I had a good weeding session in the garden yesterday, I tackled the deep raised bed by the patio. It’s about 6′ deep, 20′ long and 2-3′ high! I started with the areas I could reach from the patio, wiggling around the planters before I climbed up by the black sambuscus in the corner. This bit does look much better though I still haven’t decided if the thing with the strappy leaves at the front is a weed or one to keep. I convinced myself it was a weed, started to pull it out but the roots were different so it’s got a stay of execution until it shows it’s true colours…

The problem I have with this bed is that by mid May it is so full of foliage that I struggle to move round it. It’s usually pretty much left to it’s own devices and then every few years I have a big sort out, I think we might be heading for that next year! Yesterday I wiggled from the sambuscus, behind the choisya and in between the prickly osmanthus and the thorny rose and along by the back wall past the chicken. I then came to a halt! I needed to walk along the front wall to get to the end but I couldn’t even see it! I ended up having to call for help to my OH! He used a broom handle to lift the geraniums off the wall and helped me down!!

Things seem to be moving fast in the garden at the moment, the big blue irises are still in flower by the conservatory but there’s now a large clump of beautiful deep purple ones up in the Amber & Amethyst garden, they’re a gorgeous velvety deep purple, almost black.

Today when I saw my friends garden I was merrily telling her how my peonies weren’t in flower, no foxgloves or roses yet either (apart from the scottish one in the front which doesn’t count!) we sat in my garden later having tea and found that since yesterday a gorgeous peony has flowered, it’s in the autumn garden which is next to the A&A garden, it’s a beautiful pink colour…

My first roses have appeared on the arch, right at the top! This one is called Teasing Georgia…

…and a few floxgloves have started to flower, this one is self seeded in the side of the wall next to the conservatory door. It makes quite a nice little shady bed with the alchemilla mollis and an astrantia.

At the top of the drive is a golden philadelphus, otherwise known as a mock orange blossom. The leaves when young are a lovely yellow-lime green and at the moment it’s covered with heavily scented blossom which fills the top of the drive.

The pond bed is still probably the best bit of the garden at the moment, the rhododendron is flowering, I think it’s reverting to the common form, I probably should cut out those bits but I quite like the effect and I’ve never looked hard enough to see if it’s just one big branch that’s gone back to purple. The beady eyed amongst you will have noticed a childs windmill in the bed! This was Hetty and Daisy’s suggestion to ward off moles as apparently they don’t like the vibrations! It’s not easy to buy windmills if you don’t live by the seaside!! I found some eventually and even managed three tasteful purple and green ones, they did cause amusement as they poked out of my wicker shopping basket!

The hostas are still amazing, with just one or two small holes, there’s obviously a very happy frog in the pond whose eating any slug that goes near! He’s equally making me very happy!

The weeds are coming up thick and fast, especially the dreaded mares tail. I’m trying to spray it regularly but trying to avoid windy days and days when it’s about to rain! My OH is desperate to pull it up, but that just encourages it!

I love watching the birds in my garden and at the moment every evening a blackbird sits on the tree outside my sewing room and sings his little heart out, they have a beautiful song, it makes my evening!