The Garden is looking very green at the moment, and very bushy too! August is often a ‘quiet’ time in English gardens as the main summer stalwarts like roses are past their best and the autumn flowers haven’t yet come into their own. This year hasn’t been helped by a very wet July and August (so far) and not a lot of sunshine. I really need to get out and do lots of dead-heading but whenever I’m free or feel up to it, it’s raining…and I’m a fair weather gardener! So it is what it is!!

Somehow having fewer flowers does make you appreciate the ones you have…

This hydrangea is by the bird feeders on the patio, the blooms have lasted for weeks, despite the inclement weather, it’s still looking beautiful.

This clematis is up by the Amber and Amethyst garden, it put on a good show of flowers in June, so I was surprised to see this stem had twined itself through the Port Sunlight rose bush below and had several beautiful flowers.

The buddleia nearby is one of the more pinky ones, it’s coming to the end of the flowers but the bees and the butterflies still love it.

I did manage to spend a whole day out in the garden, mainly sorting out this bed. This is where the old compost heap used to be within the chicken run. It’s been quite a battle trying to get on top of the weeds, not helped by the fact that it is such gorgeous compost! When I reached the bed that morning it was literally knee high in weeds! Luckily I managed to pull up most of the annual weeds before they had set seed. The bindweed had taken hold again big time, so I unwound what I could and shoved it in a carrier bag so I could safely spray it. I then leave it in the bag for a couple of weeks so I know the poison will have got down to the roots. There was also a large clump climbing the beech hedge so that got sprayed too.

Round the pond the hostas are starting to get a bit nibbled but they’re not bad considering how far we are into the season and how damp it is (good slug weather!) The alchemilla mollis needs tidying up before that seeds all over the place too.

This year I’ve finally had some success with sweet peas. I started them off inside and transplanted them into their final big planter whilst they were still living in the conservatory. I found a really pretty and well designed stand for them which stores flat but folds out into three sides for them to climb up. They look particularly pretty next to the perovskia which for some reason is insisting on growing sideways instead of up! I really need to cut off those pea pods or they will stop flowering.

From the upstairs window it’s looking very green and somewhat overgrown! I think I need a good session with my gardening friend. It will soon be time to start the autumn tidyup!