More rain this morning. More time lazing around in bed.
For lack of anything better to write about, here's a look at how some things are doing in our garden. First, our cardoon is blooming (above), a relative of the artichoke. We have only one mature flower so far this year, which is a paltry crop for the cardoon. The plant itself doesn't look as vigorous. I wonder if it didn't get as much heat and warmth as it likes.
When I walked the dog yesterday morning it was 59º F (15º C) which seems crazy cold for August. By 2 p.m., just about the warmest time of the day, it was 64º F (17º C).
I bought a new dahlia! (Because seven just wasn't enough.) The variety is called "Souvenir d'Ete."
The Peruvian lily has bounced back after being rather brutally divided by Dave back in March. Both new plants survived and are blooming.
This campanula grew in a crack in the patio near the steps that lead up to the lawn. It's in a really bad place -- every time we run the garden hose out to the garden it gets flattened, and you can see where it's been broken off -- but it has persevered. Perhaps because we haven't had to use the hose, with all this rain, it's had time to flower.
And then there are a couple of things that are lagging, I think because of the chilly and damp weather. This is what my zinnias look like. I planted them months ago but so far we don't have flowers -- just these tiny little buds. I think this coming week is supposed to be warmer and sunnier, so I hope that gives them a chance to come into their own.
Likewise, the sunflower hasn't yet bloomed. It grew up in a pot on its own, perhaps deposited there by a bird, and Dave pulled it up thinking it was a weed. I saw him do it, and I put the seedling back in some soil in its own pot and this is what it's turned into. Hopefully we'll get a flower when the sun finally shows itself.
We also have a couple of wildflowers that have yet to bloom, and our red-hot pokers -- which are normally sky-high by this time of year -- are still just buds. I haven't seen any blossoms on the passionflower or the Japanese anemones, either. We're definitely running a bit behind!
Your garden is a magical place. Such wonderful variety.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I hope all of you don't get sick of hearing about it!
DeleteOh shush you! Just keep the pictures coming!
DeleteEvery summer I see beautiful pictures of dahlias and think 'Next year I'm going to plant dahlias." I never remember to, and now I've been reminded again. It would be extremely useful if you'd come back here on along about January and post a dahlia picture!
I'll try to remember to do that -- but of course they're only bare roots at that time of year. LOL! Glad you like the pics.
DeleteI agree with Debby. Never stop blogging about your garden. It’s a bit of wonderland.
DeleteDahlias can provide such amazing geometrical blooms such as your beautiful "Souvenir d'Ete". Shame you didn't tell Monty Don about it - he would have been seething with envy.
ReplyDeleteOh, I imagine Monty can out-dahlia me any day.
DeleteI don't think I've ever told you how much I enjoy your photos. I especially love the flowers photos. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you like them! I love taking them. The photography really helps me notice details in the garden.
DeleteThe cardoon flower looks like the bloom of what we call a Scotch Thistle. I love dahlia flowers and the Peruvian Lily looks great. Well done Dave.
ReplyDeleteIt IS very thistly looking. I think artichokes and thistles are related.
DeleteAh, 64 degrees. What blessed relief that would feel like as we head into yet another hot and humid August week this side of the Pond. But, I can see from your photos of a few shy flowers, they are dreaming of some warmth to display their beauty. Luckily, you have plenty of beauties in your garden that thrive without it. Gorgeous photos.
ReplyDeleteSunflowers grow wild under our bird seed feeders. As the summer progresses, my DH does not mow under them so that now we have about 25 sunflowers under each feeder. They are getting so tall, I really need to loosely tie them up. A summer thunderstorm (many predicted this week) would knock them down.
Yeah, I honestly have no right to complain about the temperature, given what people are going through elsewhere in the world. Your sunflowers sound beautiful! All we've ever had grow beneath our bird feeder is stalks of wheat.
DeleteCarlos has planted a wildflower garden along the pathway to the front door and it's doing so nicely. it's nice to see what comes up and blooms; every day is different.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds great! You should blog some pictures! Inquiring minds want to know!
DeleteYou have absolutely become a fine gardener. I hope you know that. And combine that with your love and talent for photography and it's really something special. You should make a calendar with photos you've posted each month and send them out for Christmas presents.
ReplyDeleteAs I told "Pixie" above, the photography helps me see so much that I would otherwise miss. I'm sure you can identify with that.
DeleteOh I love all these flowers! Our flowers are looking rather bedraggled lately (too much hot & not enough rain). We got sunflower micro greens in our veggie box the other week. I forgot all about them until yesterday when I put some in my oatmeal. They tasted like...wait for it...greens! But I felt kind of sad - all these potential sunflowers picked before they had the chance...
ReplyDeleteMaybe you can plant them! Or are the roots gone?
DeleteNo roots, sadly.
Deletethis has not been a great year in my garden either. too much rain I think and of course the two week deep freeze. even the orange cosmos are hardly blooming. and the snails! I've never seen so many. there are hundreds. those few zinnias that survived are just now starting to bloom.
ReplyDeleteI think the fact that so many of your plants survived that freeze is a miracle. Weird how there are so many snails! Must be the rain.
DeleteYour flowers may be late bloomers, but those Peruvian Lilies sure are beautiful! The late blossoms will be so enjoyed when they do show up. You have a super day, hugs, Edna B.
ReplyDeleteAs long as they show up. I'm a little afraid the flowers may never mature. In not too many more weeks we're going to start slipping into fall.
DeleteCould you send some of that rain to California? Our flowers could use a bit of real rain and the lightly smoky air here does not portend well for the future. We need rain and pretty flowers.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could, believe me! I'd do it in a heartbeat!
DeleteThat is really chilly for this time of year. That has to have an impact on the plants. The new dahlia is beautiful. This is another set of very pretty flowers.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I could not resist that dahlia, even though I probably should have!
DeleteOh my, that Dahlia, and the all the flowers here! You have a very green thumb, I think.
ReplyDeleteThe climate, even as cool as it is, helps. England really is an ideal place for gardening.
DeleteYou SO make me want to (successfully) grow flowers! Dahlias, in particular. I visited a friend this weekend who had the most gorgeous lantana. I want that, too!
ReplyDeleteLantana is great because it's basically a weed. It's very vigorous and hard to kill. (At least in Florida.)
DeleteWonderful photos.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI love your garden. It's everything an English garden should be.
ReplyDeleteIt's a little out of hand, truth be told, but we like it that way. :)
DeleteEvery one of those photos is a work of art Steve x
ReplyDeleteThanks, John!
DeleteThat does seem chilly for August. We are about 20 degrees above that.
ReplyDeleteYeah, we're normally about ten degrees warmer, I think. We're going to warm up this week according to the forecast.
DeletePlants have had challenges this year with the variable weather.
ReplyDeleteIt's true. Climate change must be doing a number on them.
DeleteJohn Gray took the words out of my mouth!
ReplyDeleteThank you! As I said above, photography helps me really see the garden and all its details.
DeleteSeems like you ought to keep brother Dave the hell out of the garden!
ReplyDeleteOh, not at all. He does a lot of amazing stuff in the garden, despite occasionally pulling up the wrong seedling. :)
DeleteIncredible Photos My Brother
ReplyDeleteCheers