Rain

The year has been quite dry but August seems to be making up for the lack of rain. It has been raining for the last 24 hours. The forecast is for the weekend is for drier brighter weather.

Through the kitchen window

It's too wet to pick flowers. I picked these Nicotiana last weekend. I still have mixed feelings about them. They are looking quite good in the garden but I'm not sure I like them in a vase. However, I have noticed the scent since I bought them in the house. The good thing about them is as each flower dies I can remove it individually.

Nicotiana alata 'Grandiflora'

In my garden in August continued

Lots of wind and rain this week making the garden look a bit battered.

The seeds I sowed on 22 July have all come up, I pricked them out. I've sown more seeds:

• Scabious border mixed
• Centaurea dealbata, a perennial cornflower
• Nigella papilllosa 'Musical Prelude', this has blue and white flowers. I don't normally like more than one colour in a pack but I thought these would be ok.
• Catanache caerula
• Ammi Majus 'Queen of Africa' 
• Cenolophium denudatum, a cow parsley type flower
• Aquilegia vulgaris 'Ruby Port'
• Aguilegia clematiflora 'Green Apples'

I think that will be it until Spring, I don't have space for any more.

Jug of garden flowers

My cutting plants are going over. I managed to have enough for a jug today. I bought an Antirrhinum from a Farmers Market along with a bright pink Cosmos. I hadn't been able to make up my mind whether to grow them. I have used both in this jug. I will grow some of the pink Cosmos next year.

The Sweet Peas are covered in greenfly. Fortunately this little chap and his five friends are munching on them.

Ladybird on sweet pea

The seedlings I dug up at from the Environmental Centre have turned out to be Lemon Balm not Mint. I am pleased about this but have discovered that it is as thuggish as Mint. I am not sure where it is going to be planted. I will dig up some mint next time I go.

Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus'

This Echinacea has been in my tiny front garden for a couple of years but it has never looked as it good as it does now. Lasts well in a vase.

Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle' in late summer

Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle' in winter

Another favourite plant is this shrub, Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'. It has large creamt flower heads which dry to a lovely beige colour and last throughout winter.

As plants go over, I am collecting seed heads for winter. I have poppies, nigella and echinops hanging up in the garage.

Today

Today feels a bit autumnal. It's breezy, wet and cool.

I thought I would try something a little bolder in a vase so here are larkspur from the garden in a plain green vase.

In my garden in August

All the hardy annuals I've grown are flowering except for the Ammi which has gone over. The ones I'm most pleased with are the Cosmos, Larkspur, Scabious, Clary and Nigella. I'll be growing these again next year. I'm disappointed with the Nicotiana, I thought it was scented but I can't detect any perfume. The Ammi hasn't done as well as I had hoped. I took some to the environmental centre where it is in a warm dry spot and it has done really well. I'll try a different spot next year.

A jug of annuals grown from seed

I have planted a plain and variegated sage for cutting next year. I also bought some mint seedlings back from the environmental centre to grow in a pot. I'm experimenting with different foliage to see what else works.After scouring lists I planted 'White Gold' and 'English Miss' roses but they only last two or three days in a vase. Perhaps that's the best I can hope for in a rose. They are beautiful though and smell lovely.

'English Miss' rose with sweet peas and scented leaves

Elsewhere in my garden, I have Achillea 'Apple Blossom' growing through Stipa tenuissima.This is a planting combination I admired at a garden show a few years ago and it always looks nice.

Achillea 'Apple Blossom growing through Stipa tenuissima

I have been updating my website. I have given it a fresher look and uploaded photographs to my plant lists. I am now finding plants have gone over that I forgot to photograph. I seem to have hardly any of the ferns and they are looking a bit autumnal already. This may be due to the dry weather.

I haven't seen many butterflies this summer. I wonder if the cold winter affected them? The only ones around are Hedge Browns and various Whites. No Red Admirals, Painted Ladies or Peacocks.

Hedge Brown on Sidalcea

The Swifts /Swallows/House Martins ( I have never been able to tell which they are) have departed for warmer climes. The nights are drawing in and the berries on the rowan are red. Still there's more to come in the garden and there is also a local garden show to look forward to on 4 September.