All too fleeting

Life in the garden is a blur throughout June. Everything grows at a rate of knots and head down, you just keep on trucking.

When I have lifted my head I have seen all manner of plants in full flow. Foxgloves and Eremurus towering above the borders.

The Roses at Heale are the star right now, our Hybrid Musk border is fronted with Nepeta and looks stuffed full of colour.

We have lots of yellow rattle at Heale, naturalizing amongst the grasses. This is very evident right now and HG manages the cutting of the long grass accordingly to help the plant seed and return in bigger numbers next year.

We are having a particularly strange Summer with weather and on Friday I walked through the garden to see this - storm looming!

At my Tuesday garden today, I began dead heading Roses and Peonies. These plants were just coming into their own last Tuesday and by today some of them had gone. Just like that. They took a beating from the rain too.

On a walk home from school wth my youngest son yesterday, we stopped at gardens along the way and observed what was growing. I was telling him about the phrase 'Stop and smell the Roses' and that is exactly what we did. Blink and you miss it.

Piet Oudolf and his meadow planting

I have been considering my Blog lately, sorry for not keeping up quite as I used to.

I really want to share some of the wonderful sights I see in the gardens I visit and work in but it is time consuming and I want to still enjoy that process.

I have been very busy with work and have been enjoying getting the veg going at Heale. Also in my own allotment. At home we are growing Turk's Turban Squashes and my youngest is full of excitement every day when the plants have grown!

Heale was perfect last week and now some plants are just going over. The Laburnum pergola, mixed in with Wisteria is just glorious. Noisy with insects and moving in the breeze. The Roses are coming and we are cropping Single Cordon Sweet peas.

Planting up Gladioli in the cutting garden.

I visited Hauser and Wirth this week, their gallery in Somerset, a drive from my home. Aside from the beautiful gallery, cafe, art exhibitions and general vibe, you move through the building and discover Piet Oudolf's naturalistic meadow to the rear of the gallery.

I have visited before, last August, when the planting was in full swing. Swathes of one Species, planted in groups to give maximum effect. Bee friendly, natural planting, with movement in the breeze and a huge variety of texture and colour knitted into the planting plan.

When I visited yesterday, the garden was at a completely different stage and yet, remains a feast for the eyes. The promise is there of what these clumps of grasses will do in a few weeks, months, time. I loved the grandeur of the Phlomis fruticosa. Many varieties of Scabious and Allium, one a very dark head I hadn't seen before (Atropurpureum?). I just love the grasses and their crazy hair like appearance. The bright colour of Hakonechloa contrasting with Monarda, amongst others.

Something new I don't remember seeing ; Japanese Blood Grass; Imperata cylindrical. Wow, what a show off, stunning colour and short spiky textures, shooting up from the ground.

Well worth a visit if you are ever near the sleepy town of Bruton.