Ch-ch-ch-changes

Lots of movement promoted by the removal of the old Photinia. Cleared the bed around it leaving the huge clump of anemones to fend for itself.

• heucheras and hydrangea to the main west-facing bed.
• small clump of Japanese anemones,,small skimmia to the bed between the bay and the echinops. Pinks to that bed too.
• some of the little black and green grasses, which were edging the bed, to the West-facing bed between the Bay and the berberis
• moved the small skimmia from in front of the bay to beside the original skimmia in the east facing bed.
• moved the three failing Actaea to around the lilac in the West facing bed – let’s hope it can revive them. By the end of the month two of them looked dead already – but they died right back last year and revived and may do so again – the third is valiantly clinging on. 
• transplanted some self-seeded Campion from the bed under the photinia to the bed with the verbena and lavender. Lots more self-seeded plants in the lawn in front of the old photonia bed.
• Moved some clumps of sweet woodruff out of the photinia bed with varying levels of success – clumps in the west-facing border with the other transplantees seem to be doing fine, Clumps round the cordyline have turned up their toes.

Successes

The echinops/achillea combo has been as good as ever, enhanced by the yellow fennel and white cosmos, which has flowered magnificently throughout the month with lots of buds still coming.

A good year for Japanese anemones – they must like the wet. Clumps along the east side in bud or flowering, clump under the ceanothus which I thought died years ago has produced buds (but not flowered). Heleniums looked great all month. Lots of green growth on the hebes; no longer just on the ends of long stems but the centre of the plant is filling in. The hard cut-back seems to have succeeded.

Lots of flowers on the little dahlia. Masses of new shoots on the trunk of the cordyline (should I be cutting them back?) Took out lots of the dead lower leaves in the crown and there’s still strong growth from the top. Fleabane daisies are flowering beautifully. The corydalis is everywhere, bringing a flush of yellow in the walls and up the steps. Lots of flowers on the hyssop. Flowers on the sedums.

Hmmms:

Spent a lot of time hacking back the blackberry, buddleia and honeysuckle growing over the wall from #87 and the ivy from #91, muttering under my breath all the while.

Think I lost the Peacock orchids in the tree removal, but will wait to see if they survive the trauma – might get something next year? Gladioli bulbs planted under the cordyline have not survived.

Fuchsia is flowering but nothing like the height it had last year – recovering from the move or just not as good a position or weather as last year? Burncoose hydrangea in back border has green growth but no flowers, in fact none of the Burncoose plants are doing much except the skimmia in the back bed:  green growth but no blooms on the guelder rose and honeybush, some growth on the nandina.

Acanthus in the back border looking sad – no flower spikes this year

Weather:

A poor summer. Cool and very wet, although September is starting with a mini, back-to-school heatwave.