Sweet Pea 'Albutt Blue', 'Blue Danube' And 'Mars'

The sweet peas are now about a foot tall and are desperate to be planted out in to the cut flower border located in the nursery. Yesterday four trenches were dug and filled with leaf mould ready for their planting today. Inspired by a visit to 'The Pickery' at Easton Walled Gardens, Grantham, Lincolnshire last year, Ali spent a few hours this morning constructing a new support frame for them using bamboo canes and pea netting, then, joined by Simon, they planted them.  From the 70 different varieties that the Walled Gardens grow, Ali chose three to be grown at Worcester. The three chosen varieties are:
Sweet Pea Albutt Blue', scented flowers with a pale blue edging on a white ground.
Sweet Pea 'Blue Danube', scented flowers with mid blue flowers.
Sweet Pea 'Mars', scented flowers with a striking red stripe on a white ground.

Planting In Dappled Shade

Another border, located at the back of the kitchen next to the Nuffield building, was planted up today. The planting was influenced by the large Catalpa speciosa (Western Catalpa), whose large canopy casts dappled shade over the area. The tree planted in the winter of 1911/12, is now registered as a Champion Tree on The Tree Register, and has been measured at 21 meters tall, making it the tallest of its type to be recorded in the UK. ('Champion Tree' status is given to those trees of national importance based on their age, size, height and girth.) With the dappled shade in mind, Ady, Graham and Kieron spent the morning planting semi-shade loving plants including tree ferns, ferns, impatiens, begonia, spider plants, umbrella papyrus. 

Four Swan Eggs

Ali managed to capture this photo of the swan covering the eggs before it went out on the lake. The swans are still incubating their clutch of four eggs and the college staff are still waiting for the arrival of cygnets, not long now, they hope. Blog entry 10th May 'The Swans Are Incubating Their Eggs' predicted the 10th - 21st June for the hatching to take place, and the college is watching and waiting, quietly of course.

Blue Tits Fledged

Ali got in to work this morning an hour early and made her way down to the canal side path to check on the nest boxes, see blog entry 31st May 'Nest Box Update'. The adult Blue Tits were still working hard taking food to their brood, but this time they would occasionally be met at the entrance hole. Later in the day the Blue Tits fledged and the box is now quiet, a success story for one of the four new boxes. 

Bananas On The Move

 

The banana plants are bursting through the open vents in the greenhouse, demanding to be let out now that the weather has warmed up outside.

Five large plants were transported from the greenhouse, through the Provost's garden, to their final position and home for the summer in the herbaceous border.

This Year's Theme Is 'The Colour Orange'.

Yesterday morning the corner border had its winter colour removed, all the wallflowers were lifted and taken to the compost pile. The box balls and cornus, cut back, were left in place to add structure to this year's summer display.

The soil was then forked through, weeds and debris removed, then levelled and fed with Growmore, a granular plant food.

Young plants, grown from seed, were then planted in the prepared border. This year's theme is 'The Colour Orange', a hot colour for the summer. Plants include Solanum sisymbrifolium (Sticky Nightshade), Calendula officinalis 'Neon' (Pot Marigold), Alonsoa meridionalis (Mask Flower), Rudbeckia x hirta hybrida 'Cherokee Sunset' (Coneflower), Rudbeckia hirta 'Chim Chiminee' (Cone Flower), Belamcanda chinensis (Leopard Lily) and Solanum pyracanthum (Porcupine Tomato).

Today another structural plant was added to the border, Aeonium arboreum 'Schwarzkopf',  a succulent with very dark purple rosettes.

Allium hollandicum 'Purple Sensation'

Back in October last year, an extra 40 Allium hollandicum 'Purple Sensation' bulbs were planted in the four borders that form the serpentine in The Ruskin Building courtyard, see blog entry 18th October 2012 'Holes In The Ground'. Now, seven and a half months later, the extra bulbs have resulted in a stunning display of purple flower heads that seem to be floating above the newly emerging perennials and box balls.