Contrary to the forlorn look of the garden this morning I am sure it is much happier. Some plants are weighed down by the rain that finally arrived. Verbena, cosmos and guara drop their heads but deep down their roots are sucking up some much needed moisture. Yes the rain came. Overnight thunderstorms on Thursday and then on and off showers since. My six for the week were snapped before the rain.
One
My favourite combination in the garden at the moment. Echinacea ‘White Swan’ and pennisetum villosum. The beautiful fluffy heads of the pennisetum are one of today’s droopers but I’m sure they’ll pick up.
Two
Day lilies. These are in half sun, half shade so I may get another week of display from them. They are ‘Golden Chimes’. Planted in 2017 and I divided them last year, spreading their cheerfulness around the garden.
Three
I have a running-riot clump of Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ in the garden which was also divided last year. I planted a few small pieces in some semi-shade hoping the growth would be slower. They have taken to the new spot with as much enthusiasm as the original planting. I can see I will have to be ruthless.
Four
One of my inherited plants is a group of white phlox. I’d left my well established clumps behind when we moved house so I was very happy to see these come through in the first summer here. These are in the shade of an apple tree and are one of the plants that I have faithfully watered, at the first sign of wilting, in the dry spell.
Five
These are my everyday agapanthus. For unknown reasons this clump has flowered very well this year while about 4 feet away there languishes a clump of agapanthus foliage with not a sniff of a flower. That clump will be dug up and divided, fed and given one more chance.
Six
There is one thing in the garden that does seem to have enjoyed the high temperatures. The figs have ripened and the first to be picked were greedily eaten. I just stopped myself in time and took a photo of this one. The best are high in the tree and as usual the birds get to those first.
The cooler temperatures will persuade me out into the garden again. Even the early morning deadheading proved too onerous in the heat. Now rain battered rose petals decorate the garden so there is extra snipping to be done. Enjoy your gardening time and for a break, stop by at The Prop’s place to see what goes on in the SOS world.
n20gardener 
A beautiful Six. I’m a big fan of yellows and the Echinacea ‘White Swan’ and pennisetum villosum combination works perfectly. My white phlox is very prone to wilting and was looking very sorry for itself last week. I’ve just discovered a dahlia and a gladioli have snapped in the heavy rain today – I should never have moaned about the lack of rain earlier in the week.
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I’ve just dug up a very pathetic crop of second earlies and the ground was still so dry. I thought I was back to a dampish garden but now I’m not so sure. I was cutting fallen dahlias for the house yesterday, they looked ok in a vase!
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A good white it to be treasured and that phlox is excellent.
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Lovely combination on the first pairing complimenting each other.
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Nice choice this weekend L.
I also picked up figs this yesterday and this afternoon because I’m back and I got 2 kg : 6 jars of jam done and the other eaten or for a tart tomorrow . I have to pick them every 2 days ( and before birds I hope…)
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Such a productive tree/s. The majority here are smaller sized. You must have been so busy since yr return!
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Is the other colony of agapanthus so crowded that it needs to be divided? It typically takes a few years of blooming for them to get so crowded. (They do not branch as much without bloom.)
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It’s not crowded, possibly too dry as it backs onto a wall. But it’s a reasonable sized clump. I’m going to bring it away from the wall which may naturally lead to division.
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They do not mind being dry for part of the year, if they get water through part of the year. Ours are pleased with annual rainfall through winter (which is not much in a chaparral climate), and are then dry for half of the year. That is what they get in their natural habitat.
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E. White Swan is lovely and now on my list for next year following my success with the purple one. Your pairing of it with the grass has worked beautifully. Great Six
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Thank you. I sowed seed of ‘white swan’ and have about 10 plants in 1 litre pots. But so far I haven’t managed to propagate a grass.
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A lovely six this week. I have White Swan and Goldsturm envy! I need to rescue my Rudbeckia as it hasn’t grown at all this year, I think it was overshadowed by Euphorbia and a large foxglove, but there are signs of life so maybe if I put it in a pot it might revive? And I need to split my daylily up. I have a feeling that is going to be a tough job, but it is getting far too big for the bed it is in! It’s amazing how dry the soil still is even after rain showers.
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Fabulous Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’. I have Goldstrum in a pot, with plenty of healthy leaves but not a single flower stem so far. I’m hoping it’s just being a bit lazy. The Phlox is lovely and I too am quite envious of your Echinacea White Swan – a plant I’ve tried several times to grow with no success.
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I hope the ‘Goldsturm’ is flowering by now. It is such a bright spot in the garden right now – as the wind howls!
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Love the yellows and oranges but the white swan is my favorite! Your garden is beautiful. Envy you for your fruiting fig tree!
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ruthless. without ruth. that is what i shall be when i tackle the two large clumps of r. goldsturm i have. but then i’ll see i have all these clumps from dividing them and try to plant them all and so it goes around. i suppose if i time it just right i’ll be able to palm off several to unsuspecting visitors.
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