Midsummer Garden

June and Midsummer's Day has passed and now we've reached July. I always think that June and July are spectacular months in the garden - a culmination of all that you wait for during those dark months of winter. 

There are so many plants blooming and flowering that it's difficult to be able to give each one the appreciation they deserve, but here are few of my favourities from the garden this June. 

Delphiniums and foxgloves amongst the wallflowers

Pots of wallflowers, cotton lavenders and begonias

Shades of poppies amongst verbena, daisies and irises

Lupin time

Perlargoniums and begonia pots

A summer favourite - sweet peas

Nothing like picking your own raspberries

The sweet smell of a summer honeysuckle

Campions and lavenders

Salvias in different varieties 

Summer isn't complete without the heady scent of roses

Hebe foaming on the rockery

Bees and bright cotton lavenders

The Walled Garden At Holkham

We visited the 'Walled Garden' at Holkam during a recent holiday in north Norfolk. We've been before on several occasions and each time we visit, the garden has been developed even more. The garden is an ongoing restoration project, named the 'Beyond The Walls Restoration Project'. The aim is to restore the beautiful garden for future generations to enjoy. 

It truly is a hidden gem and just as the guide book describes it - 'step through the ornate Victorian gates to enjoy the tranquil atmosphere, stunning array of flowers, seasonal fruit and vegetables and beautiful colours and scent.' 

June was a fabulous time to visit with a stunning wildflower display on our way to the garden and many of the flowering plants in bloom. Catmints, roses, geraniums, rock roses, sweet williams, cornflowers and delphiniums being just a few. I think the rose garden was the star of the show on this visit, out in first and full bloom it made a stunning display of all rose varieties. Having said that the sweet peas were rather beautiful too and then the old greenhouse areas - packed full of sweet williams, cornflowers, delphiniums... mmm... very difficult to choose a favourite. 

Take a look at the pictures and choose for yourself...

Cumbrian Coast and Countryside

Arnside - where the Kent and Bela estuaries meet Morecambe Bay - stunning views across the bay to the Lake District mountains

Country walks at Sizergh Estate - lanes full of cow parsley and buttercups

Back on the Bay - the shifting sands at Silverdale 

Back in the countryside - Levens Hall estate - campion and cow parsley down by the river

Stunning views across Dallam Estate - deer, sheep, rolling green hills, estuary views...

Hawthorn in full bloom by the Lancaster Canal 

Tewitfield - canals, locks, wild irises, cow parsley, lily pads -  miles of picturesque countryside walks by the water

Western Lakes - off the beaten track - the beautiful and remote Silecroft Beach - endless stretches of beach where the Lake District mountains meet the sea. 

Lakeside on Windermere - vast waters, sailing, boats, boardwalks, azaleas, aquilegas, wallflowers, views down the lake...