Fence, Flutters and Flowers.

A recent wander below the slopes at Denbies Hillside provided another opportunity to grab some shots for this week's edition of  'Good Fences' of the original iron Estate fence with its ornate fittings.

Wild flowers abound alongside the track including Oxeye Daisy, Bird's-foot-trefoil (with attendant female Five-spot Burnet), Honeysuckle, Buttercup and Crane's-bill.

A male Common Blue on Bird's-foot-trefoil, one of the caterpillar's food plants.

A well camouflaged Green Hairstreak deep within the grassy sword.

While back at home the trellis fencing supports two roses; 'Mme Alfred Carrière' and 'Compassion' with 'Mum in a Million' in a pot nearby; all currently producing an abundance of fragrant blooms.

Elsewhere in the garden the recent rain and sunshine has helped the central border to flourish with a varied collection of hardy Geraniums, the first flower on Clematis 'Scartho Gem' planted last year, the dainty red spray of a Heuchera, the ever spreading Aquilegia 'William Guiness' plus the drooping fragrant bunches of Lilac flowers.

Linking to:
Good Fences
Today's Flowers
Floral Friday Photos

Garden Watch.

Another day passed yesterday without the return of my 'wheels' so I spent a few more hours in the garden. In between a little bit of  necessary pruning and watering (some of the plants are definitely showing the signs of drought intolerance!) I took up my usual position and watched the comings and goings of the local residents.

Not sure who was keeping tabs on who! ... "Shouldn't you have had a shave by now?"

Mr. Blackbird made a brief appearance to cast his eye over the neighbours garden.

The Robin wonders where all those little noises are coming from!

Someone else was also enjoying the flowers; Astrantia 'Roma' plus the new Clematis  (C. texensis 'Pagoda' and C. Cezanne) and two of her favourite Roses (R. Compassion and R.Gloire De Dijon).

House Sparrow tries to play hide and seek behind one of the feeders .....

..... while one of the Blue Tits brings in another tiny morsel to feed a hungry little belly.   FAB.

Final Garden Flourish?

For some reason or other I have got way behind with posting images I have saved over the past few weeks. To start things off here is an update from the garden. With the recent drop in temperatures, increasing winds and rainfall I guess these will probably be the last of the summer blooms. 

The roses have continued to flourish but the blooms are not lasting very long now.

The main colour is from the Japanese Anemones and I'm delighted that the pink variety has decided to spread at long last. Still a few berries on the ailing Sorbus and a lot of healthy fruit on the ornamental Quince.

Some leaves are starting to change colour and a final flush from a Geranium that was cut back. Plenty of seed heads on the Clematis and no doubt I'll be hunting down the unwanted seedlings from the wind blown grasses very soon!

A few bugs were located amoungst the various foliage.

The last flush of colour from the Heleniums with food for the birds.   FAB. 

Lazy Summer Weekend.

We spent a very lazy weekend, much of the time just chilling out in the garden. 

While I watered and encouraged the Tomatoes to grow and ripen....

... and checked out the colours ...

(clockwise from top left - Hibiscus [seedling of H. Red Heart], Clematis 'Polish Spirit', Heleniums and Verbena bonariensis). 

 ... one of the many Bees was collecting pollen ...

Anita was producing some more of her 'one off' cards for friends forthcoming birthdays....

while enjoying the subtle fragrance from one of her favorite Roses (R. Compassion) under the watchful eye of the only permanent 'flutter' in the garden. We did have very brief visits by a Speckled Wood, Holly Blue, Comma and several Whites.

During one of our many rest periods we enjoyed visits from a very young Long-tailed Tit (on the peanut feeder), a juvenile Blue Tit and several Greenfinches eating all the sunflower seeds!

Of course we can always make time for a refreshing cuppa.   FAB. 

Garden Tour (Part 2)

Continuing on from the Garden Tour (Part 1)...  I cut a curved pathway into the main border some years ago in order to create a  new bed on the left for grasses but the evergreen growth on the contorted Hazel and Euonymous elatus now overpower everthing in the summer!  

