Bees are happy among the flowers, while summer fruit arrive

The hot dry summer weather to come should minimise any weeds at this time of the year, but those that do appear should quickly be removed before they set seed and start the cycle all over again. I was given a long-handled tool recently, which will lift any troublesome weeds from the garden beds and whilst doing so, not cause too much backache.

It goes without saying that any watering should be done in the cool of the evening and sparingly. You will gradually get to know just how much your plants need to keep going. A reminder that ‘grey water’ (used household water) can be used for pots, but not for veggies or salads.

Sitting on my veranda on a sunny morning, I watched several bees searching amongst the pots of bright red pelargoniums there and was curious to see why they chose them. It might have been that they were the only flowers in that spot and therefore no choice, or was it the perfume or colour that attracted them?

Having replanted the urns in my par terre with Lavendula stoechas, which grows naturally in some wild parts of the island, I was somewhat surprised when I watered them at just how many bees appeared from deep down amongst the flowers and how eager they were to get back to foraging. Lavenders as you know are highly perfumed plants but is it only the perfume that bees are drawn to, or the lovely colour?

A large pot of cactus at the front door burst into flower one morning and within an hour was covered in bees feasting on them. How did the bees know that they were in flower? I don’t think it was the perfume, as they were not perfumed. Sadly, they were in flower only for one day but what a glorious sight they were.

Bees, it seems, are drawn to shades of blue and violet, but do not like neem, citronella, eucalypts or garlic. But they have had a whale of a time crawling amongst my sunflowers.

So, what else can we look forward to in the garden this month?

Roses, of course, are looking good, although the tiny Banksia roses may well be finished. I have tried many times to take cuttings from my now quite large sprawling bush, but so far, no success. I know that it is possible to propagate hybrid tea roses and have tried several times. 

The suggestion I read was to add some hormone rooting powder to the stem end and pierce the stem into a potato, which should be buried in the ground. I had tried all that before and the roses died but the potatoes gave me some new potatoes for dinner!

I’d love to have a garden full of roses. When we came here, I thought that I would plant up a rose garden with some of the peace family rose, especially ‘Grandmére Jenny’, in memory of my mother, but no luck. It was also the plant I used for my dissertation whilst in horticultural college.

Roses grow best inwell-drained soil, rich in organic matter. They also like mild climates with temperatures usually ranging between 15ºC to 21ºC and should produce the best blooms if they can get between 6-8 hours of sun per day and have good air circulation.

They are usually dormant in the winter months, especially when temperatures fall below zero at night and less than 10°C in the day. In general, hot, dry conditions are preferable to humid conditions. Moderate humidity is okay for them, as high humidity, which you might have in coastal gardens, increases the risk of fungal diseases like black spot and powdery mildew.

Some of my most favourite plants delight me now. A smallish tree that I have mentioned before, Caesalpinia gilliesii (commonly known as the bird of paradise tree), from South America, is showing off its most unusual flowers now and much comment is made about it by passersby.

This tree requires well-drained soil and sufficient direct sunlight to grow well. The soil has to have a pH between 5.5 and 6.5 to be ideal. The plant will also need about six hours of direct sunlight daily. It can tolerate drought once it is mature. However, it should still benefit from regular watering as it is growing.

My amaryllis, botanical name Hippeastrum, have shot up this year and produced very large flowers. In fact, some flower heads were so big and heavy that I had to support them.

When buying the large bulbs in the late autumn or early spring, check to see that they are firm. Even if the bulb has started to sprout in the package, it will be able to grow upright once it is planted. Sink the bulb in a pot of fairly rich compost leaving its ‘head and shoulders’ above the soil level. Usually, the flower stem emerges first before the leaves and then you know it will present you with a stunning flower in a little while.

Agapanthus are other favourites, but can be rather hit and miss when it comes to flowering. In their natural habitat they enjoy full sun for most of the day. Some say that they should be pot-bound in order to flower, but this doesn’t always follow. However, regular feeding does help, so you could use something like Phostrogen or a rose fertiliser a few times during the season. If the plant has been re-potted, then it follows rather like many other plants it may not flower the next season.

Hemerocallis, members of the asphodel family (which grow in the wild here in Cyprus) are also known as daylilies, as each perfect flower only lasts for one day. Having said that daylilies are tough and thrive in a variety of soils, including clay. The best growing conditions though for these attractive plants are moist, fertile and well-drained soils in full sun, whilst smaller varieties can also be grown in containers.

Divide plants every few years to keep them growing strongly. Keep daylily plants well-watered during dry spells but don’t feed them, as this will produce foliage at the expense of flowers. Deadhead the spent flowers, but the seedpods are attractive in their own right.

You can cut the whole plant back in autumn but if it doesn’t look too messy, wait until spring as the leaves can shelter insects over winter. Dividing your daylilies every three to five years will keep them flowering well and will give you some new plants too.

It’s been a splendid year for oranges and we have had enormous crops which I have been squeezing for fresh orange drinks. Lemons though were rather small but the juice can be frozen until you need it for refreshing drinks on a hot summer’s day. 

I always look forward to seeing black juicy cherries in the shops again. They are a treat and much better than those imported from other countries. Sadly, they prefer a higher location than my garden, between 800-1750 metres, where there is no humidity, so not a favourite choice for coastal gardens either. Pollinated by honey bees, these lovely fruits contain a lot of vitamins, which are so good for you. It’s such a pity that their season is so short as I could eat them year-round.  

Apples are other fruits that require a higher elevation, although the Israelis have developed an apple, ‘Anna’, which will grow successfully around 300 metres. Most of the apples in my ‘froutaria’ seem to come from the Italian Alps region or even Peru and by the time they reach here, despite being chilled, some of the seeds have started to germinate inside the apples!

Plant of the Month – Alyogyne huegelii

Alyogyne huegelii, an Australian small tree, prefers a dry, windless, arid location, but survives the vagaries of a cold, wet Cyprus winter and even minus degrees with frost.

It is a delight at the moment. I have never known it to be so full of flowers as it has been this early summer. Maybe it liked the difference between the climates in Australia and Cyprus and the frost nudged it into flowering prolifically.

This evergreen shrub was introduced into Europe by Austrian soldier and botanist Baron Karl Alexander Anselm Hugel sometime in the early 1870s.

It may grow to around three metres, which is most suitable for a smaller garden. It can also be grown in a pot. The leaves may be scented but not those on my plant.

It is sometimes referred to as the ‘Australian hibiscus’ as the flower looks rather like a hibiscus, which as you know grow here very well. However, the flowers last longer than one day, which is different to our hibiscus and having watched it grow now for several years, it doesn’t seem to attract mealy bugs as the other hibiscus do.