A photo taken yesterday. The Lady of Shallot loves being up on the sunny bank, and out of the big planter she was in.
As you can see, this area (where the big hedge was) is still a work in progress. More plantings needed up there and lots of mulching. Some hedge roots to be removed too but I need some help from Tam to deal with those and for me, June is NOT the month to do hefty work and deep breathing. I was doing so well on my new stronger antihistamines, and then yesterday had a short walk with Keith by the river and the wind was blowing in my face. I should have gone back to the car straight away, but didn't, and have been struggling with my asthma since. I didn't sleep much last night, so today I will have to stay indoors as much as I can and hope I can avoid steroids - incoming rain is going to lower pollen levels, so fingers x'd. I have just taken my peak flow and it is absolutely normal for me, which indicates steroids are NOT necessary, yet.
One of my new-to-me roses, Indigo, which had some damage when the lawn was being mowed last week. Such a pretty colour.
A late-flowering clematis which stowed away in a pot. Again, one of the more unusual ones which used to grow at our last home.
One of the cheap Morrison's clematis - Pink Lady I think.
Above and below: Plants waiting to go in when I have done another length of herbaceous border - which will also need to be widened later on, so I don't just have a ROW of plants!! The roses are patio ones which had been in pots for some while (left by previous owner). One is a lovely yellow and the other, yet to flower, had a red label.
I got this from the Garden Centre, after going n to look for a colourful clematis to climb up the climbing rose by the bird feeders, which turns out to have reverted to plain white (boring) flowers. However, I was not inclined to pay close on £20 for a clematis in flower now, so came out with this instead, Salvia "Black and Bloom". I have moved a small lilac clematis in a planter by the rose instead.
Photographed in close up at the Garden Centre, Geranium "Black Beauty" but I bought mine cheaper from the Plant stall at Hay market.
A lovely pairing at the Garden Centre car park - and I will plant my spare Orange Geum next to the yellow rose in the border.
I have mentioned our Greenfinch population before. Early the other morning the parents bought Junior along to show it round. I imagine they hissed "Cats" when it landed on the lawn, so they quickly showed it the feeders instead . . .
Finally, a Meadow Brown butterfly and a Common Blue, which visited this week.
Have a lovely weekend and hope you're not floating away if you live in the UK.
Good garden progress
ReplyDeleteMy reaction to pollen isn't as strong as yours, but I have had far fewer problems with it this year...must be the mask wearing!!
It was simpler when I had proper Hay Fever - streaming nose and eyes. That departed when I got through the menopause, and now it just affects my asthma instead. Mind you, I think some of the inflammation was self-inflicted as wine has been drunken two nights in a row. Back on the straight and narrow now! I wear my mask in the shops, but walking to and from I have to take it off or I suffocate when it is a hot day.
ReplyDeleteMy hay fever has been triggered by one plant this spring and I found wearing my mask helped me a lot, as long as I didn't exert myself. Mind, I have to be careful as wearing a mask triggers my asthma. We're on a fine line, aren't we?
ReplyDeleteWith my asthma, if it's hot/muggy, I nearly suffocate in my mask, so have to take it carefully. I have a silk one of Tam's which is better than my high-grade medical mask, which is dense.
DeleteYour geraniums look nothing like my geraniums(Pelargonium x hortorum)-- also known here in the US as the common or zonal geranium. I have white, pink, fuchsia and red ones --the latter two have large, variegated, ivy looking leaves. Even though these plants are supposed to be annuals, I've been able to winter-over the potted fuchsia and red ones from year to year by bringing them in before the first frost and placing them in a semi-heated garage with access to diffuse light--cut them back and provide infrequent watering. The other two are new this year so we'll see if I can turn them into perennials, too. Will have to transfer them to pots in the fall as are they are currently in a large raised bed. Not floating here...34c. But we might get a thunderstorm tonight.
ReplyDeleteThese are perennial geraniums Mary - Cranesbills by another name. https://www.lovethegarden.com/uk-en/article/hardy-geranium-cranesbill-geranium The Zonal Geraniums we grow here as annuals and bring inside to over-winter. I'll pot mine up and put them on a warm window-sill.
ReplyDeleteGosh, you are a heck of a lot hotter than we are - temps have dropped here and we are expecting rain. Just 13 - 15 deg.C today. It's been up in the mid 20s before this.
Lovely roses and I like all the plants you have bought :) So sorry to hear about the asthma problems and hope you feel better soon and can avoid steroids. Great news about greenfinches - we rarely see them these days - just one or two visits this year.
ReplyDeleteFeeling better today RR. I was a good girl yesterday and hardly went outside - there are Curtains to Make!
DeleteThe Greenfinches and Bullfinches here are some of our most frequent visitors to the feeders. Back at our old home I think we only saw one Greenfinch (passing through) in the last few years there and Bullfinches would appear briefly at bud time on the trees. These ones are around the feeders and I see them daily (with great joy!)
All your plants look lovely. Wind can sometimes be very bad.
ReplyDeleteWe are in another year of drought and wildfire season is here. Last year I was getting ready for evacuation because the wildfire was nipping near my home but it was stopped.
This year the wind and smoke from all the fires around southern Arizona is driving me crazy. My Valley Fever is acting up and I like you can't breathe.
Hope your better soon
So sorry to hear it is so dry and perilous where you are. Gosh, if I had to evacuate quickly like that - what to take? Family photos would be top of the list I'm guessing, along with 4 cats and my family!
DeleteThe smoke from those fires would finish me off. Can't do smoke with my lungs. Do you ever think of moving?
So sorry to read about the hay fever but glad that you do not need steroids. Such great progress with the garden.
ReplyDeleteFingers are STILL x'd and it's nearly the end of the hay fever season. Life was much easier when my nose ran and then I knew when it had started and ended. More progress with the garden yesterday, photos to follow.
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