Planting the Elaeagnus
As usual, there has been little rain this week. I chipped out the excess mortar around the edge of the rectangular cut-out at the left hand edge of the patio, and planted the elaeagnus x ebbingei and a few other things around the edge.
Elaeagnus, primulas and pulmonaria
I planted three pink pulmonaria because I think they are suffering a bit in the dry weather and would prefer to be in the ground rather than pots. I have decided that I will not plan the planting of perennials too rigorously because they can be easily dug up and moved later. The important thing is to get the shrubs in the right place. I planted the elaeagnus exactly in the middle of the space and I also planted it level with the edging. I wasn’t sure whether I should plant it slightly lower, but I decided that once it is established it will not want to be sitting in a puddle of water when we get the floods again. The primulas and pulmonaria will hold the soil in place and stop it washing off onto the patio.
That got rid of seven pots. Then I planted some more primulas and an aquilegia under the camellia. That got rid of five more pots.
Camellia with underplanting
The plant reduction is getting more important because I am going to have to use the area that will eventually be the new lawn for earth mining, to fill in the trench left by the path removal, for a start. That means the plants sitting in that area will have to go somewhere else. When I do the apple tree moving and the shrub planting in the late autumn, I will order a large number of bags of compost to mix in with the earth. And then I will see how much more earth I need.
The kalmia latifolia’s flowers have opened, so they no longer look like iced gems. But they still look jolly nice.
Kalmia in full flower
And when I went to see the pyracantha to check whether any of the netting needed rolling up, out of its way, I found that it had turned white. I know it is meant to do this, but I was still impressed.
Pyracantha in full bloom
Number of pots = 114. Percentage reduction 21.4%. That’s getting more like it.