I’m late, I know, sorry, but we have been having the most wonderful time with our extended family over the last week. The 70th birthday celebrations which started in May with my husband’s 70th, then mine in June, have eventually come to an end. This last week we have had a big family “do” which included my nephew and his family over from Canada. For a few of nights we were sleeping 13! six were in a tent in the garden and seven in the house, at times it was chaotic but really wonderful, I enjoyed every minute of it. Back to earth now and I must catch up with all your blogs and gardens.
I was thinking that there wouldn’t be much foliage to photograph for this months foliage day as it has been so dry and hot, most of the plants were looking very sorry for themselves, but I managed to find some that were coping really well in the conditions that were right for them.
Crocosmia Lucifer leaves backlit by the sun.
This is the rodgersia which last month had beautiful pleated bronze leaves.
All the hostas are still doing fine, blackbirds and thrushes are keeping the slugs at bay.
Still enough water in the pond to keep Pontederia happy, we have been topping the pond up as it was getting rather low.
Bowles golden sedge brings a splash of yellow to the side of the pond.
Contrasting foliage in the pond itself. The water soldier needs thinning, it is starting to cover too much of the water.
The variegated iris at the back of the pond has grown into a huge clump, maybe time to divide that too.
The underground stream is still providing enough moisture for the ferns and astilbes to be happy in spite of all the heat.
All the hellebore leaves are still looking as they should in spite of no rain for weeks.
Grass, darmera and heuchera looking happy in the border behind the scree, I admit to watering the heuchera as it has only been planted a few weeks ago and I wasn’t willing to lose it.
Euphorbia mellifera is coping with the dry conditions very well indeed. Seed heads have formed which I must remove as we are getting rather a lot of seedlings everywhere.
My “sheepskin rug” of Ophiopogon is getting bigger and bigger every year.
Another euphorbia, this time cyparissias red form, creeping along and again spreading too far, action must be taken.
The dwarf iris on the alpine scree is revelling in all the heat.
My Yucca, also on the alpine scree, is enjoying the extra heat that we are having, hopefully it will flower this year.
With all the sun and heat the blue grass, Leymus magellanicus, is getting more and more blue.
This is the view from where I have been sitting when it has been so very hot, in the shady arbour in the back garden. There is honeysuckle over the arbour to form the shade, the perfume has been wonderful as I have been reading a good book with a long cold drink of elderflower cordial. There are hardly any flowers in this view, just interesting foliage, but it is so cool and peaceful.
We have now had a couple of night’s rain, thank goodness, and the garden is looking a lot better for it, the temperature has dropped quite a few degrees, so maybe I can get a bit more gardening done today.
I’m hope you have already been over to visit Christina’s blog, My Hesperides Garden, if not please do, because thanks must go to her for hosting GBFD once more.
What a dreamy view of your reading spot. With all the rain we’ve had this summer, it’s too buggy to sit outside. Your black mondo is incredible. I’ve never been able to get mine to spread.
Rain has arrived at last Marian, thank goodness, and the temperature has dropped making it much more like it should be in July. I was just lucky with the Ophiopogon, this is planted in unimproved clay before I knew much about gardening, others in the garden, where the soil has been improved, never do as well!
Sounds like you had the most marvellous time with your family, Pauline – and very lucky with the weather to be able to sleep a few guests under canvas (and what fun for them!). I was thrilled when it rained, it’s really freshened up the garden. Lovely to see what’s thriving in your garden in this heat; I get shade from mid-afternoon so haven’t done too badly but the flowers are over very quickly!
Caro, we had a super time, even though we collapsed exhausted at the end! It was wonderful to be able to have everyone here and catch up with all the family news. We have had 2 nights now when it has rained, the water butts are filling up again thankfully and the garden is looking a lot happier. I agree the flowers are going over far too soon, no sooner out than they are dead, so much deadheading to do, especially all the roses.
Hi Pauline,
I admit I was a bit worried that you didn´t post anything. But I´m happy to hear that you´ve had such a good time with the family.
Your crocosmia is so lovely, and the hellebore leaves are so nice and shiny.
Looks like a wonderful place to sit and read. We have also made nice elderflower cordial.
