Another year in this garden has been chalked up and another area of the garden has come under scrutiny. After some painful picking of the gooseberries a decision was reached. The netting and un-netting, the pruning, the gooseberry sawfly and the thorny harvesting which often results in more gooseberries than we need, has led to the decision to let the gooseberries go. That was decision one. Decision two was not to replace the greenhouse that was destroyed in a storm last winter. I was all set to invest in a shiny new one but my neighbour’s tree is still standing and the thought of a second storm hurling down branches on a new greenhouse was too painful to bear. I have one smaller greenhouse that serves well enough for seed growing and chilis. I am moving on and am now looking at re-organising the veg and fruit plot at the back of the garden. More to come, in the meantime here is six from the garden this week.
One
Last week I showed a echinacea ‘White Swan’ that had reverted to a purple form. Here is another patch of ‘White Swan’ also being invaded by a purple form. How interesting.
Two
This is my attempt to show the very delicate thalictrum delavayi which was grown from seed a few years ago. I have about three plants and they are just beginning to get to a good size in the garden. I hope you can spot it in amongst everything else.
Three
The apple crop is looking good this year. The June drop seems to have come in July, no doubt the blustery winds have helped with the thinning.
Four
The erigeron karvinskianus really suffered over the cold winter but it is tenacious here and those that held on have got going again and are reclaiming their territory.
Five
This photo of ‘James Galway’ climbing rose also sums up the weather this week. There’s not been much sunshine and the skies have been grey most of the week.
Six
I am so undecided about this one. It’s persicaria polymorpha. Billed as upright stems and suitable for semi-shade, I used it at the back of the garden in the hope of shielding the neighbour’s fence. It should reach two metres. This is the second year and it’s not made that height yet and so far it is being a little floppy. Less so this year though. I will give it another year, patience is not my strong point!
Over to Jim’s garden to see what he has on offer this weekend. Wishing you all a good gardening time whenever you can manage to get out there!
n20gardener 
I bought an erigeron last year after failing to get any to grow from seed. I split the plant, putting one in the bed and the smaller one I nurtured inside through the winter. Good job too, as the frost got the outside one. I planted the other one in a sheltered spot in Spring and now hope that it survives this winter.
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I remember your pics of the storm damaged greenhouse. Always a worry to have them under trees! Probably the right decision, especially as it’s possible to grow so much outdoors now. Lucky you re the apples, I seem to have very few this year, strange.
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The climbing rose is magnificent despite the cloud.
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I didn’t have time to show my thalictrum before leaving. I hope the flowers will wait for me to come back….
Nice echinacea! Do they come back every year?
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They do. Quite reliable.
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A lovely Six. I’m sure you’ve made the right decisions. I’d half pondered getting a standard Gooseberry plant until I realised they were thorny and decided I had enough issues with roses.
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Too many thorny things here. Blackberries also under review!!
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It is always interesting when we take the time to asses our situations. I can see why you wouldn’t take a chance with (another) new greenhouse there.
Your echinacea ‘White Swan’ is so pretty! I rarely see the white variety. And your white persicaria polymorpha is really neat. The best for me, though, are the James Galway roses, as there are so many blooms and buds!
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Thank you. Yes I liked all the rose buds’
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Decisions, decisions, always something to change, improve or delete. Are the echinacea slug resistant? I am thinking of getting some to add to my perennials, but I am unsure whether they will be happy.
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I think the slugs may nibble a little but they don’t demolish them the way they go for dahlias. I grew mine on in pots until they were quite strong.
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Very pretty rose and I do like the thalictrum, but they are so delicate they are hard to photograph. I’ve had no success with that. Keep us posted on the fruit and veg plans. It’s always interesting to see what everyone else is up to.
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Oh, the fleabane! It is pretty when it starts to bloom late in winter, but by now, is getting to be a sloppy mess. It will get removed (from the top, leaving the roots) soon enough. Then, I will feel badly for removing it, as if it was still pretty. The stone walls will be bare for a while, but new growth will appear by autumn, and really get going when the rainy season starts. I know the cycle, but never get accustomed to removing it, no matter how shabby it gets. Strangely, I notice more of it in landscapes such as ours than in the wild.
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it’s a lovely one for covering stone walls.
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Yes, it is more cooperative than most vegetation that grows on walls. It does not get overwhelming. I would rather remove the visible parts annually than allow another type of vegetation to accumulate.
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