Confession time. no 1.

Posted on August 17, 2022 by Pauline

They say that confession is good for the soul, so here goes.

I have not shown you certain areas of the garden for years now as I have thoroughly neglected them since my dear undergardener died five years ago, it has taken me all my time to keep the rest of the garden presentable. I now feel quite ashamed at the state that it had all got into and the time had come for me to do something about it. This was brought home to me when my roofer, Joseph, (remember storms Eunice and Franklyn in February?) asked if he could see the garden, he wanted to see how far it went, he had been looking at the garden when he was up on the roof and couldn’t see where it ended! I didn’t want to take him up through the pergola to what used to be the fruit and veggie garden as I knew it was such a dreadful mess, but he insisted. This is what he was confronted with….

when you got to the end of the pergola, you couldn’t get any further!

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Six on Saturday. 13.08.2022

Posted on August 13, 2022 by Pauline

There is a faint glimmer of hope on the horizon, will we have rain Monday or not? Thunderstorms are coming but they won’t be everywhere here in the south west, I will just have to wait and see with my fingers crossed. My poor garden is drying out much faster than I can keep carrying the water where it needs it most, I can but hope that the roots of plants are still viable and they will come back next year. It is getting more difficult to find decent blooms to show you, but here are my six for this week…….

No 1

Another crocosmia, this time a small red one that suddenly appeared in the garden, but I think it will have to be moved as it is spreading into precious plants in the bog garden. I will wait until the rain comes eventually before moving it. Crocosmias have certainly done well this year in spite of the heat.

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Six on Saturday 06.08.2022

Posted on August 6, 2022 by Pauline

Once again, no measurable rain has fallen here, one day I had high hopes when I saw large drops falling but the drops didn’t even join up on the table by the back door! The forecast for the next 7 days is wall to wall sunshine, not what I wanted to hear. There is still plenty of colour in the garden though, my mini meadow and the area where it floods every winter are still very green so there is water down there somewhere and some plants are still flowering as though there isn’t a drought, the rest of my lawn though is very brown and crisp and will stay that way until the rain comes.

Here are my six for this week…..

No 1

Rudbeckia fulgida Goldsturm is coping with the conditions but is only half the size as usual, the flowers are much smaller too.

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Six on Saturday 30.07.2022

Posted on July 30, 2022 by Pauline

It’s official, here in my part of the South West we have not had any measurable rain for the month of July, the driest July since 1911. The garden is very dry, I am watering my pots and recent plantings made before the heatwave came. The only plants that look as though they are suffering are the hydrangeas, they are given a watering can of water each morning, but by the next morning they are wilting again. My water butts are now empty so all water is from a tap, metered, some of the water I use is grey water and some is the run off which I save when I want hot water. All is not doom and gloom though, some plants are managing to cope very well.

My six for this week are as follows…..

No 1

Stipa gigantea seems to be enjoying the heat, its not quite as tall as it usually is, but that’s a minor point. The box on the corner needs clipping, but not until it is cooler and not so sunny otherwise it will just go brown.

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Six on Saturday 23.07.2022

Posted on July 23, 2022 by Pauline

Thank goodness it is a bit cooler, not much some days, but enough so that I don’t feel as though I’m melting! Still no decent amount of rain, we keep getting told that we are going to have thunder storms, we hear the thunder but – no rain except for a little drizzle for 5 minutes, my water butts are all empty now so I’m being very careful with how much I’m taking from the tap as we pay for every drop that we use. Needless to say, the garden is looking rather tired by now, but I know it will cope for a bit longer. However there are a few plants that are coping well, mainly with bulbs corms and tubers.

Here are my six for this week…………

No 1

Not a bulb, corm or tuber, but a blackbird! Mrs B. is on her second brood of babies and is eating me out of house and home. She gets all the meal worms that I’m putting out, I’m putting out extra rations as she has so many mouths to feed, but even so she expects more every time I step outside to do my gardening. One of these days I’m going to trip over her as she is always fussing round my feet. I can see that she will have time for a third brood!

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Six on Saturday 16.07.2022

Posted on July 16, 2022 by Pauline

I started off last Saturday saying how hot it was, I spoke too soon, it is even hotter this weekend and due to get even hotter still tomorrow and Monday. I am doing everything I can to stay cool and start gardening at 5 am when I wake, when it is nice and cool. By 10 am though I am melting so retreat indoors to cool down wth a long drink and a good book! Plants are coping better than I am with only a few needing watering apart from my pots, so here are my 6 for this week….

No 1

Really enjoying this weather is Yucca filamentosa which is in the bed by the back door. This means that this plant will die once it has finished flowering but I will then have to wait for the offshoots at the side to grow to flowering size before I can enjoy the flowers once again. Worth the wait though.

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Six on Saturday. 09. 07. 2022.

Posted on July 9, 2022 by Pauline

It is Hot, Hot, Hot! I’m hiding in the shade, feeling sorry for my plants that can’t move and get out of the heat, any gardening is done first thing in the morning, sometimes even before breakfast, after that, I wilt!

My six for this week are as follows……

No 1.

Zantedeschia aethiopica, and I think, Kiwi Blush, has flowered at last. I can’t remember when I planted it but to have a flower after a gap of at least 10 yrs, is cause for celebration!

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Day Lilies giving colour everywhere.

Posted on July 7, 2022 by Pauline

Hemerocallis or Day Lilies, because as their name suggests they only flower for one day, soon though your plants are large enough to have loads of flowers so the flowering period is easily for a month. I find that frequent deadheading is best to keep the plants looking tidy. So far this week we haven’t had any more rain but with a fair amount of sunshine the flowers are opening, making the garden look very colourful.

This is Pink Damask, although I think more of a terracotta colour than pink. This is a good sized clump now and flowers for a long time.

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Six on Saturday, 02. 07. 2022.

Posted on July 2, 2022 by Pauline

Another week of sunshine and rain with a bit of thunder thrown in,  just to make it more interesting! I used to play a lot of tennis when I was a lot younger so am glued to the TV when Wimbledon is on, at least they now have a roof or two for when it rains there, so there is always something to watch. I have been able to watch quite a lot of tennis, but have also managed to fit gardening in between the showers, so its not all doom and gloom, thank goodness. A lot of my six are self seeders, where would we be without them?

No 1

My first one though is my Cistus shrub, what has happened to this flower, this isn’t how it should be!

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Six on Saturday 25. 06. 22

Posted on June 25, 2022 by Pauline

At last we have had rain, not only did this give me a rest from gardening yesterday but it gave the plants a much needed drink and I’m sure they will feel much better for it. We have had more rain overnight and this morning and more is due later today, so at least I can catch up on my housework!

My six for this week are as follows-

No 1

Crocosmia Lucifer has started to flower, soon he will be bedecked in all his finery and drawing attention to himself at the top of the garden. You just won’t be able to miss him!

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