In My Cottage Garden: July 2024
What flowers are blooming in your garden this month?
Welcome to "In My Cottage Garden," your monthly garden escape where I share the latest happenings in our beloved garden. This month, we're celebrating the enchanting flowers currently in full bloom. Join me as we explore the colours, scents, and stories of our garden's most beautiful blossoms.
While our garden is mostly laid to lawn, I've always dreamed of transforming it into a blooming paradise. If I knew this would be our forever home, I'd dive into a full landscaping project. However, after our first year, when the rabbits devoured every beautiful flower I planted (as mentioned in my previous newsletter), I shifted my approach. Rather than longing for a garden with blossoming borders, I now embrace potted pretties.
This year, I’ve curated a garden colour palette of soft pastels. Enchanting pinks and purples create a soothing ambience, while a splash of white adds an elegant touch. This harmonious blend of hues infuses our outdoor space with delicate, tranquil beauty—perfect for relaxation and inspiration.
Let me introduce you to six beautiful plants gracing our garden in 2024. Some were intentionally planted, while others are delightful surprises, courtesy of our feathered friends that pass through.
Petunia Surfinia – The Trailing Flower.
Petunia Surfinia flowers are renowned for their vigorous growth and stunning display of blooms. These hybrid petunias are famous for their trailing habit, making them ideal for hanging baskets and window boxes. Surfinias are highly resilient, tolerating heat and rain better than many other petunia varieties. They come in an array of colours, I chose white and pink but they also offer a vibrant purple and blue. These flowers also have a long blooming period, often lasting from spring through autumn which is perfect for adding a ‘pop of colour’ (as my mum says) to our green gardenscape. Additionally, Petunia Surfinias are known for their delightful fragrance, attracting pollinators like bees and butterflies. A perfect addition to any garden.
Phacelia Tanacetifolia – The Purple Wildflower
These were a lovely surprise from a box of cottage garden seeds I picked up. Phacelia Tanacetifolia, commonly known as lacy phacelia or blue tansy, a versatile and beautiful flowering plant. They are renowned for their striking blue-purple flowers that bloom in delicate, fern-like clusters. This plant is a favourite among gardeners and farmers for its exceptional ability to attract pollinators, especially bees and butterflies, making it a fantastic choice for promoting biodiversity. Additionally, phacelia is often used as a cover crop due to its rapid growth and soil-improving properties. Its deep roots help prevent soil erosion and improve soil structure, while also fixing nitrogen and suppressing weeds.
Hydrangea Aborescens: The Snowballs
This beautiful plant was a birthday gift from my lovely work colleagues. Commonly known as smooth hydrangea, it's celebrated for its large, rounded flower clusters that bloom in shades of white and occasionally light pink, typically from June to September. These flowers are known for their ability to thrive in a variety of soil types, including clay, and they prefer partial to full shade. This beautiful plant is particularly admired for its massive, snowball-like blooms. Smooth hydrangeas are also valued for their low maintenance needs and excellent cold tolerance, making them a versatile and resilient choice for gardeners.
Foxgloves: A Delightful Surprise
These beautiful foxgloves were a delightful surprise, seemingly planted by our feathered friends as they appeared out of nowhere. Wild foxgloves are striking biennial plants. Known for their tall spikes of tubular flowers, typically in shades of purple, pink, and white, they bloom from late spring to early summer. Foxgloves thrive in woodland edges, clearings, and rocky slopes, preferring well-drained soil and partial shade. Historically, they have been used medicinally; the compound digitalin, derived from foxgloves, is crucial in treating heart conditions. However, all parts of the plant are toxic if ingested so please don’t consume them! Wild foxgloves are also vital for pollinators, attracting bees and other insects with their nectar-rich flowers.
Honeysuckle: The Gardeners’ Favourite
Honeysuckle is a diverse group of over 180 species, known for their sweetly scented, tubular flowers. These blooms, ranging in colour from creamy white to vibrant red and yellow, attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies, making honeysuckle a favourite among pollinator-friendly gardeners. Many species are native to the Northern Hemisphere, thriving in a variety of habitats from forests to scrublands. Honeysuckle is renowned for its vigorous growth and is often used as ornamental climbers on trellises and fences. Some species produce edible berries, while others, like the Japanese honeysuckle, can be invasive, spreading rapidly and outcompeting native vegetation.
Cornflower Pink Ball – Centaurea Cyanus
Another lovely surprise from my cottage garden seed box. Cornflower 'Pink Ball' (Centaurea Cyanus) is a unique cultivar of the traditional cornflower, known for its striking, spherical pink blooms. Cornflowers are typically blue, but this variety offers a charming twist with its soft pink and purple colours. These annuals thrive in well-drained soil and full sun, making them ideal for garden borders, wildflower meadows, or in my case, pretty pots. They are excellent for attracting bees and butterflies too. Historically, cornflowers were symbolic in folklore and often worn in the buttonholes of young men in love. Additionally, their flowers are edible and can be used as a colourful garnish in culinary dishes.
As July draws to a close, our cottage garden continues to thrive with its beautiful array of flowers, each adding unique charm and character. I hope that you have enjoyed this little look around a small section of our cottage garden.
I’d love to hear from you! What flowers are you growing in your garden this month? Feel free to share your experiences and photos in the comments, let’s celebrate the beauty and diversity of our gardens together. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting, I’m excited to see what’s blooming in your corner of the world. Happy gardening!
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I love the smell of Honeysuckle 😍
Even the animal kingdom is more mindful…