Hello, August!

1.  Empress update.

32 whopping inches!  After averaging 6" growth each month since April, the Empress tree grew 8" this month.

2.  Creeping Jenny.

In our other gardens, Jenny elegantly draped the full height of her cracked blue pot.  Our new back garden proved too sunny, her scraggly self not even filling the pot's top.  

A coupla weeks ago, I moved her to partial shade.  She's now begun her creep.

Here's a close up of her flowers.

3.  Pumpkins.

With a bee photo bomb.

4.  Mirabalis.

Fred kindly sent me seeds for these & I've 3 very fine plants as a result.  Some in bud.

Some in bloom.

5.  Hops flowers.

The buds've finally opened.  

This isn't the flower I've seen on other hops, so hopefully there's more to follow, at least in terms of scent.

6.  Thalictrum Black Stocking.

After a very slow start, the Black Stockings've bloom.  

Ever so lovely from the back as well.

That's all for this week.  Thanks for stopping by.

Week 30

1.  Honeysuckle.

Aphids savaged the honeysuckle earlier this year, ruining all the blooms.  With them gone, the honeysuckle's returned in pink & yellow vengeance.

2.  Heucherella.

3.  Crooked Veronica.

Close up.

Step back.

4.  Valiant S&S fight.

Of the methods tried, the most effective protection from S&S has been covering young plants at night until they're too big to be delicious.  It's a twice daily pain that I'm always glad to see the end of.

This week, I came across some roof felt trimmings & cut them to size.  They work like a dream at keeping slimy things off.

5.  Teddy Bear sunflowers.

Even full grown, these are S&S favourites.  As they're only 12" tall, I grew them in planters & found that those in metal containers stayed fairly untouched.  Perhaps copper isn't the only deterrent to S&S marauders.

The photo above is how they're advertised to look.  There are, however, variations, some rather alarming.

6.  Unknown pest.

I can't quite figure out what's made its home in the curry.

It doesn't appear to feed off the plants & admittedly, is rather cute, so I'm letting it stay for the moment.

That's it for this week.  Thanks for stopping by.

Too Many to Love

1.  Salvia Strawberries & Cream.

I've become a real salvia fan.  The small flower details are so gorgeous.

2.  Thalictrum Black Stocking.

Earlier in the summer, when I bemoaned everyone else's thalictrum being in bloom, someone suggested perhaps the dry summer was the cause.  Many waterings later, we've got buds.

3.  Rain lily.

Another flower that's watered regularly.  Never get tired of these guys.

4.  Surprise lily.

This tiny little guy sprouted next to the rain lily.  I stopped growing these a few years ago because of red beetles.  I do, however, recycle pot compost onto the flowerbeds, so perhaps an old lily came to life, thanks to care given the rain lily.

5.  Woodwardia.

In most instances for me, a fern is a fern is a fern.  Woodi's a little different, although I can't say why.  I never get enough of his new growth.  Saying that, his mature fronds are also gorgeous.

This next photo was taken immediately after the first.  The new fronds really play with the light, changing colour ever so slightly.

6.  Zinnia Queenie Lime.

I planted different varieties of zinnia in various spots in the garden.  Universally, they've not done well this year, whereas last year, they were wild thangs.  Even so, just look at this face as it wakes up.  There's even a small heart at 10 o'clock.

And that's all for now.  Thanks for stopping by.

Odd Shots

Ever take a photo that turns out as something different but you like it better?  Here's half a dozen examples.


1.  Goldenrod & day lily.

2.  Fuchsia.

3.  Fuchsia & allium.

4.  Achillea falling across daisy.

5.  Border bouquet - hollyhock falling into achillea, sides of sea holly, lamb's ears, & sedum.

6.  Balloon vine escaping its cage.

That's it for this week.  Thanks for stopping by,

Onward, July!

1.  Chocolate Daisy.

Both the flower & scent of this plant  are reason enough to grow it, not to mention its sage coloured foliage.

And wouldn't you know, it's got a lovely seed head as well. 


