Sunday, 14 September 2014

September in the Garden


It's been a beautiful September so far and the sun has kept on shining. The garden is still full of colour. I've been especially enjoying watching our new front garden bloom and bloom. We had a large tree taken down earlier in the year and this created lots of space for new plants and also turned a dark dull space into a bright and sunny one. We chose a mix of varied lavenders, anemones, purple wallflowers, catmint and a whole mix of purple and pink hydrangeas to create a beautiful jumble of frothy colour. One of the best things about it is how it has just grown and grown and now there is little room for weeds, so it's been relatively easy to manage. It's also been a real haven for butterflies and bees and that has been a really lovely surprise to see just how many have been visiting. I sometimes walk past to my car and a whole flurry of butterflies will rise up and flutter above the plants. 

I'm now thinking about planting some spring bulbs in readiness to give some colour in spring and perhaps a few autumn sedums to just add a bit more late colour as the summer flowers die back. 

Beautiful anenomes

Mop cap hydrangea

Lace cap hydrangea

Late flowers on the Daphne


Catmint behind the bird bath

The butterflies love the purple wallflowers

Blues, pinks and purples

Catmint


A patio peach tree in a terracotta pot amongst the jumble

One of my firm favourites lavender






Late Summer in the Gardens at Levens




Levens Hall and gardens in Cumbria is a place we tend to visit over and over again at different times of year. It doesn't matter how many other gardens we visit, we always come back here and it's still always one of my favourite gardens.

It is a world renowned topiary garden with trees and bushes dating back over three hundred years. Each season there is always spectacular seasonal bedding. At the moment many of the beds are bursting full of magnificent displays of yellow antirrhinums and purple verbena.

The roses are still out in full bloom giving a beautiful mixture of late summer colour and scents. The spectacular summer perennial borders are fading back, but still hold plenty of interest and vibrant plants and the herb garden is still a busy area with nasturtiums giving a burst of autumnal red and yellow.

We will definitely be back for a another peek around in autumn! Meanwhile have an explore around...
























Should you wish to find out more about Levens Hall click on the link below:



Monday, 1 September 2014

Pretty Pots

We had a little tidy up of our pots at the front of our cottage, adding a little bit of late summer colour with some cyclamen, violas, pansies, wallflowers, heathers and marigolds amidst the ivy and the cotoneaster plants. Hopefully they will last well into the autumn before they need sprucing up again.