Saturday 15 June 2013

My garden in June

The cold, windy weather is back, this week has been a mix of everything mother nature can throw at us at this time of year, the only thing I haven’t seen so far is snow or hail. Yesterday it was so windy that taking photos was a real challenge, nothing kept still for more than a few seconds and I kept chasing flowers in and out of focus. Today has been a much better day with sunshine and a nice temperature, but as it is Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day it is time for recording what’s in flower right now, no matter what the weather is throwing at us.

My garden is mainly green, with a few dots of colours here and there, the largest splash of colour provided by my lovely rhododendron ‘Dopey’ which is starting to drop his flowers now. The strong wind is spreading red flowers over the whole garden and beyond, but there are still buds to open so I will get to enjoy this rhododendron for a week more or so. But look a bit closer and there are much more flowers, come for a walk with me and I’ll show you the best of the best my garden has to show this middle of June. Everything is still very late, some up to 6-7 weeks late and some plants have just emerged from the ground. I don’t think my garden will catch up this summer, I think it will just continue to be late with everything to come – unless we get a 6 week period with more than 30 degrees C. Ha! Very likely, when did we last have that?! I remember summer 2003 with fond memories, but that’s 10 years ago. And 2005 wasn’t too bad either. It is a long time since we had a smashing summer here in London.

Here is my garden seen from the bottom end.

The big question for this GBBD post was; would I get the roses ready?? I am afraid I still haven’t got my roses at their peak, the first big flush of roses is still weeks away, but I do have some roses! Can you see them? Two red roses, one yellow and down on the ground my cream pot rose is going quite well and the white one has just started. It is a beginning at least. There are lots and lots of green buds, no lack of roses to come, but most of them are weeks away from flowering. I have 10 rose bushes in my garden, 5 of them here in this bed, I’ll take you through the different ones in flower one by one. (Click to enlarge the photos, it is so worth it!)

This is my climber, Crimson cascade, a lovely deep red rose, even darker in real life. My camera struggles a bit showing this colour true to life. This rose is an absolute favourite of mine, so reliable, the only minus is that it doesn’t have any scent.

This is one of my new roses, a David Austin rose called 'Susan Williams-Ellis', a lovely scent although not as strong as I expected.

And here is my trusty old pot rose which flowers all year until it is cut down in February. A true trooper!

Here is the first flower on my rose 'Freedom', many, many more to come.

And this is the largest bud on the rose 'Mildred Scheel', she needs a bit more time to open up properly.

At my seating area I have some of my containers, here is Penstemon 'Strawberries and Cream'  which shows no sign of buds yet and another David Austin rose, 'Scepter'd Isle', my absolute favourite. That’s why I have it here in a container next to where I am sitting, because the scent of this rose is absolutely exquisite and very strong. I can’t wait for it to come into full flower, so far it has...

...just buds, lots of them, but I guess it will be another few weeks before they are properly opened.

And right across on my patio is another pot rose in a container, with its first bud in colour. Not yet fully opened but not long to go.

Next to it is my Loropetalum chinense, which is still a tiny bush in a container. It flowers now and then throughout the year and right now it has lots of buds and this single flower.

But I do have other plants in flower, here are my two clematis’, each of them growing up an obelisk which unfortunately are too short for them both, at just over 5’ they are way too short for these mature plants and I really should have replaced them with taller ones, but tall obelisks are quite expensive, spending £50-£60 for an obelisk when I can get lots of plants for the same amount hasn’t really been the right priority yet. As a result, these two clematis’ usually solve the problem between them, by sending out long shoots towards each other when there are no more support to grow upwards, eventually they meet in the middle and create a bridge between them which during the summer gets smothered in a mix of flowers from both plants. Very smart. They have already started on this years’ bridge, by the time we get to September or so you won’t be able to see the obelisks or the space between them at all :-)

This is Clematis 'Niobe' with its lovely huge flowers.

Clematis 'Niobe'.

And this is the first flower of Clematis texensis 'Gravetye Beauty', not fully open yet.

And right behind these two clematis’ is my lovely camellia, still in flower!! Can you believe it, I have never ever had camellias in June before. There isn’t a huge amount of flowers left, but one here and there.

The first lily opened today, very timely for my GBBD post, these Asiatic lilies are usually the first to flower and has sometimes been as early as April in my garden. They are a week or two away from their peak. My oriental lilies are many weeks away from flowering, I doubt I will have much to show until next GBBD.

