THE WEATHER -

A generally warm and sunny month. Very little rain until the 22nd, when a thunderstorm watered the garden! Steady overnight rain on the 22nd/23rd did a lot of good, penetrating the thick cover of the trees, and refreshing the garden at last. Warm, dry and sunny again until the 27th, which was dull and showery for most of the day. Warm, dry and sunny again until the 30th, when heavy rain fell for most of the day (great for the garden!). Maximum temperature 29°C (86°F). Minimum temperature 7°C (45°F).

I've really gone overboard for Clematis! At this time of year, many Clematis varieties are in full flower and make a wonderful show. I have recently bought several new ones, as I have some fence space which I want to utilise, and Clematis are so beautiful, not to mention their suitability as cut flowers in arrangements. The two pictured left are (top) Clematis florida alba plena, and (bottom) Clematis florida sieboldiana. I bought Clematis florida alba plena because the flowers are double, and a beautiful chartreuse green. I thought they may fade to white as they mature, but they don't, only the very outer petals fade to a cream colour. Clematis florida sieboldiana is an unusual one, with white outer petals and a ring of double purple petals in the centre. As this one is a bit tender (according to the label!) I have put it in a pot on the south-facing patio, and hope it will be happy there.

This is one of my favourite plants, called Cytissus battandieri. Its common name is Pineapple Broom, and whilst I don't personally think it smells of pineapples, it certainly does smell mouthwateringly delicious!! It is a shrub which has silver-grey leaves that are shiny silver on the underside when the light catches them. In my garden, it is semi-evergreen, only losing all of its leaves in a bad winter. It is not bone-hardy, so I have it in a large pot against a south-facing wall, where it seems to be happy.

My favourite colour is purple, and you can't get more purple than this in a flower! This is Primula capitata salvana, which is in full flower at the moment. Its buds and stems are covered in a white farina and the whole plant is so attractive, and makes a lovely splash of colour at the front of the border. I actually bought two of these plants in January of this year, and they were in flower then, although I suspect that they had been forced into flower in order to sell them. The flowers are much better now though, a stronger colour and a lot bigger, so I think that this must be their natural time for flowering.

This is a hardy orchid, Dactylorhiza foliosa. I have had it for several years now, and bought it as a single stemmed plant with one flower, and it was horrendously expensive! Still, it increased in size steadily until there were about six flowers each year. However, in the last few years, It has become overgrown with larger, more vigorous plants, and has steadily declined and now only has three flowers. I have moved it this year to a more open situation (although still in a shady spot, which it likes), so I'm hoping it will improve next year and produce a few more flowers for me.

I enjoy growing decorative grasses in the garden, as they create such contrasting textures, especially when grown next to bold-leaved plants. This one is Melica altissima 'Atropurpurea', a herbaceous perennial grass which grows to around 3½ feet tall in my garden, and its flowers are quite an unusual plum colour, fading to a lighter shade as they mature.

This is a quite unusual plant, called Arisaema ciliatum var. Lubaense. It is part of the Arum family, with the typically hooded flowers found in these plants. These, however, are a wonderful combination of lime green and chocolate brown stripes! It grows to around 1.5 feet tall, and the leaves are lush and finger-like. I have had it for over twelve months now, and it appears to be hardy in my garden. As it disappears completely in winter, it's a good idea to put a label where it grows, or risk digging it up by mistake! I also have Arisaema ciliatum, which is similar, but very much smaller in all respects.

That's all for this month...... Happy Gardening!!

Blackbird, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Crow, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, House Sparrow, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Robin, Rook, Seagull, Starling, Swallow, Thrush, Wood Pigeon, Wren.

TIME
Ursula Prout

Time fain would linger here amid the flowers
That lend their beauty to the summer’s day,
But lo, the sundial, guardian of the hours,
Lets not one moment linger by the way.

Quiet shadows lengthen in the noonday’s glare,
As wends the sun to westward of the sky,
And thoughts are lost in wonder, unaware
Of time and how so soon it passes by.

But so it is when beauty takes command,
The lovely things of God arrest the sight,
And gazing on the wonders of His hand,
Time has no part to play in our delight.