New Plantings but a Dry Summer indeed

A  number of charming and new plants have been added to the garden in spite of prolonged dry weather which quite honestly is verging on drought.

Most have been acquired as cuttings from Nicky and Paul  at Woodford but some have been bought at Noel Burdettes Nursery . A dwarf Apricot Knifophia has been added and we have boldly planted out Forsytghia viridissima "Lynwood Gold" and Kolkwitzia amabilis as well as a variegated Deutzia in the central shrub garden and front path gardens.

we have also added.

An enchanting Michelia 'BLUSH' hybrid, bred by renowned New Zealand breeder Mark Jury. A well struck cutting of this bushy shrub is noted for its masses of russet colored buds opening to lightly fragrant blush-lilac pink flowers in late winter to mid-spring. It's apparently a compact size.

Carissa macrocarpa  'DESERT STAR'Attractive, small, compact evergreen shrub with large white, sweetly scented, star-shaped flowers and glossy round green leaves. Hardy and drought resistant and makes a very good low hedge or mounding plant. This plant has thorns so not sure where best to put it in our often moist environment

Graptophyllum excelsum is a shrub or small tree 1.5m to 8m high, usually no more than 4m, with multiple stems. It is found in dry vine thickets usually on soils derived from limestone. The leaves are about 3cm x 1cm and borne in opposite pairs. they are dark shiny green and spathulate (shaped like a spatula, with a broad tip and tapering to the base).We already have wonderful specimens of Graptophytum ilicifolium

	Pandanus utilis
	Red Edged Pandanus
	Madagascar and Mauritius.
	Sandy to rocky exposed slopes.
	Upright, generally multi trunking with wide spreading head.
	Evergreen
	Grey brown trunk and round seed pods create a statement. Branching often uniform from main trunk I believe that this may end up on our front embankment.   This small Fortunella japonica  (kumquat tree) has an abundance of dark orange fruit that is delicious eaten fresh or used in marmalades and jams. They make very ornamental tub specimens. Carl Peter Thunberg originally classified the kumquats as Citrus japonica in his 1784 book on Japanese Flora. In 1915, Walter T. Swingle reclassified them in a segregate genus, Fortunella, named in honor of Robert Fortune.   Viburnum suspensum is an evergreen Shrub growing to 3.5 m (11ft 6in). It is hardy to zone 9. It is in leaf 12-Jan It is in flower in March. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.The plant is not self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil. Tea Rose. Mrs Canons Rose Woodford. Cream coloured Tea rose grown from cutting. The spirce plant apparently was brought to Woodford  from the Blackall Range more than 50 years previous to our tiny specimen. Caryopteris x clandonensis ’Worcester Gold’ is a deciduous sub-shrub with a rounded, bushy habit. Its foliage is bright yellow and lanceolate with a simple margin. It bears clusters of small violet-blue, tubular flowers from late summer. Anisodontea scabrosa The pink mallow is an evergreen perennial shrub; its size is variable but reaching heights of 2-3m. It has an upright branching habit with partially woody stems.   We have many cuttings grown plants ready to go in , waiting for rain including Pieris japonica, Cleome, Abelia grandiflora, Pachystachys lutea, Plectranthus argentus, Sambucus nigra, Solenostemon spp, Salvias and even hopefully Rothmannia.  Lets see what the following summer will bring. Michael Simpson