Down at my woodland corner the Lamium maculatum 'Beacon Silver' is flowering its heart out.

And right behind it is Disporopsis pernyi, which I featured in my GBBD post in May and many people took an interest in. It has taken a whole month for this plant to go from buds to flowers – this plant normally flowers in April. Next to it on the left you can barely see the very first fuchsia flower, on 'Mrs Popple', there are lots of smaller buds, but this is the only fuchsia in my garden so far in proper buds.

Disporopsis pernyi.

And up in the far right corner is a newcomer to my garden this year, Geranium 'Brookside', it really lights up this rather dark corner with these vivid blue flowers.

In the middle of my garden I have an area up for redesigning this year. I have taken up all the tulip bulbs that were here, moved some and thrown away the rest. I have also thrown out some plants that were here that didn’t do well. At the moment this area is just filled with pots but underneath there are lots of daffodil bulbs that keeps coming up blind. My first job is to dig them up. Ugh, not looking forward to that job! But when the area is cleared and the pots have gone I will have from the arch to the left to the black grass to the right and all the way back to the shrubs and the camellia at the fence to play around with. That’s almost 2 m2, a huge area in my tiny garden! I haven’t decided what to put here yet, but it is a rather shady area so that obviously will influence what to plant. I really would like to have the new hardy, double gardenia that came out in 2011, I think it would be great at the front, and then something more shade tolerant further back. We’ll see what my wallet can manage!

Oh, by the way, did you notice that lovely red oriental poppy in this photo?! It has grown to an enormous height, not sure how that happened, the rest is their usual height, not really ready to open yet, many of them unfortunately growing more horizontal than upwards. I really dislike to stake poppies as they have no foliage to cover the stick, I tend to just let them grow as they like, but this year most of them have decided to take on a more laid-back position it seems!

Papaver orientale 'Beauty of Livermere'

These poppies are called goliath poppies, no wonder, look at the size of them next to my hand, each petal is the size of my palm!

I have some other goliaths in my garden too, Oriental lilies Giant Goliath 'Miss Feya', here in the middle of the picture. I got them last year and they take a few years to grow to full size, but I do expect them to grow to the top of this 2m tall fence this year. They probably won’t flower until late and spend the whole summer just growing. They flowered beginning of August last year but will probably be later this year. To the right of the lilies is my 10 year old hydrangea which got a serious prune last winter. It will probably grow back again to full size during the summer as it did after I pruned it 2 years ago.

If you just cross the path you get to the area where I have my ‘sea of alliums’ There are still alliums here, but not so much blues, more white, which was a big surprise. I got a free-bee last year from a mail order company of 25 mixed allium bulbs, and thought they would be a mix of blues, but these latecomers are very different looking, and have some huge leaves too.

White alliums, from Allium Haarlem Superglobe Mixed.

Star shaped allium, from Allium Haarlem Superglobe Mixed.

My peonies have started flowering, right on cue for GBBD! This peony is one of the few plants that were here in my garden when I moved in nearly 12 years ago and I have no idea of its name or age. It could be 30-40 years old or even older. It used to grow at the bottom of my garden, on the shady side and didn’t flower a lot, so after much deliberation I decided to move it up here in my sunny bed. I know you are not supposed to move peonies but I took a chance. The peony sulked for 4 years without producing a single flower. I nearly gave up, but look at it now, 7 years after its relocation, I am so happy I did it.

Peonies in the evening sunshine.

Peony.

Peony.

Finally I would like to tell you about a new project I am going to take on, starting next week. My son and his girlfriend has moved into a new flat and they have got a garden. None of them are particularly interested in gardening, having only had a tiny balcony before and they just want a place to sit outside that looks nice. If you thought I had a postage stamp size garden, have a look at this one! It is about a third of mine with around 22 m2 plus an alleyway leading from the kitchen door, some of it is paving slabs, half covered in weeds, the rest is....well, I don’t really know yet, haven’t ventured into the long grass yet so I don’t know what I will find once I start cutting it. My son would like the whole thing Astro turfed, but he is leaving it up to me and as long as it becomes low maintenance – as in no maintenance, with room for a seating area, they are happy. I can’t wait to begin, a whole new garden, a blank canvas!

It’s Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day around the world, why don’t you head over to Carol’s May Dreams Gardens and see what’s in flower in other parts of the world right now. Until next time, take care.

