JULY AT CLUNY

Remember to look out for Cluny’s RED squirrels anywhere in the garden although during the hottest part of the day, they may be having a snooze! A good place to watch for them is at No 5 where there is a seat for a comfortable watch!

The garden “grows” particularly well at this time of year especially after rain. Sadly, the main flowering season has passed and the garden is going into a green jungle phase, typical of a woodland garden.

LAWN & GRAVEL AREA

We are leaving an area of lawn uncut for a number of weeks to encourage more wild flowers and insect life. It has already been very good for yellow rattle, yarrow & a few orchids. The tiny blue flower in the grass is Pratia, the blue star creeper (not native). On the gravel are various pots with flowering plants not always found in the garden interspersed with sun loving plants growing in the gravel including Gentiana lutea (Bitterwort), a tall, yellow flowered perennial herbaceous gentian from the Pyrenees and Alps; Eryngium sp; many self-seeded orchids; Scabiosa columbaria or small scabious; the tall biennial yellow or white Verbascum species and Digitalis grandiflora a lovely yellow medium sized perennial foxglove. Many of these are very attractive to bumblebees.

BULBS & TROPAEOLUM SPECIOSUM

On entering the garden and in various other spots you will immediately notice the magnificent Cardiocrinum giganteum, the Giant Himalayan Lily, with its long thick stalks growing up to 3m high topped now with green seed heads beginning to look like green figs. A few of last year’s seed heads can be seen still in position and resemble Venus Flytraps. One of the most prolific lilies at Cluny, having seeded itself throughout much of the garden is Lilium martagon, a European Turk’s-cap lily with flowers in shades of purple and white and flowers from late-June to early July followed by the familiar L lancifolium (Tiger Lily). The very beautiful Lilium nepalense with funnel shaped greenish yellow and maroon flowers appears in mid to late July in the first bed on the lawn along with Lilium davidii an orange spotted large Turk’s-cap lily from western China.

Related to nasturtium, the magnificent Tropaeolum speciosum or Chilean Flame Flower grows in many different places crawling through and over shrubs and trees. It has long spurred scarlet flowers and towards the end of the month and into August, its purple-blue berries will begin appearing. It grows from long white underground tubers preferring an acidic soil and like clematis species should be planted in the shade but allowed to grow into the sun.

LATE FLOWERING PRIMULAS

In early July the later flowering primulas are mainly growing in a very boggy area around Nos 26 & 27. The area is dominated by yellow or red P florindae (Himalayan cowslip) along with P sikkimensis, P poissonii and later Candelabras interspersed with native self-seeded orchids.

PERENNIALS & ANNUALS

Very striking from mid-July are clumps of red Monarda or bee balm on the lawn and elsewhere. Ligularia (Golden Goundsel) is a tall yellow or orange daisy-like flower with large rounded leaves originating from central and eastern Asia. It grows throughout the garden but prefers a cool moist semi-shaded situation. In contrast Chinese ragwort or Sinacalia tangutica is in a sunny spot close to No 5. There are many self-seeded common foxgloves throughout the garden. The red berries of Actaea rubra (Baneberry) begin to colour later in July, as do those of its white form. There are large clumps of Actaeas around Nos 17 & 18 and throughout. The berries are very toxic to humans but much loved by bullfinches and therefore may not remain for long! The yellow climbing Meconopsis chelidoniflia from Western China is present throughout. Look out for the spectacular seed heads of Arisaema (Cobra lilies) turning from green tightly packed to lovely red and eventually mushy berries. The blue nettle-leaved campanula, an attractive introduced wildflower, has spread to various spots.

TREES & SHRUBS

At the entrance gate is a fine example of the beautiful Japanese Golden Acer Acer shirasawanum ‘Aureum’ (the Golden Leaf Full Moon Japanese Maple). This is the first Acer to show autumn tinges even in July. The hips on Rosa omeiensis also begin to colour up orange or red particularly in the lawn area and are sometimes eaten by the squirrels. Towards the middle of the month, the cherries on the beautiful red-barked Tibetan cherry trees Prunus serrula tibetica will begin to ripen and become a favourite food for the many blackbirds and wood pigeons in the garden. Early in July a number of different types of shrubs flower throughout the garden including Hydrangea, Deutzia, Roses and Hypericum another bumblebee favourite. Crawling over some of the shrubs especially in the top area of the garden, is Codonopsis, a trailing creeper from the Himalayas, with many, usually green beautiful but not noticeable, tubular flowers. Wasps get drunk on their nectar! In early July at No 19 look out for Cornus kousa, a small tree with white bracts which are actually adapted leaves used to protect the flowers.

WILDLIFE

If you are careful and quiet, you should see one of a number of Red Squirrels particularly if you visit when the garden first opens in the morning or later in the afternoon. They feed on hazelnuts and peanuts in feeders at the first Sequioadendron (No 5) but can be seen elsewhere in the garden. It has been a great breeding season for smaller bird species especially for the tits and finches. Great Spotted woodpeckers and jays are regular along with bullfinches, long-tailed tits, song thrushes, goldcrests, nuthatches and treecreepers. There are plenty toads and frogs hopefully helping to consume lots of slugs! It is a better year for bumblebees, wasps and some butterflies 

JULY JOBS

Seed collecting has begun and will continue into November. (Please resist from stealing any fresh seed, thank you! We, the garden and the wildlife need it all.) Weeding carries on as ever and cleared areas are mulched with our own compost or leaf mould. Constant cutting back of shrubs and trees is always necessary.