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| What’s in bloom in July – Standard rose ‘Red Flowering Carpet’ |
Below the standard rose are these plants………
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| This border should be full of tall spires of Verbena – but not yet! For now I’m just enjoying the foliage from Santolina, Sedum ‘Purple Emperor’, Pulmonaria and Heuchera ‘Silver Scrolls’ |
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| What’s in bloom in July – Rosa ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ flowers and buds |
At least we’ve had a little more sunshine than Edinburgh as forecasters earlier this week reported that it has been so gloomy that Edinburgh had only seen 1.6 hours of sunshine so far in July.
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| What’s in bloom in July – The Astrantia rubra is loving this damp weather |
I’m trying to look on the positive aspects to the monsoon weather pattern. In fact it’s given me a great excuse not to do the weeding. Furthermore the hosepipe has become redundant.
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| What’s in bloom in July – Anthemis tinctoria ‘Hollandaise Sauce’ |
When I do get out the weeds are so easy to find as they rocket above the foliage and are ever so easy to pull out. Docks with their long tap root have been never so easy to get rid of.
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| Ligularia ‘The Rocket’ is loving the rain though the wildlife is confused! |
Another chore I don’t like doing is mowing the lawn and I think I’ve cut the grass once in the past 4 weeks. Had to as it was becoming a meadow! Walking across the lawn feels like I’m walking on a sponge so I can’t possibly cut the grass today!
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| What’s in bloom in July – Lavendula augustifolia ‘Hidcote’ |
It hasn’t been a good year for Lavender. Likewise the Hidcote foliage isn’t very bushy due to the heavy rain and hail pelting down on the foliage. Here’s an interesting pictorial comparison of last summer with this summer in the Lavender Fields of Sommerset.
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| Berberis thunbergii f. atropurpurea ‘Rose Glow’ AGM |
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| Acer palmatum var. dissectum Dissectum Atropurpureum next to Bergenia cordifolia ‘Purpurea’ AGM |
What’s in bloom in July?
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| 12th July 2012 leavesnbloom garden including the salad leaf sowings to the lower left |
- If you’re interested you can compare this years GBBD to A Scottish Garden Bloggers Bloom Day in July 2011 and a slideshow for GBBD 2010.
Edit to add a few stats for Bernie:
135mm rain in June – wettish month of the year so far | average temp 13.9 C
56.4mm up until 15th July | average temp 17.8 C
Brooke Kroeger
Beautiful! Everything looks very lush and healthy. Spent the week cutting out brown foliage from the drought. 🙁
Bernie H
This all sounds so much like our wet season / Summer. 97% humidity and heavy rain is a typical day during the wet here in the tropics. Temperatures would be slightly different though. How much rainfall have you had this Summer?
Your garden is looking wonderful and obviously enjoying all the liquid sunshine! The Bergenia is beautiful and I just adore the Astrantia and Anthemis. Happy St Swithin's Day and I'll keep my fingers and toes crossed that it's a dry day!
Shirley Fox
Your garden looks wonderful for GBBD! Santolina 'Lemon Fizz' is new to me and just my kind of plant since the green and gray varieties are outstanding performers in my garden. I hope it's available here.
This is the time of year I enjoy the blooms of others since mine are resting from the heat.
The Sage Butterfly
The borage looks so healthy and full. You must have sent us some of your rain because we got some much needed rain today. Your back garden looks like a respite and a spot to enjoy all of the work you put into the garden. It is very beautiful.
FlowerLady
WOW~ Your gardens filled with all those wonderful blooms are wonderful. I just love 'Rhapsody in Blue', what a beauty. The overhead photo is great.
FlowerLady
Gatsbys Gardens
Rosie,
I love the design of your garden. You seem to have even less lawn than I do but lots of great plants.
Eileen
Rose
I love the last long shot of your garden, Rosie–absolutely beautiful! Love the Astrantia and the borage–I tried to plant some borage for the first time this year, but wasn't successful. I've heard it's so easy to grow, so I'm not sure what went wrong, but I'll try again next year.
The weather is all anyone talks about here, too. However, instead of constant rain (less than 2 hours of sunshine all month sounds so gloomy!), we are talking about the lack of rain and the insufferable heat. I wish we could mix our weather somehow and reach a happy medium:)
Gail Dixon (Louisiana Belle)
You've got quite an elaborate garden there! I love the Astrantia rubra–new one to me. When I read the word "hosepipe" I thought you might be from Louisiana. When I moved to Texas and referred to the hosepipe people looked at me like I was from another planet. Now I'm back in La. and I can say hosepipe all I want. In Texas they just say "hose" or "garden hose".
Ellie
Hi Rosie, your garden is looking beautiful with all of that lovely colour you have there. I hate cutting the grass as well, managed to get it done on wednesday and it was like a jungle :))
We have had a sunny, warm day with quite a strong wind, but if it is like that for the next 40 days I'll take it thank you very much. Hope you have had a nice day.
