The best and the worst 2023

my roses have done very well this year, climbers and shrub. One in particular, "My Mum" is smothered with blooms in its second flush - I think my Mum is telling me something! Self-sown Rudbeckia is stunning, popping up between my dahlias which were grown from seed this year. Sunflowers are amazing - over 10 feet tall and full of flowers. So many cucumbers and chillies that I've pickled several jars of each.

On the downside I lost hebes, cistus and my climbing French beans were a disaster - covered in blackfly from top to bottom and I had to give up and pull them out. Tomatoes a bit iffy this year...

Best… petunias, rambling rose and passion flower.

Worst… 3 hydrangeas with not a single bloom between them.

Joseann

Oh yes, so many bees this year, they love the lavender - and they were friendly too, no stings as I weeded around the plants.

My lavender is nearly over, bees quest hopefully at the very few flowers still out, but don't linger.

However, I have some big marjoram plants in what I grandly call my 'gravel garden'' (the best seeding medium ever, for both weeds and garden plants) which have been flowering since early July, are still going strong, and are covered with bees.

My fuschias bought from a small farm shop have bloomed continuously for 3 months and are still going strong as have the petunias. My Japanese Anenomes seem to be on steroids.
Unfortunately, my spring bulbs were disappointing as were my clematis and I won't mention my pathetic honeysuckle.

Lovely thread! Peonies thrived in warm weather. Like others I lost some penstemon also a long treasured convolvulus cneorum in a container. Roses very good, also Canterbury bells and phlox. Crocosmia v disappointing . Like Greyduster I dislike double hollyhocks but all my singles come up lemon junket coloured wh I also dislike.
Surprise of the year -self-seeded snapdragons coming up in gaps in the patio paving.

The worst for me is the hollyhocks. I’ve come to expect rust, but this year is the worst affected I have ever seen them. I also bought a new one from a reputable garden centre and not only did it turn out to be the wrong colour, it is also a double and I hate doubles. The most satisfying are the small collection of astrantias I am cultivating; especially Ruby Wedding which has turned out to be a real beauty. I hope to make a feature of them next year. Dahlias I grew from seed have been good too.

A big blue pot of Busy Lizzies is looking incredible at the moment.

Worst has been my poor hollyhocks, which I’ve posted about before.

My cosmos grown from seeds of E-bay are lovely, just a few blind ones. Lost my hebe. Great lavender this year. The japanese anenomes are like weeds in my garden I have to dig out roots every year
It has taken all Summer to bring my lawn back to a reasonable state after last years drought.

Our apple trees haven’t faired very well ,but a fig tree which has never fruited has twenty small fruit. We lost a large hebe and a rowan sapling. Everything else seems to have grown like the clappers

midgey

Blooming verbena, self seeded, is going great guns. I’ve given away lots, I’ve weeded lots and still it grows!

I wish I had that issue midgey, I love verbena, it’s great for flower arranging. I’m down to one stem this year, the frost killed all the rest.

Best: peonies, and my pots in my front yard look nice even though they got off to a slow start. They are purple osteospurmum with some sort of silver leafy plant (maybe brachyglottis). We have 9 apples looking good on a espaliered tree in the back yard.

Worst: the stupid roses I had a thread about a few days ago. I'm still holding a grudge...
Also, we didn't get many huckleberries this year, but the blueberries are looking good if we get some sun in the next week.

I love the valerian but hate the seedlings!

Blooming verbena, self seeded, is going great guns. I’ve given away lots, I’ve weeded lots and still it grows!

They seemed late getting going here. The thyme flowers, usually smothered in bees, attracted little interest.

Oh yes, so many bees this year, they love the lavender - and they were friendly too, no stings as I weeded around the plants.

Exactly GSM mine has been covered in bees they are loving it

Yes, mine too and still doing well. A delivery driver commented on the number of bees on it.

Isn’t it weird my lavender was spectacular

My lavender bushes were stunning, I thought I was looking out on a field in Provence. Ditto agapanthus, but we do live in a mild coastal region. Dahlias put on a great show, and still going strong. Salvias didn't disappoint.
Roses were ok but got a lot of green fly, verbena was piffly, lupins weren't bad but got mildew, delphiniums not at all happy.
My lovely SIL watered the garden every day for 3 werks during the June heatwave while we were in France. I'm thinking of giving him the job again next year, he did so well!

Not a single strawberry!
The apples are like pebbles.

Lots of raspberries and blackberries.

My tomatoes have been prolific.. no tulips at all, the lavender isn't very happy, lots of californian poppies earlier which appeared from nowhere.. however my bamboo is now so high I'm wondering what to do with it.. any anwers gratefully received..

Wonderful strawberries and raspberries thought they’d never end
awful pear and apples one pear this year ….last year 30
The apples all dropped off before getting to full size

Tomatoes and courgettes brilliant (dozens) ….beans not so good went stringy very quickly, peas lovely didn’t plant enough, quite a few onions bolted
Cucumbers late but coming on well now potatoes good, chard grew too quickly before I could use it

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We lost every single penstemon, annoyingly I hadn't taken any cuttings this year. Some of the cosmos are starting to have buds but most are blind.
The dahlias are spectacular and so were the roses until we had heavy rain which spoiled the blooms! Veg wise, everything has done well but is late. I bought some zantedeschia rhizomes and lily bulbs at the RHS Spring show which I have grown in pots. They are wonderful and have given me lots of pleasure. Pics attached, do give them a try they were extremely easy to grow and the lilies have a lovely perfume.

Courgettes and tomatoes disappointing. Carrots copious, elephant garlic huge , ordinary garlic small, first lot of cauliflowers and cabbages wonderful, subsequent Ones rubbish, masses of flowers from everything except the dahlias.

(weeds have done very well, too...)
Don't mention them.

Although, having mentioned the squirrel, there are now two having a standoff in the corner of the garden.