Favourite plants in 2020?

That’s a lovely Dahlia Julia, and hope you’ll have better luck with your ‘swan’ in its new position. Thanks 🙂.

Your garden looks great, so established.
I had A. Wild Swan several years ago, but it just didn't live long, your Ruffled Swan seem to be doing brilliantly.
I have been delighted with those plants that I've had for some years that have decided to flower for the first time, e.g. Dietes bicolor.

Thanks Siris. Great to hear your Dietes is in flower!

My favourites: early summer: peony 'Julia Rose'.
midsummer: roses: 'Lark Ascending' 'Tottering by Gently'.
late summer: rudbeckia laciniata 'Herbstonne', aster 'Oktoberlicht'.

Thanks Ange ... all sounds lovely 🙂.

I like my Turtleheads Sheila (Chelone obliqua) though I don't think it's a well known plant on here - not common at the shops either. It has a neat tidy habit with lush green leaves. Just when you think the season is over and the garden is finished - here comes the turtleheads with it's hot pink tubular blooms and everything is fine again. It has strange quirky flowers that look like turtle heads, but I'm very fond of it and happy I finally have one.

I like your favourite plants and can see why you've chosen them.
Your garden is lovely and the way it's divided up by the paths and the lawn has created interesting shaped flower beds. It looks a very relaxing place.

Thanks Paul, they sound great.

Thank you Hywel. What were your highlights this year?

Nothing lol I have tried hard to think of something but I must admit it has been one of my worst gardening years :)

Early sown Sweet Pea seeds flowered for a very long time and the house was filled with their perfume for weeks and weeks.
A Rose 'Together Forever' bought in memory of Mum flowered again and again, planted in a barrel and the Helianthus 'Lemon Queen' has been a shining light at the back of the garden.

Its amazing how quickly your garden has matured and I love the sea of petunia and penstemons. For me its been the sight of Dregea covering an archway and the perfume that it filled the garden with.

I have loved all the many bright colours of the Zinnia's I grew from seed,this year,Sheila. So easy care,and they are still producing buds,and looking good. A shame they don't have a perfume,but I shall definitely grow some again next year.:o)

Sending sympathy Hywel 😕 .

Thank you very much Sheila.

Shirley, you’re encouraging me to try sweet peas next year - when is the best time to sow them?

Thanks Phyl, and how lovely to have a perfumed archway! I really must try to have more scent ...

Thanks Sandra 🙂.

Thinking back my whole garden has been an absolute picture all year, it's still rewarding me, soon as we went into lockdown I sowed every packet of seeds I possessed, then had to find places for all of them, that caused a riot of colour, many are still flowering, no rhyme nor reason to my planting, it was just a case of if there was a gap I filled it, somehow it worked, if I had to choose I think it would have to be my roses, they win every year but I am pleased with all of it..

Love your garden, It has been very dry all summer here but a plant that I love is Geranium 'Orkney Cherry' it does well stays well behaved and lasts all summer.

Sheila, I looked back at photos and think they were sown, in a cold greenhouse, at the end of January/beginning of February. By March 10th they were sturdy and about 4" tall. First flowers picked and indoors by the end of May.

I had them growing up and through obelisks and made a "wigwam" of canes for a large pot of them.

Also, the seeds were ordered from Kings seed catalogue as many varieties available. In fact, I ordered seeds for next year the other day!

Well done Lincs - that sounds amazing 🙂.

Thanks Jen, I will look up Orkney Cherry.

Many thanks Shirley. I’ve really missed having sweet peas since moving here, but we’re determined to grow them again for next summer. I will take your advice.

These are but a few.
My favourite is my Wisteria floribunda, Rosea.
Gunner manicata
Agapanthus
Aster Monch
Polystrichum setiferum
Pyracanthus Soleil d'Or
Veronicastrum virginicum and many more.
I have planted 90 Crocus in my lawn at the front of the house where I can watch the squirrels dig them up.

Thanks Linda - hope your back is ok after planting all those Crocus, and that the squirrels will leave them alone!

Jen ... so grateful for your recommendation of Geranium Orkney Cherry. I have just found it online and will definitely be ordering it: I love most Cranesbills, but particularly like this one’s dark foliage 🙂.

Thanks for sympathy lol :D

You’re welcome Hywel .. that’s where GoY is so great, there’s always someone who will stretch out a friendly hand. ... or even a virtual hug 🙂.

Hi Klahanie, thank you. How disappointing about the tomatoes, but glad your roses did better than ever 🙂.

I too have enjoyed the sweet peas, the roses in general which seem to have had a good, long- lasting spell of flowering and the hellebores at the start of the year.

Thanks Chris ... sounds great, and we can now look forward to those hellebores 🙂.

Your garden is always looking immaculate and pretty, Sheila. Love your anemone, it’s a lovely one.
I’m not sure really what I’m most happy with in the garden this year? I think through Spring it seemed to be at its most colourful and interesting..

Thank you Kate. I’ll cheekily throw in a vote for your wonderful Osteospermums . . . 🙂

My kniphofia Tawny King was my stand out plant this year it performed great as it wasn't decimated by the slugs/snails, the flowers on the Peace rose were beautiful too, and my agapanthus flowered well. Persicaria JS Caliente and rudbeckia Deemii are the stars at the moment but I think it's been quite a good year all round, yours looks lovely as always 😍

Thanks Daylily!

Hello Sheila, so many to choose from but the flower that really stands out this year for me has to be my Crinodendron, I’ve had it for years and has always been disappointing when flowering and the rest of the year looks a little scruffy and somewhat nondescript, but this year it was magnifique, a cascade dripping with red lanterns, I was forever going down the garden to gorp at it and take pictures which if I get time I will post on here, this truly had the wow factor, loving your garden Sheila.

Hi Julien, merci beaucoup! I love it that your Crinodendron is magnifique ... the favourite word of our granddaughters who live in Australia and have just started to learn French. Yes, it would be lovely if you have time to take a picture 🙂.

Aw thank you, Sheila!!! That’s lovely, much appreciated! 😊