back from holiday, nothing has died..............Midsummer Day was characterised by some of the most atrocious weather ever seen, howling winds and horizontal rain............everything seems a bit dry here but most things have survived. the courgette which had the most anti-slug stuff on it has been eaten to extinction............not even a stump left..............and the delphinium has also disappeared. some of the Morning Glories haven't made it either but the ones on the window-sill seem OK. the slugs have also enjoyed the Livingstone daisies......maybe they'd be better at the front..........
....the purple clematis is putting on the most spectacular display ever seen, fabulous flowers which look great against the foliage of the yellow rose and the honeysuckle which is just emerging. the honeysuckle at the front is also flowering, much to my surprise, huge yellow flowers.................
..........at least one tadpole still alive, and the funny larva thing with the long tail...........Rosa Incognita from Hopetoun turns out to be pink, and the rose at the bottom on the arch is now flowering..............borage appearing where it wasn't planted as usual and almost out...........
......i've bought some scented geraniums at the Highland Show today to replace the courgette, hope we can take cutting and generate more and more...............

wedding presents

at this time of year things change so quickly that there's something new to see every day.............latest excitement is the first mange-tout pea!!......about to be manged...........the purple clematis came out a couple of days ago, paeonies almost there but despite watering not quite out............red oriental poppies making a fine display but the pink ones are later. the Himalayan poppy has flowered, not as spectacularly as last year, but my book said it would flower once then die, so it clearly hasn't read it. nor has the Chilean glory vine, an annual, back for its third year........
.................i've tidied the back, put everything away, all plants now potted up..........hanging baskets doing really well, i've forgotten what i put in them but the tomatoes are looking good and starting to flower..............the potato plants are enormous and as usual there is a fine crop in the compost heap...sigh. i've risked putting the morning glories out, have never succeeded in growing them out side but it's warm, and the dry weather is keeping the gastropods at bay i think.............small lemon balm plants from last year in the herb bed, some new small thymes by the patio junction to try and soften it and keep the weeds down...........Isabel's alpine strawberries are in a pot or the alpinery.............still quite small but the main strawbs are flowering already............
................major task of tidying the front accomplished yesterday, to the accompaniment of Katisha and the neighbours' ginger boys having a frank exchange of views...........she looked very impressive all fluffed up like that...............they clearly thought so too because they sidled off again.............the front always looks such a mess once the bulb foliage dies down, rampant weeds everywhere...................but it seems to have decided it wants to be a cottage garden and is growing lovely frilly aquilegias which must have blown in from the neighbours; welsh poppies, and campanula.............i've got the Redhall woodchip down and it looks better, though i need some more for the back. the bit under the tree always looks a bit sad with nothing growing in it once the bulbs have gone...............maybe i should try some hellebores............

Flaming June

today it really is................hot. a succession of warm sunny days has brought everything out. the geraniums have arrived and are in their pots, and the bluebells are just finishing at the front, so time to put the woodchip down and remove the fine crop of weeds from aming the things that are meant to be there. they certainly don't seem to be bothered by the deep shade from the tree..............at the back the aquilegias are in full flower and so is the lilac, flowering profusely and looking very nice. interestingly, the yellow rose was the first to come out and has more flowers this year than i've seen before......the organic rose was later and is only just starting to flower now. the clematis are just finishing and the purple one isn't out yet, although i see John and Fiona's is, being on a west-facing wall. the campanulas and the rue are also doing their show at the bottom of the right-hand bed.............and the Himalayan poppy is not dead as i thought but is getting ready to flower. the Oriental poppies are definitely behind this year, not out yet........maybe the lack of rain has held them back.
...........the pond now has tadpoles! unlike Carrie's mine are not getting steak but are i hope eating all the midge larvae............the salad leaves are doing really well, i guess we need to eat more salad to keep up...............the lovage of course has grown to a great height, unlike the variegated lavender which looks most unhappy............need to eat more sorrel too, and the oregano looks beautifully healthy.............patio veggies a bit variable again, the tomoatoes have looked very miserable for a while but the sun seems to be perking them up..........potatoes going great guns in the veg bed, onions too...............fennel recovering from the move............jasmine looking much happier and starting to climb...........passion plant suddenly come to life........Marvel of Peru may have failed to be marvellous, the ones i took outside look to have died, the indoor ones still alive but no sign of flowers..............the delphinium in its pot seems to have been spared by the snails so far, as do the canary creepers.............lilies looking extremely well for some reason, having been left to freeze in their pots all winter with absolutely no attention, i sometimes feel that the more i cosset things the worse they do, whereas things that are just left to get on with it seem to do rather well...............
........as usual of course things are coming up in completely different locations from where i actually put them..............love-in-a-mist by the pond instead of in the bed...............borage everywhere..................the lemon balm from Sussex has survived and is fighting its way up among the persicarias..............
............lemon catmint has produced a germination rate of 1%.......which is better than the germination rate of 0% of the eryngiums so far...............chili peppers are doing well tho............passiflora also doing well and going off to be wedding presents soon...............