Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day – August

Unprepared yet again for GBBD, but if you’d like to join in pop over to: May Dreams Gardens

I was away in London at the weekend and this morning went outside and noticed something looked really wrong on the right-hand side of the garden… I looked at the hedge as if something was missing to discover people behind me had done this:

I’m really rather angry that they’ve chopped it back (and realise it's in theory none of my business). They thinned it out last year and I see no reason for having hacked at it like this. Now, if I go further up the garden I’ve lost all sense of seclusion and feel totally overlooked. Thankfully the birds don’t really use it all that much – just perch in it before flying down to my feeders and of course also eat the Cherries. So I’m not so horrified at the seemingly mindless act of chopping a tree and the consequences on the wildlife. But of course, come spring when the insects need an early supply of food… Well.
So, it looks like I’ll be allowing my hedge to grow taller now so I can at least block out the windows to some extent. It’s not like I expect someone to be staring out of the windows constantly; more a case of feeling exposed and I like my garden to feel nice and secluded; so I can go into my own little world and not think about anyone else.

Ok, well we’ll stop the rant because it isn’t getting us anywhere… Onto the garden shots. Sadly at the moment we’re in a bit of a lull, most late summer/Autumn things seem to be teasing me and holding off at the moment, so really all I have blooming are plants you’ve all seen time and again. We have, however recently had Crocosmia and Scabious start to bloom… Hardly setting the world alight though.
I’ve had to water the garden regularly because it’s still so dry and any rain we do get is quickly soaked up by the very thirsty ground.

The rose in the front garden has a second flush, I think it’s ‘iceberg’ although I cannot be sure as I suspect these roses have been in the front for many years now.

She provides quite a nice backdrop to the Crocosmia

The Nicotiana and Bidens is quite pleasing too

I’ve had my first load of Tomatoes and the second lot are coming along nicely.

There was meant to be a Butterfly on this photo but it flew away just as I was pressing on the shutter release

I’m so glad to see a white Scabious from my mixed seed packet, sadly there doesn’t seem to be any of the really deep red/black ones like I had in previous years.

I’m loving the rich shades of this one though; I don’t think I’ve had one quite like this previously.

Flat-topped Aster is still blooming and still very large.

Thank god I have these to brighten up the lower levels of the ‘new’ border… The Asters are swamping out everything else.

Roseraie de l’hay is attempting another flush after I dead-headed it. I’m looking forward to her perfume again.

More Crocosmia grows under roseraie de l’hay

Veronicastrum has suffered the wrath of the Aster too, next year I will either have to move this or dig up a lot of the Aster.

Stipa is even prettier than before!

Lobellia have come from somewhere; I think from the hanging basket I had last year…

Sea Holly, Verbena Bonariensis, Verbena Hastata, Sweet Rocket, Cosmos and two butterflies

This is my first year with Rudbekia ‘Goldstrum’, it isn’t as tall as I’d hoped… But with any luck it’ll come back next year… Although my past luck with Cornflowers is poor.

The Dianthus I bought way back in early spring are still blooming!

As are the wild poppies

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