MY JULY GARDEN

A look down the garden path. Do you get the impression I enjoy blues in the garden? For many years I have grown lavender to spill from the Box boxes towards the path but last year I decided I wanted to go further and bought two Nepata six hills giant ( catmint). 

This photo shows the Nepata off better. I split the original two plants and made six, as you do. The top two boxes have Nepata spilling out under the rose's tripods doing exactly as I wanted. The bottom box is not doing so well but probably because it is rather shaded by the Gleditsia trees. This year I treated myself to two more plants which have been spit into several small plants plus several cutting, some have been planted out, others I am waiting until they bulk up before having to compete in the garden.

To the left of the path a photo to prove this is actually my vegetable garden. Unlike other gardeners I grow roses and flowers in my vegetable garden, as opposed to popping a few vegetables in my flower garden. It is my favourite section of the garden, just as well as it is probably the most time consuming.

From where I was standing to take the previous photos is this arch. I am thrilled to say that although  Meg the dog chewed the stems of this beautiful clematis Rebecca - to the ground, it has grown again.

I am so thrilled that here is another photo. One of my many pots of Agapanthus just beginning to flower.

The roots are well protected with wire and plants and pots. Hebe Nicola's blush, quite delightful from a cutting a neighbour gave me. I now have many such bushes, hebes are always easy to take cuttings. The white is a cutting from another neighbours white Hydrangea.

Two hydrangea plants slightly different than each other one is good for drying as it keeps a lovely autumn colour. More pots of Agapanthus.

Unnamed rose  which always flowers so well and was in the garden when we arrived over thirty years ago. The other one was chopped back hard last year and is thriving so I hope to do the same with this one in the autumn fingers crossed it thrives.

This is Eucryphia Lucida 'pink cloud an absolute delight and planted where it is it can be seen from indoors and also as I pass to go down the garden. It also allows a closer look to enjoy the flowers.

Hydrangea and Agapanthus

More Hydrangea plus Agapanthus but a very sickly cherry tree  supporting clematis Madam Bouchard.

Hebe Nicola's Blush on the left and Hebe Mrs Margery Fisher on the right. This I bought thirty years ago from Margery Fish garden and have taken many cuttings over the years. The last time I visited the garden I was told they no longer had this hebe. East Lambrook Manor garden is always a joy to visit http://www.eastlambrook.com/pages/site.php?pgid=1

A new seat in a shady corner provides a great view of this part of the garden. Most of this area has been changed to shrubs and trees which we started doing when I was sick and unable to mange gardening. I continued gardening this way even after getting much better because the area is so riddled with ground elder it is a struggle for herbaceous plants to compete.
I have discovered that by using vertical shapes and boundaries to adorn with roses and clematis also helps to avoid the pernicious ground elder but sadly not the pernicious bind weed that I pull out like spaghetti by the armful.

Clematis Perle D'Azure a very vigorous climber which uses the rose Vielchenbleu to climb through.

A closer look at Eucryphia Lucida Pink Cloud.

Introducing Clematis Joanne. This is a seedling from a cutting of a cutting of Polish Spirit  so a Vitichella. What else would I have named it? I have two more yet to flower so quite excited to see what they will look like.