2.   Rhodochiton Vine.

First year in our garden, & I didn't think the purply pink bells could delight me more.

Until they did this.

Rhodochiton's a tough little vine that's survived the high winds & drought.  Best of all, the slugs aren't a bit interested in it.


3.  O, Veronica.

I don't think Veronica did this last year, so'm not sure why she'd doing it now.

A yellow achillea hangs 12" or more above it, but surely doesn't warrant such an extreme recoil.  Interpretive dance, maybe.


4.  Russian sage.

Just starting to flower.  

The particular green of its foliage . . .

. . . sets off well, the pink dianthus next to it.


5.  Verbena hastata.

The v. hastata's coming into bloom.

All grown from seed off the original plant that didn't survive our wet winter.  

Any suggestions about getting keeping it alive this year?


6.  Wild plum.

Usually, the wildlife's stripped off all the plums at this stage of the summer.

This lone plum's size surprises me.  

That's it for this week.  Thanks for stopping by.

End of June

Hard to believe we're nearly halfway through the year, but here we are.


1.  Monthly measure.

The empress tree was 12" when planted on 27 April.

So we're averaging 6"/ month.


2.  Bee stalking.

Since I first noticed bees excavating my pots, I've been stalking them for videos.

This week, I finally caught one carrying its bit of leaf to the hole.


3.  Cornflower.

The lack of rain during No Mow May kept the mower in the shed until this week.  Our singular gem from all that not-mowing, one trampled cornflower.

This self seeded from last year's edible flower box, which we didn't repeat this year.  I stuck a plant support around it for protection, gave it extra water.

It's still a bit of a shorty, but it does look happier. 


4.  Poor canna.

Something less successful are my canna lilies.  As an experiment, I left them in the ground over winter, heavily mulched.

They've all struggled with my abuse only to become S&S snacks despite my best garlic spray.  This is the smallest at only a few inches, although I'm happy to see it, having assumed it to be dead.

This autumn, all the survivors'll get lifted & lovingly cossetted over the winter.


5.  Pretty weed surprise.

Last week, I featured a self seeder that'd captured my heart.  This week, there was a little pink surprise at its base.

Last year, this trough contained rain lilies, which I thought I'd moved to the flower beds.

Missed one!  This pairing is quite nice, actually.


6.  Jasmine in waiting.

That's it for this week.  Thanks for stopping by.

Developments

<= <= <= Mlle DoodleFace, the reason we have a #1 & #2 this week.












1.  Doodle Pool, Part I.

The pool is essential kit for Mlle DoodleFace, but it's not the most attractive thing you can have in the garden.  Last year, I decided to tart it up with water plants.  Bit of a crazy idea, even by my standards, but it's turned out well.

This is Season 2, The Doodle Pool.

The split bamboo has always been in it as a life raft for passing wildlife.

I'd seen a photo of Creeping Jenny in a floating planter, the fronds spreading on top of the water.  Mine've always sunk, but this year, they're invading the bullrushes to the right.


2.  Doodle Pool, Part II.

Water lily on the left.

Water lily on the right.

Both lilies've produced more leaves & flowers this year, so must be happy.


3.  Honey garlic.

The honey garlic's formed turrets of seed heads.

The flowers are striking but the seed heads are out of a fairy tale.


4.  Pretty weed.

These've self seeded all over my garden, so I let one show its stuff.

I quite like it, although it seems like something that could soon take over.

Does anyone know what it is?


5.  Tale of 2 roses.

I missed pruning some new growth from the (presumably) dog rose rootstock of our yellow rose.

The dog rose stems & foliage are very different, so not sure how I missed it . . .

. . . but it does create an interesting look.


6.  Visitor.

Our 2nd summer here, I've found our first toad, this one being in the open front garden.  Where it came from is hard to say, as there isn't open water nearby.  Maybe someone raised tadpoles then released them.

As the back garden is walled in, I'd thought of collecting tadpoles for the Doodle Pool, but was concerned about being over run by inbred toads.  Any thoughts?


And with that image, I leave you for this week.  Thanks for stopping by.