Back from Italy to a dried-out garden and the pond almost empty after days of temperatures in the 30s. Pelargonium in the pot is flowering as are the nasturtiums. First blooms on the day lilies, but they are small and stunted compared to what they used to be when the original clump was in the opposite bed.
Ch-ch-changes
Re-arranged the tripod holding the rose in an attempt to make it cover more of the trellis. Money is on it falling down in a high wind – the ground is so hard it’s difficult to get the supports in deep enough to be stable, but the rose is responding with new shoots. If I hadn’t been so quick to cut it back when it flowered in previous years maybe I’d have had more roses years ago.
Successes
Hydrangeas are tip top. Sprays of flowers on the nandinas. Valerian has been dead-headed and is getting ready to flower again. The echinops is showing hazy blue flowers and is alive with bees. The lilac has survived being cut back and is putting up new growth, Black-Eyed Susan is flowering well. Fennel is flowering again.
First sign of the flowers on the crocosmia, but they are very small compared with what I remember from previous years. Fuchsia is flowering.
Hmms
A strong gust of wind blew over the acer. The plant is undamaged but the pot is cracked and will need to be replaced. The cotoneaster is looking Miss Havisham-esque – the moths seem to have done for it. Deciding I want the plant more than the moths, have cut it back down to the stump, new growth was showing before the end of the month, so it’s survived its guests, let’s see if they return.
Weather
Month started blazingly hot, but the weather turned – lots of rain and cooler though still high humidity. The garden has appreciated it.
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