Sorbus "Copper Kettle" & "Sorbus Eastern Promise", Harlow Carr Gardens, 25th September 2016
Second up is another sorbus new to me, “Sorbus Eastern Promise”, again a small, neat tree for the smaller garden. I did not take a close-up picture for some reason. The berries have a pink tinge to them.
Harlow Carr, White Border, September 25th 2016
Burnby Hall Gardens: Dovecote
Burnby Hall Gardens lies in the North Yorkshire town of Pocklington, the one time home of my mother-in-law. We went to see the National Collection of Hardy Water Lilies to be covered shortly. However the dovecote caught my eye, full of birds, mostly all-white. I’m informed by a friend that a certain ruthlessness is required for a colony of doves to be entirely white – technically the collective noun is “piteousness of doves”, though I prefer “colony”.
So I guess there is to be no dovecote in our garden as I am not pitiless.
![]() |
I did spot one miscreant intruder, strutting its stuff, a muscular escapee from a loft and one I should have reported. |
Breezy Knees Perennials (2), September 15th 2016
First up is a striking single flowered rose, Rosa floribunda ‘Crazy for You’. There was only a faint fragrance, normally such a key feature for me, but the flower was very attractive. (I have a similar Fremch rose in our garden that I must photograph before it fades.)
Aster amellus ‘Brilliant’ (above) was one of a number of plants attracting bees and butterflies by the thousand. I have no idea what the white aster is but the combination is a winning one.
Aster novi-belgii ‘Alice Haslam’ was another of the genus looking absolutely stunning in the borders, an inexpensive plant that demonstrates conclusively that one need not lash out a fortune when planting that prize winning display. One certainly for next year then.
Another idea I shall seize upon is to fill the inevitable gaps in the display with altroemerias, for Breezy Knees had very many of them in a wide colour range. Alstroemeria ‘Mauve Majesty’ looked the part, this particular specimen being bred by Dr Mark Bridgen from New York’s Cornell University, incidentally, a destination we have already booked for this time next year.
Helenium ‘Sahin’s Early Flowerer’ despite the name was still well in bloom for mid-September. Looking down at it is not the best view I could manage. It stands about one metre in height and well deserves its AGM and a better photographer. It is deemed to be one of the earliest of the Heleniums.
Finally for today’s post, though I will be continuing my Breezy selection later, is the perennial sunflower, Helianthus ‘Capenoch Supreme’ standing out from the crowd, not just for its height. It possesses a fetching light yellow quality. It also looks great in close-up.