Summer Holiday

The garden is looking very lush and full of colour. We are going away for a week tomorrow so I hope that these pictures will keep the readers going. There is a lot of blog to read back through away. I can formulate blog posts when I'm away in the Forest Of Dean. The pond has cleared naturally with all the oxygenating plants. The Snapdragons and grasses have all grown really well, and the Wild flower seed mix has grown great since it started raining.

A new plant in the new garden is this Buddleja Black Knight. I'm hoping that it will draw Butterflies in from miles around. It has a musty earthy smell to it and beautiful dark purple flowers on the flower spike.

One of the Dahlias is almost ready to open. It is a two tone mix of orange/yellow. I wanted it to match the Orange and Yellow Roses. I always love the pomp and circumstance of the Dahlias, Aztec treasure flowers.

The last photo before the holiday is the lilac Larkspur. Cats Dad gave me a tray full of seedlings. They are flowering beautifully all around the garden in lilac, purple, blue, white, and mixed flowers. They have a nectar spur that is behind the flower, very much like a Columbine..
The birds are visiting the garden every day. The buzzing insects are now swarming around the flowers and today I even saw a Grasshopper on the corner of our uncut grass! A few Butterflies have flown through as well.
I am recharging the camera batteries for the holiday. We are going away for a week on a tent holiday, with no electricity point, so no laptop for a week.
Snappys gardens blog is on a summer break..

Tatton Park Tomorrow

One day to go before I go to Tatton Park RHS flower show. Im looking forward to it, despite the constant rain thats fallen over the past few days.

http://www.rhs.org.uk/tatton/2007/index.asp

There has been more flooding down south and my Hometown Train station was under water yesterday (Cheltenham).

I braved the weather outside this morning to snap the Buddeleja. Its one of my plants of 2007, as in I keep seeing it everywhere. Car parks, the edges of building sites, railway lines, peoples weedy gardens, and wasteland seem full of the purple flowers. I have two varieties growing in the flat.

My gravel pulled volunteer is looking a bit ropey.I will see if it revives or whether the shock of moving it has damaged the roots.

The council display one is doing not too bad.The rooting hormone dipped stems had the lower leaves removed and have been anchored in compost.They appear to be growing with no signs of transpiration induced Shock!

The butterfly bush shown is growing in the carpark, between a twenty foot high stone wall and the side of the Brewery.Its roots must be in some dirt above the concrete.It has been battered by the rain and has tipped over.I rescued a big flower head to sit on my windowsill whilst I decide what it smells like.

The purple/lilac flowers have beautiful orange centres, with the nectar stashed at the end of the tube i guess. Butterflies have long probiscus so thats how they get at the nectar. They can probably smell it and it drives them mad.

My flower head has been rain splattered probably lessening the scent.I will see when its dried off a bit.

The Camera is coming to Tatton Park with me for the final day (Sunday 22nd July), and will be around my neck for the whole day.I watched the TV coverage (first TV i have watched in a few months) and it looked gorgeous. With show gardens, bedding displays, Floral Marquee, plant Creche, and queues of people everywhere.

I will post afterwards from the last big RHS flower show of the year. My first time ever going to one although I watched Chelsea flower show before.

Need to do some research about the Gardens I want to see, if they have survived the rain that has fallen.

Hope you are all having good weekends, and that your gardens are growing :)