Gimme More

I do wonder if my appetite for plants will ever be satiated. There are entire plant families out there that I'm only just discovering. Although I'm usually quite happy to stick to those that suit our little peninsula - heavy clay over limestone - windy with very little frost.

Campanulas, geraniums, astrantias, verbenas, phlox, primulas all do well with us but we have created shady areas that were never before planted and this has opened up a whole new world of plants to us.

Having just returned from the Garden Show Ireland, I'm feeling rather giddy - like a child in a sweet shop, the more I saw, the more I wanted and it was perfectly fine (I kept telling myself) to overindulge as I no longer spend any money on clothes (just recycle what I already have) and I don't go out much (sad old me).

Just a few of the treasures I have brought home:

Thalictrum lucidum - Shining Meadow Rue - 3-5ft with handsome foliage and airy, creamy, fragrant flowers in summer. Apparently an easy plant that requires no staking - watch this space!

Jovellana punctata - sprays of unusually marked flowers from spring until autumn, growing to approx 5ft and attractive to bees and butterflies. Prefers moist soil in part shade....I haven't decided where to plant it yet..mmm.

Rosa Pleine de Grace - A vigorous rambler, free flowering with a strong clove like fragrance. The flowers are followed by clusters of orange hips.

How excited am I???