What are your current plant obsessions?

[IdaPolly]

I've recently started a slight obsession with dianthus/pinks flowers. They smell so nice and there are some really pretty varieties. What are your plant obsessions? I like seeing the people on Gardeners World who have an obsession with a flower. I remember people with peony, iris, Sweet pea and daffodil obsessions.

Ferns.

I love those people on Gardener's World who have obsessions. The type of people who have the national collection of cacti go to Chelsea in suits printed with cacti patterns. Maybe I should consider an apron of ferns.

White Buddleja, dwarf Buddleja and pink Buddleja as well as the different varieties of purple!

The white is spectacular when it flowers. Absolutely huge vibes of flowers.

Very little care needed and they are superb for the bees etc.

@Churchview I completely agree. I love a plant nerd. I think the world would be a better place with more people with unusual plant obsessions.

I am currently deciding what wisteria to buy... Although I am not sure if I actually will buy one. That article in the RHS magazine set me off. I like the look of kimono or maybe black dragon? I keep walking past wisteria and they smell so amazing.

Peonies, I've had such bad luck with them thst I'm determined I will sucessfully grow one.

I'm a huge dianthus fan! I have so many in my garden. They are so diverse, smell amazing, hardy little gifts that keep giving. I'm a bit of an acer pbsessive ad well. I love grasses to add structure and heuchera for year round interest.

I'm loving aquilegas flowering atm - William Guinness; Chocolate Soldier; double pleated blackberry and various sports of pinks.

I did start off on acers for a few years (small ones) but since the heatwave of 2022, I had many that died on me, so now I only have about 6 left. They're looking lovely right now.

I wanted to grow more dianthus but found it hard to germinate. I have had Mrs Sinkins for yonks but it's getting quite woody now. This year for the first time in 4 years, I was successful with d. carthusianorum and it currently stands at 7" tall, but its got a sprawling habit. Is that its normal habit, @Justkeepswiimming ?

I'd love a wisteria but I don't have the space for one (do they do well in big pots?) I had one that wasn't in flower when I purchased it and it never flowered after 4 years, so took it out.

Agapanthus as it reminds me of Brittany & Cornwall. But not a huge success.

Also peonies are finally flowering after 3 years with not many buds.

Irises, this is the first year I've really noticed them but they are so beautiful. I've got some purple ones but also yellow and white ones have popped up.

I love them.

Acers (japanese ones). I spent 20 years in a place where I barely managed to keep a couple alive on a pot in a shaded terrace with regular misting in summer and have now moved to somewhere where I can actually plant them in the garden.

I've gone mad. I have over 20. They are beautiful (but mostly still quite small).

I'm a bearded iris freak

I can’t stop buying plants in general at the moment but really must as I have no more room.
My current obsession is woodland / wild flower plants but am always trying to fit in more roses too.

Anything white
acers-even have a white one of those 🤣

@irridium dianthus can vary enormously. I have a couple which as you say have gone a bit woody. Some can be very compact and upright. I have one which is a low creeper with small dark pink flowers. Some can spread with more tall upright flowers. It's always worth looking at the label and checking their spread and height which will give you an indication of what they might do.

@Blackcats7

They also have a Facebook page with lots of idiots on plants

celticwildflowers.co.uk

Talk to me about your white acer!

I have a variegated one with heavy white margins, but it's tiny and barely grown in the last year.

Roses (but they have to properly smell) and dhalias..Next year my aim is to grow some proper dinner plate size ones from scratch..

Oh and crocosmia

@irridium you can grow wisteria as standards and keep them quite small or over a pergola. A few years ago there was a lady on gardeners world who is a national collection holder for wisteria and she only has a medium sized garden.

@Daleksatemyshed I love peonies too. Keep going it is definitely worth it. They like sun and someone once told me that they don't like being moved but I haven't found that. I am on clay and they do fine in my garden so I assume they don't mind being wet in winter? They also take quite a few years to flower if you buy them as bare roots.

@Turkeyhen I love bearded irises too but they don't like me. My garden is mostly pretty shady and the soil is too clayey. ☹️

I had one that wasn't in flower when I purchased it and it never flowered after 4 years, so took it out

Oh no, @irridium !

They take a loooooong time to flower, it’s a long term thing. My grandmother used to say “7 years for the ladies,” meaning wisteria and magnolia.

Mine is finally covered in flowers and she’s bang on the money, it’s the 7th summer.

The plant I have the most of is verbena bonariensis. I just love it. It flowers for months, it's airy so works anywhere in the border, pollinators love it, it self seeds around, it looks good over winter and then bounces back once cut down in the early spring. It's also really easy to grow from cuttings.

I also love hydrangeas, ferns, acers and cranesbill geraniums.

So many but thallictrum Hewitt's doubly has been favourite for a while. Along with sweet peas which I adore. Not many sweet peas grown from seed this year so hoping the local horticultural college has some for sale at the garden show in a few weeks 😬

Heuchera, their colours (I have mainly purple ones) the shape of their leaves, their flowers bees love them. They need little from me just get on with it.

Oh my, just googled those and they look amazing, I need something for underneath the roses!