What a surreal summer we are having here in our corner of the South West of France. Last year, the big heat had arrived by now, and we were dicing with average temperatures in the late 30s daily, lasting until nearly the end of September. This year, we have barely got out of the 20s, and have had so much rain that watering the courtyard pots has been an occasional activity rather than a bluelight daily, or twice daily, experience. For me personally, although the grey skies have been more than a little Scottish in feel, I have enjoyed sleeping properly this summer, but the volatility has been difficult for the plants- very heavy stormy rain, sometimes quite low temperatures, and only occasional sun, has left them stopping and starting.
So there are only slim pickings out there- and mountains of Olympian bindweed to carry out occasional purges on. So far, no tiger mosquitoes, but plenty of other pesky biters. I get bitten endlessly, Andy doesn’t. It’s a big bone of contention.
The best thing this week in the garden? The flowering of my mystery Leonotis. I have no memory of buying this plant. I do remember a pot with something in it that I held onto in Tostat for three years or so, and then, bam, it flowered one summer after being virtually consigned to the bin, and spending all winter outside. It is undoubtedly a Leonotis, but it defies all the rules. It has made a straggly bush of itself, with woody stems, it lives in a pot and it is still outside all year. But I look forward to the sheer guts and vibrancy of it every year. The flowers open like tiny jewels set in a crown and then flare outwards- it’s a wonderful thing. I notice that a few years back, I wondered if this plant is in fact Leonotis nepetifolia, mainly because it’s compact, bushy and woody, unlike the classic Leonorus. But I can’t be sure…
I thought that Salvia cacaliifolia was a goner. I had left it out, by mistake, over the winter and there was nothing there but dry sticks in the Spring. I even went back to the wonderful nursery not far from us in Tostat in April to see if the amazing Bernard Lacrouts had another plant, but he didn’t. Eight weeks later, a few leaves poked up from the soil. And today, the first flower sprig has broken through. The leaves don’t look as good as normal, a washed out green, rather than the glossy vibrant green of a usual summer, but both plants are alive. It is a lovely Salvia, it will almost twine if you can find a way to do that, next year, I will have a proper go at encouraging that. For now, I am just glad that I didn’t kill it. The blue is a gentian blue, that is stunning when the flower spike opens properly.
And another strangely behaving Salvia. This dry garden Salvia chameleagnea is not enjoying the weather. It has angular, almost spiky leaves with a good, thick cuticle, and flowers very occasionally for me, always at the end of a sprig. It has pale white flowers with a blue lip, hardly blue at all this year. The perfume from the leaves though is very pungent, and is reminiscent of a dry pine forest, a very health giving smell. I love it for the smell alone.
Another plant not doing quite so well in these wet conditions, but still smelling amazing is the tiny but powerful Pelargonium abrotanifolium. I cannot now remember where I got this plant, but it is really worth having, for the powerful smell from brushing against the tiny, divided leaves, which brings to mind a dry Provençal garrigue, and for the minute white flower with a purple throat. The flowers are little fingernail sized, but who needs big? It goes woody as it ages, but has a lovely open structure to it, I just snip bits off that look like they have had it. It’s kind of like a summer flowering, smelly Erodium, and such a good plant.
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