Annuals as cut flowers, and update on gardening jobs!

Just re raking the gravel. I like doing that making all sorts of patterns. It is supposed to represent water, so I do wavy lines.

I’ll take a photo of one of the rocks with the thyme , it really should be moss but it is far too dry for moss to survive in this part of the U.K. . We haven’t had any real rain since February.

Love moss, but your right it's difficult to keep the co editions for it to thrive.
Thyme looks good and is tough, so is a good sub.
Having g said that, my young thyme plants took some nurturing until they got settled. They're still a bit dodgy.
Your right about the wind drying plants out and forever knocking over pots!
But is there ever any 'good' weather for gardeners?
You should feel chilled out after tending to your Zen gravel!
Enjoy

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Lilies about to flower - and a blackbird’s nest In a hedge

I think I spot a pot of Lilies Lisagran?
Have you had any sign of the beautiful but disgusting Lily beetle? Well its grubs are disgusting, covering themselves in their own faeces for protection!
It's a crap (sorry for sinking into vulgar parlance, just to get a giggle!) job when you find them. Picking the leaves off or wiping the bugs and the excrement from the leaves.
Ive sprayed with Neem oil to help prevent them, but I've missed some plants which were completely decimated with holes from them and covered on the underside. Yuck!

Its enough to put you off gardening.

Just saw your updated photos Lisagran!
How lovely, a blackbirds nest, and you can get close to it as well.
He/she looks snug in there, and quite big too.
Beautiful!

I should know, but how many eggs do they usually lay?

I always wanted to get a camera sited somewhere in the garden.
I will get around to it one day.

Yes*Namsnanny*, I encountered lily beetles last year - so I was well prepared this year - examining them daily, like the nit nurse!
I think blackbirds usually have about 3-4 eggs. We sadly found one broken egg on the path.
St Johns Wort out now.

We have a blackbird nest in a Pyracantha, but it's high up, so no chance to see into it.

Gosh if I picked as much St. Johns Wort as you have there would be nothing left of the bush!
Ours does need cutting back a bit. To encourage branching out as it is a bit straggly.

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Star Jasmine out now - can you smell it?! Wonderful!

Lovely photo - here's one of my Jasmines. The perfume in the evening is wonderful. It's been flowering since mid May here in the S of France.

Just perusing all the lovely photos.

We haven’t had a drop of rain yet.

Anyone seen any lily beetles this year? We haven’t seen 1 yet. They are so beautiful I usually just pick them off and place them outside the garden gate.

Oh!! Just seen your post nanny that will serve me for looking at the photos and not reading the posts as well.

Gorgeous fragranced arch Grandmafrench - how lovely!

I found a few lily beetles earlier in the year, but managed to re-house them (over the wall into the field)

We’ve had a few brief showers Wwm2, but the garden’s still pretty dry.

No rain here yet either, am so disappointed! It was supposed to hit about 4pm but never arrived, and the sky clear now, so no hint of it.
If none in the morning will have to water the entire garden, which takes ages.
Lovely pics everyone, so cheering.

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We’ve had the most miserable weather for almost a month now. Rain, fog , winds and cold . My poor Hydrangeas are looking quite sad and poorly compared with similar time last year .Noticed the leaves are turning red too, any ideas what could be wrong apart from the horrible weather that is ?

The above is just one example . I have several more, all looking a bit poorly .

I wish Lisagran … your postie must love delivering your letters!
Did it take long to grow that big?

Grandmafrench … Wonderful Jasmine and you say there are more?!
How often do you prune them?

I wish there was smelly vision.

It rained! Hallelujah!! ????
All day, on and off, felt so pleased, could almost see the garden slurping it down, especially the apple trees.
Meant a day in the house, but I found a few cleaning jobs to do, finished a book, caught up with emails and watched tv.

gilly I love your pink and purple hydrangea.

gillybob … Well I know very little about them apart from they need acid soil, which I'm sure you knew.

Maybe they think it's autumn and that's why the leaves are turning colour? Especially if as you say the weather has been cold where you are.

To be honest the pink one looks really quite good. If I didn't know that Hydrangeas have mop head flowers I would think it was very handsome!

As it's in a pot do you think that all the rain you've had has washed the nutrients out of the soil?

Maybe give it a seaweed feed because something in seaweed is good for plants under stress.

Might buck it up for the rest of the summer?

I always feel 'self satisfied' when I give the plants a seaweed feed [hmm}!
As if I'm giving them a treat .

Thank goodness Lemongrove! Remember all that rain we had in February? You'd think that would have made a difference, even with all the sun we've had.

Us too, on and off rain for a few days, and a downpour today.
Just in time to plump up the fruit

Glad you kept busy.

It's beautiful, gilly. Can't really see anything wrong with the leaves - except the colour - the plant looks so healthy.

Namsnanny Thank you. They've previously been pruned once a year usually January/February. This year we'll probably do it twice, a light prune before the winter to stop them waving about in the winds and then again. They're done with a secateurs. I have a lovely one climbing up an old olive tree as a frame, and another huge one on the opposite end of the house. The perfume is amazing.

Thank you lemon and Namsnanny . My photographs may have mislead you both . The photo with the pink and purple flowers is from last year and the same plant in the same position this year is the sad looking one with the red leaves . We have always fed the plants the same but yes we have had some miserable weather this last month on the coast. Much colder and wetter than last year which could be the problem. Plenty of buds but they’re much smaller and way behind last years offerings, with no colours at all except for the leaves which are weirdly red .

Lemongrove, looking at the photos of other peoples plants is very cheery I agree.

I'm using them as a aide-memoire for next year. Whether to grow myself or buy in.

Thank you GrandmaFrench . The leaves are not falling which is a good sign I suppose . Might be that’s its just much colder and damper than usual for the time of year