In the arc of an Irish gardening year, May is the month of magical things. The first rose. The first swallow. The first properly hot day. The first beech tree in full leaf. The first sighting of wisteria in magnificent lilac bloom, draping itself languidly against a high, sunny wall. As nature flashes its brilliant feathers, it’s also our last real opportunity before summer finally arrives to make a substantial difference to our gardens or allotments, whether that’s filling them with fast-growing annuals to provide plenty of homegrown produce for the months ahead, planting up spectacular summer containers, or fine-tuning flower borders for maximum impact. With all of this in mind, here’s a handy little to-do list to help you stay on course.
Summer Perennial Bed with Mighty Chestnut Daylily
09.05.2024 - 20:35 / gardengatemagazine.com / Jennifer Howell
Summer Perennial Bed with Mighty Chestnut Daylily 'Mighty Chestnut' daylily is a mighty fine addition to summer perennial beds. Add colorful perennials to summer-blooming beds
With its vibrant orange summer blooms, ‘Mighty Chestnut’ daylily glows against the dark background of the urn in the garden plan above. The coppery foliage of 'Brass Lantern' foamy bells accentuates the warm colors, while 'Blue Skywalker' spike speedwell provides a cooling contrast. Sweetshrub's burgundy blooms age to brown by late summer, blending right in to this color palette.
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Plant this combination in full sun for the most blooms, but part shade during midday can help prevent scorched leaves on the foamy bells. These plant companions appreciate more water during hot, dry weather to keep the foliage looking fresh. In early spring rake out dead foliage from the daylily and shear off dried stems of the spike speedwell and foamy bells an inch or two above the soil.
'Mighty Chestnut' daylily has a high bud count, so you'll get several weeks of successive flowers. Blossoms are long-lasting — up to 16 hours — more than the average daylily. Every day, snap off any withered flowers to make room for new buds that open on the same cluster. Once all the blooms are spent, deadhead the daylily by cutting the stalk off at the base of the plant.
Deadheading the spike speedwell can encourage a light rebloom. Snip off dried flower spikes of the foamy bells below the foliage to keep this plant looking tidy.Prune sweetshrub after it flowers only if the plant needs to be shaped.
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