The past week has had mixed weather; hot and sunny but cold, overcast and windy at the weekend, then hot again on Monday and Tuesday, overcast again on Wednesday and rain is forecast for today but as yet it’s sunny.
The slope as the title suggests just gets better and better, as one plant finishes flowering another begins. This week the Tulbaghia is suddenly displaying its violet star-shaped flower heads. The Eschscholzia remain the most obvious feature but close inspection reveals that the soft sage green leaves of the Verbascum are growing larger and it won’t be too long before their stately flowers push up.
The usual view
The cypress needs that wayward branch removed.
Bright silver leaves contrast with the darker foliage of the Perovskia
The pPerovskia has been busy self seeding and I may need to remove some before they colonise the whole area.
Iris ‘Before the Storm’ stand out from the bright yellow Eschscholzia
Tulbaghia are now making their début
The Phlomis I grew as a cutting is making its presence felt
The image above gives a true idea of how steep the slope is, not an easy place to garden, hence the choice of plants that require little care are given a home here.
Euphorbia, Phlomis with the green background of Quercus ilex, the holly oak
The tree in flower is Melia azedarach.
Poppies
more poppies
More and more poppies
Looking up from the gate
The two Cistus in the foreground were both grown from cuttings. Stipa tenuissima was blowing about wonderfully in the wind, I wouldn’t want to be without it.
Tomorrow is the 22nd of May and Garden Bloggers Foliage Day, I do hope you’ll find some foliage amongst all the flowers that May has to offer share with us. I realise that in the northern hemisphere that flowers are the main features of our gardens but even here in Italy when everything flowers in May, the foliage still has a hugely important supporting role to play; I look forward to seeing what you find in your garden.
Creating my own garden of the Hesperides 
Che meraviglia! Quel tocco di papaveri rossi è superlativo!!! con iris scuri ed escoltia!!! bello bello bello! Ho un cisto da talea – date da simonetta – non sappiamo di preciso come si chiama. Alto e bianco candido. Ne vuoi uno? E’ ancora piccolino ma ormai mi sembra robusto.
Si, si, ho visto l’altro giorno, è bellissimo e non ho uno cos’è. Grazie
E’ tuo!
Perfetto!
You’ve got a lovely combination of erigeron, stipa,eschscholzia and poppies winding up your slope. It really flows. Bet it looks great in the wind. The Tulbaghia are adding a nice upright focus.
The wind makes the Stipa look like waves rippling across the slope.
The poppies really do add such a wonderful splash of colour. I know how difficult it is to garden on a steep slope and your plant selection works so well!
The plants almost selected themselves; I’ve only put things here that really thrived and self seeded in the rest of the garden so it almost looks after itself.
Your slope really has filled out and matured. You seem to have found the right mix of plants that thrive in your ground and climate AND reseed too! The Stipa looks fantastic – I can imagine the breeze rippling through it. I don’t remember seeing your Phlomis before… I have only seen pink ones here as far as I remember.
The parent plants are in the Upper Drive border and the Large Island; I do have a pink one too, but that is more herbaceous, where as this is a shrubby evergreen. It seems profusely!
This abundance is wonderful , the grasses are so effective. The phlomis working well too. I love that dark iris.
The dark Iris, ‘Before the storm’ is even blacker in life than it looks in photographs.
GORGEOUS. I would love a bigger garden-well not in terms of the time it takes to produce that amount of loveliness.
This area doesn’t take that much time; it is too steep to ‘garden’ so it is just things that will colonise the space.
Your slope is looking magnificent. The mix of flowers and grasses go so well together.
Yes, grasses go well with many plants, I remember that you are a fan.
Yes, but I don’t have many. Unfortunately the Pennisetum that I put in last year, that was labelled as hardy, didn’t make it through the winter – unless it is very very late to get going.
If it is a Pennisetum, they are very late to start into growth , much later than anything else.
Oh that is good news – I won’t dig it up yet then.
Lovely combinations. I have just started to appreciate Phlomis. Amelia
Phlomis is a good tough plant, the bees here love it and you can use the seedheads in a vase.
All that beauty and easy-care too? I feel faint!
It wasn’t so easy until all the plants became established and as I’ve said before I will be slowly changing the planting to more shrubs like the cistus as that stops weeds better but it isn’t that difficult even now because it is quite natural so the plants take care of themselves pretty much.
Your poppies are looking particularly splendid as always x
It must be a joy to walk through this area every day, Christina, regardless of the weather.
The slope edges the drive so I see it when I arrive home, walking through it isn’t possible.
Such a beautiful combination of flowers and colours, you have got the talent of a painter, Christina! Congratulations!
Thank you Anca; I can paint with plants but sadly not with paint itself!
So breathtakingly beautiful!
Compelling from every view. I love the dramatic black iris and also the way the Stipa tenuissima responded to the wind.
I love the Stipa at this time of year when it still has some green and is light an airy and is in constant movement.
I like phlomis too – another plant I mean to buy … but haven’t. Very beautiful, Christina. Dave
Phlomis fruticosa may not be ideal on the Priory’s wet ground, but some of the more herbaceous ones would be ideal.
It’s lovely, and inspiring. I have some steep slopes in my garden; I just hope I can get them looking half as good as this.
I’m sure you will Matt.
Oh Christina those poppies are stunning as is the Iris ‘Before the Storm’.