Gitte, we had a super time with the family, and wonderful to see our Canadian relatives again, the last time we saw them was 4 yrs ago. We have had some much needed rain and plants that were drooping are now looking a lot better. Elderflower cordial is so refreshing on a really hot summers day don’t you think, and that area at the back is always nice and cool in the shade, the perfect place when the sun is beating down!
I guessed you were either visiting or being visited, and I am glad you had such a lovely time – great to have the space to sleep 13, even if some were in a tent. All your photographs imply that your garden has thrived despite the dryness, but I suspect there will be some plants not as happy. Does your underground stream emerge in the garden at all? It’s great that it provides such good conditions for the astilbe and ferns – the heat and dryness completely put paid to my astilbe, which I had forgotten I had as I don’t think they did anything last year, and a primula beesiana 🙁 The Bowles golden sedge is gorgeous – I kept back part of a clump I removed when I revamped the garden last year and it is showing signs of life, which is good. Thanks for sharing.
Cathy, the tent was huge, it belongs to our daughter and family, so they and my 2 Canadian great nephews (gosh, that makes me sound awfully old!) slept there. The 4 boys had a wonderful time together, I think it was rather late when they all went to sleep! The tent took up all the circular garden up by the pond and bog garden.
I deliberately didn’t show the plants that were suffering, that would have been too depressing, but they are looking a lot better now with the rain that has fallen during the last 2 nights.
The underground stream doesn’t emerge anywhere in our garden unfortunately, but the soil is always damp, even now, after weeks without a drop of rain, just right to make a bog garden!
Hopefully your Astilbe and Primula will come again next year, the roots might still be ok even if the top has died back.
That spot does look nice to sit and dream… we have been seeking the shade too recently! I think I have the same Heuchera in my front garden. Any idea of the name? (Mine is nameless!)
It is a nice cool spot Cathy, and the rain overnight has made such a difference to the plants that were suffering from all the heat, a great improvement. The heuchera that I bought recently is Lime Marmalade, although there is one very similar called Lemon and Lime.
Certainly lots of contrasting foliage going on in your garden Pauline, despite it being so hot recently it all looks relatively healthy. I bet your garden was like me with the rain this last day or too – thoroughly soaking it up and looking very refreshed for it!
I’ve recently received some Darmera from a friend – I look forward to it looking as good as yours in the next few year!
Your fern and astilbe combination also looks good. Tell me, do you have a name for the little hosta at the bottom of the picture? Thanks
Yes Angie, the rain has made such a difference to the garden and me, so refreshing to feel the rain once more.
The previous people planted the Darmera, when I found out it was a plant that liked moisture, I tried to move it but the roots are so thick and huge, snaking under the rocks that are in this area, it had to stay!
The hosta that you are enquiring about was planted a long time ago, long before I ever thought about writing a gardening blog, so sorry, but no I don’t have its name unfortunately – lost in the mists of time!
Thank you for joining in this month (and yes, I was worried), but you have a happy reason for being a little late. I am drawn to the spreading low Euphorbia, does it seed? I would love to have here. Even with the heat and sun you’ve been having, all your foliage is really shiny and healthy. So you have a GREEN spot to sit and read like me, it is a restful colour.
I think Christina that Euphorbia cyparissias should come with a health warning, the RHS Plant and Flower Encyclopedia says “it could be invasive”! I have always thought that it spreads by underground stems, but maybe it is by seed. I think the heavy clay that I have it in, has curbed its wandering!
I only showed you the foliage that was happy Christina, I didn’t really want to write a post showing lots of drooping leaves. Since I took the photos, we have had rain 2 nights on the run, with more due tonight and what a difference it has all made.
I too love my “green” sitting area, all the different foliage and the shadows the huge trees make on the lawn, all make for a very calm, peaceful area, surrounded with beautiful perfume from the honeysuckle at this time of year, yes, this is where I came to escape the heat!
Oh Pauline it sounds as if you have had a great time with your extended birthday celebrations. It’s only fitting to make them last as long as you possibly can – after all it takes a good while to get to such a milestone 🙂 That rodgersia has really undergone a transformation in the last month – no sign of those beautiful bronze tinges but it still looks most attractive.
We certainly did have a super time Anna, with all the family, we will have to wait 3 yrs for the next one, this time for our Golden Wedding – I can’t believe where all the years have gone!!
