Evening Reflections

   July has been hot,hot, hot! It has been a blazing 27 degrees centigrade. I was up at the allotment trying to salvage the plot from the five feet weeds and grass! The harvest pics are on Twitter (link in the side bar).
 The Rose Arthur Bell opened its bloom when I was out. A lovely strong tea scent, and amazingly vibrant petals. I love how the Rose has bloomed despite the heat and lack of rain.

  The David Austin Rose Moliniuex flowers like a film star. I rarely see the Roses at the front unfurl like this. She looks like a Tea Rose, but will unfurl the yellow petals. I like seeing a variety of Rose blooms on a plant.

  This will be the last year that I grow Lily's. They have been so damaged by Lily Beetles who breed and their revolting larvae (covered in their own black poo) eat the whole plant, stripping all the leaves and destroying the flowers.I tried picking them off by hand but they kept coming.
  This is the Asda Black Knight Lily? It looks more Red on the photo then the black Lily they showed on the box the bulbs came in.

   Apart from the Aesthetics of seeing flowers covered in Lily Beetle poo, the flowers are getting smaller. The leaf damage means the bulbs are not storing enough energy to flower with big blooms next year. I think all the Barrel planters and pots will be emptied and composted. I need to think what to replace them with.
 These are my Tiger Lily's but they have lost their spots! Unless they have reverted back to one of the parents?
 Mass planting is great, but monoculture brings in a plague of pests. If I stop growing Lily's for a few seasons then the bugs can move to other gardens. They fly to the scent of Lily's.

 The Hostas are coping with the heat well.They don't seem to suffer sun damage, or even droop if the pots get dry on top. I love the cascade effect of the white flowers on the pot Hostas by the fence.The two new Hostas have survived since I put them on the table. They were too small to survive the pest attacks. They need growing on and protecting for a season or two before they can join the giant Hostas on the concrete path.

 The last picture shows the first Bishop Dahlia to flower. The Orange Flower belongs to the Bishop Of Oxford. The original Bishop of Llanduff was rotted away. I found three of the series in Hampsons.
 I hope the other two bishop Dahlias are as pretty as this one. The burnt orange colour just glows above the dark foliage below.
  The sun is low in the sky now, the temperature has fallen. Cat has watered the garden. The hanging baskets and Strawberry beds have been decimated by the heat. Some plants look good (the ones photographed).
  The evening garden is serene and calm after the rush of the day, and the sweltering heat. Evening is a good time to go into the garden.