A Sense of Place

It's been a hot dry Summer and for the last few months it seems that I've been constantly pouring water onto the garden just to keep things alive. However it's slowly occurring to me that the most successful plants are those that have survived all on their own with little help from me. Thankfully we got a lot of rain today, but I will not forget that the plants that were the least dependant on me for water, were perhaps, the most rewarding. Newly planted Hydrangeas were likely to wilt in the heat of the day, but older more established shrubs like H. "Limelight' were no trouble at all. In fact along with Catalpa bignoides 'Aurea', it was unaffected by the worst of the midday heat and humidity, and provided, visually at least, a calm and cool vignette.

My hybrid Pelargoniums have been in flower for weeks, they are, in fact, blooming machines. This is problem for some gardeners I know,who grow them for their spectacular foliage and strip away the flowers as soon was they appear. The same gardeners would not find the same problem with the species Pelargoniums, they have recently have come into bloom and although they are generally less floriferous than their interbred relatives, they can be admired for the subtle beauty of their fantastic flowers. Here are some of the species that I have in my garden at the moment: Pelargonium dasyphyllum. Pelargonium enlicherianum. Pelargonium sidoides