Plant of the week - Chinese Lanterns (Physalis alkekengi)

Just in time for hallowe'en and brightening up the view into the garden with pumpkin-like orange seed pods are this weeks choice - chinese lanterns.

Chinese lanterns - Physalis alkekengi

This was my second attempts at growing these plants from seed - the first year I tried, every plant was instantly devoured by slugs and snails as soon as they were planted out. This year I transplanted the young plants into a pot, protected with copper tape, which has worked well to protect them from hungry gastropods.

I'd also read that physalis can spread rapidly throughout the garden if unchecked, so better to contain them in a pot. That's worked well as they are on the patio and in full view from inside the house.

I got my seeds from Thompson and Morgan and they were easy to germinate in the greenhouse - the plants in the photo are now two years old - so not long to wait to see the rewards. Despite their almost poisonously bright colouring, you can eat the fruit from some physalis species -  they are hidden inside the 'lanterns' - I remember them as being bitter but juicy when I tried, and subsequently discovered that P. alkekengi is not grown for its tasty fruit!

Chinese lanterns - Physalis alkekengi

Fortunately their ornamental value outweighs the inedible nature of this species. And no, I didn't adjust the colour on these photos!

Garden Snapshot - September 2013

Late again - here's the garden snapshot I took in late September at midday. Looking back at the previous month's snapshots its interesting to see the changing intensity of the light, and the longer shadows cast by the plants.

Garden snapshot - September 2013

Not much is flowering anymore in this part of the garden - a few remaining crocosmia, a couple of fuschia, you can make out the orange fruits of the physalis in a pot on the right hand side. There's also a small shrub in the middle that gets a rosy tint to its leaves - haven't been able to identify that one so far. Anyone have any ideas?

Plant of the Week - Clematis 'unknown variety'

It's fantastic that there are still flowers in my garden into early october, it keeps the bees visiting! This clematis was in the garden before I was here and is growing through the hedge by the patio along with a rogue honeysuckle, which is also still flowering. It hides away for most of the year and its foliage and flowers only appear from inside the hedge come early autumn, like a last-minute dinner making a grand entrance.

I have no idea what type of clematis this is if anyone can identify it for me I'd be most grateful.

Clematis - 'unknown'

I love it because its late flowers offer a brilliant opportunity to get some close-ups of the insects that are visiting the flowers. They seem less bothered by my camera lens nosing in on them while they gather pollen and nectar at this time of year. I can sense their instinct that time is running out and their feeding time of year is drawing to a close. Today I saw hoverflies, bumblebees, wasps and several honey bees like the one below.

Clematis flower with honey bee

I'm planning to take several cuttings of this plant so that I can grow one over the fence on the opposite side, which is bare at the moment (my Clematis 'Oberon') seems to have died. The leaves are thick and a beautiful green with a lovely soft serrated edge. The freshness of this plant really stands out in the garden at this time of year.

Clematis 'unknown' - flowers and foliage