…. but these are my photos for entry to the RHS photo competition as I really should fly the flag for hollyhocks.
Author: Jonathan Sheppard
Adventures in the garden.... plenty of hollyhocks and more than a few cosmos too.
Sunday Telegraph and those hollyhocks
Nice pice as part of a larger feature on gardening in the Sunday Telegraph today on my hollyhocks.
New sign, new variety to grow
The official sign from Plant Heritage arrived so just got to get that put up outside somewhere. At the same time, Ive just put an order in for a new variety I’m going to grow next year. I already grow a mix of “Spring Celebrities” which are outside the scope of the collection as they are a mix, so it will be great to grow these Spring Celebrity Apricot ones from seed.
December hollyhocks still in flower
Garden News Hollyhock Coverage
Autumn the time for less glamorous jobs
I know if you relied on TV gardening shows, and by that I mean the fact that they end in October you could be left thinking there was nothing to do in the Autumn and Winter. Far from it, it ends up being a time when I am equally busy, but left with nothing amazing to look at having completed various jobs.
For me the next couple of weeks will involve chopping down the willow I planted to turn into woodchip mulch, followed by re-organising my water storage. Storing 20,000 litres of rainwater over winter means I can avoid using tap water on the plot.
All hail the hollyhock
At least that’’s what Country Life Magazine says 😉
October ending and still the dahlias come
The sun was setting on today, and soon October, but certainly not on the dahlias.
Talking total hollyhocks
In the last 24 hours Ive had chats with both Garden News and Country Life magazine. According to Mrs S this isn’t the first time in life I’ve talked total hollyhocks…. or at least it sounded like that’s what she said.
Needed a photo of me – and yet when I looked back the phone was just full of flower pics, as they are the real star. This will have to do 👇🏻
Strulching
Finally got round to adding strulch to the remainder of the hollyhock beds. Having removed the dead hollyhock leaves I’m thinking that the strulch may help to combat rust in that any infected material Ive missed wont be able to get airborne.
Will be interesting to see what impact if any this has. Either way, its certainly tidied the beds up and definitely combats weed growth.
