Garden Visitors

60mm on Saturday meant it was very wet under foot for the 40 garden visitors yesterday. They didn't seem to mind however and overlooked the shaggy lawns that were too wet to mow. The rain has meant the new lawn has bedded in well and is beginning to put on new growth which is very promising. After a frantic day weeding on Sunday (after the rain finally stooped) I was reasonably happy with how it all looked. Yes there were weeds but they weren't too obvious.
All the rain we have had has meant prolific blooming for most plants. Echium 'Cobalt Tower' has produced enormous spikes almost 3m tall as has the giant fennel Ferula communis. It looks like my NZ flax Phormium tenax possibly the cultivar 'Goliath' is going to produce about a dozen flower spikes - its only ever produced one or two before. The sweet peas I planted back in April are starting to produce heaps of sweetly scented flowers in all sorts of colours including bi-colours. I planted the seed at the base of conical tomato trainers and they are already reaching beyond them (about 1.5m high). The Flanders poppies are a blaze of heat in my red garden next to Cotinus 'Grace' which is covered in its smoky blooms. The purple fountain grass Pennisetum advense rubrum has not recovered from its autumnal prune. What is it with this wretched plant - talk about behaving like a prima donna! This is the fourth time I have tried this spectacular grass but I can't seem to keep it for any longer than 12 months! If I don't prune it dies, if I do prune it dies! On the other hand my Miscanthus 'Sarabande' just goes on and on and on.....