Saturday Saunter ...

... round the garden.

Evening Everyone,

From a damp and dreary day here ... what a difference a few days make, where's all that sunshine we were so enjoying gone???

Mind you, the rain didn't stop me nipping out into the garden to take a few shots of what's in bloom today. But first, the story of the new round bed. Warning, a photo heavy post follows.

This 10', maybe even higher, pampas grass, or Cortaderia selloana to give it it's Sunday name, was already well established, probably from the 1970s when they were all the fashion, in the front garden when we moved in nine months ago. Despite it's great age, to the EM it was nothing but an eyesore and would have to go!

And go it did! Slowly!!! It was so difficult to get out that we enlisted the help of a professional gardener, Annie, the Vintage Gardener, who did a great job, making rather shorter work of the pampas grass than we ever could.

Clearly it's still a work in progress for the EM. (We have divided responsibility for the garden, the EM has the front, I have the back).  So far he has planted the following: four floribunda roses, a white, Iceberg ('Korbin') - a red, Lili Marlene, the EM is delighted to have her in his bed :) - a plum coloured , Burgundy Ice, I can't wait to see that one in bloom - and pink one, the aptly named, Happy Retirement. The other plants are, Eryngium 'Big Blue'(far left) Verbena 'Lollipop' (front left), Gypsophila 'Festival White' (far right) and Lythrum 'Robin' (centre back), and just seen at the front, two tiny Lavender Hidcote.  And slap bang in the middle, and I am assured that it is in the middle even if it doesn't look so in the photo, is the bird bath that was my anniversary present to himself this year.

Other plants of note today.

Another of our inherited plants so no name but isn't a whopper!

Our apple crop :) It's Tydeman's Early Worcester - there was two but the other dropped just a few days ago :(

We have some clematis in bloom.

This is Niobe - she moved with us and seems to like her new location very much.

And all that work sowing seeds in spring, pricking, potting, pinching and then planting out has paid dividends.

The orange poppy I expected, the illustration on the label shows a clump of orange loveliness, but the white one is a lovely surprise. I love it and, judging by it's chewed appearance, I'm not the only one!

Finally, the roses. They continue to surprise and delight ... only planted a few months ago and they are flowering their socks off.

High Hopes indeed! This rose got covered in wood treatment when a neighbour, whilst putting up a new shed, splashed the stuff on our side of the fence. The leaves browned and shrivelled so I thought it was a goner, but no, it recovered and this is the first bloom - gorgeous :)

And talking of sheds, the EM is a seething mass of anticipation ... there's a mancave garden shed on order, delivery 15th August. He's going to be unbearably excited until then ... what is it about men and their sheds :)

If you have got this far, thanks for staying with me and apologies for such a lengthy post. I love my garden and I hope you enjoy seeing the photos I take in it.

Hope you are having an enjoyable weekend ... with maybe some better weather :)