A week of hot dry days has seen the hoses out seriously for the first time this Spring. There has been some wind as well: on Monday it was 35 degrees and very windy, a recipe for lethargy and languor which could only be assuaged by the application of water.
The roses have pretty much completed their trumpet fanfare and now it’s the turn of other garden stars and troopers to carry on with the rhythm and base riffs .
At number one, above, a Heuchera ‘Plum Pudding’. I have read that the darker leafed Heucheras can deal with hot temperatures better than their lighter coloured siblings, and I hope this is true as this garden bed isn’t shady yet. Not until the Sapium (Chinese Tallow, considered a weed, but to me a beautiful shade tree) grows taller. My plan is to divide my Heuchera ‘Caramel’ in Autumn and plant some of it next to “Plum Pudding’ and create a delicious colour scheme.
Two: A quartet of Lobelias provides bright spots in the garden.
Three: Continuing with a red and purple theme, these Penstemons have been sotto voce in the garden for a couple of years, but this Spring have chosen to sing out courageously.
Four: Unidentified Shasta Daisy and Pelargonium complement each other in Flora’s garden.
Five: The photos above depict a sad downfall occurring in the space of a couple of weeks. From a symphony of blooms to brown spotted diseased looking leaves, to eviction, the chop and replanting. I hope I have eradicated a potential problem.
Six: This visitor nearly frightened me to death as she (or he) made a beeline sortie across our terrace, but he (or she) is quite harmless. It’s a Blue Tongued lizard, quite common, but the first one I’ve seen in this garden. Blue tongues can grow to 60 cm long and live for 20 years. Sadly, I wasn’t able to capture the decidedly blue tongue in any of my photographic attempts. There is more information here if you are interested.
Finally, I’ve been a bit cheeky and added another photo because I can’t resist the caps on the Alliums. This one (main picture) is at a decidedly jaunty angle. I wonder what the conversation is between these two?
As ever, I’m joining in with the Six on Saturday crowd conducted by The Propagator. Wonderful gardens and a great deal of gardening know how can be found on the Six on Saturday pages.
Weather today: Very sunny and hot. 18 – 34
Happy gardening, everyone.
