It’s a bank holiday here in the UK and the weather has been warm and sunny, not like the usual bank holiday weather at all!! I’ve managed quite a few hours in the garden, though there’s still an awful lot to do as I lost about six weeks after my op. I’ve decided I’m a bit of a flitter when it comes to the garden, I do a bit here and then get distracted by something over there that needs doing. It all needs doing but I think that’s part of the reason why I never feel I’m winning, I never finish a job properly!! I think that’s one reason why it’s so great when my friend comes to help, she really bottoms a border before moving on to the next…I need to learn from this!
I did a fair bit of weeding and tidying round by the patio, cutting back faded flower spikes, unwinding the bindweed so I can pop in in a poop bag and spray with weed killer. I cut back the lower branches of the purple sambuscus too, it’s getting to be rather large, they can be a bit thuggish! I’ve taken off the lower branches to bring a bit more light onto the bed below it and to neaten it up a bit. When my OH has his chainsaw out next there’s one more branch to come off!
The view from the bottom of the steps, peeping under the standard rose bush, is lovely at the moment. There’s three different alliums, two irises and both purple and white foxgloves…

I’ve pruned the early flowering clematis by the side of the arbour, a bit late but it’s done. I’ve also pruned and fed the fatsia japonica as it wasn’t looking very happy. I had a bag of farmyard manure which I’d bought to mix with John Innes compost when we we’re planning to move house, I’ve been round the garden and given a few shrubs a bit of a feed with it.
I also did some weeding up round the top roses by the lawn, I went to give them some manure and got distracted by the weeds! Kneeling on the lawn I got a different view of the border by the big fence and that’s looking very pretty too. I couldn’t get any nearer as I also realised this weekend that the bird box on the side of the summerhouse is home to a family of bluetits – when I had my coffee in there on Saturday I could hear them cheeping away.

The alliums have come up through the peony, I don’t recall planting any there but it’s worked pretty well. The peony has quite a few buds on, I think they’ll open over the next week. There’s a white astrantia (well a sort of very pale green colour) and behind it is a pink one. The philadelphus at the back has just come into blossom and smells wonderful.
Over by the pond my OH has been weeding the path, he’s also realised the log-roll round the pond border is pretty rotten, it has probably been there about 18 years so it doesn’t owe me anything! He wants to re-lay new weed membrane under the gravel and replace the log roll, he’ll hopefully agree that it will be easier to wait til autumn.

We thinned the Solomons Seals a lot last year but it needs a bit more I think, I could do with a nice clump, rather than a sprawl…and I bought a candelabra primula which I want to plant by the pond where I can see it. The purple plant at the front is a rogersia, I’ve a green one too at the far side of the pond. The hostas are looking huge already!

The purple clematis by the autumn bed is looking amazing this year, the flowers are huge. The purple acer is looking happy and hopefully the peony will soon be in flower too. The rambling rose growing over the arbour is looking huge but it’s nicely spreading over the arbour.
I do like this time of year, everything is still looking fresh and new and there’s something different every time you wander round the garden…lots of things to distract me!
