I wasn’t able to dead head all the roses today, although I carried out quite a long session with secateurs before my knees suggested that a rest might be in order. After taking one, it seemed likely that spent buds would not spoil any photographs, so I wandered around with the camera.
Here are four Rose Garden views with individual shots of Aloha, Absolutely Fabulous framed by a foxglove crescent, Gloriana, For Your Eyes Only, Rosa Gallica; and Ballerina dancing attendance.
Roses elsewhere include Wedding Day just coming into bloom on the Gothic arch; the peach rose in the Oval Bed; and Compassion beside the Dead End Path.
Bees continue to swarm around the yellow bottle brush plant and the valerian.
Purple lamium and blue petunias share one of Jackie’s pots; cosmoses feature in others. Our day lilies are proliferating; fuchsias Delta’s Sarah has proved to be hardy enough to survive our winter.
The kitchen wall display has benefited from all the recent rain.
The Palm Bed is named for the cordeline Australis which can be seen beyond its compatriot eucalyptus.
These three views are of the Phantom Path; the Shady Path; and the junction between the Brick and Gazebo Paths, the latter of which is shown from both directions.
This evening we dined on Jackie’s classic cottage pie, firm carrots, and tender runner beans with which she drank Hoegaarden and I drank Navarra Garnacha Roble 2017.
I just love looking at your garden.
Thanks very much, Sheree
Me too. That’s happiness of another level.
Thanks very much, Kavitha
You have the most beautiful garden
Sorry for delay. I’ve just found this in the trash
Oh that’s ok
Okay. That’s it. I’m moving in. Gorgeous garden and not a venomous snake in sight. 😉
🙂 Much appreciated, Leslie.
I love your summer garden Derrick. The kitchen wall is my absolute favourite!
I thought it might be, Pauline. Thanks. very much
Just the other side of the window, is your lovely light catcher, sometimes you can see it in the photos.
Thank you Jackie, that’s so nice to know, I hope it’s continuing to sparkle for you. The outside view around that window is a real treat! <3
Rose, roses everywhere – how splendid! I don’t know the names of any of them (nor any other flowers, to my shame), but the pink one in full bloom, combined with red buds, literally took my breath away.
Thank you very much, Dolly
My pleasure, Derrick
Some stunning colours sir, even a bit of blue sky.
🙂 Thanks very much, Gary
Beautiful
Many thanks, Cinnamon
You’re welcome
Your garden is amazing Derrick. Enjoy it.
Thanks very much, Drew
Your garden is stunningly beautiful Derrick, and gloriously captured by your photos……
Thanks very much, Ivor
Lavender and roses – I can imagine the scent.
There is only only one rose in the Rose Garden that has no scent. Thanks very much, Sue
Thank you for taking us along a very relaxing and beautiful walk of your garden. Very much enjoyed and found inspiring Derrick.
Very many thanks, Agnes
And do you have a Primrose Path too?
Not quite – I know you don’t have a Camomile Lawn
Beauties, all. I know it takes hard work, derrick, but this is the time of year when I marvel at nature and wonder how humans are so privileged to live on earth.
So well said, Cynthia. Thanks very much.
Your flowers are so far ahead. I do have an abundance of Columbines. They do quite well at my place
Many thanks, Mrs W. Ours have gone crazy this year
Your welcome. That’s always nice.
Loveliness. It is quite a chore, but well worth it in terms of results, at least when it is done!
Thanks a lot, Cindy.
Looking good as always
Thanks very much, Sue
Gorgeous photos, Derrick! The Phantom and Shady Paths look like a wonderful place for a stroll. Thanks for sharing!
Many thanks, Jill
Beautiful photos! Wow!
Thanks very much, Lisa
Your garden looks wonderful. Love the kitchen wall. I have been away all week and missed the rain but there is a lot of maintenance to do now that I have returned.
Yes – the rain has promoted growth 🙂 Thanks very much, Andrew
Those are heavenly photographs. They pop out of the tablet screen and freeze the moments. The views of those paths in your garden are so splendid and speak volumes of the hard work being put in by the Head Gardener and her Vice Admiral.
