Tuesday

I’ve been quite busy today away from the Magic Garden and poor Ben has been back to the vets. He was distinctly less than impressed but continues to be quite clingy so I don’t think he’s feeling all that fabulous

I’m really pleased with my Campanula pyramidal, chimney bellflowers especially the ones in the ‘west’ segment. They are taking over from the blue aconites & the Chinese foxglove for bee interest although the real interest for them seems to be the centaurea ‘silver feather’

Working Monday

It decided to tip it down with rain when I came home -which at least meant I didn’t need to get the watering can out! The front garden in particular will have appreciated a good watering as I had added in some more perennials to the border.

I planted two coreopsis ‘early sunrise’; divided up some Salvia ‘Deep Blue’ and an Achillea Apricot Delight.

Sunday

I had another good session in the Magic Garden today both cutting back, deadheading & gap filling. At the back I placed a heuchera ‘silver scrolls’ and another nepeta. I am really pleased with how this wee border is filling itself out.

Friday

Ben is surprisingly chirpy today and has had a day indoors while he still has his donut on and while I was busy at work. I said hello to the garden!

Thursday

Today has been busy because Ben has been in vet hospital having a small cyst removed. I kept myself occupied in the front garden today planting out heucheras and pulling large amounts of weeds. Ben came home with his soft cone on and is barely miaowing to me but he is fine if a little wobbly on his paws

Hollyhocks

Herchera Cafe Ole

Heuchera Silver Scrolls

Bronze fennel

Heuchera Red Lightening

Heuchera Paris

Heuchera Midnight Rose

Heuchera Licorice

Acanthus Spinosus

Sea Holly

Geranium Johnsons blue

Heuchera ‘Mega Caramel’ PBR

Heuchera Pink Panther

Heuchera Lava Lamp

Much Cooler!

Both Ben and I are happier with the temperatures down to a temperate 20C today. Once I came home I sat in the Magic Garden with Ben having noted that it had mostly come through ok after its thorough watering last night. I think the roses are over faster than they would have been which is a shame as they really did demonstrate the importance of pulling the shoots horizontal to increase flowering.

I was pleased to find the chard had revived & under the black elder the Japanese anemones are just coming into bloom

I think the flowers that have really shown their worth this year for the bees have been the echinops, globe thistles. The bees seem to find these particularly attractive together with the liquorice agastache and the white lavender in the rock garden.

Hotter still

36C here today, ridiculously hot! I was out for a short time but it was really too warm to do more than take the hose round and then water the tomatoes.

I’m hoping my patio vegetables survive this weather -the courgettes and tomatoes are looking good but the rainbow chard was looking very sad.

Heatwave Monday

I’ve not ventured into the Magic Garden today because I’m keeping Bencat indoors - its still 28C now at 2100 at night.Yesterday’s 24C seems quite cool now! Its supposed to be hotter tomorrow so we shall see how we do at keeping cool.

Warm Working Sunday

I had to go to work today but even when I got home at 6pm the temperature was 26C. We’ve had some rain but even so I decided a quick watering was in order before I had a sit in my rocking chair and enjoyed just being out and doing nothing beyond watching the birds - my long tailed tits are especially fun to watch..

I skimmed off a lot of duck weed from the pond yesterday and together with some rain I topped it up. I gave it a “treatment” dose today & will re-skim later in the week. I planted up the two pumpkin plants I bought the other day, one into the random bag where I’ve plonked the sunflowers & garlic and the other into some fresh compost in one of the fabric pots.

Warm Saturday

Its been warm here today although not quite to the heatwave levels of further south. I got quite a bit done this afternoon at the back of the garden with a bit of pruning and tying in of bramble, rose and jasmine. I then took the heads off my kale that’s trying to go to seed and pulled up the remains of the cauliflowers.

I dug up a couple of the garlics & planted out the red ball Brussel sprouts both at the back of the garden and in a trough. I harvested some courgettes too

Friday

I spent all afternoon in the Magic Garden beyond a few minutes sheltering during a particularly pelting rain shower. There were various jobs to get on with so I started by weeding the back corner - I don’t mind a few weeds but occasionally they threaten to strangle the other plants. I tied the blackberry up to the fence and encouraged the jasmine towards the fence at the back. I then planted out a rather lovely dahlia “Bishop of Llandaff”, two different Coreopsis & Gailardia & Rudbeckia “Prairie Glow”.

I picked more blackcurrants and raspberries today and my redcurrant crop. The broad beans are doing really well and show it does work growing them in a trough. Similarly I’m picking salads and rainbow chard.

"North" Quadrant

I did quite a lot of work in the “North” and “East” quadrants of the Magic Garden today. The “north’ quadrant stretches from the oak tree to the asters - this is the first collection of the plants in it. Next lot tomorrow!

English Oak

Catmint

Echinops - globe thistle

Perennial geranium under the oak

Heuchera

Silver thyme

Tuesday

Its still muggy & warm here but has been grey and cooler this afternoon I did very little in the garden today beyond water & despair at my cauliflowers. Ben is sporting an Elastoplast over his scratched cyst to try and keep it clean - I fear that will be another vet visit soon.

Back home

I had a very long hot journey back home today. I’m very pleased to be home and very tired. Ben cat is not very impressed as I have put another new collar on him - he’s been fighting. I was pleased to find I had some nice raspberries to consume for tea.