Roses

It was all about Roses last week, dead heading in three different gardens to promote second flowers and admiring our pruning work at Heale; the Roses are in full flower now in the hybrid Musk Rose border and elsewhere in the garden. The Roses we pruned on the Balustrades at Heale are looking wonderful, arched and flowing full of flower.

 Fading Rosa 'Prosperity'

I spent a day in some borders in the veg garden at Heale. Big borders planted with Astrantia, Macleaya, Veronicastrum.... After weeding we had some space and the owner asked to fill it with Digitalis 'Pam's Choice' and a new one for me, a fennel-like plant with acid green flowers -Ridolphia segetum - which should attract the Bees and produce lots of flowers. (It is also called an annual weed in the Med!)

Plenty of work to continue in the veg garden and cropping has begun in earnest. Beets, Artichokes, Salads, Beans, Peas, Sweet peas and tiny kid-friendly Carrots. Cukes are coming along nicely.

Lots more successional sowing done too - Beets, Radish, Basil, Rocket, Parsley. Some of the Beets are stripy Italian ones, Chioggia,  fab red colour when pulled up - kapow!

A plant which was striking in the border last week was Eryngium or Sea Holly. What a structure and colour. The Bees reckon it's alright too.