Well that was a weird week. Although the weather forecast was for light showers every day we had some sunshine, some mist, some thunderstorms and a lot of wind! The garden has benefited from the rain as it was very dry but it was so cold on Friday that I even lit the wood burner in the evening! But it has been a busy and productive week in the garden. The Cornish hedge wall end has been rebuilt (thanks to my son) who also built me several small benches to stand pots on around the garden. The new tiny bed that was created from beneath the overgrown compost heap now has plants in it, a huge weedy grass has been removed from underneath the corkscrew hazel tree and the Kilmarnock willow has had a trim allowing light underneath. Bark has been spread. And bulbs have been removed from pots.

But for this week we are going to have another look at the Woodland border to see how much it has changed since early spring.

1. Ferns. I have several ferns growing along this border, most of them from the cracks between the stones in the wall. At this time of year they look lush and green and very, very wild.
   
   

   

   

   Below, the woodland border from the Elderberry ‘Sutherland Gold’

   

2. Alongside the ferns are hardy geraniums. All pink along here, but several different types. They do get a bit straggly after a while so I shall be chopping them back soon.
   
   

   

   

   As you can see C. Nelly Moser is still going strong and even the Hosta isn’t too badly nibbled yet. The Fatsia Japonica is rather taking over as it is prone to do at this time of year, but I do like the huge glossy new leaves. And the scented pelargoniums like to hide in its shade.

3. A new plant in this border is Geum coccineum ‘Koi‘  a dwarf variety of Geum that produces compact bright orange-red flowers from late spring and through the summer. At the moment it is slightly hidden by a fern, but I hope it will bulk out a bit more. The colour is lovely against the greenery.
   
4. Another new plant nearby is Houttuynia cordata ‘chameleon’, an attractive low-growing shrub, bearing a striking carpet of variegated red, cream and green leaves from late-spring. It is a good ground cover for moist soil and the leaves develop the brightest colours in full sun so I am not expecting mine to as this is planted in the shadiest corner.
   
5. Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum, the sweetscented bedstraw) spreads along this border under the winter honeysuckle and at this time of the year is covered in tiny scented white flowers. I think in my first year here I mistook this plant for cleavers and probably pulled a lot of it out! Fortunately it bears me no grudges and is growing nicely now. It loves a shady spot where little else grows and I allow it to scramble wherever it likes, but if you are afraid of spreading plants then perhaps best to avoid it.
   
6. Primula Japonica ‘Apple Blossom’ has featured before, but this one is a particularly lovely example as it has multiple stems. This candelabra primula has flowers of a charming shell pink with some deeper reds.
   

I have just done a list of all the plants growing along this border so I can create a plan to put on this blog site. It might take a while though as I get a little bit distracted during the tennis season.  But, as always, if you want a peek over other people’s garden walls then please pop over to our host, the lovely Jon, AKA ‘The Propagator’ where you find links to many more wonderful garden enthusiasts from all over the world

See here for the participant’s guide.

Six on Saturday