Knowing that we could expect heavy rain this afternoon, Jackie spent all morning
trimming Wedding Day on the Agriframes Arch which would be bound to be ravaged.
She completed the task as the rain began.
I carried out dead heading, a little clearing up, and photography.
Phlox are doing very well this year.
It is the season for dahlias
and Japanese anemones.
Fuchsias are enjoying it too. These examples are Garden News, Magellanica, Mrs Popple, Hawksmoor, and Sarah’s Delta.
Roses picked out by my lens include Alan Titchmarsh, Summer Time, a pink climber, Deep Secret, and Lady Emma Hamilton.
Other gems include two varieties of eryngium; blue agapanthus contrasting nicely with pale calendulas; the swamp lily Crinum Powellia; whiskery St Johns wort; White Pearl sweet peas and; potted begonias reclining on the rusty rocker, now a little unsafe to use for its intended purpose.
In addition to the clematis still sprawling on the Agriframes Arch above, we have many others, including
Polish Spirit in the Dragon Bed and on the barrier trellis, and Purpurea Plena Elegans in the Rose Garden.
Rather like the Head Gardener, bees such as these clinging precariously to lavender, to salvias, and to verbena bonariensis, were working against the rain clock.
This afternoon I posted “A Knight’s Tale (10: After the Revolution)”
Our dinner this evening consisted of chicken breasts cooked in Nando’s chilli, lemon, and mango sauce, and Jackie’s savoury rice, with which she drank Cotes de Provence rosé 2020, and I drank more of the Fleurie.
The picture of the bee on the lavender plant is the winner of the day (for me.)
Thanks very much, Bridget
It started raining here in the afternoon and it’s till going eight hours later. I really must get that gutter fixed . . .
🙂 Thanks a lot, Quercus
How lovely!
Thank you very much, Cindy
The bees were having a wonderful time — too bad the rain brought that to an end! The garden looks wonderful!
Thank you very much, Janet
Your gallery of beautiful roses never fails to delight – even on a wet summers day!
Goodness what a marvellous spectacle – who needs olympic gymnastics when we have the precarious antics of bees in your wonderful garden?!
It’s nice to see Polish Spirit again – it looks even more lovely than earlier in the year 🙂
Thank you so much, Emma
Both the bees and the Head Gardener worked hard to accomplish their tasks, and the flowers are obviously grateful for their joint attentions. Your roses are as splendid as ever, Derrick.
Many thanks, Dolly
My pleasure, Derrick.
I always love seeing the fuchsias! And the rusty rocker is wonderful to hold some begonias on it’s lap!
The bees are hanging on. 🙂 Like them, I need to buzz and get busy!
But, first…The word cling/clinging always makes me think of a song I heard in my childhood…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGxRpWg_aqU
Thank you to you and Jackie for bringing joy to each day. 🙂
(((HUGS)))
This song was played at my brother’s wedding. It always chokes me up.
🙂
Aw. It is a heart-touching song and then to be a memory from a special occasion makes it even more emotional.
(((HUGS)))
What was the song, Carolyn? X
It is the folk song Today by The New Christy Minstrels. It was popular in the mid-1960’s. One of my older siblings played it on the record player…a lot. 🙂
Thanks a lot. They were good.
Thank you for sharing those attractive colorful flowers
And thank you for your comment, Mina
Most welcome, My friend
I hope the rain hasn’t done any damage. Well done for being well prepared.
Wind overnight has caused a bit. Thanks very much, Sue
Gorgeous! I love the Phlox, Derrick. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks very much, Jill. It has been a very good year for them
I am very impressed by the naming of the plant varieties. Even Mrs T can’t always name ours and she planted them.
Same here. Labels have a penchant for vanishing. Thanks a lot, Tootlepedal
I love that bee clinging precariously. Your garden is so beautiful, and it’s definitely a full-time job to keep it that way. I hope you get just the right amount of rain.
