First Timers

The longer one has to wait for something (apart from death, visits from the mother-in-law and tax return forms) the more exciting it is when it finally happens. This certainly applies to gardening. Happily, several plants at The Watch House have chosen 2014 for their floral debut, and there has been much anticipation as the unfamiliar buds emerge and then start to unfurl. As they do, I spare a thought for the great plant collectors of yesteryear who had to wait 10, 20, 30 years for their precious discoveries to produce flowers, sometimes not knowing quite what they’d get. Few gardeners these days are quite so patient – we all expect immediate results from our nursery-grown plants. However, even with modern growing techniques, not all species are happy to be rushed.

The longest I have waited is seven summers to enjoy the foamy-white flowers of Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. asplenifolius, or the Santa Cruz ironwood tree. This species is endemic to the rocky, wind-swept islands of Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and San Clemente off California, but finds itself very much at home in Broadstairs. Although the ferny leaves and stringy red bark are reward enough for growing this unusual tree, the flowers are a nice bonus. They lasted just a few weeks in July before turning brown, and are now starting to develop seed. The drawback is that they formed at the very top of the tree, 25ft up, so were only visible from our bedroom windows on the second floor.

It has taken Digitalis canariensis only a year to begin flowering, compared to its reluctant cousin Digitalis sceptrum, which took five. The flowers are sparser, smaller and more fiery in colour, borne on fine burgundy stems. This is the second flush, which sprang up readily from beneath the main spike. It looks tremendous planted with other exotic companions, such as sapphire blue Echium candicans, the pride of Madeira. A relative of our native foxglove, Digitalis canariensis is a short lived shrub from Tenerife which I have found to be completely hardy by the coast. Give it dappled shade and moist, well-drained soil for best results.

Canna x ehemanii is new to the garden this year, but is already putting on one hell of a show. Although never demure, the plants are now producing leaves the size of a banana. I dislike the stiffness of most cannas, but C. x ehemanii holds its raspberry-pink flowers with grace and poise. Already there are sharp new shoots emerging from the ground, which will hopefully keep on producing flowers until the first frosts.

I did not have to wait at all for this post’s final plant to flower, as it was purchased already in bloom. At first I could not believe that Spigelia marilandica, the Indian pink, was a North Amercian native: the flowers appear so unashamedly exotic. It would not be out of place lining the pathways of a Caribbean resort, but in fact this perennial plant revels in the moist, sheltered woodlands of Missouri. The first flower spikes were mercilessly snapped off during the weekend’s stormy weather, so I only have this grainy image to share with you. With its eye-catching red and lime green flowers, I feel sure S. marilandica is going to become a new favourite of mine.

Below is a picture, courtesy of Carolyn’s Shade Garden, to demonstrate the potential of this little known shade plant.

I find most things are better the first time round, so if these plants are new to you I hope you have enjoyed them as much as I have. I would love to know what’s flowered for the first time (or even the last!) in your garden this year.

Categories: Flowers, Foliage, Our Coastal Garden, Plants