HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A HEALTHY NEW YEAR

I was reminded by a Garden Blogging friend today of how long ago it is since I started this blog. Ten years in February. So much has happened in the last ten years. Many of my Garden blogging friends are still active today with their blogs as can be seen by a quick look at my blog sidebar. Most of them I met about ten years ago when I joined Blotanical. What a fun resource of garden blogs that was. So thank you Catherine from A Garden in Progress for that reminder on Facebook (where I still have contact with some garden bloggers).

These days however, my energies are spent on my Looking at Lyme disease blog which helps me to advocate to try and prevent others struggling with this dreadful disease Lyme Disease, because our governments fail in their duty of care.

In sitting to write my Christmas message I realised that I never posted this year about my roses or my clematis, the first time in ten years, thus here is a quick collage put together to remind us all that spring and summer are not too far away.

So this is to wish all my virtual friends a very Peaceful Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

HOSTA TIME

I love hostas even though it is such a battle to protect their leaves from slugs and snails. They are so rewarding and good to divide and make new plants.

This photo is of the bed in my first photo posted some years ago. Some cheeky person used my photo for advertising some garden design - he could at least have credited to my blog. It is surprising how often you find your work elsewhere when doing a Google search.

https://joanne-orangecottages.blogspot.com/2009/05/hosta-fix.html 

All the variegated Hosta are ones I have been given divided from other plants and then I have divided again and again. All the green Hosta are grown from seed from my Dad's Sieboldii, it surprises me how varied in size and colour - green/grey they grew.

THE START OF THE ROSE FLOWERING SEASON

Crocus Rose
The start of the rose flowering period in my garden even today loading these photos the garden has changed since I took the photos two days ago.

Crocus Rose a delightful rose with soft apricot buds opening and bleaching to mainly white flowers. with  a delicious fragrance.

Falstaff strong bold flowers and deep rose perfume but after rain a tendency for the heavy flowers to droop.

Sweet Juliet a beautiful flower strong plant and abundance of flowers although the flowers are looking smaller this year than I remember.

Sweet Juliet

Mayor of Casterbridge another vigorous shrub rose hence the supporting hazel poles. A strong fragrance.

Mayor of Casterbridge again the flowers seem much smaller must remember to feed with compost this year.

Noble Anthony

Noble Anthony

Francis E Lester difficult to photograph as most of the flowers seem to be in next doors tree.

Rambling Rector always an early flower and very rampant it really deserves a much larger area to climb.

Cottage Rose one of my favourites and one I have taken cuttings from. Cottage Rose was moved three times before liking it's current situation and thriving.

 Cornelia grown from a cutting

Cornelia

Cecile Brunner grown from a cutting given to me by a dear neighbour who is no longer with us.

Francine Austin I have grown several cuttings from this plant.

Albrighton Rambler a new addition since losing our much loved Veilchenblau 

England's Rose bought for my Dad when he was living with us some years ago, this year it is blooming very well since redoing this bed.

CLEMATIS TIME

Pink Fantasy
A tour to look at my early clematis, I hope you enjoy them.

Pink Fantasy

Wadas Primrose

Josephine

Marie Boisselot with Josephine

Not a great photo but it gives the setting these two clematis are growing in.

Marie Boisselot

Marie Boisselot

Nelly Moser grown from a cutting thankfully as the original died after replanting a shrub nearby.

Nelly Moser 

Montana Mayleen flowering earlier in May

The President one of the best doers in my garden

The President

William Kennett 

Not the best photo but a clematis I treasure, the original died and this cutting taken many years ago survived but has been accidentally chopped back on more than one occasion, when pruning the rose Rambling Rector which it grows through.

Marmori with a promise of so very many buds.

Sunset in a shady corner but managing to hold her own despite being nibbled.

Macropetala from several weeks ago another grown from a cutting of a cutting and the original plants died.

Rebecca putting on a magnificent display again this year

Rebecca

Rebecca. 

The sign was discarded as rubbish where my husband worked so acquired legitimately.

A last glimpse of Pink Fantasy in its garden setting.