Walking in the Lake District fells last week with Mr Carrot and the Little Weeds we heard the song of the cuckoo echoing across Eskdale.
Summer has definitely arrived in the garden; spring flowers are well and truly over: the allium flowers are drying out, but I will save them for their sculptural seedheads; my one iris flower has been and gone – must do better next year; and the pansies I planted in the crumbling urn have shrunk away in the hotter weather.
Every Saturday The Propagator invites fellow garden bloggers to show six things that are happening in their garden. This week I have chosen six signs of summer.
- Philadelphus
One of my very favourite plants at this time of year is the mock orange or Philadelphus. I am not sure of the variety of this small tree in our garden but it has stunning cascades of pure white flowers and a heady perfume.
2. Peony
I have been waiting a while for the three buds on our peony to open so that I could include them in my Six. Of course, the first two went over while we were away last week, leaving just this rather gorgeous pink flower, again variety unknown. The lime green foliage in the background is our Fatsia japonica.
3. Rosa ‘Tess of the d’Urbevilles’
I planted this David Austin beauty by our front door last year and this year she has doubled in size with crimson flowers as seductive as her fictional namesake.
4. First radish crop
This is the first year I have grown radishes in one of our new raised beds. These are ‘French Breakfast’ and as promised they were very easy to grow, but I made the mistake of not thinning them out enough, so many have not rounded out. There are just enough for a nice little addition to our breakfast.
5. Sweetcorn
In this bed alongside the new Lady Hillingdon climber rose I was planning to try the ‘Three Sisters’ method of growing corn, beans and squash together. However, only one of the sweetcorn plants survived. She is thriving and rather belatedly I have just sown the seeds of purple ‘Cosse Violette’ beans and a couple of squash varieties next to her.
6. The cutting patch
In my one metre by one metre cutting patch alongside the permanent Gertrude Jekyll rose I am growing sweet peas, cornflower and ladybird poppies. As you can see I did not thin out the cornflower, which has formed a trailing mass. I have just tied up the sweet peas so am hoping for flowers soon.
That’s my six for this week. To see what other SOS-ers are up to, visit The Propagator’s blog and scroll through the comments.
Carrots and Calendula 
Nice mix between your peony and fatsia japonica … and enjoy your breakfast with French radishes!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh that rose is stunning. Nice blog as always.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks!
LikeLike
My Gertrude Jekyll rose is just in bud, but I am hoping that she will be much happier now that I have removed her from a pot and planted her in the garden. And like you I am guilty of not thinning things out, to the extent that this year my sweet peas are not doing very well as they are overcrowded by something I have yet to identify! Happy Saturday!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes I think roses prefer to be in the ground if possible don’t they? Just rescued my sweet peas from a load of bindweed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Every day I am picking out bindweed – how any of it manages to reach 30cm or more I don’t know – obviously sneaks under my radar!
LikeLike
I really love the David Austin roses. They are extremely hard to grow in my neck of the woods. We tend to go with Shrub roses wihch can take the heat and humidity.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They are great roses – I bought a few more this year which are not in flower yet which I hope to feature in a future six.
LikeLike
That corn seedling looks determined and healthy! Philadelphus are on my favorites list as well. So easy and faithful. You are a few weeks ahead of me with, well, everything. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it is so interesting to see what is happening in different parts of the world. I feel a bit nostalgic for some of the spring flowers I see in yours and others posts!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like the idea of having a cutting patch.if I ever get a lottie I’ll be able to use one of my raised beds for that purpose.
LikeLiked by 1 person
‘Tess’ is gorgeous, isn’t she? That’s annoying that you missed your peonies. They seem to have gone over quickly this year. Or maybe they do every year, and that’s why we love them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I miss the philadelphus already. The last to bloom only finished a week or so ago. They are brief here. They are so elegant and stylish for an unrefined plant.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your philadelphus is healthy and full of flower. I grew one from a cutting, but the heat of last summer nearly did for it. It has been without leaves for months, but I’m hoping it will come back in the spring.
LikeLiked by 1 person