FIVE JASMINES

Where I enjoy sitting by the back door, I am surrounded by five different Jasmines amongst other things.

The first was grown from seed and given to me by Mary. It is Jasminum Officinale Clotted Cream. The perfume is divine. It is one of two, the other I planted near the front door so that we could enjoy the perfume as we went in and out of the house. As it is so hot at present and the doors are open the smell wafts inside.

I planted Clotted Cream in amongst Trachelospermum Jasminoides which has not flowered yet this year. Just a few glossy leaves near the bottom right of the photo. It scrambles up into the Banksiae Banksiae rose.

Behind my seat is the Winter flowering Jasmine J Nudiflorum. I have this Jasmine at the front of the house under the window so both can be seen from indoors when they flower in winter and I don't want to venture out. They also make good foils for clematis.

At the far end of the terrace is Jasminum Officinale alba. Although this is actually a photo from the arch so I am cheating.

Last but not least is the house plant at my feet. I thought I'd killed it in the winter and I am delighted to see it back in growth.

IN MEMORY OF MARY

This is Saunders White a cutting from my Rambling rose taken some years ago. I had given the cutting to a dear friend Mary and she had it scrambling up a very old Apple tree.

As the rose grew then Mary added an arch to accommodate it and then a second one.

Sadly Mary died about three years ago. I lost my best gardening chum and miss her still very much. Apart from a dear friend and neighbour, we shared many plants and cuttings not to mention allotmenteering for many years.

The Apple tree fell over one winter and Mary's husband asked my advice on pruning so we set too and pruned very hard. He was determined to keep the rose as a focal point and so added a tripod to help hold some of the rose.

It has worked out so well and he has clematis and perennial sweet peas growing through the rose.

Mary would be so proud of the way her husband has carried on with her lovely garden. These few days whilst he is away I am on watering duties. Something I have enjoyed over many years. I enjoy looking around Mary's garden although I miss the chatter and her company.

Today I sat on her bench and took some lovely photos of her rose and enjoyed her beautiful garden.

TREES IN MY GARDEN

A rather sick looking Arbutus Unedo I am hoping this will pull through as the new leaves are looking good.

Just especially for Joco after her comments on my earlier post.

Cercis candensis Forest Pansy a real beauty but I think it gets a bit more sun than it likes hopefully it will go from strength to strength.

This little beauty is a Eucryphia it is my second one but this is only a small tree and much daintier than my other Eucryphia. The flowers are lovely and usually flowers July when many other plants have gone over.

This Hebe unknown name is hanging over from my neighbours garden.

Not one to miss an opportunity the rose Francis E Lester takes advantage.

Also Clematis Vit. Soldertaje taking advantage.

This Robinia pseudoacacia Frisia is a lovely tree but fairly newly planted and I thought I had lost it last year. It is beginning to fight back so fingers crossed. Yet another clematis taking advantage.

Golden Honey locust Gleditsia triacanthos Sunburst a lovely tree in habit, growth, leaf shape and colour.

The second one on the left of the lower arch.

Just to show the leaf shape.

These three lime like colour trees I have in a row and yes they will grow about 60' but not in my lifetime. I am hoping they will pull the length of the garden away and also help disguise the view of the housing estate.

Acer and Amelanchier with the other neighbours apple tree on the right.

Hoheria Sexstylosa has grown rapidly and already I have had to prune this year. I did not expect it to grow so quickly but the white flowers July time are a delight and as it is evergreen again I hope it will block the view at the bottom of the garden and with the other trees growing near bye I hope to make the lawn area have a feeling of enclosure. It does already and is like a little haven to sit in.

This Liquidamber joins the above group and yes perhaps I shouldn't have planted it here but with careful pruning I am hoping it will work.

Acer trunks.

Finally a bit of an experiment is always fun. My sister in law gave me some Jacoranda seeds and this is there 3 year. They have such beautiful foliage. Clearly need protection from frost and so will not mature and bare flowers sadly. Those of you living in hotter climbs I am very envious of your ability to grow such lovely trees.

MORE CLEMATIS

Prince Charles is looking good in the new arch with Jasmin which smells divine.

Mrs N Thompson is a most unusual colour and likes shade which is useful for the shady side of a garden. In fact most of the stripped clematis benefit by not having their heads in full sun. The feet of all clematis need to be shaded.

I had to post another photo of Viennetta now that she has opened a bit more. Thank you Rachel what a nice present.

Madame Julia Correvon is flowering well this is only her second summer so I am very pleased with the number of flowers and buds.