72 comments:

  1. Helene-Despite the cold temperatures your gardens are lovely. I love your roses and especially the peony. They are beautiful! Hope the weather warms for you there. We have had similar-high 60's and low 70's at the end of June!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It has been an absolutely horrid weather here today, with strong winds and horizontal rain, any improvements would be welcome!

      Delete
  2. Ten Rose bushes--lucky you! My favorite is the pot Rose--it's such a beautiful, graceful color. In some ways your garden is ahead of mine (Lilies), and others we're about at the same point (Roses, Alliums, Peonies). By the way, thanks for the note about the Flickr photo. I don't know what the glitch was, but I reworked the link, and it seems to be appearing now. Enjoy your beautiful Roses--I'm jealous!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am looking forward to the roses getting going properly, they are surely taking their time this year but we’ll get there eventually!

      Delete
  3. I love those alliums - and the giant poppies!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, that poppy seems to have got hold of some extra nutrients this year to get that tall and big!

      Delete
  4. You have a lot of roses, whatever the colors are, the smell is always so heavenly. If only it is not so difficult to raise here, i will have some too. I am always fascinated by a garden where you can sit, have coffee or a book! That is not so pleasantly possible in the hot tropics, maybe only at night, haha.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And here we have the opposite problem, I have to keep active and get a lot of work done in my garden most of the year as it is just too cold to sit down!

      Delete
  5. What an enjoyable walk around your lovely garden! It is so inspiring to see so many top-notch plants in one place. I bet you can't wait for 'Gravetye Beauty' to flower. Geranium 'Brookside' is an excellent addition and as you so rightly note, it really shines on duller days or in darker corners of the garden. If we ever get those weeks of high temps, it will hold its colour astonishingly well in the strong sunlight too. What a plant! Thanks for the tour.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, 'Brookside' has certainly lived up to expectations, and I have another new hardy geranium, 'Ann Folkard' which has also just started to flower.

      Delete
  6. Your garden is looking lovely Helene - so many great plants especially the pale pink peony - my red peony is in the wrong place too but I was too scared to move it - maybe I will now after hearing of your success.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, you might have several years without any flowers like me, but I feel that was a price worth paying as my peony is so much more happy where it is now. I think I have more flowers this year than in all the years put together where the peony was before. Good luck if you take the plunge!

      Delete
  7. Your clematis are very beautiful, what a stunning colors! I always wonder how many different plants you have in such a tiny space and how nicely they fit together. Good luck with a new project!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, I usually say I stack my plants like sardines, just as tightly and on top of each other. Every little space is utilised most of the year but it is at this time of year my garden is really crammed.

      Delete
  8. Your garden looks so fresh and healthy. I enlarged the pictures and especially your roses look very healthy in comparison to mine. I think I can make a blogpost regarding all kind of insects which are attacking my roses, but I don't want to use poisenous sprays. The Goliath poppy is a real beauty and than Clematis 'Gravetye Beauty', I bought this one twice but they both died after some years. Thank you for the tour round your garden!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry to hear about all the trouble with your roses, did you try to find the herb based pesticide from Pireco I wrote about to you? It is completely ecological and won’t harm anything – not even the aphids, they just won’t like your roses anymore :-)

      Growing clematis can be a bit of a challenge, they require shade around their roots and good sun where the flowers come out, I plant them among other plants to keep their roots cool. And they need feeding, I use slow release fertiliser, great as you only do it once a year. Perhaps you could try again with a different type of clematis, 'Gravetye Beauty' is prone to mildew and get stressed if not treated, a different clematis less likely to get diseased would perhaps be more successful in your garden.

      Delete
  9. Lovely photos for Bloom Day. I just adore those Roses, especially Crimson Cascade. That Poppy is certainly huge. It lives up to its name. The Lamium looks gorgeous and those Peonies are just beautiful. How exciting that you have a new gardening project. Can't wait to see what you do.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Bernie, I can’t wait to get started either! The budget is shoestring so it’s very limited what I will be doing this year, mostly clearing and tidying up I think, but I have a few plants ready for them here, cuttings from my garden so it’s a start at least.

