they've finished flowering, and reduce clumps of anything else that's perennial so they've all got some space.
12 Jul, 2017