Summer?

All I can say is that it was a good summer for the trees and shrubs - incessant rain, I mean non stop rain....more rain than we had in winter.

The poor old roses, they tried their best but I've spent many a day deadheading brown mush from our lovely albas and noisettes. On the plus side, it lets you see which roses are rainproof - American Pillar and Cerise Bouquet both stood up pretty well, as did Bonica.

Oh well, onwards and upwards....I'm already making a wish list of roses to add to the garden for next year. (Soupert et Notting, Henri Martin, banksiae lutea, Appleblossom.the list goes on!).

The trees, hedges and shrubs are growing like billyoh which is great but the poor bees and butterflies have been very thin on the ground. The forecast for the next fortnight suggests a dry spell, but with cold northerly winds....the hydrangeas, crocosmia, rudbeckias and eupatoriums are only beginning to flower so I'm wishing for a settled month ahead (the kids are back at school - or, in my case, school and university....I can't quite believe where the time has gone). The weather's always lovely when the kids go back to school!

Newly planted veronica spicata Red Fox

A mixed bunch from late summer (despite the rain)

The autumn bed at dusk, after the rain.

The cottage garden

The lovely Ispahan, trying her best in the rain.

LD Braithwaite flowering through Rambling Rosie.