This area is now more densely shaded with the widening canopy of the Hawthorn but the path leads past another evergreen Euonymous, an ever expanding carpet of blue Campanula, more Geraniums, a Deutzia, Escallonia 'Apple Blossom' (severely in need of some sunshine!) to the Buddleia 'Nanho Blue' and then

the fragrant white blooms on the Philadelphus 'Innocence'. I had planned to buy a rustic iron chair so that I could sit at the end of the path but I'm not sure there is actually enough room even to stand any more!

Behind the greenery is the 'grass bed' with Stipa arundinacea and Calamagrostis 'Overdam' interplanted with Alliums (long since gone to seed), a self seeded Verbena bonariensis (not doing too well at the moment) and the colourful Heleniums that attract all manner of flying insects during the summer. 

Next is the former 'fruit cage' now used to store various pots, some with spring bulbs and the larger containers used for growing Tomatoes plus the compost bins. Another job on the 'to do list' is to build a raised bed in the centre, so that we can start producing some food for the table, as the ever extending roots from the nearby Betula 'Hergest' (birch) run close to the surface and makes planting nearly impossible.

A few of the more recent plants to bloom; (clockwise) Lilium henryi, Tritelia laxa (probably Queen Fabiola) peeps out from behind a white Lavender, a pink Phlox and Lilium 'Golden Slendour'. There are a few more Lillies in pots alongside the path which will hopefully produce some other colours very soon. 

Beyond the fruit cage is another garden shed and then two matching Whichford Pots (a retirement present from the pottery) either side of the steps that lead up onto the more recently paved patio area at the far end of our 75 x 20 foot garden. 

As the garden faces north-west this area is shady for most of the morning due to the high canopy of the birch and  I can often find Anita relaxing and reading in the shade. As the sun moves around we can enjoy its rays later in the day while scanning the sky for any passing avian species and on cloudless nights even a bit of star gazing. The floor space seems to get smaller year by year as the surrounding plants expand and more pots of Sempervivums find there way up here.

The bottom boundary fence is planted up with Itea ilicifolia that produces long green-white pendant catkins, Actinidia kolomikta with its two-tone foliage, Clematis 'Lemon Bells' (a late flowerer), Rose 'Gloire De Dijon' whose buff-yellow blooms have disappeared into outer space hunting for sunlight and in the corner  Indigofera himalayensis 'Silk Road' - one puff of wind and the floor is covered with its delicate purple-pink pea like flowers.

I hope you enjoyed this long awaited two part tour of our small suburban garden ... so different from the spaces on either side of us......FAB.

Garden Tour (Part 1).

We are already into mid July and I realised that I had not posted a garden update for two months plus I did start to redraw a more detailed plan of the garden with the intention of posting that also but it is still lying in the 'to be finished' file. Anyway I have taken a few pictures over the past few weeks and hopefully they will convey something of the layout, for those of my readers that may be interested (Cheryl, Jenny, Jan, and Shirleyanne come to mind), but please don't beat me up if I haven't mentioned you by name!  

Immediately outside the back door is a roofed patio (approx 20' x 10') enclosed on both sides. On the left by our neighbours fence and on the right is next doors extention where Clematis Cezanne, a dwarf variety, sits in a small trough on a low wall and climbs just about two feet covered in blooms. Unfortunately due to the lack of water while we were away on holiday it now looks a little sorry for itself! I didn't photograph the patio with its old wooded bench with seats as the area is currently being used to store everything we can't find a home for somewhere else! 

Stepping down onto the garden path with a garden shed on the left behind which the water butt is now nearly camouflaged by one of the ferns surrounded by Geraniun nodsum and Dicentra 'Stuart Boothman'. The Blue Tit nest box is situated above the water butt and I opened it up a few days ago to find one deceased juvenile left behind but at least the other fledglings have been visiting the feeders quite regularly. Alchemilla mollis and Hellebores have self seeded in every conceivable crack either side of the path. On the right is our tiny lawn with a dry shingle river bed leading to a sunken water fountain now completely overshadowed by spreading Geraniums. Sisyrinchium striatum 'Aunt May' planted in the shingle is just going over and the clump for some reason is slowly reducing in size year by year so I'm not sure if it will survive another winter. 

