 |
| Pink poppies, aquilegia and foxgloves in our front garden. |
Well, it's been a quite a few posts since we last looked at the garden here at home. We've been boating to London and back, sowing and planting at Reaseheath, trying to market self-published left-leaning legal thrillers and even visiting Buckingham Palace, so it's no surprise that I have to confess to neglecting the garden.
 |
| Not tended for two months (apart from cutting the lawn) |
And while my back has been turned, it's gone mad, but it's done so in a fabulously romantic 'Secret Garden' fashion, with the flowerbeds lush with early summer perennials, cascades of wisteria and clematis entwined with golden hop and honeysuckle smothering the pergolas, and drifts of geum and flag iris rising from the ferns around the ponds.
Wisteria and golden hop: pale pink aquilegia
It's a similar story in the front garden. Close scrutiny reveals an invasion of couch grass and the plumes of horsetail lurking between the cultivated plants, but the overall effect is a tapestry of colour, a rich meadow of aquilegia, alchemilla mollis, foxgloves and, somehow dodging the worst effects of some heavy showers, spectacular deep red/pink oriental poppies. The funny thing is, I don't remember them being that colour, but they tone beautifully with the digitalis and the darker pink columbines, and contrast strikingly with the purple ones.
Front garden flowerbed from above, and close-up
There is a lone 'Turkenlouis' oriental poppy in vivid scarlet in front of the yew tree; that's going to have to move, but to where, I don't know, as all of the late spring/summer flowers, front and back, are quite soft shades. I suppose I could try a 'Chelsea chop' on it, and try and get it to flower later, when there should be red/gold colours in that area from rudbekias and hellenniums, if the slugs haven't munched them all...
 |
| Evening sunshine on the 'meadow' |
It is mildly concerning that what is effectively my trademark planting scheme, exported to a couple of clients' gardens, actually needs so little looking after, as it suggests I'm in danger of doing myself out of a job! In practice, this luxuriant growth is going to need a good clear-out before too long. The alchemilla is, as usual, in danger of stealing the show, but I have a likely home for some of it in one of my project gardens and a generous gift of some acanthus to find space for too.
Meanwhile in the veg plots, much digging and clearing was needed to remove excessive amounts of creeping buttercup and self-heal, and the leeks had passed their prime, though I may leave them to flower for the bees. Much of the area is currently a shrub nursery as we missed the time for planting squashes while we were on the boat, but all being well we'll get some 'greens' in for the autumn and winter and may even try some late sown peas and beans in case we get a warm autumn.
As for midsummer, it's actually sounding quite stormy outdoors tonight, so there will be no sitting on the patio with a glass of wine enjoying the light evening and bright full moon, and watching out for the bats. Perhaps another evening...
