The Gardener's Rest: July's Peak...and plans.

This week has been HOT. The beginning of the week saw temperatures in my garden in the high 30`s...and as we Brits are prone to complaining about the weather, now we're desperate for some rain again. In an ideal world it would be warm and sunny by day, and rain in the wee small hours.

TMTC and I have spent an hour in the garden this morning tidying up. The climbing rose New Dawn that grows the full length now of both the Pink and Yen Gardens has had a thorough dead-heading, as has r. Tall Story in the front garden.

The Wisteria has had its long whips trimmed as per Monty Don,

and TMTC has planted a new rose called Margaret Merrill in the front garden to replace the pink hardy geranium that was performing poorly (which has been planted in the pink garden now).

I had attempted to purchase another r. Tall Story for this end, but alas it was not meant to be (and I didn't want to buy online). Margaret Merrill has a very nice, strong perfume and similar flowers, although tinged pink rather than the yellow of Tall Story. I snipped off the three flowers to be enjoyed inside. The plant will bud up again in no time as it's a repeat flowering floribunda.

My plan is to mirror image and flip the front garden....but most of it will be done in the autumn and spring as now is not the time to be digging up and splitting plants.

The plan will be to copy this grass and orange crocosmias with white scented roses as a starting point.

TMTC has also created a step for me to be able to reach the bird feeders from the gravel path beneath the lounge window as I struggle to get past the Stag Horn tree.

A further plan will be to revamp the dry bed. The Penstemons have taken over and are crowding the other plants out, including 3 eryngiums. Not sure yet what the plan is from there, but there has to be some strong plants here as this is where the badger passes through.

Tall Story. I think this is my favourite rose. It's a floribunda that just flowers for months on end with the most intoxicating perfume.

New Dawn

Special Anniversary (second flush has 18 or so buds). There's a matching rose in the other planter, but still has no buds.

Clematis Princess Kate grows over the Yen arch. The stems are really brittle, but the flowers are cute.

We picked up a couple of bird boxes in a sale. I might pluck up the courage to paint the bottom shed, and add a few more cute bird boxes and bug hotels...maybe another job for the autumn.