Today, the hottest day of the year, was fine and sunny.
While Jackie swept, weeded, pruned, and watered the Rose Garden. (This picture is not an official “Where’s Nugget?”, but on reading the blog and doubly enlarging it The Head Gardener identified our familiar robin clearly silhouetted above the central bloom of clematis Warsaw Nike in the right foreground.)
I pruned roses and photographed various scenes there and elsewhere.
The Mum in a Million rose chaperoned by gladioli and foxgloves to the left of the third picture above is now in her prime.
In the first scene Jackie attends the gazebo which hosts Crown Princess Margareta and Zephirine Drouhin each exuding strong sweet scents.
This pink climber scales an obelisk
beside Margaret Merrill.
Ballerina dances elegantly
and another nameless climber, a deeper pink, soars above the arbour.
The views from the Cryptomeria Bed and the Concrete Patio lead on to the Rose Garden. The above picture contains one of the
plethora of poppies we now enjoy.
These stand against a red rhododendron.
As these bushes are nearing the end of their flowering, a different colour combination comes into its own.
This can be seen above the bench beside the Heligan Path
Back in the Rose Garden our little goldcrest continued its reflected courtship. He wasn’t fazed by us, but Jackie has now covered the mirror to reduce tantalisation.
Nugget kept us intermittent company. “Where’s Nugget?” (79).
Another view from the Cryptomeria Bed takes us towards the house, passing an unseen
arch sporting this purple clematis.
This stunning non-hardy pelargonium has survived the entire winter in a pot beside the kitchen window.
More small alliums live in the Pond Bed opposite.
The Chilean lantern tree is now quite loaded.
From the patio we have a view along the Dead End Path.
This view looks south from the Gazebo Path.
Looking in the same direction along the Brick Path we see that Wedding Day is burgeoning on the Agriframes Arch.
The roses along the Back Drive borders will also soon cover the stumps.
Irises Reticulata are cropping up everywhere.
A few days ago we visited South Sway Lane
to check on Gimlet, our carrot-loving equine friend. His field was empty, as it remained today when we came back to collect more horse manure from the house opposite. It was all gone, although it had been there on our previous trip.
Undaunted, Jackie continued to Ferndene Farm shop where there was no queue and she was able to buy several items. Still on Sway Lane,
I disembarked to photograph some backlit grey horses. The immediately trotted over to their gate so I had to be satisfied with this shot, which biggifies quite well.
This evening we repeated yesterday’s meal, except that the potatoes were old and sprouting a few roots. Our alcoholic accompaniments were the same.
