A progress report.
With a week to go to Open Days (see details here) I am still working pretty hard. It is too hot by 10am! Not good for the grass which despite frequent watering is not looking too good. It's also too hot for dividing and moving plants and I've been doing quite a lot of this.
However we're now at the finessing stage - which I love.
Things like 'lifting the skirts' (sounds very non-PC today). I love doing this with trees but it works well with alchemilla mollis and hostas for example. You cut back, from underneath and right to the base, any leaves which are touching the ground.
With a week to go to Open Days (see details here) I am still working pretty hard. It is too hot by 10am! Not good for the grass which despite frequent watering is not looking too good. It's also too hot for dividing and moving plants and I've been doing quite a lot of this.
However we're now at the finessing stage - which I love.
Things like 'lifting the skirts' (sounds very non-PC today). I love doing this with trees but it works well with alchemilla mollis and hostas for example. You cut back, from underneath and right to the base, any leaves which are touching the ground.
It does several things. Lets light and air into the bottom of the plant, prevents the grass underneath from dying off altogether, allows the lawn mower under to the edge and looks much much better -don't you agree?
Pulmonarias are finished flowering now and I find that cutting back to the base all the flowering stems and giving the plant a good drink discourages mildew (to which they are very prone) and encourages a quick flush of beautiful new leaves.
I love the contrast with the hosta leaves. All the hostas are doing brilliantly.
Today's rescue job was to reclaim the seat from the ferns and aquilegia....
You will see what I mean about the poppy being in the wrong place!
I like to think it has a certain charm...
I love the way this bed is looking.
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