Pine Circle

One of the highlights of Hidcote at this time of year is the Pine Circle. This area of the garden contains the Pine Circle itself, the Lily Pond and also my old favourite the Plant House! Above you can see the border adjacent to the pond, with the bold orange of Cosmos sulphureus ‘Sunset’ and the violet mounds of Sea Lavender, Limonium latifolium. V. bon gets its neck in there naturally, and a strong contrast is provided by Nicotiana ‘Lime Green’. The comma butterfly image posted recently, see here, was taken at this very spot.

Inula hookeri

Verbena rigida

Nigella hispanica, honeybees are very fond of this

Eucomis bicolour

The wider view! (click to enlarge)

The pond harbours all sorts; dragonfly, toads, rare newts and the occasional heron

Justicia carnea

Flowering now in the Plant House. This gem stormed onto stage last week after being planted this year, and it is certainly one of the most fascinating blooms I have ever stumbled upon! The foliage is pleasing but the real interest is provided by its flowers, with these majestic candelabras of beauty bearing pink flames in the most dramatic fashion! I long to see it outside in a border combining with some other late-season colour, but unfortunately these blighters are tender hence their positioning in the Plant House. Interestingly however, the growth can get leggy in time so the plant is best pruned back each year after flowering. Also, the plants have an average sized root-ball, so these two characteristics make it an ideal candidate for lifting and bringing into the glasshouse over winter. Dreams of planting this out are alive and well!

The undersides of the leaves have this wonderful beetroot colour

Yet more Plant House

I am very fond of this area of Hidcote, hence why I keep babbling on about it! Right now it is a glorious spot to sit and recline, or even wander about investigating what’s in bloom or where exactly that pleasant scent is omitting from. This interest will then last all the way into the cold winter months when again it becomes a haven, sealed from the damp outside with glorious, glorious piping pumping out life-giving warmth! This is definitely one of my favourite parts of the garden and I reserve the right to jabber on about it again at some point in the near future!

Fuchsia arborescens on the left just hitting its second bloom of the year, next to the ‘somewhat vigorous’ Dahlia imperialis

A honey bee drinking in the gramophone blooms of Brugmansia

Tibouchina urvilleana

A fantastic climber, Lophospermum erubescens, that can be grown as an annual from seed each year

Another vigorous chap that will do from seed each year, Thunbergia gregorii

Orange-eyed Susan