Snatching half an hour of occasional sunshine before the expected gloom set in for the day, I wandered around the garden with my camera.
Two retrained pink climbing roses are in bloom along the front garden trellis.
We have masses of geraniums palmatum. Jackie took cuttings last year, and distributed some in the front, where they are thriving and will soon replace the wind-blown crab apple blossom from above.
Similar division has been effected with libertia. My method is described in the linked post. I would have been happy to write that the libertia here frolicked solely with alliums and bluebells against the red Japanese maple. Unfortunately when I put this picture up on screen it revealed the clinging velcro strings of lady’s bedstraw, a pernicious weed we have spent two years eradicating. That put a halt to my proceedings while I assisted The Head Gardener in its immediate removal.
The maple’s red foliage appears to be extended by a rhododendron on the other side of the grass.
Snapdragons are now fully out, this one fortuitously planted within sight of one of the residents of the Dragon Bed.
Walking straight on past the dragon leads to the Shady Path, so named because of its original state.
Running roughly parallel to the right of this is the Gazebo Path.
This is the view through the gazebo across the grass patch.
Continuing along the Shady Path, red climbing roses now reward Jackie’s training.
When we arrived here, some very poorly looking slender red gladioli struggled in poor soil outside the kitchen door. Our resident expert lifted the bulbs and replanted them in the boxes she arranged at the head of the back drive. They are standing proud and coming into flower.
A mature rhododendron has been rescued from the choking jungle,
and nearby, similarly hued clematis Doctor Ruppel proliferates.
The hawthorn along the back drive has responded to pruning.
This evening we dined at Lal Quilla in Lymington. My main choice was Goan King Prawn, and Jackie’s sag chicken. We shared an egg paratha, special fried rice, and onion bahji; and both drank Kingfisher.
Love those dragons, snap or otherwise!
Thanks, Laurie
Beautiful!
Thank you, Home Hugs
I agree. Nice place to sit and just be still.
You’ve made me post some pictures of my garden – you just made me!
🙂
You have a really beautiful garden, Derrick!
Many thanks, John
Lady’s Bedstraw – although Wiki says it is “naturalized in New Zealand”, I have never laid eyes on it! Nothing worse than a persistent weed. Love the Doctor Ruppel and the flowering hawthorn.
Thanks very much, Bruce. You may have seen Pauline has some
Liking the snap dragon, with the dragon statue in the background. The garden is really beautiful in the various settings, Derrick (and Jackie)! I enjoy how you have arches and perfect framing devices of nature here. The pretty pinkish peach rose was delightful, too. 🙂
Many thanks, Robin
Stunning!
Thanks, Rob
The weed you call Lady’s Bedstraw looks a lot like the one I know as ‘Cleavers’ or ‘Sticky Willy’ – it has that velcro feel to it 🙂 I even have some in my teeny tiny courtyard garden and it just keeps coming back! The garden is looking stunning! Just the one owl and a dragon today 🙂
Many thanks, Pauline. We call it Sticky Willy, too, but I wanted to keep the post reasonably clean. There is a white owl in profile half way up the tree on the left of the shady path picture; and two on the gazebo path – one half way along on the right, and a terra cotta one at the far end. You can be forgiven for missing these very difficult ones.
I’ve never heard of any of those names – of course down in the Scottish Dunedin where Pauline comes from – they use words the rest of us have never heard of – e.g. couch (I believe) for example is called twitch. Clearly couch and twitch have the same linguistic source coming from somewhere!
I enlarged the photos again and then found my trusty magnifying glass – the one I use for reading minuscule instructions on tiny containers of potentially lethal glues and suchlike – and found them all. You are making my owl spotting activities rather challenging Derrick I shall have to put my reading glasses on! Also please advise dear Mr Goodman as I can’t reply to his reply, to please remember, I am an immigrant down south and I called that stuff cleavers and sticky willy [titter] up north 🙂
Thank you, Pauline. Will do
The red foliage is gorgeous and the last picture…beautiful. 🙂
Thanks very much, Maniparna
Just goes to show what happens when a great gardener and a great photographer get together. 🙂
Many thanks, Quercus
What a nice thing to say, thank you.
Your garden is so beautiful. I love the paths that go through it–as well as the beautiful flowers, of course!
Thank you, Merril. The first thing we did was clear the paths, and, in the process, found the one we call Heligan
I love the Gazebo Path, Derrick! Your Japanese Maple looks really healthy. Do you fertilize it? Kudos to you and Jackie…simply beautiful.
Thanks, Jill. Azalea food last year.
Come into the garden, Maud,
For the black bat, night, has flown,
Come into the garden, Maud,
I am here at the gate alone ;
And the woodbine spices are wafted abroad,
And the musk of the rose is blown.
– Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Thought I’d add some lovely words to you beautiful garden in full bloom!
Thank you very much, Sol
Lady’s bedstraw, In Norse mythology, was named after the goddess Frigg who oversaw women in childbirth, because it was used as a sedative.. called.Frigg’s Grass. But you’d probably rather call it “that friggin’ grass.” Beautiful photos of the garden, as usual.
Many thanks, Cynthia. That’s one name I didn’t know. Sticky Willy is another of our terms.
Uffa! Now, that’s a name that would stay in your memory banks. 🙂
Could you access a drone one day and take us for a bird’s eye view of your jardin?
I had to go and see what TanGental ad to show us. You folks are neck and neck, I reckon.
Thank you, Yvonne. Praise indeed. Did you know TanGental grew up not much more than a mile from where we live now; and I grew up and spent much of my life in London where he now lives? Our paths keep crossing, for example I featured the church in which he got married.
No, I didn’t know about all those nice coincidences, Derrick.
Enchanted garden! You and Jackie’s paradise must be the envy of many; including myself. Your lawn ornaments are charming additions!
Thank you very much, Rose
What’s not to like? Dragons and hawthorns berries particularly are special to the Chinese.
Thank you, Mary. I’m pleased you liked it
The way this garden is evolving, I believe you will be spending many a day walking around with your camera. Kudos to the Master Gardener and her loyal handyman!!
Many thanks, GP
Lovely photos of your enchanting garden.
Thank you, Marje
All so lovely Derrick. Have a good weekend.
Many thanks, Lonely
Lovely roses and everything else in the garden!
Thank you, Lynn
You have so much variety! I love that
Beautiful garden, Derrick! You have put a lot of work and love to your garden. 🙂
Thank you for sharing.
Thanks very much, Amy
What a beautiful garden, my goodness 😊
Many thanks, Nomzi
You are most welcome Derrick 🙂
Many thanks, WordPress cured my computer. 🙂
Thanks for the catch up, Micheline
Lovely hues from your garden. It’s the tenderness and affection that goes into making it bloom that held my attention this time around. Kudos to the head gardener.
Thanks very much, Timi