After the Rain

I was chatting to friends yesterday and they mentioned that I hadn't written a blog post for ages so I popped out into the garden yesterday evening after the rain had cleared away to take a few photos.  The garden looked  lush and green rather than dry and dusty.  

Reasons for not writing a post have been mostly the heat which causes a swollen foot and ankle if I sit too long but also the fact that whilst it has been hot we have been boxing up books and taking down the  book cases ready for some work that has to be done  in our living room. Asbestos has been found in the artex ceiling so it has to come out.  The room has to be completely cleared (nightmare) and sealed whilst the work is done.  This will happen in a couple of weeks time but we thought we'd start on the books and book cases as this is the hardest and largest part of the process.

Anyway back to the garden.

A long the path to the pond are the herbs, strawberries, gooseberries, potatoes and courgettes in the raised beds.  The sweet peas are in the potato bed and two tall great mulleins have appeared amongst the gooseberries.

Courgettes on the way.  Aubergines and peppers in the greenhouse as well as tomatoes. 

The tideist part of the garden with the top lawn newly cut.  The side lawns and the top areas have been left to grow through 'No Mow May' and still into June.

 

Just a narrow path has been left so we can walk up to the seat at the top of the garden.

 

The grass has got so long now and very few of the wild flowers have appeared so far.  We seeded the ground with Yellow Rattle, Corn Marigold, Cornflower and Corncockle.  Just the Corncockle has flowered.

 

We've had to top up the pond several times over the last few weeks. 

 I think both the Flag Irises and the Water Lillies have taken quite a lot of water as well.

 

There are a few yellow flowers in the garden at the moment including the Great Mullein (Verbascum Thapsus) and the Hypericum (Rose of Sharon or Aaron's Beard) below.

A couple of years ago there was one Mullein and it spent the Summer covered in green Shield Bugs. 

Last year it didn't appear but this year there are two but noticeably no shield bugs so far.

 

 I think this plant is a Turkish Sage but I'm not sure.  We inherited it when we came here so its at least twenty five years old but I still don't really know what it is.

 

 Another plant we inherited when we came here.  The yellow rose has been moved three times and still flowers each year.

 

Below Hypericum

This one self seeded quite a few years ago and has spread across the garden in several areas.

Poppies have been lovely too both the red and the mauve ones.  The bees love them.

 

Last but not least visitors to the garden over the last week.

A little fox cub, luckily I had my camera handy when it popped it's nose through the hedge and.....

 

a ring-necked parakeet.  Paul heard it calling and was able to take the photo above before it flew away.