It is the middle of October, in two weeks we will put the clocks back at the end of summer time. The evening will be dark and we will feel winter is really here.
For this GBBD I decided to walk around taking photos of the various blooms that are still out. If you had asked me before the walk I would have thought maybe a dozen good blooms. How wrong I was! Here are the photos I took (and there could have been more!)
Salvia ‘Cerro Potosi’
Rosa ‘Phyllis Bide’
Rosa ‘Alister Stella Grey’
Rosa ‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’
Rosa ’Wildeve’
Rosa ‘Lichfield Angel’
Rosa ‘Anne Boleyn’
Rosa ‘Bonica’
Rosmarinus officianalis horizontalis
Ricinus communis ‘Impala’
Anemone ‘Honorine Joubert’
Clematis ‘Ville de Lyon’
Cyclamen Self set hardy variety
Clematis ‘Jackmanii’
Rosa ‘Sombreuil’
Cosmos ‘Versailles tetra’
Aster ‘Starshine’
Dahlia David Howard
Rosa ‘Queen of Sweden’
Clematis ‘Lady Betty Balfour’
Rudbeckia ‘Rustic Dwarfs Mixed’
Rudbeckia x Hirta Hybrida Cherokee Sunset
Helianthemum ‘Ben Fhada’
Phlox paniculata Uspekh
Verbena bonariensis
Aconitum x cammarum ‘Bicolor’
Achillea ‘Credo’
Rosa ‘Ghislaine de Feligonde’
Osteospermum ‘Tresco Purple’
Rudbeckia ‘Herbstone’
Aster praealtus
Rosa ‘Shot Silk’
Rosa ‘Awakening’
Dahlia ‘Twyning’s After Eight’
Geranium ‘Ann Folkard’
Achillea millefolium ‘Terracotta’
Coreopsis ‘Redshift’
Clematis ‘Chelsea’
Salvia ‘Phyllis Fancy’
Rosa ‘Crown Princess Margareta’
Rosa ‘Blush Noisette’
Salvia involocruta bethellii
Dahlia Bishop of Auckland
Sedum ‘not known’
Cerastostigma willmottianum ‘Forest Blue’
Dahlia Bishop of Llandaff
Geranium riversleaianum ‘Mavis Simpson’
Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day is hosted on the 15th of each month by Carol at May Dreams Gardens. Visit her blog to see what is blooming in gardens around the world.
| 2017 Gardening Hours | ||
| Week beginning October 7th |
Total 2017 to-date | Average per week |
| 33 | 847 | 21 |
The weather this year has been a challenge. It has been dry and hot and we seem to be advancing into that gap between Summer and Autumn even so it is only the end of July. Many plants are dry and crispy and having been away for a couple of weeks we have not had time to remove those specimen weeds that always seem to grow the best! However, there is still much to show this month.
Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty’ looking great as always.
Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Purity’
almost lost in the border with other perennials.
Another day lily, Hemerocallis ‘Stafford’.
A favorite with the bees and looking at its best Eryngium giganteum ‘Miss Willmott’s ghost’
The blue globes of Echinops ritro ‘Veitch’s Blue’. This magnificent variety produces stiff silvery stems with dark green, silver-backed thistle-like leaves which terminate in brilliant dark, vivid blue globes the size of a spiky golf ball.
Anthemis tinctoria ‘Sauce Hollandise’ need supporting as it grows but gives a real splash of colour.
One for the back of the border. Achillea filipendulina ‘Cloth of Gold’ will grow to six feet.
Another echinops, Echinops Humilis ‘Taplow Blue’ also grows to around six feet.
And here they are together with Dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff’.
A useful gap filler for the front of the border is Mesembryanthemum and it is easy to grow from seed.
Potentilla ‘Gibson’s Scarlet’ another useful plant for the front of the border.
One of my favorite dahlias, Dahlia Bishop of Auckland. 
Always unexpected, Verbena bonariensis plants itself where it wants to grow but it is always a delight.
Day lily, Hemerocallis ‘Lemon Bells’
and in the same border Hemerocallis ‘Catherine Woodbery’
Achillea ‘Credo’ was planted in 2016 and is now looking much stronger.
The bottom of the garden with Stipa gigantea and
Echinacea.
Leucanthemum ‘Goldrausch’ a good strong Shasta Daisy.
Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ with
Phlox paniculata Uspekh in the background.
Phoxs have done particularly well this year. In the foreground is Phlox paniculata ‘Bright Eyes’.
Lavandula augustifolia ‘Hidcote’ is always hard to keep looking good and not woody.
We only have one hanging basket and here it is!
A great honeysuckle which we took as a cutting from another garden.
Rosa ‘Meg’ a beautiful climbing rose that was in the garden 23 years ago when we brought the house and garden.
Looking down the garden Rosa Rambling Rector has taken over the apple tree which was damaged earlier this year in a 
Towards the garden wall Rosa Blush Noisette on the pergola in the corner.
Across the large pond a multitude of blooms of delphiniums, geraniums etc.
And looking back towards the pleached lime hedge the underplanting of Rosa Alfred de Dalmas and Lavandula augustifolia ‘Hidcote’ is all coming together.
Rosa Joseph’s Coat produces these interesting multi coloured blooms.
Clematis Rhapsody always puts on a good display.