      Delete
  10. Wonderful to see what is growing in your garden Helene. Lovely flowers and colours of the roses. In my little garden the roses are coming out. But this morning a stormy wind and heavy rain were not something I had on my wishlist for today.
    Have a wonderful weekend Helene.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We had the same storm and heavy rain here today, it rained horizontal mostly! I fear for my peonies more than my roses, last year they all got ruined by balling right when they started to open up and all of them were ruined, I hope it’s not going to happen again this year.
      I wish you a wonderful week-end too.

      Delete
  11. what a lovely garden you have Helene, I found you through GBBD. They say that temperatures in the cities are higher than in the countryside and your flowers prove it. We are in Devon, in the countryside and your flowers are further on than mine. your roses and peonies are a real picture, making your garden so pretty.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Pauline, and welcome to my blog. I live in East London and it is usually around 4 degrees warmer here than just outside London so my garden is ahead of many even here in the South East.

      Delete
    2. Pauline, if you leave your address to your blog I will pay you a return visit, I can't see it on your user profile.

      Delete
  12. 6-7 weeks late!!! What strange weather you are having! But your "spring" garden in June looks so pretty. ;) I was amazed at the camellia still blooming. And your peony is just gorgeous. You must have been very patient to wait four years for it to bloom. Your clematis are really putting on a fabulous show, too. And I'm so excited for you to have an entirely new area in which to "play"! I hope you can come up with just the right "no maintenance" plants to plant.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We do have a strange weather indeed, I think we have had strange weather for a good few years now, strange has almost become the norm here! I kept an eye on the camellia, wondering if I was still going to have flowers for June GBBD, and lo and behold I did, probably around 50 flowers left. I don’t think my son and his girlfriend realise how much of a favour they are doing me by ‘giving’ me a new garden to do up, I am so excited about it :-)

      Delete
  13. I was hoping my roses would open in time for Bloom Day too, but of course no such luck! Yours are already looking nice though - that Crimson Brocade is really a gorgeous color! I love dark maroon/red flowers. Your lamium does look almost exactly like mine! That poppy is really enormous - does it fall over in the rain? Congratulations on the new gardening space - a blank slate is always such a fun project.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love dark red flowers too, I love everything dark red! It hammered down with rain today but the poppy stood proudly upright the whole day, a bit tatty on the petals, but it has flowered for several days now so it is coming to an end anyway. There are many more poppies to come, both red and salmon in that area, not sure if they all will be that huge though!
      Yes, I noticed my lamium was a copy of yours :-)

      Delete
  14. Lovely roses,Helene! For a cool start, you certainly are doing well. Keep us posted on the new project for your son. I'm SO glad he did not cover it with fake grass and such.
    He's lucky to have you....and once the butterflies start visiting they just may change their minds. My son loves butterflies but not gardening. :0) David

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will keep you all posted on the new garden project, I got my son a grass strimmer for his birthday last Monday, not sure how much it will be used – might be me who will use it mostly! For now I will just clear the garden and see what’s there, if anything, I have no idea if there is anything salvageable there at all.

      Delete
  15. I'm so glad I found your blog (thru Plant Postings) ~ it's incredible. Do you happen to remember the name of that gorgeous "pot rose??" I love the delicate apricot coloring. I need to do some redesign in my garden too but never seem to find the time. This was a hideous spring (snowing all the way thru May 1st) so I didn't get any major work done. Spring seems to be the time I get the motivation to do those types of projects. I'm going to bookmark your garden & visit again. Looking forward to seeing what you do with your son's garden.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kathleen and welcome to my blog. The pot rose is one of those you buy in a pot in supermarkets, meant for indoor use, most people throw them away after they have finished flowering but I plant them out in the garden afterwards and treat them like the rest of my roses in terms of pruning, feeding etc. The cream pot rose (apricot when in bud, cream when fully flowering later in the summer) was bought over 10 years ago here in London in a supermarket and didn’t have a name, I think it cost £1 ($1.57) so it has turned out to be a great investment! I have another one in pink which I keep in a container, they are both great as they don’t get too big – great for a tiny garden like mine. Please do come back and visit, my garden has a lot to offer all year round, even though we have had some hideous weather lately too!

      Delete
  16. Nice starting with a blank canvas, that should be a great project--enjoy. Jeannine

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, I will, I am itching to get started!

