Mid July '13 pictures

It's been two weeks since my last post, and wow, what a two weeks it has been.

We've had wall to wall sunshine, which has really brought on the growth of plants.

We're also 'officially' in a drought, not having any rain for 14 days. No hose-pipe ban yet, although I suspect it's not far off.

Anyway, some pictures taken over the past week in the garden and how things are here.

The first couple you can see are from the herbaceous/ flower border. This is it's second year of growth and flower and I have to say I am quite happy with the progress. It's amazing how the plants have progressed and filled out. There are some gaps, but then there are always some gaps, and for us gardeners, it means more opportunity to fill them! I have a couple of plants I have been bringing on in pots quite nicely. Just a little slow to plant them with the weather so dry.

By the way, the paler rose above is a variety called 'Evelyn', and the darker one on the left is my favorite, 'Gertrude Jekyll'.

Seriously, if you know nothing about gardening, and were to grow only one rose, this is the one to choose. I know I've said it before, the fragrance is like something from a different world, the rose is a reliable flower-er, and the foliage is as tough as nails.


Added to this abundance of flowers are the pot-growing shrubs, flowers and herbs. I like to arrange these in groups in certain areas in the garden The group on the right is a sheltered sunny seating area that is a very natural focal point when looking at the small garden. I would like a pergola to frame this area when resources allow, but in the meantime, plants are doing a lovely job. The plant in the blue glazed pot is the Moroccan mint I talked about last year. Strategically placed so anyone that wants to sit down has to brush by it and smell the delicious scent from it. Just to the left of the picture you can see the water feature my friends donated to me last year. Still have to get electricity outdoors, but during these smashing days, when I am out, I run an extension lead out to hear the sound of water flowing.


This group on the left is a nice bunch of flowers that I grew through the Spring. The dark foliage are the Dahlia 'Bishop of Llandaff' I mentioned, that came in to flower last week (or was that two weeks ago!) and have been flowering with deep red flowers ever since (see the picture on the right). The light green to the right is a flowering sage that is tender, but has survived from year to year, luckily enough. There are fuchsia's there too, and I'll be doing a little more on these in a separate post. Throw in a couple of geraniums grown from small seedlings, a piece or two of other bedding, et viola, Summer colour in abundance.

As for the 'production garden', plenty has started to happen here. Tomatoes are ripening, raspberries and loganberries too, and there are more strawberries being produce than you can shake a stick at! All delicious stuff, and, produced with a little effort and some patience.

Fantastic.

Again, for those who are beginner gardeners, plant a couple of strawberry  plants in a nice spot in the garden. With a little patience and care, you will reap a fine bounty of juicy delicious fruits.

The two varieties that have worked out for me, are 'Symphony' and 'Elegance'

I've also included a picture of my Clematis 'Blue Angel'. Its a nice free flowering plant, producing light blue flowers en-masse. Over the past two years, this plant has suffered with wilt, just as it is beginning to flower, so this year I changed how I watered the container (i.e. from a tray underneath) it is in, and with the warm spell of sun, has meant success. I haven't trained it up trellis or over walls, just allowed it to wind its way through nearby plants, with a lovely effect. I'll try get a picture to show the effect over the next day or two.

The final picture on the left is one I took about five days ago. I saw this wondrous city of webbing in my gorse and, on closer inspection saw this huddle of spiders.

Now this is great news. With the warm weather also comes a mass of green fly and other aphids. And what better way to tackle these guys than to have your own army of predators, that will go out and munch away, cleaning up your plants as they go. Happy days.

So, that's it for now. My garden in the middle of July 2013. There is more happening, and I discover some change almost every day. But these will have to wait for further posts!

Happy gardening.