Monday 17 June 2013

Dutch Courage

Being in the hortic trade can lead to such varied and rewarding days. A neighbour dropped off a couple of carrier bags of alpine strawberries to grow in our gravel drive and plant around a Gingko seedling at the boys' school.
I then received this e-photo from a friend in the Netherlands, asking what this zingy plant was that they had seen at the Dutch Open Air Museum. It seems a particularly appropriate choice of plant for a Dutch garden, with fiery orange flowers. It is the tender perennial Geranium 'Vancouver Centennial', which I would probably deadhead to encourage larger stunning leaves, and hold back the eye-bleedingly bright blooms. I might struggle to welcome that clash on my doorstep one misty June morning!