Unexpected dry and sunny day

So, English Lavender and Alchemilla Mollis are bomb-proof, don't you know? As you can see here, they are billowing beautifully over the path and even on a rainy day the scent is heavenly. I don't think there is a better smell than lavender in the whole world. I love lavender so much I recently purchased several (36) as part of a magazine deal. So 36 stumpy plants arrived and I expect that the slugs will chomp them very soon but here's hoping. I have 12 each of Munstead, Hidcote and Elegance Sky. Unfortunately I cannot recall which I planted where and should have written it down. So my weedy window boxes of salad and a random spreading specimen from Lochawe have been replaced by lavenders,

In what has been a tough summer so far with awful weather and trials at work, the poppies have been a beacon of beauty and vitality. They were so worth the endless pricking out and seed trays on every free surface. They are going over now but will give another week or 2 of fading joy until then.

 The crocosmia is flowering much earlier than expected: it probably thinks it's autumn and you can't blame him for that. I wish I had bought more because it is entrancing. Even better, the arrival of 1 has caused another one in hiding to flower for the first time since I met the garden - always wondered what it was.

The Gillenia Trifolata has continued to look beautiful this year and is a great plant to have by the back door. Also my grasses on the right look good in wind and rain which is a bonus when that's all you're getting.

This Prairie Grass is special - I can also see it from the back door and adore its blue tinge and lush demeanour. I would definitely have another one of these, unlike the miscanthus which is doing better but still doesn't make my heart sing. The prairie grass starts an opera.

The Wedding Day rose has valiantly fought the black spot and constant wet and still looks lovely. I struggle to get more white flowers into the back garden but will consider having another one of these roses. It was a Dobbies Discount Special and has taken a year or 2 to settle but now is doing well. And I moved it about 3 times last year which probably didn't help.

Hosta vs Hellebore? Always Hellebore. Purely on foliage of course, because the Hellebore has already won the flower competition (Hosta didn't even bother registering her name). The Hosta has been decimated by slugs and snails but the Hellebore does not even have 1 nibble. Ha, slugs and snails, at least 1 plant has your number.

Some Bright Spots in the Sodden Space

Here is an Asiatic lily that has evaded the bloody beetle and not drowned!

I now understand gardeners who spray. The current trend its to wax lyrical around the wonders of bugs and letting nature take it's course. I wonder if every single plant in their garden has been chewed to the soil? Anyway, the sun just came out and is shining off the slug and snail corpses on my decking. After too much rain and a horrible time at my paying job, I expended a lot of vitriol on killing them off. Much better now!

The front bed is looking quite verdant at the moment and the chard at the front should be ready for eating if i can convince the Jamie that it's not dock leaves. 

Look at my beautiful poppies. Now all the work sowing, pricking out and balancing them on the blanket box was worth it. The heads are just beautiful even before they pop and the flowers are the best thing in my whole front garden. Yes, i do have favourites.

Here is my Crocosmia Lucifer from Appin - I wish I had bought 5! I love the reedy and strong foliage and the buds which are coming look like green feathers. I so wish the bulbs had worked! Not a single bare root plant or bulb that I got from that large on line retailer has come to anything - note to self not to make that mistake again. What I'd love is a Greenhouse so I could grow everything from seed, but there's no room for that!

 

I've included another picture of the Gillenia Trifolata because it's so lovely. Next year I will divide it and hopefully have the same success as the Geraniums (still looking gorgeous).

 And the Jasmine has managed a few flowers! I don't get this plant, it seems contrary to everything it should be doing. In December it flowered and now in July? Anyway the flowers are tiny but lovely. I am really pleased with my climbers this year and they really add something to my patch. 2 clematis, jasmine and a new honeysuckle are all going great guns. I think I might get another climber to go where the sweet peas have failed - maybe a rose or another honeysuckle?

The Allium is still going great guns - another success in a poor year, so I'll get more of these planted for next year. You can see the poor rose behind it which is battling through! I have just read that chives planted round a rose work against black spot, so I am going to plant lots of chives from seed in spring - beautiful and functional, I love herbs.

And here is a view of the bed that has really come on over the last fortnight. The honeysuckle on the left is doing well and clothed that bare but scraggy corner and balances a little the crazily outgoing clematis. The Stipa Tenussima looks a lot better there and seems happier. The Geranium Johnson's Blue is of course wondrous! If the bugs could stop eating the seedlings in the centre for 5 minutes I could have a great display!