Gardening in Emsworth.

Cerinthe purpurascens.   A marvellous self-seeder with flowers beloved of bees.  It's common name is Honeywort.  It's an annual which will germinate at all times of year except the depths of winter.  It is one of the earliest plants to flower in spring.  The seeds are fairly large and black, like small pieces of gravel.  They just drop from the unusual dark purple flowers when the flowers go over. Erodium pelargonifolium.   A low growing plant with leaves like pelargoniums (commonly known as geraniums) hence it's name.  The Erodium family are commonly known as storksbills.  This name comes from the pointed shape of the seed heads.  When the seeds are ripe they are pinged from the base of the pod as it dries out - hence it spreads so well. Geranium Bill Wallis - the purple flowers in the photo. It was slow to establish in my garden but this year it's everywhere.  Botanically, Geraniums are quite close to Erodiums and ping their seed...

  Leonardslee garden is a grade 1 listed woodland garden lying to the south east of Horsham in West Sussex.  The big attraction in late spring is the huge collection of rhododendrons and azaleas which were in perfect condition on 11 May 2023 when a coach party of EHS members visited. The woodland, on two sides of a steep valley, is crisscrossed with paths, lovely to wander through and enjoy the vistas.  The 'Hammer Ponds' at the bottom of the valley originated in powering iron production in Tudor/Stuart times.  The woodland included many giant redwoods planted in the mid-1800s when collecting these American trees was all the rage.  I recommend joining a guided tour to find out about the interesting history of the gardens, its ups and downs with different owners, and the modern developments such as the first vineyard of Pinotage grapes in the UK.  

 I was surprised by how much better some plants perform in the shade.  I started to plant up the shady bed in the photo three years ago.  It's at the bottom of my garden, under a big old apple tree and next door's shed shades it on the southern side. Some of the plants came from other parts of the garden,  The tall plant towards the back, Tellima grandiflora, or fringe cups, is a good example.  The blue forget-me-not flowers belong to Brunnera Hadspen Cream, another good plant for shade, as are other Brunneras.  My favourite is Jack Frost.

  These edible pansy flowers came from a packet of Italian seeds, the only plant which survived from last year's sowing.  They didn't flower last year but are making up for it now - I didn't realise they are biennials. I sowed some more seeds yesterday, some in open ground and some in a pot.  Pity I have to wait another year for more of these delightful flowers.  I've no desire to eat them though!

  I find the best way to start growing peas is to sow them in modules in a tray insert or small pots.  Multi-purpose peat free compost mixed with vermiculite or horticultural sand is fine for germinating peas. I put three or four seeds in each module/pot.  Once the roots start growing out of the bottom of the pot, it is time to plant them out.  Mine went into the allotment a few days ago.  I plant the whole modules/pots a few centimetres apart in a row.  Support - something the pea tendrils can wind round - is necessary as is protection against birds when they are small.  I use sticks (raspberry canes) to start with and later string or netting attached with canes for support, and netting or fleece for protection of the small plants. They are a bit of faff but lovely raw or cooked, and there are a good choice of types, sizes and even colour - mangetout, snap or podding peas.  This time I'm trying the variety Shiraz, a purple podded mangetout pea.