The garden is really starting to flourish, though it’s getting decidedly parched as we’ve had so little rain this month. With heavy clay soil that means some of it is like concrete with deep cracks in it! Despite the lack of rain the geraniums are enormous already, the one at the front is Ann Folkard I think which has bright magenta flowers with a black centre. It’s a bit of a thug in the plant world but as the soil is really bad in that corner I’m happy it’s thriving.
I decided to start trying to fence off areas from the dogs. We have three dogs now as my mums dog has come to live with us, three dogs is proving hard work, especially in the garden; Rosie walks all over beds and plants, squashing all in her way with her big golden retriever paws, Zach digs holes, regardless of whether there is a plant there or not, two of my new plants were dug up this week as he is convinced there is a mouse under the patio (there probably is!), Lucy just poops everywhere!! I know the dogs don’t mean to but its disheartening when we spend so much time and money in the garden.
We’ve put a gate between the top and the bottom garden, so Lucy’s poops are restricted to the patio; at least it’s easy to clear up there! When I planned the AA garden I bought an arch with gates on so they could go in under supervision, it is nice having them sitting around whilst we have a glass of wine on an evening. Unfortunately Rosie ignored the gates and just walked straight over the beds!! This weekend I therefore spent a couple of hours constructing temporary-ish fences around the AA garden. They are not that tall, but it might just be enough to discourage an arthritic elderly dog! Any suggestions on how to stop a dog digging gratefully received!!
The spring blossom on the trees and shrubs is looking gorgeous at the moment. From the patio I can see the choisya in front on the raised bed with its creamy white flowers, a deutsia covered in pink blossom which is actually up on the top bed with the roses and an old lilac tree on the back lane behind the summerhouse. I love this view as when I started this garden I envisaged a wall of plants and flowers where you couldn’t see the two stone walls and raised beds supporting them, it’s taken about fifteen years, but I’ve finally achieved it in the last couple of years. There is basically three separate beds all merging into one picture.
I spotted another iris in flower this week, it’s only short but it’s a very pretty lemon colour. Just near the irises are these seedheads, these are from the Pasque flower (Pulsatilla) I think the seedheads are just as pretty in their own right, in the right weather conditions they can stay like this for weeks.
Welsh poppies have started to pop up everywhere, they self seed all over the place without being invasive, I love the way this one is clinging to the mossy wall.
I’ve some alliums in flower around the roses. They’re a lovely shade of purple. Several years ago I planted a ring of alliums around the patio, (having seen the idea at Harrogate Show!!) they looked nice for the first couple of years, but they suddenly went rampant and took over the bed, when I was clearing the bed I found literally hundreds of bulbs and vowed never to plant them again!! Luckily these ones are much more restrained, a scattering of alliums looks lovely!
I’m having another weeding session at the moment, trying to clear the rose bed a bit, I’m aiming to tackle it properly in the autumn but I couldn’t look at the weeds any more. I’ve also been round spraying bindweed and mares tail, so hopefully I’ll make some progress on the weed front….then I can start on the front garden!!
thecraftycreek 
Such a lovely garden – thank you for the visit! xx
(I do hope someone can suggest a solution for your canine difficulties! Being a cat person, I’m clueless.)
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The gardens are looking wonderful – no ideas on the dogs at the moment. Our Schnauzer loves to nose his way into the flower beds however he does not dig and reserves his business for his walks – thankfully. He does seem to stay out of the beds that have border – (railroad tie size) Perhaps a built up border would help a bit. I have two raised beds with the ties and they seem to keep him out. The bed with log border he just steps right over. I love the poppies with the moss and fern…
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Thanks, it will be interesting to see if the little fence keeps Rosie out 🙂
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Thanks for the lovely meander through your lush garden. You have both – green fingers and patience!
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Thank you, I do enjoy working in the garden 🙂
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Beautiful despite the dogs help!
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Thanks Cathy 🙂
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It must be discouraging to have the dogs undo all your hard work–but it’s so hard to stay mad at a dog! The gardens look amazing!
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Thanks Kerry, you’re right, it’s hard to stay cross for long, though my OH did pretty well last night when he came home to find they had raided the kitchen bin, contents (minus chicken bones!!) were all over kitchen floor and Lucy had peed in the middle of it all!!
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Your garden is wonderful! If you find a way to keep a dog out of the flower bed ,let me know! Our jack Russell loves to bury her bones on mine.😏
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Thanks Deb, Zach just digs, I suppose it’s a bonus that he doesn’t bury things too
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These visits make my week! I am not a flower person (at least the gardening type) so I love seeing your beautiful grounds and enjoying your flowers so much. My goal this year is to win the dandelion war, and I think we are making progress at last! Last summer I dug them out all summer in the front yard, and with a weed and feed treatment, the grass is filling in and the dandelions are few and far between, at last. We’ve treated the backyard now, and I’ve been digging them out as they bloom, a bag every day! They are finally slowing down, we were gone over the weekend, and I only got a full bag last night, so maybe I’m gaining! Bind wind and thistles are our next two. I think I’ll need to get some Round Up and start spot spraying to get an edge on them. Thanks again, for the refreshment!
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I think that’s what I need to do, a few minutes everyday, rather than a big blitz every so often, bind weed and marestail are my big bugbears 😦
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Noxious weeds are so difficult!
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Very pretty
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Oh we have that geranium too yes it is a brute!!! I’m finding it quite invasive!
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