Rouge Cardinal I must have had this 15 plus years and it gives a good show usually, although last year was not so good, but I think that was slug/snail damage so I am pleased to see it back on form.

Viticella Soldertalje is very rampant so you need masses of space, it completely smothers a small Victoria Plum so is difficult to steer where I want it to grow. It has the most unusual green markings sometimes on the petals can be ugly but still opens with bright coloured flowers and makes a good show.

The first of many flowers on Perle d'azur again a very rampant clematis needing a lot of space to climb.

This dainty flowered clematis is not vigorous, Special Occasion, it has an unusual colour and I have it at the foot of a Eucalyptus tree which is kept well pruned, a tip from visiting Great Dixter seeing in the Hot garden polarded Eucalyptus.

This is not the best looking specimen and I am confused over it's name I had it down as a Hederifolia but now can't find that however it is a herbaceous clematis. I can find Integrifolia and Heracleifolia so I will have to pass on this.

This is Arctic Queen in bud and then a few days later open. It is a lovely clematis but I planted it in too much sun and a dry spot so after it had struggled for some years I moved it and it struggled even more. I thought I had lost it then I managed to tear a stem off weeding in the late spring and I was delighted to find this flower, although it is at the end of a long woody growth so doubt the plant will ever bulk up from the bottom now.

NATURE OR NURTURE?

This slide show is of my daughter Rachel's garden. I sneeked a peak on Sunday when we dropped something off at her house. She said to look as she had been very busy in the garden. I did get her permission to post.

I was very pleasantly surprised what a delightful little haven her garden has become.

My other daughter Rebecca as a child always took an interest in gardening and plants. Before school age I remember her weeding a row of parsnips but was worried when I realised she had got half way along the next row, carotts. I needn't have worried she had figured out for herself to leave the carrots and remove the weeds.
Rebecca's partner Zion comes from The Gambia where he has a large plot of land and judging from the photos I have seen it has the most amazing collection of trees. He believes he has a specimen of nearly every native tree in The Gambia. As many Europeans buy up the land around him they clear the land which makes Zion's place a bit of an oasis.

Rebecca has brought home many seeds which she thought I would have fun trying to grow.

When they last popped in to see us she was delighted to see that the Guava, Papaya and Cassia Fistul (Golden Chain Tree) had germinated and so she sent me some photos plus a couple of other trees they grow. The West African Sickle Bush Dichrostachys Cinerea is used for medicine. Zion has about 50 of these mature trees and lots of baby ones. Rebecca says it is the little birds favourite tree to sit in, I think because it has spikes on it so they feel safe so the big birds can't get them.

The African Locust bean tree Parkia Biglobosa they harvest the yellow bean pods.

Last year I went to Kew Gardens and Wisley with Rebecca and Zion, it was such a treat as Zion was able to tell me about many of the trees and plants in the glasshouses which he grew on his land and what medicinal or other uses they had.

So did the girls inherit my love of gardening or was it the many formative years spent with me whilst I gardened?

Photo Contest for June - Roses

Jayne Austin rose (English Musk) is a sturdy large David Austin English rose. I have it growing against a low flint wall in the front garden and it's profusion of large blooms and beautiful perfume are much admired by passers by who often bury their noses in it's flowers and walk on with a smile on their faces. It is meant to be 3.5ft in height but I prune each year down to about 3ft and up it grows at least another couple of feet full of blooms.

Sir Edward Elgar David Austin English rose (Old Rose Hybrid). This was bought influenced by it's name. Elgar's cello concerto inspired my daughter Rachel to take up playing the cello at aged 8 and now grown up she teaches and plays the cello and has given us much delight over the many years listening to her music. This rose is about 3.5 ft as described by David Austin. The perfume is a dark musk 'flavour'.

The last rose is Mayor of Casterbridge (Old Rose Hybrid) it flowers profusely with wonderful old rose fragrance. It is again a David Austin English rose and grows for me about 5ft although again it is pruned to about 3ft each autumn.

I have posted this to enter Gardening gone wild contest.

I am not sure if I have in fact done this within the time frame but I have enjoyed having a go and as I have only just come across it tonight thought I'd try.

I have particularly enjoyed reading the suggestions for photography of roses which I found very helpful. I am new to blogging, naive at IT and still figuring out my digital camera.

I am on a steep learning curve and am finding the more I blog and photograph the more pleasure I have with my garden. I am learning so much from the shared experience of so many blogging friends.

Apologise to anyone who may have seen these roses on earlier posts. David Austin roses are not the only roses I grow see earlier posts through What more Roses or More Roses and Vegetables or Vegetables and Roses or Heaven Scent

BASKETS AND URN