The ‘Edge in July: Sunflowers et al.

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One day in April I sowed some sunflower seeds in pots and placed them on a windowsill.

Some time later they were big and brave enough to be planted out in the garden, in the newest bed.

The sun shone, it rained, and they grew. Can you see them among the other shrubs?

And they grew some more, and as I wrote in my post here, they got so tall so quickly that they were almost uprooted in a storm early July, so they got some nice robust stakes to prop them up…

As promised then, an update on the sunflowers…. Well, the bed has filled out tremendously!

The ‘Edge is a long curved bed that is being planted as an open ‘hedge’, marking the edge of the flower garden. As fillers this year I planted Sunflowers and Tithonia.

They are a mix of seeds I had left from previous years…

Earth Walker

Oranges, reds and golden yellow are the theme in this bed…

Helenium Sahin’s Early Flowerer
Tithonia ‘Torch’
Cosmos Bright Lights
Helenium
Heliopsis ‘Sommersonne’

 

The shrubs I put in are doing well and perennials are currently providing summer colour, but I will plant spring bulbs this autumn too.

A favourite combination is the Physocarpus ‘Lady in Red’ with these Monarda ‘Gardenview Scarlet’…


And this Heliopsis (‘Sommersonne’) is wonderful. It started flowering early July…

The Crocosmia (‘Lucifer’) goes nicely with the deep red Gaillardia ‘Burgunder’ and Cosmos Xanthos.

Here is the Gaillardia close up…

Heuchera ‘Black Pearl’ has proved to withstand baking sun without any scorching, so I will plant more of them later too.

The overall impression I have of this new bed is pleasant surprise, as well as astonishment at how quickly everything got established… the weather was ideal for a change!

And just to put the size of my sunflowers in perspective, here’s a photo of me hiding among them! 😉 (I am 1.7m in my shoes).

 

Have a good weekend and Happy Gardening!

 

 

In a Vase on Monday: Fizz, Fluff and Froth

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Earlier in the week I picked all the pink Larkspur in the Moon Bed in the hope that any seedlings next year will be just blue or white. Well, the Larkspur looked lovely alone in its vase, but it would look even better if I added some frothy white Queen Anne’s Lace I thought.

As usual, one thing led to another and I found some wild Achillea milleflorum that had a pink tinge to it. Then I saw my pink Gypsophila was in flower. And a white Cosmos ‘Fizzy White’ looked pretty. And I just had to cut a couple of those gorgeous outlandish pink fluffy spikes from the Sanguisorba.

And so my vase evolved and I must say I rather like all that fizz, froth and fluff!

Why not join Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for this lovely Monday meme. 😃

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Happy Gardening!

Nepal Himalaya Park, Germany: July 2021

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Not far from us a wonderful garden nestles on a stony hillside on the edge of the Bavarian Forest and above the River Danube.

Within its grounds stands the Expo 2000 Nepalese Pavilion – a Buddhist Temple and Hindi Stupa all in one. After being dismantled after the exhibition, it was transported here and rebuilt by the Nepalese craftsmen, setting the theme for the garden which has grown up around it. The garden has since been extended a great deal and although it is only open three afternoons a week in the summer months it has become one of the most popular attractions in the region.

There are not many gardens in the south of Germany that are open to the public, and none at all that could be compared with the famous English gardens. So it is always a treat to visit this one which is more like a park than a garden and allows nature to play a hand.

The owner is an avid plant collector and has many unusual plants from the Himalaya region and Asia in general. But there are also native plants, flowers and trees mixed in with the more exotic.

On this particular visit the Hydrangeas were a highlight…

…as well as the Lilies…

…and the gorgeous pale yellow hollyhocks that have popped up everywhere…

Dotted around the grounds are various temples, gates, bridges, bells, prayer wheels, statues and figures that have been brought over from Asia or built in that style.

I like the ones that blend in with the planting best, but they do all add to the atmosphere, which is unique; the buzz of conversation at the entrance gate slowly subsides to a quiet hum as visitors move down past the pond and are drawn into the tranquility of the garden.

There are distinctive areas – the Japanese Garden, the Pond, the Chinese and Herb Gardens and the large area covering an old stone quarry, with bridges and bridge ‘houses’ along a pathway winding its way across, up and down the side of the hill. That is the part of the garden I like best, where nature is allowed to determine which flower or grass may dominate each year.

This year has been very wet and the native Melica ciliata has spread, creating a beautiful effect with the Coreopsis, Euphorbia, Perovskia and Eryngium.


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The temple itself is a focal point, with calming chants played in the background creating a very peaceful place to just sit and take a break. It was built as both a Buddhist temple and Hindu stupa, as a symbol of tolerance and understanding of the two religions.

Regular events raise money for the Nepal Himalaya Foundation established by the owners.

But I was there for the plants. And for inspiration, like this somewhat overgrown and wild spiral bed…

Or this glorious planting combination of spiky leaves, pink phlox and yellow lilies…

My friend and I took hundreds of photos, so this is just a taste of the flair and tranquility this garden has to offer. Hope you enjoyed the mini tour!

😃

https://www.nepal-himalaya-pavillon.de

And a link to a youtube video (only music) made by photographer Tobias Lindenmeir (https://www.naturphoto.net ):