New Garden. Year 2.

 2026 Update.

2026 was exceptional.

For gardeners exceptionally difficult! 

Record breaking summer heat and near complete lack of rainfall, a hosepipe ban and a newly planted garden with a very light soil = difficult.

I used to live on the West Coast of Scotland, for a while anyway, and my friends up there will not understand what I am complaining about, having had a wetter than normal summer. It is difficult to comprehend how two areas, 450 miles apart, can have such opposite climates.

When the rain eventually came in August it was surprising how plants revived. Some losses, but not as many as expected. Unfortunately we are now back in drought, just when I am usually potting up irises for sale next year. These will have to wait a while.

Irises generally have coped with the drought and heat very well if planted in the ground, and did not need watering at all. Definitely good plants to grow if this weather is going to be the new normal.

New Seedlings

This year a couple of PCIs, grown from seed from the SPCNI seed distribution scheme,  flowered for the first time. This is seed from American cultivars.

Proposed name: "Harden's Art Nouveau"

Proposed name: "Harden's Ultramarine"

Plus one from my own seed,

Harden's Russet.

All these are not available for sale until I have built up sufficient stocks. Despite not being actually damaged by the drought, the PCIs have not grown as much as normal and so I may not have as many to sell this year. A more 'normal' season, weather wise, would be really nice!

 

New Garden

 Time for an update... (much overdue, sorry!)

It has been a very busy six months since the move, the garden is being tamed, but battle is still being done with the more tenacious perennial weeds, ground elder, bindweed, both field and hedge, byrony, and dandelions. The latter have been a particular problem, the garden was half rough grass which I did not spray off, but just rotivated and removed the tufts of grass. I did not realise that the area had so many dandelions and by rotivating I had just cut the roots into smaller parts, and these are now producing leaves and have to be individually dug out, some from considerable depth. I particularly dislike dandelions as if they appear in the middle of an iris they are impossible to remove except by digging up the whole plant.

Enough of the dandelion rant. Progress is being made.         

January to September.

Most Irises survived the move although some of the pacific coasts irises were frozen in their pots and did not survive, some varieties seem more susceptible than others. I still have the majority of the different varieties, though some are down to one example and need a few years to bulk up. 

Some seedlings flowered for the first time this year, here are a few examples;

Hardens Blush

Seedling of Hardens Plum, darker when first open but fades to this rather attractive rosy red. Bulking up, regret none available 2025/26

Apricot Contrast

Seedling of Harden's Apricot. More species shaped flower, stronger contrast between red centre and yellow outer. Available to purchase 2025/26

Apricot Royale

Another seedling of Hardens Apricot. Rich red centre extends almost to the edge of the standard petal.

Bulking up, not available 2025/26.

Iris douglasiana

This is the genuine species, raised from imported American seed from the SPCNI seed list. It is the easiest PCI to grow,  even on alkali soils. Robust, evergreen ground cover will smother weeds. Flowered later than most PCIs, late May into June this year, but as it was the first year they flowered I am not sure this is always true, time will tell. Available to purchase 2024/25. Will soon form a decent sized clump.

I have several other varieties available, but not as many as before the move. Many need another year to bulk up before I can split them.

List to follow.

One last item. My contact gadget seems to have stopped working. I will add a contact page shortly, next job on the list. Now Done!

Rob.

 

Major Change

 I have moved!

House, plants (hundreds of them), furniture and Jack the cat.

There were issues with the previous house, mainly revolving around the fact that it was a rented property and I was limited in what I could do, also not that secure as a tenant. The final straw was the landlords wish to develop the neighbouring farm into a trading estate. 

So, a new start, the new garden is very much a blank canvas, or it will be when I have cleared all the rubbish. All my plants are currently in pots. I am trying to clear some ground to get them in the ground, at least temporarily, before summer arrives and I lose some because I cannot keep up with the watering.

As you can see, I have a bit of work ahead of me.

I hope to attend some plant fairs in 2025, maybe not as many as I had planned, I will list the dates and venues in a post when I have all the confirmations.

XS Plants for sale

NEW

Plants are now being offered for sale, starting in 2024.

Initially these are available for collection from Harden's Gap by appointment, or from the plant fairs/open garden events that I will be attending in 2024; please see "Buying/Visiting" for details

More details to follow.

This is a website created by Rob Gill to sell plants, mainly iris or unusual perennials, that are 'excess to requirements'.

This is not a commercial enterprise, the purpose being to fund future plant acquisitions and other garden related costs by selling duplicate plants, many rare and unusual, from our collection.

When propagating plants, either by cutting or seeds, it is natural to attempt more than one needs, anticipating a certain failure rate. Experience shows that you either get nearly 100% success or 100% failure, so you often end up with 'excess plants' (or none).

PCI Harden's Plum

 Pacific Coast Iris

Harden's Plum

This was the first Pacific Coast Iris that flowered for me from seed that I had sown, and it has proved to be one of the best. Seed was from a Iris society exchange, so I have no idea of the parentage, though I suspect it has some douglasiana in it. 

A shorter variety, but very floriferous, robust constitution, forked flower stems (douglasiana?) 

I may register this one.

Harden's Apricot

 Pacific Coast Iris

Harden's Apricot

Beautiful flower, but not a very vigorous grower. Flowered for the last three years but only set seed in 2022. Seedlings (open pollinated) are also not vigorous, and have not as yet flowered. I am loath to split the main plant until they do as it might die and I will lose the colour. I have no other iris with this colour combination.