Great Excitement! (In my world, anyway...)

 I almost feel as though this post should be preceded by a drum roll!  However, in the absence of sound effects, I would like to announce that my peony Athens is flowering!  It is absolutely beautiful and I am delighted.  I know that this isn't world shattering news and in the great scheme of things, it means very little, but to me at this moment, it is wonderful.

 Isn't it beautiful?

 In other news, my clematis Warsaw Nike is flowering for the first time with velvety purple petals.

 Clematis Crystal Fountain is also putting on a good show.

 Alliums are still in flower too...

 and allium Christophii is just unfurling.

 It has lovely silvery lilac flowers.

Cirsium rivulare atropurpureum is also coming into flower, echoing the peony which is behind it on the border in a pot.  The cirsium may be a short lived perennial but this is its second year with me and it is doing well since I potted it on.

And finally...another look at the peony earlier tonight, just starting to go over a little.

There is another bud getting ready though.  I do need to get these peonies potted into bigger pots as they are drying out very quickly, which can't be good for them.  I have promised myself some gardening time on Sunday and in the meantime, I'll water them daily.
After all that excitement, I may need to go and lie down...

Colour

I have been enjoying colour in different forms over the last few days.  Above can be seen some coloured quartz beads which I couldn't resist sorting.  (I'm the same with coloured pencils - I have a tin of Caran D'Ache watercolour pencils which my Dad bought me many years ago and I have to sort them periodically!  Oh, and there's embroidery thread which has to be wrapped round a plastic card and then colour sorted too).

 The garden is starting to show its early summer colour with pastel lilacs and purples.  Clematis Crystal Fountain above has fully opened...

...and Clematis Arabella is just starting to flower.

This is the very exciting news - well, it is exciting if you are like me.  You may remember me saying I had bought two patio peonies and they are now just about to flower!  Above is 'Madrid', which initially looked as though it was going to have a pink flower and that bothered me a bit as I thought it wasn't the right variety, but was tricking me, because I can see the white petals peeping through in the bud.

 Here is peony 'Athens' which is tantalisingly close to opening fully.  I go out to look at it every morning, and each time it is a tiny bit further on, but still not quite there.

Look, you can almost see the golden centre.  Another day or two and it should be open.  It is a good lesson in being patient.

My Star plants

It's a bit of an in-between time in the garden, in late May.  The roses are in bud and lots of other plants are getting ready, but the tulips are over and the Spring flowers are fading.  So, what is there to look at in my garden?

 Magnolia Fairy Blush in its second year with me and looking very pretty.

 An aquilegia my sister gave me - I don't know what the variety is, but I like the delicate pink and white flowers.

 The stalwarts of the May border - alliums.

 Another aquilegia bought last year and not planted out or potted on yet - shame on me!  I wonder whether it would seed with the white one and make a pale blue variety?

 Erigeron karvinskianus which has pretty white and pink flowers.

Reliable Geranium Phaeum, or mourning widow, to give its common name. I think this might be Lily Lovell, but am not sure.

 Geranium Phaeum Album - a lovely plant.

 Clematis Crystal Fountain just unfurling.

 More deep purple Geranium Phaeum.

Finally, another geranium, versicolor, I think, but I could be wrong.  I love the veining on the petals. This one seeds all over the place and is trying to take over, but can be removed easily. I let it stay where I want it to be, but take it out if it gets too unruly!  So, a few plants to enjoy and keep me going while I wait for the roses, peonies and clematis to flower.

Spring garden

 The wet weather has encouraged the plants to put on a lot of growth and it is all looking rather green and luscious.  Above is Clematis Crystal Fountain which is looking very flamboyant.

 The blowsy clematis contrasts well with the understated elegance of this aquilegia (I don't know the variety).

 This one is supposed to be 'Navy and White', but appears to have turned pink.  I do like it, despite it not being blue!

 Here's one of my newest plants, Magnolia 'Fairy Blush' which has such pretty flowers.  It is supposed not to get too massive, can be pruned and is meant to be really hardy. I'm impressed so far - how could I not like those flowers?

 Really pretty delicate colours.  I also have a white/cream one, but it only has leaves as it is a younger plant.

The tulips have been beautiful this year and I have already put in my order for next year!  Although most of them are now over, Red Shine continues to give a splash of colour which offsets all the green so well.  Chris said how much he liked these particular ones (just as well, because I have ordered more!).  Although there is quite as bit of dodging showers for us, the plants are loving it and I am looking forward to seeing what flowers next.

Late Summer Colour

 To cheer us up after these rather dull, grey and definitely autumnal last few days, here is a nice burst of colour from the garden.  I must admit that I took these photos last weekend, when the light was better, but the flowers are all still going, though looking a little more bedraggled now.  Above is an annual dahlia, grown from seed, which I shoved in a pot and put outside the front door.  As it turned out, this is the best plant because the ones in the back garden have been decimated by snails!

 White cosmos, again grown from seed, also in the pot at the front door.

 A geranium versicolour showing beautiful veining.

 Rose Mary Rose, with the slowly opening buds of caryopteris.

 Crocosmia 'Honey Angels' with a shot of yellow to enliven the border.  This is a great plant, not too tall and it has come through the last winter or two beautifully.  I have ordered a couple more of these.

 A sugar pink phlox flower, bought as part of a a bare root collection earlier this year.

 My favourite geranium, Rozanne, which has been voted plant of the century by the RHS members. (I voted for it too!)

 Another cosmos, in a pot in the back garden.

 Clematis Crystal Fountain, showing the stages of the flowers.  I like the pom pom left after the petals have fallen.

 Hydrangea Endless Summer 'The Bride'.

 A pretty fuchsia 'Thamar', which is also in a pot and which came through last winter.

 A recent addition bought from Barnsdale; Helenium 'Ruby Tuesday' which is a compact variety, again in a pot. 

Beautiful rusty red flowers.

 More hydrangeas - Endless Summer 'Pink'.

A relatively new hydrangea, with blue flowers but no name.  I'm not sure how hardy this will be, but I couldn't resist the delicate blue/purple flowers.
The colours have definitely brightened my day and I hope you have enjoyed them too.

Garden Bounty

 Late summer can be a tricky time in the garden.  The summer plants have finished and the real autumn ones haven't started, but I have been very pleased by the highlights I have seen over the last few days.  Hibiscus 'Oiseau Bleu' has been beautiful this year - very floriferous and bridging that late summer gap extremely well.

 Here's a polymer clay pendant design just waiting to happen!

 The Clematis 'Crystal Fountain' was a disaster earlier in the year - no flowers, eaten by snails and looking awful.  However, it has perked itself up and it is rather a diva plant... "look at me!"...so I did look at it.

 I liked the combination of geranium Rozanne, which has been flowering for ages, and a new crocosmia 'Emberglow', which I bought from Barnsdale.

 The ever reliable rose Molineux, showing a delicate apricot tint on the petals.

 Japanese Anemone 'Bressingham Glow', I think.  I am sure I didn't plant it where it is, but it has brightened up this dull and slightly-shaded-by-jasmine corner.

 Another pleasing combination of crocosmia (probably the species) with buddleia 'Buzz' magenta, supposedly a dwarf variety, but not this year!

 Here is the piece de resistance!  I haven't grown raspberries before, so ordered three canes for a tub, back in Spring. The one I chose was Joan J, an autumn fruiting variety.

 Here are the first fruits of my labours.  In fact, the plants have been relatively undemanding, except with water - they get through a watering-canful most evenings.  I have fed them occasionally too.

I am very proud of this achievement and we are enjoying the fruits as they ripen.  Sun ripened and still warm, they are delicious.

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