I worked pretty hard in the garden this week, especially yesterday, the weather was warm and sunny so I spent most of the day out there – and boy, are my hips complaining today!

Yesterday was the day the seed from the pussy willow on the back lane decided to fly, it’s weird how it happens every year, all the fluffy seeds seem to fall all on one day, a whole trees worth! They’re a bit like dandelion seeds, they float around aimlessly round so it looks like it’s snowing and land in heaps on the ground, dusting everything with white. To add to the picture we were inundated with millions of midges – not a day for lots of chatter!

I managed to do several bigger jobs yesterday, rather than the usual round of weeding. I moved the old metal arch to it’s new position over the back gate. I planted a clematis montana there last year in preparation – it’s the mile-a-minute clematis that is covered in pink bloom in the spring. I’m hoping in time it will cover the arch and meander up and down the fence. You can just make it out in the photo above.

Last winter I was given some garden vouchers, I dragged my OH to the garden centre so I could buy some metal obelisks, I bought three. When we took the chicken run apart I left some of the fence uprights and a length of wire with the idea of growing clematis up them. The clematis clearly had no intention of climbing a post, so I sawed them down and put the obelisk over the clematis. I tried to space them evenly but I was a little limited by huge stones which still hide under the soil. I think they make a nice gentle break between the Amber & Amethyst garden and the autumn bed behind. I’m looking forward to them being cloaked with purple clematis.

My non-flowering hydrangea has been moved to a pot in more dappled sun, if it still doesn’t flower in the next two years then I’ll give up and stick it at the back of a border somewhere! At the moment it’s in amongst my blue pot corner. The acer there is looking stunning, I planted it 24 years ago when my son was born. Unfortunately the one I planted for my daughter didn’t survive, a fact which she loves to remind me about with mock indignation! I planted a rose for her afterwards called ‘The Spirit of Freedom’, it suits her personality!

The garden is really filling out, plants seem to grow by the day, the Solomons Seal by the pond is still looking good with the cammassia growing through it and the little blue flowers of brunnera Jack Frost just in front. I saw a toad sunning itself by the pond yesterady, I’m hoping there’s a few more in the pond to keep my slugs under control! You can just see the golden hosta leaves through the variegated iris leaves.

The Amber & Amethyst garden is starting to fill out with suitably coloured foliage and flowers, the orange geums are just starting to flower, I always have to be careful with these in the winter as they look awfully like weeds! I tend to buy bigger plants now in the hope of not being mistaken. The arbour is proving a lovely place to sit and drink coffee or read a book, it gives just the right amount of shade.

In amongst the pebbles under all my pots I noticed a gorgeous combination of self seeded plants, it’s an ajuga plant with lovely purple leaves and a saxifrage flowering through it.

I’ve got a couple of large gaps in my borders now, I guess I’ll have to wander down and peruse the plants at our local nursery, especially as they’ve opened a tea shop there!