Friday

I was very late home from work today so relieved there has been at least a shower of rain today so need to go out and water the garden again.

This year only one of the new perennial sweetpeas seems to have survived. It is very floriferous and growing rapidly up its support - I will put a taller support in for it next year as I expect it will gain vigour in future seasons. It is a slightly surprising shade of pink. My annual sweetpeas are going over now as I didn’t keep up with deadheading them but I will collect seeds from them and see if I can grow as many next year again.

Thursday

I got stung by bees twice today - I have more than one nest in the garden and will have to remember to be more careful when I put my hands into the flower borders, I am really happy with how the garden is looking at the moment and the mist-mash works very well. More new blooms out - I think the new favourites are the bergamot but the achillea ‘lilac beauty’ might become a favourite with the bees once they leave the flowering garlic alone.

Wednesday

Another day at work & late home again! Ben joined me as I walked round the Magic Garden and inspected the bees. I should really do some watering but it will have to wait until tomorrow now. The blackberries are coming on well now so I’m beginning to imagine blackberry & apple crumble!

Tuesday

I had a lovely long snooze in the garden today - totally unintentionally - and also a bit of a fail with the ‘proper’ camera so will have to re-take photos tomorrow!

Monday

Another long working day, but although a bit on the cool grey side it was dry when I got home so I spent a few minutes sitting in the Magic Garden, watching Ben, the bees and my family of long-tailed tits.

Saturday

I’ve been busy in the garden today planting into both back and front gardens. In the front garden I added in an Agastache Poquito Orange, an Astilbe Delft Lace and a penstemon Summertime Pink

In the back garden I’ve added in an Agastache Morello and a Salvia Salvatore Blue into the Magic North quadrant and coreopsis into the back corner

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.