Potatoes and Pincushions.

I have grown Charlotte white potato vine this yr as my chef , ( aka the Pianist ) prefers waxy potatoes and has forbid me to turn the sort that fall apart in the water as they are cook . But that is not the sort of potatoes that I am write about here .

I love the climbing Chilean Potato VineSolanum crispum‘Glasnevin ’ . It is always full of clusters of lilac- bleached blush with prominent yellow stamen . It grow exuberantly so I hack it right back from time to time and then off it kick the bucket again . The correct time to pruneSolanumis in the leaping , when the side shoot should be write out back to about 6 in . I actually cut it back when it starts to annoy me by block the path . Its longsighted shoot are desperate to get into the nearby silver- leaved pearPyrus salicifolia‘Pendula ’ and although they look good together , I ca n’t put up with this form of anarchy . ThePyrusis get under one’s skin ideas above its station at the here and now too ; like everything else in the garden , it very badly needs a haircut .

Solanum crispum‘Glasnevin ’

Solanum crispum‘Glasnevin’

I am a bit confused about the name of the adorable white potato vine . IsSolanum jasminoides‘Album ’ the same thing asSolanum laxum‘Album ’ ? They calculate the same to me and so I am not sure which one I have . But whatever the name , it is very pretty and bloom for longer the the blue one . The peak are speculate to be lightly fragrant , but I can not observe any scent . When I was at Beth Chatto ’s baby’s room a couple of years ago I fall in sexual love with the mythological genus Solanum that she has grow on the wall of the shop . This has white flower which are colour with violet . Some of the flowers in each cluster are blanched , some are violet . luckily , there were some for sale , because I needed it very badly . It is called unbelievably , Solanum laxum‘Creche ar Pape ’ . I notice that Beth called it ‘ Creche du Pape ’ in endeavor to make it more grammatically plausible . But on the other handwriting , it still does n’t make much sense . What would a Pope postulate a creche for ? One likes to consider he is above such matter , unless like one of the earlier pope , such as Pope Paul 111 , there is a brood of children to be oblige . Anyway , I did a mo of research and found that there is a garden in Brittany address ‘ PapeAr Crech ‘ and I reckon this lovely Potato Vine was born there . Somewhere along the line the name has gained an ‘ eastward ’ .

Solanum laxum‘Creche ar Pape ’

I am going to Beth Chatto ’s before long with Christina fromMyHesperidesgardenand I will take a photo of the adorable one there . In fact I am certain that Christina will light in love with it too , so I will take some cutting off for her .

Solanum crispum ‘Glasnevin’

Solanum crispum‘Glasnevin’

As this is an alliterative - themed C. W. Post , I am going to indite about some pincushion - character plants . They are everywhere in the garden right now . The prettyKnautia macedoniais a bit of a toughie , but I do n’t mind , it is so pretty and the cum heads are lovely too . I believe this used to be a scabious , but the power that be decided that it isKnautia – pronounced ‘ naughtier ’ . Christopher Lloyd disliked this plant , but I ca n’t see why , apart from its thuggish mode , I think it is a delight .

Knautia macedonia

I arise some wine-colored - dyed scabious from source a mates of years ago and they obligingly seed around everywhere now in different shades ..

My favourite pincushion flower isScabiosa atropurpurea‘Black Knight ’ . It has large bootleg bloom with little clean boob and is the most striking of all the adorable tribe of scabious . It is said to be lightly fragrant , but I reckon it smells faintly of public lavatories . Very clean ones ; but still not a pleasant smell . It is only detectable if you put your nozzle aright into it . Bees and butterflies dearest . Well , the butterflies would if they were around . I just seem to have Cabbage Andrew D. White this year . Where are all the butterfly stroke ? Even theBuddleiahasn’t grow its common flutter of colouring lash out it .

Scabiosa atropurpurea‘Black Knight ’

Most of my Astrantias are over , but I still have this one in bloom . I love the old - fashioned name,‘Hattie ’s Pin Cushion’for this plant .

Solanum laxum’Creche ar Pape'

Solanum laxum‘Creche ar Pape’

Astrantia John Roy Major

My last pincushion is a ash gray - leavedSantolina . The foliage is lovely enough , but I fall in love with it all over again when it blooms . I ca n’t remember its name , as I have had it so long .

Santolina

Knautia macedonia

Knautia macedonia

As this is a ‘ P ’ themed post , I must show you a couple of poppy . One is an Opium Poppy which bend up from somewhere and I think it is a very pretty colour .

genus Papaver somniferum

The next is a Californian Tree poppy which is not really a poppy at all . Romneya coulteriis a very handsome plant with pure snowy flowers and a nice pop pommy of yellow stamens . It is sun - do it and hates root disturbance . This can make it intemperate to establish , but if it is happy , it romps away enthusiastically .

Romneya coulteri

I have a really pretty Clematis called ‘ Pagoda ’ which I had coveted in a friend ’s garden for years . I finally found it for sales event at Great Dixter last year , although it was an act of faith buying it as it looked deadened . luckily , it is now thrive and share an obelisk with ‘ Betty Corning ’ .

Clematis texensis‘Pagoda ’

Scabiosa atropurpurea ‘Black Knight’

My last ‘ P ’ is an imposter and I am very annoyed about it . I finally succumbed and buy a endearing Hydrangea which I have see on several blogs . My reluctance was stimulate by the optic - lacrimation price and even more , by the truly toe - curlingly , embarrassing name . Yes dear readers , I shame - facedly bribe a plant call ‘ Pinky Winky ’ . I tend it lovingly and paid somebody to water it whilst I was away . But it is clearly not ‘ Pinky Winky ’ . Pinky Winky has pretty pink plumage . When I complained to the nursery , they said it was perhaps my dirt . Which is rubbish , it was incorrectly labelled . I do n’t know what it is , but it ’s certainly not ‘ Pinky Winky , more ‘ Whitey Whitey ’ . And I am weely , weely cross .

Hydrangea paniculata‘Pinky Winky ‘ Imposter .

I could go on with this ‘ P ’ themed works post , after all I have some lovely genus Penstemon and the Platycodons are peculiarly pleasing . But a ring of pesky pixies are whispering in my ear that enough is enough .

Scabiosa atropurpurea ‘Black Knight’

Scabiosa atropurpurea‘Black Knight’

43 Responses toPotatoes and Pincushions.

Himself was waxing lyrical about our allotment grown Charlotte potatoes yesterday eventide . I hope that you and Christina have a great time at Beth Chatto ’s nursery and indulge in some satisfactory retail therapy .

I love all your Ps and would have been glad to show on if the pesky pixies had n’t provoked you to trim back the post short . I ’ve one Solanum ( S. xanti , a California native which is now seeding about ) and I ’ve get another , Solanum sp . ‘ Navidad , Jalisco ( with flowers larger than I ’ve ever seen on a Solanum ) on a chain mail order care list . I love the obscure - red Scabiosas too but they promptly electrocute when I planted them here a mates of yr ago . I sighed aloud when I saw Romneya coulteri as it appears that mine will not be blooming this year but it ’s still alive and , given its location on my back slope , that ’s enough for now I suppose .

There ’s just something about Astrantias … I think I necessitate them in my garden . Maybe in a sight … adorable plants ; lovely image . Have a great weekend !

Astrantia major