      Delete
  17. So how many gardeners do you employ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha ha! I wish!
      I am afraid it’s just me. I have to carefully consider what I am able to do whenever I am planning new things, whether I am able to maintain things. I am not very good at heavy work so I don’t do much digging, apart from the necessary holes for planting. And I often soak the soil overnight before planting so it will be easier to dig out the soil. But I love gardening and don’t consider it work, I go out and potter in my garden to relax :-)

      Delete
  18. That is a tremendous poppy! Love the bright red!
    My favorite photo, though, is the pot rose photo that shows the blooms and buds together - really lovely!
    Have a wonderful week-end!
    Lea
    Lea's Menagerie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Lea, the pot rose is a star in my garden, a really good performer and I have so many good photos of it.
      Have a great Sunday!

      Delete
  19. Helene, as usual your garden is looking immaculate :)
    I think your renovation plans sound like a good plan. Maybe your daffs don't bloom because they need splitting up. I've read that if clumps get too congested they can fail to flower.
    Your roses are lovely and full of promise!! I don't have many roses but what I do have is coming on nicely and budding up.
    What a lovely new project - I'm sure that son and GF will really appreciate whatever you decide to do. My son's idea would be astroturf too! Happy planning!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Angie. I think you might be right about my daffodils, they have been there for years and did flower the first few years, but I also think it is far too shady for them there so I won’t plant any new daffodils in this area. Lesson learned!

      I have actually looked into the artificial grass thing, it is quite expensive but possible to do myself if my son helps me. I might use half of the grassed area for flowerbeds and lay artificial grass on the rest. Or perhaps more paving slabs, or just gravel like I have, gravel is the easiest to lay as it requires no digging or straightening of the ground. But that will come later, first I will do a big clear-out and see what I have to play with :-)

      Delete
  20. Helene, you have one of my all time favorite gardens. Its amazing how much "punch" you've packed into a small place. So happy to see your Peonies blooming. Mine are but a memory.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Mario, I always say that my garden is the most important room in my house :-)
      I will make a follow-up post about the peonies, when they are all flowering, this was just the beginning.

      Delete
  21. It's fantastic that despite the weather (are you ever going to get some warm sunshine?) your garden continues to move forward delivering you so many gorgeous, scented blooms. You have an amazing array of roses and have my full envy because I don't have the patience for them and in return they don't like me. I thoroughly enjoy admiring them in your garden however, and your photos of the rose buds are beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Rosemary, I think roses are worth a little extra fuzz, mine don’t need much as I have chosen varieties with care, the reward is roses 10 months a year here in London and I think that’s more than making up for a bit of spraying and dead heading. I think there are good roses for every garden and every climate and there are also roses completely wrong for every garden and climate, the problem is that there are so many roses so finding the right ones can be a bit of trial and error :-)

      It’s grey sky and raining right now, I hope the rain will ease soon so I can head out in the garden – I didn’t get anything done yesterday thanks to the rain but at least my garden was watered!

      Delete
  22. Hi Helene,
    I haven't been keeping up with blog reading, either. I enjoyed looking at all of your photos enlarged. Your place is looking very pretty.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Sue, you are welcome back whenever you have time :-)

      Delete
  23. You certainly pack lots in - your garden is lovely - love the acer!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Sue, the Acer took a beating last summer but it is recovering well.

      Delete
  24. Helene, your garden looks beautiful. You are well ahead of us, I have only one rose bloom so far!! I do love your Crimson cascade and will look out for that one. And what a good idea to plant the pot rose in the garden, I didn't realise they would survive, evidently they do!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think I bought the Crimosn cascade at B&Q many years ago, it is available from several nurseries right now, just Google it and you'll find it :-)

      Delete
  25. Hello Helene
    Wow! Everything is just gorgeous in your garden. I know you said things are as much as 6-7 weeks behind but the overall impression is stunning. Everyone of the plants from 'Dopey' to the roses to the peonies are very lovely. The seating area looks neat, tidy and great spot to relax.
    Sure hope your weather improves.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Astrid, we're getting there eventually!
      By the way, my seating area is still 'under construction', there will be new things to come next month I hope, and it will look so much neater when it is finished :-)

      Delete
  26. Your garden looks absolutely wonderful, each individual plant looks healthy and happy. I enjoyed your beautiful peonies, the rose(buds), the Clematis, the amazing giant poppies. What a great bloom day post, despite dismal weather. And now you have a new space to work your magic on at your son's home. It will be a pleasure to see what you do with that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, the weather is goin to be a bit better this week, a bit warmer but with some rain now and then. I started on my son's garden today, cust some clearing up. It's going to take some time before the fun bit starts - planting!