Many thanks, Uma. Chuckles over here
I’ve never seen a yellow bottle brush. Lovely with the bee…
I had never seen any at all until we came down here. Bees swarm all over them. Thanks very much, Judy
This would be my dream garden, as long as I had Jackie as head gardener. 😅
Thanks very much Sylvia 🙂
All so beautiful, Derrick!
I love seeing the yellow bottle brush! I’ve never seen one before! Just pink ones and red ones! 🙂
Oh, your roses are stunning! The smells must be heavenly! 🙂
HUGS to you and to Jackie!!! 🙂
Thank you very much, Carolyn. We have a red one, too, but it hasn’t bloomed yet X
Ooh. I look forward to your photos of it! 🙂
The flower bottle brushes fascinated me when I was a little girl!
My mom made us use a real-bottle-brush thingee to clean certain glasses, etc. when washing dishes. So the flower bottle brushes were fun to look at! 🙂
I can imagine 🙂
That Cordeline is outstanding Sir! I put it down to Jackie’s excellent care!
Such a wonderful garden to relax and take all the beauty in. (After all the hard work is done, of course!) 🙂
Thanks very much, Bob
Stout effort. Still working on dead-heading my own roses – only a tiny fraction of the numbers you have.
Thanks a lot, Roland. Just off out to do some more
It’s all so beautiful, and your photographs are stunning, too. I love all the paths–with names–that you and Jackie have, but I also like the kitchen wall display. This made me laugh: “Compassion beside the Dead End Path”–something one would hope to find. 😉
Glad you spotted that, Merril. 🙂 Thanks very much
🙂
Jackie has set you up with a job for life, thanks to all those glorious roses!
Thanks very much, Jessica. And to think the rose garden was my idea 🙂
I think I will get some valerian – has been wondering what might replace the strawberries near the oldest apple tree, now they are getting old. Have you noticed if yours attract cats?
We do have visiting cats – not sure why. Thanks a lot, Helen
The reason for my question was because valerian is like as much as catnip, apparently. However, since the cats visit anyway, I was wondering if valerian by the trees would make a difference to the number of birds visiting.
We don’t have any shortage of birds
All to the good – and thanks for letting me know!
Eye candy for a Saturday morning. Thank you, Derrick. Have a great day!
Thanks very much, Steve
Eee, it’s grim oop nawth. Love your garden, you two! And a nice glass of Navarra…
Thanks very much, Mike – Cheers.
what a wonderful way to start the day with a wander through your garden, thank you for sharing, you have both created something beautiful in all seasons…
Very many thanks, Dymoon
Everything is in glorious bloom. I have come to the conclusion that Jackie’s garden is my dream garden. The picture you use as a header is stunning.
Thanks very much, Laurie
Wow, I can only ad to other comments that your garden is in magnificently full foison. All the rain we’ve had lately, after a spell of sun, has sent everything racing away up here too.
Thanks very much, Libre
You’ve made Rosa ‘Ballerina’ look very graceful. That’s one of my favourites. It all looks glorious.
Many thanks, Susan. I’m pleased
Oh, that header photo of your fairy garden at night – I love it! Everything looks fabulous. I remember photos from years ago when the rose garden (I think) was mostly dirt and some bricks. What a job you two have done!
I have that exact purple lamium. I love it! I use it as a border everywhere. Now I want to try it in a pot!
Thanks very much, Jodie. Yes, it was the Rose Garden. Jackie also has different lamiums in the borders. She puts stuff in pots to raise the colour.
Yes – AND she pots some of those pots on a stack of bricks for the same reason – I have stolen that trick. : )
🙂
Thank goodness the ground is soft enough for me to do some weeding! Currently my bees are favouring the Deutzia and they are mad about a plant which I can only possibly identify as a Cotoneaster Horizontalis which seems to have very very tiny closed up flowers, which you could hardly call flowers but they love the plant.
Thanks very much, Michelle
Such a beautiful garden and wonderful photos. Thanks for sharing them with us 🙂
Thanks very much, Nikki
Amazing garden and the images Derrick.
Thanks very much, Rupali