Have a good week. 🙂
Missy
Your garden is beautiful. I just love the photo from above. It ties it all together for me.
Andrea
Thank you Rosie for letting us see a wide angle shot. Even if i love your macros all the time, yes all the time, somehow i long for the over-all layout, so i am now satisfied. Your garden is beautiful and your photos have a different color and texture this time. Do you notice that the stems are longer when it is mostly overcast? But the long stems favored that lavender shot, oh how i love it!
HELENE
What a lovely garden! I found you through GBBD at Carol's, my first vist here. It stayed dry here in London today, amazing! Wonder if it means we are getting towards dryer weather…I am sick of the rain!! Loved yor Rosa 'Rhapsody in Blue' and I had a giggle over the Flood Babies! Take care 🙂
Bom
Aside from your salad crops, your garden seems to be doing quite well. I like your Pollyanna mindset. Not having to water is one thing I too enjoy about wet weather. The humidity on the other hand raises my anxiety levels about root rot. I followed your flood babies link. Given that my country has monsoons for almost half a year, I'm wondering if birth rates peak for a similar period 9 months after.
Gail
We're having the opposite problem in most the US…As I read what is happiest in rain, I totally get why I cannot grow plants like Astrantia rubra~I do love that flower! Thank you for the view from above!
Alison
Here in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. we are into our dry season, which lasts all of about 6 weeks usually. Most of the time our lawns and gardens are just as squishy as yours sounds. I love your last picture with the overview of your garden, it looks like a wonderful place. The closeups are great too, but most bloggers seldom show overviews, and they are just as instructive.
noel
aloha rosie,
i loved seeing your garden from above, i'm assuming from a bedroom or your roof 🙂 gorgeous blooms in your garden today
jennifer
Oh…I love your garden trellises over the walking path. Beautiful idea.
Pam/Digging
How beautiful your garden is — I love the wide shots! And it looks like it's largely a foliage garden. Thanks for joining in for Foliage Follow-Up.
Anna
Enjoyed your July flowers Rosie and being reassured by the Rain Today website that we have an 82% chance of the wet stuff today :)As you say though it does have some advantages and apparently ferns are relishing it. Would dearly like to see some more glimpses of the sun though.
Richard Havenga
Rosie:
I've been away for four days. I'm glad to see your healthy garden again. A bit envious of your rainfall. We had .28" last June 18th, and nothing since!
I especially like your Borage, and of course the Lavender. I harvest this from my three clumps, and hang it to dry in our basement. What a pleasant aroma!
Richard
Julie
Flood babies? Really?! Your garden is absolutely gorgeous. Ours is looking tired and unruly due to the high heat and humidity in SC–and the two weeks of neglect while we visited family in Germany and Switzerland. There's so much to be done outside, but it's just so darn hot that I'm thoroughly enjoying looking at your blooms instead! 😉 Happy GBBD!
scottweberpdx
Love the long shot at the end, puts everything in perspective. LOVE your Astrantia…the color is fabulous…and you're right, it would love that weather 🙂
Melanie
Sorry to hear about all your rain Rosie, I know how depressing it can be especially when the calendar says July! Be sure to cut of the borage flowers before they go to seed otherwise you will spend all of next year weeding them out :0 I find myself letting a few go to seed since I can't imagine my garden without it.
Kia
Your garden looks wonderful. I didn't know you could have Borage here. I sure miss having some battered and deep fired flowers, one of my fav summer treats while I was still in Italy. 🙂
Alistair
Rosie, the addition of Borage to your garden is something which I will consider for next year. I think Aberdeen may have had a little more sunshine than Edinburgh but definitely nothing to brag about. The picture of your garden on the 12th of July is just terrific.
greenapplesgarden.com
I loved looking down on your garden. So many never show the full garden and it is nice to see it like this. Thanks for the beautiful images, the garden looks great.
Lona
Rosie your garden is looking wonderful! I love all of your blue accents by the way. I think Astrantia is just the prettiest flower and I adore your lavender plants. Have a wonderful weekend.
Wife, Mother, Gardener
So pretty Rosie! I love your photo of C. 'overdam' but my favorite was getting to see the long view in your garden!! It really helped to put the pieces together. How beautiful your lawn is looking!
~Julie
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James Missier
Another oohhs & ahhs that is so captivating.
I enjoy that rose. It looked so weathered and tone down to a almost purple that marks that life can still sustain during difficult times.
Nature Rambles
What an absolutely stunning garden you have!! I'm blown away by the colours, the blooms, and the garden itself!
Patricia Bloomfield
I like flowers with white dots on the leaves) They look mysterious)
Richard Stamps Photography
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