Recently I talked about the 
Potentilla atrosanguinea var. argyrophylla Scarlet Starlit providing bright red stars in the border.
Near the Delphinium Black Knight a Rosa Iceberg in flower.
Knautia macedonica probably a self set but the colour combination works well.
Hosta Sun & Substance together with Clematis Boulevard Angelique in a lead planter. This planter is on automatic watering. Last year the drain holes blocked and the planter was flooded for some time. Everything was removed and new drain holes made. The original clematis died but the hosta has come back and shows great promise with the new clematis.
Rosa Bonica as a standard rose, newly planted last year.
Clematis Madame Julia Correvon another reliable clematis.
The large pink flowered plant is Geranium palmatum which has a habit of self seeding everywhere but how can you fault it when it looks like this.
The first dahlia in flower this year, Dahlia David Howard.
Salvia nemorosa Ostfriesland (East Friesland)
Rosa Felicite Perpetue along the bottom of the garden.
Sambucus nigra Lace Lady
Lysimachia atropurpurea Beaujolais. The problem with plant nurseries is that you always see something that you have not got but feel you have a place for it. This was one such purchase last week!
The largest Crambe Cordifolia we have ever grown.
The magic of some clematis does not die when the flowers are over. Gold seed heads remain.
More Allium Christophii
Tradescantia Innocence, what more is there to like!
The first wave of aliums are looking splendid throughout the garden.
These have been in for many years and over time have multiplied to the extent we are having to reduce them despite their displays at this time of year.
These are actually killing off the Euphorbia griffithii Dixter!
nevertheless the alium flower is a thing of beauty.
And whats left of the Euphorbia griffithii Dixter is too.
This is Rosa Madame Gregoire Staechlin and is normally the first rose to flower in our garden but not this year as Rosa Old Blush China started flowering on April 8th!
Another rose in flower is Rosa Madame Alfred Carriere.
Rosa Madame Alfred Carriere is on the end wall beneath our conservatory from where we can also see a fantastic display of wisteria.
Wisteria seems to have been very successful all around the area we live in which must have been helped by the lack of hard frosts this year.
The scent from these flowers permeates into the house and is a delight.
Below the wisteria a Choisya ternata which is in also in flower.
Actually this plant has been moving itself. Originally it was planted under the steps leading up to the conservatory. It obviously decided it needed more light and over time has moved!
We have a number of hardy osteospermums in the garden. These have come through the winter well and are already putting on a good display.
However, we always have a backup by taking cutting and bringing them on in the greenhouse. 
Cerinthe major Purpurascens is not really hardy for us although sometimes they self seed and come through the winter as this one has.
but there are also replacements in the greenhouse should they not self seed.
Clematis have started flowering. This is Clematis Daniel Deronda,
and this is Clematis Guernsey Cream.
One of the first geraniums to flower is Geranium himalayense with a Potentilla Abbotswood in the background.
Deutzia x rosea Carminea a relatively new addition to the garden.
Global warming means this Euphorbia Mellifera is able to grow and do well now in our garden.
One of the climbing roses Rosa Shot Silk has started to flower.
This is a beautiful rose but does not repeat well.
Some of the smaller plants are also putting on a spring display. Euphorbia myrsinites is technically in flower but the effect is a foliage delight.
And similarly Euphorbia griffithii Dixter is in flower but look at the leaves which are green stained with red giving a huge pallet of colour.
This cardoon Cynara cardunculus has come from nowhere in a week!
Fatsia japonica never really loses its leaves but in spring the new growth is refreshing and very architectural.
Aruncus dioicus is an herbaceous plant that is cut down in the winter and is now coming back quickly for a summer display.
These Betula ermanii were planted a few years ago in groups of three which will eventually grow together. When they were planted the bark was a bronze brown colour but as they grow they are developing a warm silver bark. These have been jet washed to maximise their colour.
Another flash of gold from Sambucus racemosa Sutherland Gold 
The side of our house is very shaded and we really focus on ferns, hostas and rodgersia. The snowdrops are long over but we have planted Erythronium Pagoda commonly known as dog’s tooth violet ‘Pagoda’ due to the shape of the tuber.
At this time of year there are plenty of leaves as well as the delightful flowers. 
Once the flowers are over the leaves decay very quickly.
This one is Epimedium Akebono. 
Here they have been planted beneath a standard rose in a planter. Planting like this was a bit experimental last year but so far it is looking good.
and the flowers are delightful.
Elsewhere we have Epimedium x versiclour Sulphureum planted around the base of a tree. This seems to work very well in an area which is often dry and shaded.
Lastly we have 
which is one of those plants that we were given without a name. On the 
In this circular bed we have created a ribbon of plants going through the middle. Over the spring these change from Iris Reticualata, to Anemone Blanda White Splendour, to Brunnera Mr. Morse now and in the future Tulip Hageri Splendens (sorry I used the tulip word but they are not out yet!) and then Anemone Wild Swan. 
Brunnera Mr. Morse is a very nice Brunnera, similar to Brunnera Jack Frost but with dainty white flowers.
This time a shrub; Viburnum carlesii Diana .
The scent from these flowers is outstanding.
Fruit trees are in blossom everywhere. This is a Morello Cherry which is considered the best sour cooking cherry for the UK.
Glebe House Garden 