My garden and I are feeling the same, hot, tired and wilting in all this heat, hoping that we can have some rain soon, just at night time of course! It’s well over 4 weeks now since we had any rain , all my water buts are nearly empty, even my huge one which holds 400 gallons! The flowers are going over so quickly and the colours fade in such hot sunshine, we are just not used to it here in England. One area that is carrying on as usual is the bog garden, obviously the plants are finding plenty of moisture further down in the soil. These are Primula florindae Coppertones.
These are P.florindae, seedlings that I sowed last year, another year and they should all be flowering making a drift of yellow.
Iris ensata, a Japanese iris which thankfully likes wet soil so is happy in the boggy area.
Primula vialii opening up its two tone little pokers.
The Astilbes throughout the garden are starting to open in various colours, red, pink and white.
Zantedeschia aethiopica is new to the bog this year, this is now the third flower that has opened so it must be happy where I have put it.
Rosa Mulligani is climbing up the dead oak and is heading for the top, not quite there yet. The waterfall of white flowers is amazing for about a month, then it just returns to clothing the dead branches with its foliage.
Rosa Bonica started flowering in June and will carry on non stop until November. It is a super rose, no blackspot but unfortunately no perfume either, can’t have everything!
This is a tiny rose which I planted on the alpine scree, otherwise it would have been lost in the garden amongst all the beefy plants that I have. The whole bush is only about 6 inches high and was given to me by a friend, Angela, about 10yrs ago. It gets pruned the same as all the other roses but with a tiny pair of scissors instead of secateurs.
All the David Austin roses are flowering at the moment, with all the heat, the flowers don’t last very long and the colour fades quickly but the perfume seems extra strong, especially in the morning and evening.
Rosa glauca still has plenty of small flowers, but some of the early ones have turned to hips already, it doesn’t take them long to change.
Hemerocallis or day lily, are getting into their stride now, this one is Stafford, looking a bit pink, not looking its usual deep red/purple. This was bought because that is where my parents used to live.
A very small hemerocallis and I can’t remember it’s name, I bought it because I liked it! The clump is big enough to split so I think half can come into the sunset border.
This day lily is called Moonlight, I’m not really sure how it got its name, but then some names amaze me because they are so outrageous!
Forming a nice little cushion on the scree is a golden leaved Campanula, but I spy a weed next to it that I hadn’t noticed when I took the photo. By the time anyone reads this, it will have been removed!
Regale lilies are still flowering, just a few buds left now, they have certainly filled different parts of the garden with their perfume for a long time now. I’ve lost count of how many lily beetles I have caught and stamped on, but patrolling each morning has been worth it, there have been so many.
Acanthus mollis has never put up so many flower spikes before, but look at the foliage, it doesn’t like the heat, all the leaves are collapsing in a heap and lately they haven’t even recovered by next morning. It can cope in the sun if the temperature is a lot lower, but at the moment it is struggling.
The Mimulus by the pond has gone mad, there is far too much of it, but the flowers look so cheerful, I will let it stay while it is flowering, then at least half must go.
All the viticella clematis are now starting to flower, although some people say that Clematis Pagoda belongs in the texensis group, whichever group it belongs to, it looks very pretty clothing an obelisk.
Escaping from its obelisk is C.Etoille Violette, now making a bid to climb the dead oak!
Needing a helping hand as it is an herbacious clematis is Clematis durandii, this would be quite happy just flopping on the ground but it shares its support with a peach coloured rose which gives it the extra support that it needs.
The poppies from the last post are still opening more flowers, some days more pink are there, some days more mauve, no two days are the same. No, that is not rain on the petals, I wish it were, it’s water from when hubby was watering the fruit bushes at the back.
I think this is the last Meconopsis flower for this year, Meconopsis betonicifolia so there will be no more kingfisher blue until next year, shame!
A lovely yellow foxglove, Digitalis grandiflora, I must make more of this by sowing some seed this year, such a gentle yellow which shines out from the shade.
All the alliums have done really well this year, they have loved all the heat and the lack of rain! Globemaster have been fantastic but are just now starting to go over, this is A. Christophii in the bee and butterfly border in the front.
Last but definitely not least is this little gem which must have blown in on the breeze. At the back of one of my shady borders when I was having a blitz on the weeds, I just managed to stop myself in time from grabbing what I think is a common spotted orchid. These have never appeared before and I don’t know if they ever will again, I will just enjoy it while I can.
Many thanks must go to Carol at May Dreams Garden for hosting Garden Bloggers Bloom Day once again, do pop over to see which flowers from around the world, are flowering at the moment.
