Caroline Broome has been busy growing dahlias, petunias, fuchsias and many other plants as part of our customer trial panel. Read on for her latest update.
In an email to Thompson & Morgan’s customer trials co-ordinator, she wrote “I know I keep on about the dahlias from 2012 but they have been even better this year, and commented on by visitors to our NGS Open Day last Sunday. The only ones that need staking are the lemon yellow and the ‘Trebbiano’.
Dahlias with planting pouches in the background
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- Dahlia ‘Trebbiano’ – better than last year
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- Perfection in a dahlia
The fuchsia ‘Twist and Shout’ is adorable and having just come into flower has plenty of buds on it.
Fuchsia ‘Twist and Shout’
Petunia ‘Balcon Mixed’ have shown remarkable resilience in the baking heat and heavy showers, albeit they are protected by the part shade of the pergola. As with all petunias they are sticky but using the T&M snips to deadhead avoids contact. Lovely fragrance at dusk as well.
Balcon petunias
Foxglove ‘Illumination’ have been planted out into the borders, and although still quite small are holding up well to the extreme temperatures. I tried half with tomato collars and half without, and the results speak for themselves: not a single hole in the protected ones and nibbles on all the others. All six are now collared and I have bought another 6 collars so that I can try echinacea and lobelias next year with confidence. I had given up trying to grow them as they were eaten away over successive years by slugs and snails.
Apple Bramley Seedling is romping away in its pot on the patio. It is now sending out side branches. Great to be able to grow apples if you only have a balcony or patio garden.
Clematis Flammula, the nasturtium comparison seed trial, blueberry Pink Lemonade and anemone ‘Queen Charlotte’ are putting on a spurt and photos should be forthcoming soon. Even the two rainbow orchid ‘Epipactis Sabine’ bare roots are growing now!
Peppers, grasses and tomatoes still sulking but fingers crossed they will catch up.”
Rebecca works in the Marketing department as part of the busy web team, focusing on updating the UK news and blog pages and Thompson & Morgan’s international website. Rebecca enjoys gardening and learning about flowers and growing vegetables with her young daughter.
I came across Caroline and David Broome when I visited them in my capacity as Assistant County organiser NW London. At first, I thought their choice of plants outside their house was somewhat out of keeping with an NGS Garden. THEN I discovered Caro trialled plants!
Their garden is truly inspiring. It evolves in the most imaginative ways, there is always a new feature to admire, they are not worried about RADICAL changes, and their creativity has reached millions through appearances on TV.
Caroline KNOWS her plants. I am envious of her dahlias… mine are struggling to catch up as I left it very late to bring them out of the greenhouse and there is little space for them to flourish as the beds are now full! Every time I visit a garden, even if I do not take it on for the NGS I learn something. From Caroline I am still learning about intelligent treatment of plants!
I invited her to join the NGS team as Assistant County Organiser for outer NW London. We enjoy working together when we can, and she is becoming a great asset to the charity and to her garden owners… bringing her enthusiasm and knowledge, as well as sharing her fascinating garden.