The rain has helped a lot this year, although Jackie has sometimes had to empty the pots to stop their contents getting waterlogged – and water a lot in the dry periods. Thanks very much, Merril
So many beautiful photos, Derrick! ❤️☺️🇬🇧
Thanks a lot, John
I think your flowers are showing off for the camera. 🙂
🙂 Thanks a lot, Liz
Potted begonias reclining on the rusty rocker
Colourful observer overseeing the gardens gusty stalkers
🙂 Nice comment as always, Ivor. Thank you very much
Pesky weather but the photos are stunning.
Thanks a lot, Gary
So many beauties!
Many thanks, Rosaliene
It’s always fun to see plants we share. In this instance, it’s the St. John’s wort (native in East Texas) and the Crinum lily (although our species is different).
Thank you very much, Linda. I wondered whether you would have a swamp lily.
So lovely 💛🙏🐝
Thank you so much, Val
Your garden is a wonderland of diverse beauty.
Thank you so much, JoAnna
Your garden is so beautiful you all take such good care of it.
How long did it take to grow all the beautiful plants and flowers?
We have been here 7 years. The Rose Garden, for example, we created after spending a year digging out rubbish, including a buried bath. Many of the other shrubs were already here, although choked by brambles. As we have cleared away the jungle they have responded to the light. Thank you for your comments and for asking, More
Wow you’ve done good job. And you’re quite welcome
🙂
Jackie has tidied up the plants nicely enough to have made them less susceptible to rains, torrents may have other tricks up their sleeves. Today’s flowers look special.
Thanks very much, Uma. Heavy winds last might ripped another stem off the rose she worked on yesterday and smashed a few pots.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!
Thank you very much, Alys
It is hard to pick a favorite among these floral beauties. I am enjoying all the blooms and lushness in your gardens. You and Jackie have done a wonderful job.
Thank you so much from us both, Lavinia
The weather doesn’t appear to have adversely affected the garden which is looking really lush
I think all the rain has helped, although heavy winds have caused more damage overnight, including tearing a limb off the rose she worked on yesterday, and smashing a few pots. Thanks a lot, Sheree
Sorry to hea4 that Derrick, particularly after all your hard work.
Ah, well. Thanks again
The color and variety in your garden is outstanding. You seem to have the right mix of sun and rain. Summers here in the supposedly rainy Seattle area are always dry but especially this year. We’ve hardly had any rain at all for the last couple of months. I thought I smelled rain, though, a few minutes ago. We’ll see.
We certainly have had the right mix this year. I hope you got your rain, Nicki. Thanks very much
We did. It was light but much appreciated.
Thank you to doesitevenmatter3 for providing the background music for my second viewing of the denizens of your lovely garden (and Jackie hard at work!). Nandos is another South African connection 🙂
The manager of my favourite London restaurant, the Akash in Edgware Road, said his choice of eating out was Nados. Thank you very much, Anne
Gardens are so demanding. We have been away for only five days at the seaside in Yorkshire and I see this morning that there is a full weekends work ahead.
Yes – but it is good that you got away, Andrew. Thanks a lot
What a stunning variety of flowers you have and your garden has never looked better. I envy you your clematis. Gorgeous on the arch.
Thanks very much, Judy
Absolutely gorgeous photos!
Much appreciated, Ribana
Dear Derrick,
we did same in our garden today and now the rain started.
Fine pictures of your flowers. Thanks for sharing
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Thanks very much, Klausbernd and the rest of you 🙂
I am collecting plants with white flowers. I noticed you have plenty of them.
Thanks very much, Arlene
Love seeing the garden and how it is doing.
Thanks very much, Sherry
Beautiful flowers! Pink clematis is my favourite.
Thank you very much, Rupali
Beautiful, beautiful! Hope everything came through all right.
Not too bad. Still gale force winds all day today. Thanks a lot, Laurie
So pretty. If we ever do get to visit the UK, Jackie, I hope you will show me around your garden. I hope my Fuchsias do better this year.Love the colours.
Thanks very much, Chrissy. She would love to.
This is a stunning gallery of pictures – the peace before the storm. It is quite strange reading your daily posts after your historical ones: contrast of plenty, colour, security even in these times. The contrast of the title struck me too – ‘Clinging Precariously’ being a bee on a flower when your previous post eloquently described humans holding on.
Nicely linked, Susan. Thanks very much
Love all your pictures especially the bee ones.
Thanks very much, Mrs W