Chelone Obliqua
Always on the lookout for a plant that is a bit different. One Perennial which we have had in the garden for a few years now is Chelone Obliqua. 
Also known as the turtlehead plant, owing to the resemblance of the flowerheads, you will see what I mean if you check the picture that I have taken of this plant in our garden, looking a bit like something out of (little Shop Of Horrors)
The plant has dense spikes of rose-red flowers, blooms in late summer and early autumn. Butterflies are attracted to the nectar. The deep green, glossy foliage is handsome all season long. Chelone Obliqua grows best in full sun and moist soil and is a great choice for the edge of water gardens.
Hardiness – Fully hardy
Position – Full sun/Partial shade
Height – 90cm/3ft
Crocosmia x Crocosmiiflora
Crocosmia x Crocosmiiflora is known as the common Montbretia and was bred by crossing the 2 species C. potsii and C. aurea. The orange shaded flowers are borne on stems just above the strappy sword like leaves. Montbretia is free flowering from early August till October and looks excellent grown along with Phlox.
In all the years we have been gardening this is the first season we have had Montbretia in the borders of our garden, it will definitely not be the last.
This is a plant known to be invasive and may put some people off, however most of us can cope with splitting a herbaceous plant every two years or so. Crocosmia is found growing wild in South Africa, this one, first of the hybrids was bred in France in 1879 and was named after a botanist Antoine Fran’s Ernest Conquebert de Monbret who accompanied Napoleon on his Egypt campaign in 1798
Hardiness – Fully hardy
Position – Full sun/Part shade
Height – 60cm
Summer ending
Summer in Aberdeen is drawing to a close, pretty poor season much like last year. Mind you a good spell in July fairly got the plants growing. Lots of work to do in the garden, in a couple of weeks time the Summer bedding will be cleared and the ground prepared for plants and bulbs which will give a good show in Spring.
I have just updated the website adding pictures of our front and back garden 2008. On the front page open up the link (Our Garden) and see what you think. The front garden this year is maybe a little more subtle than usual, not sure if I am quite as pleased with it. The back garden I think you may agree looks pretty good and having entered this for the Aberdeen competition we are reasonably hopeful. However the pictures were taken before the dreaded box blight ocurred. I will let you know next seson the extent of this problem, hoping for a recovery.
