Still Going Strong

It's not exactly peaceful in my house at the moment (I live in a terrace and next door is being re-roofed), and the garden isn't exactly private at the moment either due to men on the roof but it's still looking good.

Hydrangea Annabelle has thrived this year

Echinacea White Swan would really prefer a sunnier spot but is still flowering

and the Passion Flower is just getting into full swing.

But it's not all white in the garden, there is rather bright Cosmos

and a very pretty Potentilla

and some very delicate Thalictrum (Hewitt's Double)

and even though the Monarda (Prairie Night)  is a bit scruffy now, the bees are still loving it.

Echinops provides a contrast of structure

and there's still a lot to come as this Dahlia bud shows.

I'm hoping the roofers will finish soon as I really want my peaceful house and garden back!

Sights and Scents of Summer

What glorious weather we're having this weekend -  the garden is looking especially beautiful in the sunshine.  I love walking down it at this time of year, getting wafts of scent from all of the different roses (many complete with clematis for company).

This one, Generous Gardener, is by my first seating area and its scent is fabulous

and although Charles De Mills has less scent its colour more than makes up for it.

Here are some of the other roses and clematis currently flowering their socks off.

Top Row: Rose Abraham Darby and Clematis Etoile Violette, Rose Lady Emma Hamilton, Rose William Shakespeare

Middle Row: Clematis Star of India, Rose Christopher Marlow, Clematis Betty Corning

Bottom Row: Rose Fighting Temeraire, Clematis Blue Angel, Rose Heritage.

There are other scents too apart from the roses, the honeysuckles are just opening and are being enjoyed by the bees as well as me.

The bees are also loving the Deutzia.

I hope you're all enjoying the weather, and the tennis - we're currently in the 3rd set (I'm multi tasking, blogging on the computer whilst watching the final on the iPad).

Tall Dreamy Spires

Very little of my garden is in full sun and generally I struggle to get delphiniums to flower well but for some reason this year, despite it being so cold and wet for so long, they're the best they've ever been.

The bees have been loving them today as well.

The bees have also been loving the foxgloves.

All my foxgloves are self sown digitalis purpurea and come in the usual variety of pinks, purples and whites but for the first time ever I've got a pure pale lemon one too.

And also this one that looks rather scraggly as a plant

but has the most amazing, very narrow and delicate white trumpets.  I've never seen another foxglove like it before.

I'm hoping it will set lots of seeds for me to scatter about, maybe it might even cross with the lemon one!