Whats Looking Good In August

I agree with you on that @pete - the failures I mean!
I think we just like to try and 'beat the system' as it were. It's a challenge when something isn't meant to suit your location and conditions.
I do it less nowadays though - too expensive

I love seeing all the unusual plants people have though. @NigelJ has so many of them, but you're catching up.

 

I tend to err on the side of caution, @pete. I sometimes see something I like the look of, but resist in case it is delicious to slugs, cos then it ends up being horribly hard work keeping it going. I definitely go on trying too long with some things. I find discarding anything with even the teensiest bit of potential to survive very difficult. I am way too lax with self-seedlings, aka weeds, as well!

Being on a gardening forum definitely puts temptation in the way though. I blame you lot ...

 

Look on it as educational, if you don't see the unusual things then you don't know that they exist, or that they can grow in this country. You can then decide if you like them, do some research to see if they might do in your conditions. Then sometimes the hardest bit actually finding them for sale at a price you are willing to pay from a reliable source. Sometimes seed is the only way to go
Over the past years I've had a number of ideas from here and a couple of other forums, sometimes browsing a nursery catalogue flags other varieties/species of the same genera for example crocuses (Desirable Plants always had good descriptions). I've got ideas from wandering around plant sales, visiting nurseries (Hill House was excellent for wandering around and coming away with something different).
Totnes market had a plant stall for years run by a lady with a small nursery in the hills above Honiton quite a lot of run of the mill stuff, but from time to time something unusual would pop up, she also grew from seed and the young plants were often cheap enough to take a gamble on hellebores were worth it. Also once she knew what interested you she would keep an eye open when visiting growers.
My interest in Buddleja came from meeting a nurseryman, who had a large number of species, at a plant sale.
Species Dahlia came from Hill House and more recently a couple of nursery visits, one of which was to pick up a special shrub and resulted in a guided tour.
I avoid GC's as too crowded and noisy.
Garden visits are also sources of inspiration not really NT ones, often too busy and the plant sales area seldom has anything from the garden that you might have liked.
Unfortunately many of the people and places I have had plants from are now retired or closed there are some younger people out there.
Recently I've had good plants from Farmyard Nurseries, Jurassic Plants and Special Plants (seeds and plug plants).
Sorry for rambling on.

 

Oh, I agree, @NigelJ. Highly educational seeing what other people grow.

When I first started gardening (with a patio in 1994, but then a proper garden in 2000), there were lots of small nurseries round here and they had different stock, often grown on site. I got some things then that you never see in GCs now and every trip was a revelation. Most are gone, sadly, closed with their sites sold for new builds. Thankfully, the internet has filled the gap and if you want something very specific, it will be out there somewhere. The thing is though ... you need to know what you are looking for. And that's where forums come in so handy.

On the whole, I don't grow from seeds as I have always found it tricky to estimate germination rates and suddenly having 36 plants to cope with when you wanted two is hard work. (My aversion to discarding plays against experimentation here. )

I saw my first Corydalis at a little plant and craft fair. It would have been better for my bank balance since if I had not!

 

Plumbago ...

 

This hedychium Tara has produced a head about 12" tall!

Devon Cream - smaller but lovely perfume

Cobaea pringlei has taken over a bed!

Hesperantha huttonii - more delicate than coccinea

 

I agree re forums being very useful for finding plants that we would otherwise no nothing about, and the internet obviously makes it easier to then do further research about suitability etc.
It's one of the successful outcomes of the internet, compared with all the horrible stuff that goes on.
The drawback is - your bank balance often suffers

 

It certainly does ... especially if you accidentally stroll into the "show us your purchases" thread.

 

Our Nerine Bowdenni Yes but Look what I spotted in one of our Hanging baskets this morning amongst our Non-stop Begonias , a Hellebores

 

Yes we have to prune our bean tree as it grows so huge. Therefore as others have said we don't get the flowers or the beans. Some years we do leave it alone and get some flowers but they never develop into beans (again as others have said not edible).

 

Anemone hupehensis (double flower) :-



Anemone 'Little Princess' (a dwarf variety that doesn't spread like the big ones ... naff name though) :-



Anemone 'Elfin Swan' (back of flower much nicer than the front, with that lovely mauve colour) :-



Rose 'Eyes for You' :-



Cyclamen starting to flower now :-



Begonia semperflorens :-

 

Bog area filling out well , I've got loads of seedling growing of primula candelabra collected from parent plants in here

 

That's a nice wee freebie @Valleysgirl. You should be able to get it out and planted out or potted up

 

Some garden views today.