      Delete
  27. Beautiful, Helene. Your garden looks so well-tended. That poppy is amazing, and all your roses are gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, the roses are slowly getting there :-)

      Delete
  28. Goodness, Helene! That poppy is huge! It's so lovely to see your roses starting out. Mine are on their second round though many seem to be facing disease issues... so it's a treat to see the pristine leaves on your new spring growth! Those peonies are swoon-worthy. I love your siting area -- it looks so serene.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, I am afraid the pristine look of my roses comes at a price, here in Britain it is near impossible to avoid black spot unless you spray for it, so that's what I do, a systemic spray once a month keeps it a bay but you never get rid of it unfortunately. To keep the hungry aphids away I use an organic liquid made of fermented soy and herbs, it is poured on the soil and taken up by the roots and last for a month, very good, makes the leaves taste bad apparently and the aphids find a different garden to munch away in!

      My seating area is in for a revamp this summer so look out for that in posts later on :-)

      Delete
  29. Helene, your garden is lovely in this blooming day! Nice Clematis 'Niobe', is so large, and looks very healthy. Finally your rhododendron started to bloom, this red color is so bright in the greenness.Also I love the Japanese maple, dark purple leaves are pretty. Have a nice week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Nadezda, my garden is finally getting some colour! Yes, my Japanese maple is getting big and beautiful, after half of it was lost last summer it is not getting back to a better shape :-)
      Wishing you a nice week too!

      Delete
  30. Hi Helene
    Your garden really looks lovely, so green and full of Color. The peonies and poppies in my garden are flowerting too at the Moment... mucht too late and meanwhile it is so hot, that I believe that the peonies won't last long. However roses are following :o). I love David Austins roses... most of them have such a great fragrance.
    Hey, a new Project... that's brilliant. I wish you a lot of fun with planing!
    Have a great week
    Alex

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Alex, it has been hot here today too, I think my peonies will go off soon too, but the hot weather has done wonders for my roses, so many has come out today compared to just a few days ago.

      I have been to my son's garden tody and started cutting the grass, big job, will take days!
      Have a great week :-)

      Delete
  31. Your garden looks gorgeous despite the weather. Such lovely roses. How exciting that you will now have a new area to design. I can't wait to hear about what you do.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Carolyn, it will be a garden on a shoestring budged so pretty basic for now, at the moment it is basically a question of finding the garden among the weeds!

      Delete
  32. Oh you've got roses already and the garden is looking superb as usual! I've only seen one of my roses with buds at the moment and there are no clematis in flower just yet. Most of my herbaceous plants are slightly late but it's the shrubs that are really late in flowering this year.

    Rosie
    www.leavesnbloom.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A lot has happened the last week, a bit warmer weather has helped :-)

      Delete
  33. Hi Helene, Our weather here has been rather nice and thankfully we have had a good mix of sun and rain without the retched humidity of last summer. I inherited what looks to be the same peony when I came to my present garden and of all my peonies it is my favourite. You are not the only one with clematis with too short a support! I finally upgraded my obelisk with a taller model, but even the new one at 6ft is too short! What fun you will have designing your son's garden. I used to have a townhouse garden of about that size. You can still do lots with a garden that small. The trick will be staying with their desire for no maintenance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My son wants green bushes without flowers (no deadheading), but I think I will sneak in a few flowering bushes anyway :-) There are lots of plants that doesn't require daily attention, like hydrangeas and evergreen bushes, I think I will need to sit down and just browse the Internet for low maintenance plants and see what comes up.

      I found an 8’ obelisk on Amazon, exactly the same type as I have, but they are £55 each so I don’t think I will buy them this year :-)

      Delete
  34. Hi Helene, it is amazing to me how much is flowering in your lovely garden. I especially love the Disporopsis pernyi, which is a new plant to me. Your paeony is incredible beautiful as well. Have fun designing your son's new garden!
    Christina

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Christina, I will have fun, already started!
      A lot of people commented on my Disporopsis pernyi last month, it is a great plant for a shady/semi shady location.

      Delete
  35. A blank canvas garden to create...HEAVEN!
    PS thank you for the shelving idea. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You'welcome, I see they still sell them but no longer to reduced price, they might be back at £14 again as they have had the offer on and off.

      I'm going to take pictures step by step in my son's garden so it will probably be a few posts from there to later in the summer :-)

      Delete

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.