End of Month Review - August 2014

It seems hard to believe we are two thirds of the way through the year already, but here we are at the end of month eight and summer is almost done.
The driveway is progressing, the painting of the shed is not.  It is a bit hard to see from this picture but shrubs are appearing.
The first ones planted could almost be described as thriving, this makes me happy.
Meanwhile into the front garden and I am getting displeased with it again.  It is my fault, I have not looked after it too well this year and it needs a good sorting out.  This will happen sooner rather than later.
I always like this red and white combination by the front door, it works well this time of year.  The rose was here before I was but was a scraggy, straggly thing.  I have pruned it often and kept it fed and it now has lots more flowers.
The Gravel Garden is looking a bit past its best, not that I am sure when its best was.  This garden, like all true gravel gardens, is never watered and fends for itself.  This is pretty much true of the rest of the garden so why I say it as if it is something different I don't know.
The pots on the grey tin box are happy enough.
As are the motley collection of herbs and fuchsias.
This collection keeps getting added to, there is a new Brugmanisa, a Romneya and a Passiflora added in the last month.  These have not been put into proper containers though as they will just go in the greenhouse soon and then get potted on next Spring.
The pots on the table continue to grow in number.  I can still balance my mug of tea on the edge though so all is well.
The garden itself is looking quite green, I tidied up the pleaching a bit the other day and now looks better.
This corner of the Conservatory Border makes me happy, a nice mix of Rose Sir Clough and a Manx fuchsia.
The rest of the Conservatory border is looking quite yellow at the moment.  The Rosa Blythe Spirit has been adding yellow for weeks now.
The pots that lead to the Conservatory are all doing well.
The Courtyard is still full of random house plants that will need to come back indoors soon I think.
The Olive Tree has had a much better year now it has been moved more into the sun.
The Long Shoot is edged with colour and this makes me happy.  You can see the red of the Hesperantha on the left and the tagetes glowing gold.
At the back of the Pond Border is this thug of a perennial sunflower.  It is the thuggiest thug I have ever grown and I have to control it every year, yet I love this huge clump and would not get rid of it altogether...... yet......
Elsewhere in the Pond Border I am pleased with the planting.  These funky chrysanthemums have been great this year and I will grow these again.  The sedums are just starting to open and are clumping up well.  I shall divide them next year as I need more.
The Persicaria orientalis is getting ready to flower.  Every year I think it will not get around to it, but thankfully it always seems to.
The new areas of the borders are still looking a bit sparse, they are getting planted up slowly.
They will get more planted up in the Spring as I will be dividing various plants then.
The Prairie Borders are probably at their peak, they are wonderfully blonde and echinops makes great focus points along them.  I have also added some rudbeckia and verbena bonariensis this year and after a lot of consideration I think I am happy with how they look.
The Tree Lupin Border is looking quite colourful from the dahlias, gladioli and tithonia.  One day I will make this border look like I want to, it gets a bit closer each year but its still not there yet.
The Wild Garden is currently dominated by lumps of fallen poplar.  In truth this has dominated all of August for me, I feel like I have thought of little else.
This has been causing me quite a lot of anxiety as  each huge limb causing damage when they fall.  I no longer have a Davidia and I am really cross as the one I had put in earlier this year was doing really well.  Also, for obvious reasons, I am avoiding going down that part of the garden as it is incredibly dangerous.
At the moment I just keep looking up at it and wondering when the next bit will fall.  The due date for work to be done has been agreed so if you could all keep your fingers crossed for me I will report back on how things have gone.  The Black Poplar is a good ninety years old and is dying, sadly it needs urgent work though I am hoping they do not remove it completely if they can possibly manage not to.
In preparation of the tree work being done I have moved the Iford Cherry and the daphne I bought this year to the veg borders, they had not rooted in yet so I think (hope)  this will not set them back.
There are some veg still left in the veg beds, this sweetcorn is just about ready to pick.
The Pin Oak is still in the veg border though, once the leaves have fallen I will put it in its new home in the driveway.
In the greenhouse various cuttings have taken and there are some tree lupin seedlings coming on quite well.
Outside the greenhouse are these other rooted cuttings and baby shrubs.  I am not planting them out until next Spring as I want to over winter them in the greenhouse just to make sure they will be ok.
I hardly dare mention the pond.  It will be cleared out soon, promise.

Thanks as usual to Helen for hosting this meme.

Comments

  1. I think the Prairie Border is a triumph it looks magical.
    As for the pots well I am so pleased you have so many as it makes my collection looks quite modest.
    Thanks for joining in again this month

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  2. I like your clump of perennial sunflowers very much !

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  3. You have some lovely garden areas, the prairie border looks wonderful with the swaying grasses. I'll keep my fingers and toes crossed for your tree situation.

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  4. You have such a lovely garden Alison, I wonder how you can keep up with it all! Hard work, I know.

    I quite like the front garden as it is, but I can see that it might be getting a bit too relaxed ;) The Prarie borders are beautiful. I'm impressed by the number of plants on your table. As long as you continue to be able to rest your cup of tea on it...

    Good luck on the Popular coming down. It's sad but necessary. I hope it all goes to plan - fingers crossed for you.

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  5. ugh, that should have been Poplar...

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  6. Lovely! August always finds many of our plants in need of a "good sorting out" as well. ;-)

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  7. WOW - 2/3 of the year is gone - not good news for us gardeners - except that means I will have less pulling of weeds for a couple of months, and more snow that I care to see. I can rest, before it all starts again. HAHAHA Jack

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