The 'tear-drop' shaped lawn is shaded in the early morning so a pleasant spot to sit with Roses (Mme. Alfred Carriere and Compassion) seeking out the sunshine high above the fence plus a Jasmine providing some gentle fragrance. Clematis montana flowers very early and then is followed by Clematis texensis 'Pagoda' with its small purple-pink nodding blooms. The large flowered blue Clematis (name long forgotten hangs onto the ivy that smothers the clothes line post and just starting to errupt is the much darker Clematis 'Polish Spirit' that always clambers high up into the Prunus and the Hawthorn. 

N.B. This is the only part of the garden that was actually planned. The original design and planting scheme was done by a work colleague way back in 1997. It was one of her first commissions and she is now a highly respected Horticultural Advisor, writer and garden designer. I didn't follow the plan exactly and needless to say much of the original planting has changed as I generally allow the plants to decide who wants to be where.   

Behind the water feature is an Ulmus parvifolia 'Geisha'. Exceptionally slow growing with tiny small green/grey leaves edged white. I have just checked that it prefers sun to light shade so perhaps it needs to be moved as it is only growing in one direction!

Behind the lawn the upright Prunus and particularly the ever spreading Hawthorn (Cretaegus laevigata 'Plena') now cast shade over what was originally a sunny border and I now need to rethink some of the planting. On the fringes are Pittosporum 'Tom Thumb', various Geraniums, Hibiscus 'Hamabo' just starting to flower and a large clump of Echinops 'Taplan Blue' which the bees just adore.  

  A short stemmed white Lilium in a pot stands at the beginning of a small path....to be continued....FAB.

Birding Interlude.

The first week in my life that I have not had to get up and go to work. As you might have guessed my mornings have started later but clear, calm weather continues to evade us; instead winds batter the plants and rain pours over the gutters and impedes many of the planned outdoor gardening tasks. I did manage to do some tidying up yesterday and produce proof below that there is still some colour to be found.

The final bloom from this climbing rose which I had to prune and tie-in to prevent further damage.

Whilst much of the colour is green there are still a few interesting shapes and forms to admire.

There was some bird activity; Blue Tits, Greenfinches, House Sparrows and Robin hesitantly reducing the levels in the bird feeders and a fly past of a few noisy Rose-ringed Parakeets.

The 'to do' list got longer today as the temperature setting on the shower unit failed to respond...cold showers...definitely not! So whatever I might have planned got shelved; turn off water supply; locate servicing kit (washers etc.); strip down and then replace....now we can enjoy hot showers again and A is happy, that's what really matters.

You may have noticed that I have made a few changes to the blog: background colour lightened  in an effort to make it more easily readable and I've started to add some video clips to the sidebar. Hope you like it.

P.S. More from Norfolk very soon.  FAB

Great Tit Update 1b

Before leaving for work this morning I checked up on the the Great Tits. Initially there appeared to be no activity and no sounds coming from the box, the only noises were from a Magpie at the bottom of the garden. I just hope he's not on youngster watch as well! So while I waited I sniffed the first blooms opening on the climbing Rose Mme Alfred Carriere .....mmmm lovely fragrance.

And on the same part of the fence this Clematis montana is in full flower, but as it was not pruned at all last year I guess our neighbours are also benefiting from this seasons beautiful display as two thirds must be hanging over into their garden.

Within a few minutes the male returned with breakfast and entered the box. Then the female flew onto the top of the bird feeder pole directly in front of me and continued to stare towards the box and was constantly calling. I had the feeling that this was 'D' day but I couldn't dally and departed for work.
When I returned home tonight Anita said that she believes the youngsters have fledged as she had a very brief sighting of one juvenile at around 10 a.m. and whilst one of the parents has returned to the seed feeder there have been no other sightings of their offspring and no sounds from the nest box. So we wish the new born every success and hope they find a dry place to roost as the wet weather has returned tonight.

Something to cheer the spirit?

Another grey, damp week with little opportunity to seek out wildlife due to work commitments so I'm posting a few images from my garden, taken last summer, to remind me of what is to come.......

Geum
Smell me?

Geranium

Delightful Dahlia's

Firey Flower