I agree, the rodgersia has changed completely as it has been growing, still a nice leaf, but I do love it when it is pleated bronze!
Belated Happy Birthday wishes to you Pauline! Wonderful you got to share it with family. As usual your foliage is so varied and interesting. I like the cool green of your Hosta, which I no longer try to grow because of deer. Saw some blooming in town recently and they really are fine plants. Susie
Thank you Susie, we all really did have a wonderful time. I never knew deer liked to eat Hostas, its bad enough slugs and snails eating holes in them, but deer, thank goodness they don’t come in the garden here. We sometimes see the odd one or two in the fields next door, I hope they stay there!
Hi Pauline,
Lovely foliage round-up. I too noticed the Hellebores are still looking lovely, I’m surprised because I had thought they would need wet/cool conditions… Obviously not!
So they’re adding plenty of foliage in an otherwise boring/empty corner I have.
Ophiopogon seems to be able to grow in nothing! I have some on our tier, but only the original plant is in the ground, the rest is growing purely in sand and up through grit/pebbles. Once again, I hadn’t expected this and thought the fact it’s only sand would help contain it. But then it is pretty and I like it against the grey of the pebbles.
Hi Liz, the hellebores seem able to cope with anything don’t they? The ones in the sun seem just as healthy as the ones in shade, it’s good to know that they can be relied on.
When I have tried Ophiopogon in ground that has been improved with compost and leaf mould, it never seems to do as well as the large mass in unimproved clay, I don’t understand it! It does show up beautifully against the gravel in the back garden, so I’m glad it’s happy where it is.
Ophiopogon is such a useful plant, great contrast edging and it has such a nice tidy habit too. But I do love the blue Leymus.
Congrats both on the 70ths and so glad you had a good time!
Thank you Jessica for your good wishes, it was a truly wonderful time with everyone here.
The blue Leymus is proving to be well behaved and not spreading everywhere, just a couple of new clumps have arrived, by seeding I imagine, for a blue grass it copes with my heavy clay very well.
Sounds like you’ve had a great time with all your celebrations and such beautiful weather for it too. The rain has been welcome though. Watering the plot was becoming exhausting. The light in your photos is beautiful. I think the foliage of hellebores goes unnoticed but I love the dramatic leaves.
Lovely rain WW, the garden looks so much better for it already, although trying to keep up with the dead heading is a major operation with everything going over so quickly in all the heat, I should soon be on top of it though. Hellebores are so dependable for covering the ground at this time of year, they seem to cope, no matter what the weather.
We certainly had super weather for our celebrations, it couldn’t have been better. We spent the evenings sitting in the garden, with a glass of something, watching the pipistrelle bats flitting everywhere, magic!
Your garden looks great, and I love your reading spot! If I came to visit you, I would want to sleep in the tent in the garden!
Debs, I only showed the best bits, other areas were looking very stressed in all the heat we were having at the time. Since then, the temperature has dropped to more normal levels and we have now had rain for some time each day for the last 4 days or nights and the garden is a lot happier, so is the gardener too! You’re welcome to pitch your tent any time Deb
So much is looking green in your garden, inspite of the heat. I do love the golden sedge by the pond. The level of our pond has been dropping too, so hopefully the current rain will raise that back up again. I’m glad you had a wonderful week with your family and I love the idea of a summer of celebrations!
Celebrations have had to come to an end Wendy, but it was wonderful while they lasted!
Nature has been filling the pond and water butts and everything in the garden is looking as it should again, no more drooping leaves, thank goodness.
Hi Pauline, you and yours certainly know how to celebrate a significant birthday! Sounds as if you have been having loads of fun, I am delighted for you, but thank you for sharing your foliage with us. ‘Lucifer’ is one of my favourite plants, and pontedera my favourite pond plant, so lots to make me smile, and I have fallen in love with that Euphorbia cyparissias.
It was fun while it lasted Janet, but back to normal now! With having the pond and bog garden we were assured that some of the foliage stayed nice and green in all the heat, the whole garden is looking better now since all the refreshing rain. The Euphorbia cyparissias does spread rather a lot, it is only small but described as invasive whenever I have looked it up. I think my heavy clay curbs its wandering tendencies, so beware if you have light, sandy soil!