At the beginning of the month I was complaining about how unsummery the weather had been with damp days and cloud, well what a turnaround this week! Even here in the far south-west which rarely sees temperatures above the low 20°C it has been HOT. I imagine the beaches have been full despite it not yet the school holidays, but my car died a couple of weeks ago so we’re stuck at home for now until the specialist garage has time to investigate. Repair or replace is the question, but without a car to get to any car salesrooms it’s not easy, it’s a 20/30 minute walk each way down/up hill to a bus stop, which in this heat is a bit too far.
Before it became too hot I began the task of cutting down the bamboo in the garden which unfortunately turned out to be the type that runs, and run it has. I’m trying a combination of cutting down all the canes, poison (I know, not my favourite thing to do) and trying to remove the running roots which are rock solid. I’m not sure how successful I shall be, but we’ll see. It might be a case of getting the professionals in, but with the expense of the car looming I’m hoping not.
On to more positive things: let’s take a stroll through the garden towards the back of the house.
Finally my summer flowering clematis have begun to flower, I am sure they are usually a bit earlier, but maybe not. Here is ‘Prince Charles’ which opens out a light azure blue with a hint of pink along the central bar. As the blooms mature they become more mauve-blue, losing the pink tint. It romps away through the overgrown montana clematis on the woodland border between me and the farmyard.
If you stand next to where ‘Prince Charles’ is flowering and face the house, this is your view. Here is the last change I made in the garden last year with the removal of lawn around the pavers and replacing it with pebbles and cobbles.
I am hoping that the chamomile spreads to create a lawn in this area which is where my Snakeshead fritillary and Camassias grow. As it does I shall remove any other plants currently in this spot.
Before we continue along the path cast your eyes to the middle of the garden where the lovely Allium Sphaerocephalon or Drumsticks are now coming in flower. I love the way they sway in the breeze and the bees love them too. Though sadly this year I have not seen as many bees as I usually do. I ought to try and plant some of them next to my grasses to add interest now that the Thalictrum has finished flowering.
Now you can walk along the paving stones which lead on to the Zen Patio where my Pittosporum ‘Golden Ball’ grows next to this cute little Erodium ‘Bishop’s Form’ by the edge of the paving. The Pittosporum is supposed to have small purple flowers in May and June, but I haven’t seen any signs of them. Maybe they come when the plant is older.
It’s a cute little plant producing the small geranium-like flowers for months. Those of you who care will be delighted to know that it is slug proof!
Continuing onto the patio is where the majority of my container plants are. I am trying to reduce the amount of plants in pots, but not succeeding awfully well. Currently there are lots of pelargoniums (mainly scented-leaved from cuttings), aeoniums and hardy fuchsias. The fuchsias were intended for the courtyard, but have never really done well there so I brought them back into the garden where they get some sun. Maybe too much sun, but we’ll see.
Finally turn around and look back into the garden.
I hope you enjoyed the stroll. Now I need to get back to that bamboo…
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.
Cornwall in Colours 
Ouch, that’s bad luck with the car. A real dilemma.
Your pots look so lovely. I am considering experimenting with terracotta ollas for watering, I’ve been told they work. They would not work for small pots but maybe it would be worth a gradual investment for special pots. Amelia
They look lovely. I might try a couple for my larger patio pots.
I love a green garden, but with pebbles and cobbles in between it is just so much easier to maintain (and yours looks beautiful). Oh, and your Aeonium Sunburst is gorgeous – we have a couple in pots back at our home in Langebaan and it’s such a lovely succulent. Thank you, I enjoyed the stroll through your colourful garden.
Beautiful as always. I hope the car problem turns out to be not so bad. Stay cool!
Never as hot here as elsewhere in the country Carol and back to the normal Cornish mizzle today 🌧
That must be a relief.
The revamped part of the garden with the pebbles and pavers looks beautiful – much more attractive than a brown and crispy lawn in this weather. Your drum stick alliums are looking goood. I definitely need to plant some more as mine look a bit meagre. Good luck with the bamboo and I hope the car gets sorted soon. I was very thankful I went for air conditioning in mine when driving back from Wales today.
We don’t seem to do brown and crispy here! Everything is still very green. The drumsticks are looking good except they tend to flop dreadfully.
You garden is delightful! Love your potted succulents. I enjoy seeing clematis in other people’s gardens as it is too hot and dry to grow it here. 🌸🦋