Wonderful Weather for Weeds!

I have been away as you know and then almost immediately upon my return, I went into hospital for a small op.
Two weeks and a bit away and the garden has 'jungled'! There is no other word for it.
Good job I have my very own tame gardener ( in the shape of my husband Stephen, whom you may or may not know, is a professional gardener.)

The roses are over but, although they are supposed to be the once a year type flowerers, are budding again.
All the trees which have finished flowering are sending up huge extension growths.
We have four hydrangeas of varying sorts and they are doing marvelously.

Stephen will have to cut back the Erodium and the Phuopsis which will spring again in the late summer.

The glory of the moment is the Hollyhocks and the Agapanthus. They are magnificent. The Hollyhocks aren't quite as tall as we have had them but they are full of flower and we have many colours, including the hard to grow ( or rather hard to re-grow ), yellow ones.

In between we have Linaria in three colours, Valerian in four colours and the ubiquitous field poppy whose bright red is a welcome foil for the softer colours of the lower plants.


Pale pink Anemones are scattered here and there. The flowers are smaller than in previous years but they have had to struggle to get above some of the other plants including the Penstemons and the Pinks.

Now this all sounds rather idyllic I'm sure and I do love a full garden where there is hardly a centimetre of soil showing.
But in amongst the flowers which are intended to be there are a lot which aren't.
WEEDS.

You can almost hear them straining to squeeze themselves up through the soil and then wriggle upwards through the other plants, towards the light.
I think they just poke out their heads....look carefully to see if there is anyone about - and they KNOW when you have gone away, oh yes they DO, I'm sure, before muscling their way in.

Haha! < wicked gleam in the eye > They haven't contended with my super duper eagle eyed husband who knows his weeds from his Wisteria.

This afternoon ( if it doesn't rain...again), he will be out there wending his way through the jungle...machete in hand, topi on head and Jungle formula insect repellent on skin, to attack the little blighters and bring the garden to order.

Then he will tie in the Hollyhocks, chop down the dead, disentangle the Lathyrus ( Sweet pea ) from the Laburnum and the garden will once more be tamed.

All this whilst waiting for our new oven to be delivered.

Then he will cook the dinner in it. ( We hope ).

And what will I be doing?
Well I'm not allowed to do much but I do have a very serious role to play.


I will be supervising and making sure things go smoothly!

Ah.....no perhaps I won't..... I think that job falls to another! :)