Be careful what you wish for...my wish had been for rain. My waterbutts were bereft and the thought of having to use mains water filled me with dread. And then it rained...and rained....and then rained some more.
Actually at this time of year I don't mind the rain much, as long as there are some sunny periods as that's ideal for the garden.
It's another Bank Holiday next weekend and one I suspect will encourage gardeners to flock to garden centres and nurseries up and down the country. We decided therefore to beat the hoards and once sated in the restaurant, we set about filling a trolley with bedding plants whilst dodging heavy showers.
On our return home, we unpacked the car and headed indoors with a cuppa as the heavens opened once more.
Sunday morning arrived with barely a cloud in the sky. By 8am we had begun creating our own little patch of summer.
The containers either side of the terrace seat were relieved of their spring bedding which was composted. The bulbs were lifted and potted up to allow the foliage to continue to die back naturally providing food for the bulb for next year's flowers, out of the way in the workspace. In their place we've planted a couple of pots of pink themed petunias, verbenas and calibrachoa.
This theme has been echoed in the containers, with the taller pot at the back having a more purple hue to the petunias, and each pot having a white lobelia.
The purple petunias continue in Bumblebee's pot, along with a lilac brachyscome, bacopa scopia "double ballerina lavender" and a white lobelia.
The hanging baskets have picked up the pink theme once more, with the white lobelia to link them with the other displays.
And finally the wall mangers have bounced back to Bumblebee's pot, picking up the purple petunias, lavender bacopa and this time a white verbena with nepata for cascading foliage.
In a few weeks everything will have filled out and look amazing.
Elsewhere in the garden, TMTC set up the pool in the Yen Garden, with the waterlily and foliage which had overwintered in the main pond. We had lost one of the grasses, but the rest seem to have coped well.
He also potted up the new Rhododendron in ericaceous compost. We just need to finish it off with pebbles to match the other containers in the Yen Garden.
Since the pond had been disturbed when moving the plants, TMTC gave it a good tidy up, removing excess weed and cleaned the pump.
I'm torn between plants to feature in the 'Plant of the Month' section. I have a few days left of May to decide. What's your favourite?
I can never think of a new way to say this. Your garden is so beautiful, you have a real eye for it xx
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