Verbena heaven

Dangling around Vernoux waiting for our dear bank to sort out its glitches (computers down, cash machine down, no 50 euro notes) so naturally I mooched into the garden centre and bought a rake. I have to think about the top path – lots of chestnut leaves fall onto it, not to mention the mirabelles. Will the grass die there? Nicolas hasn’t sown any grass seeds yet as he is going to be traipsing across it getting stones for the path.

Back at last (I’m just not a townie) I managed to get into the shed and do some good. Verbena Bonariensis have definitely been the stellar plant of the summer. But that’s probably because it has proven so robust. Here they are in situ. And I can’t believe they survived their treatment. Sown in the spring, planted in the trial beds, yanked up and planted into the rock garden. Settled for a few weeks. And then I had a change of heart. Up they came again, and were planted on the edge of the bed. In all that time they flowered merrily, never drooped and didn’t die. Miracles. And now they have been trimmed, pruned and divested of side shoots. I have propagated like mad.

But what sturdy plants. They have rooted in no time and will hopefully produce hundreds more plants by the time my work is over. Verbenas do look lovely in block planting schemes. So I need scads.

I wish I could say the same for the few salvia caradonas that I possess. They were expensive but exquisite. If only I had more cuttings to take. I don’t think I have more than six to strike. But will just have to buy more of the parents in the spring and choose ones that have plenty of shoots.

The sage rooted well. It looks like it is going to be an annual task to replace plants that expire in the herb garden. If I look closely I can see about a dozen that don’t look like they are going to make it through the winter. It’s a learning curve, believe me.