Stay alert…

May 2020

‘Stay alert, Control the virus and Save Lives.’ The messages are confusing and, staying alert for the vast majority of people still means staying at home as much as possible. This month, gardeners all over the country will, like me have badly missed their annual pilgrimage to the Chelsea Flower Show which this year has been forced to go digital. 

New plants are often launched at the show but the popularity of older varieties can also be revived under the focus of the horticultural world and media spotlight. Benton End iris’s bred by the artist and plantsman Cedric Morris in the 30’s and 40’s have enjoyed just such a revival since they were re-introduced by Sarah Cook in 2015.

Bearded iris’s thrive in the free-draining soil here and I am gradually adding to my collection. Although not a Benton End iris ‘Action Front’ , with its rich, russet-brown ‘falls’ is a particular favourite as is Iris ‘Deep Black.’ I have plans for more and perhaps to give them a new bed all to themselves!