It has been so hot here. The garden is drying out and there have been emails from the water company asking for water saving to be a priority. There are annuals in trays that should be going out in to the garden but the ground is either like concrete or dust. Oh, woe is a gardener. But here are six good things.

One

The roses seem to be having a great time though. This is the view down the path with Sceptr’d Isle’ in the foreground and Blush Noisette behind. I didn’t get round to fully pruning ‘Blush Noisette’ back to the wall and was feeling bad about it. Now I am enjoying it’s exuberance and promising that I will do the job next year.

Two

This is the climbing rose ‘James Galway’, also having a great year and if I’m honest also needing a better prune next year.

Three

I’m delighted to say that the peonies are back again for their second year. They came with me in the move about ten years and promptly failed to appear again. But last year they re-appeared. They are of course in completely the wrong place as other things have been planted around them.

Four

This is geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue’, a firm favourite not least because it came as a division from an aunt’s garden many, many years ago. I’m planning some more divisions to spread them even further around the garden.

Five

Astrantia ‘Roma’, which also seems to cope well with the heat and dryness. There’s one lone aquilegia in amongst the crowd.

Six

The ‘Love-in-a mist’ has had a great year for self-seeding. This crowd has blown in to the veg plot. There were so many of them that I let them be, it’s a narrow plot that I sometimes use for carrots – I’m giving them a miss this year.

I’ve nearly caught up with the gardening jobs. A second sowing of courgettes has germinated speedily so all looks well there. I’m looking forward to cooler weather and perhaps some much needed rain next week. Dwarf beans, tomatoes and cucumbers are planted out and now must be kept watered. It’s time to enjoy a new month in the garden. Jim at Garden Ruminations has his open days coming up soon so stop by and see how things are progressing.