It was Wisley's fault. We saw this glorious bush - glossy leaves, dazzling flowers the size of fried eggs - and thought, We could grow that. The warning was there, had we actually listened to the nurseryman who told us he didn't bother to grow them himself now, as he found them temperamental.
No, we had to have a Carpenteria californica.
Also known as the Bush or Tree Anemone - in the Hydrangeaceae family but the only plant in its genus - it likes full sun and a sheltered position, so it went into the sunniest, most sheltered spot in the garden.
And what did we get? Two years of a miserable plant that barely grew, the leaves of which became dull, dark and mottled, just like this old one you can see in the picture. And not a flower in sight. Not one.
Meanwhile, on return trips to Wisley, where the Carpenteria had been in a warm corner against the walls of the house, we were dismayed to find it gone. Removed. Completely.
Ours certainly couldn't stay where it was, but a last-minute reprieve on a death sentence moved it to a spare patch at the back of the garden, north-facing, moderately shaded. And what do we get? An explosion of bright green growth and flower buds all over.
It'll need a bit of pruning to get it back into shape, but it's sprouting from the bare wood at the bottom, so that's no problem.
And what made the difference? Well, as well as liking full sun and shelter, it also likes moist soil. It got watered in the other place, but it was generally hot and dry. Now it's nicely moist, if somewhat shaded and cooler.
Which all goes to prove that in a list of cultivation instructions, some parts are more important than others. The problem, as ever, is working out which one you can't ignore. Now we know. It looks as if the Carpenteria is here to stay.
To see what else is blooming in garden bloggers' gardens around the world, nip over to May Dreams Gardens.
...Landscape Juice Network
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