Summer's Not Over Yet (Part 2)

What a smashing collection and are they all in flower in your garden at the moment, lucky you. The dahlias are my favourites.

Thanks Bellfower.
Yes, they're all in flower now :-))
Last year i made a conscious effort to have late summer colour and it's paid off this year :-))

Another lovely show of blooms Louise, your grans favourite is a smasher.......You had the right idea ,your garden must be a picture.......

Delightful dahlias a really good show, are the Gerberas hardy Louise? agree with you on the Dianthus, have just bought some more to put with the roses.

Yummy Louise!!....I have Renoir too!!
My Gerbera have done better this year,,,,

Louise you certainly have worked hard in your garden, but wow what a show it's all worth while when you get results like you have............... gorgeous.

Beautiful colours....the dahlias are spectacular, Louise.

stunning....such lovely colour

Thanks everyone :-)
Dd, yes, the gerberas 'are' hardy :-)))))
If you're a bit worried about winter, cover them with a thick mulch and they should be fine.
They coped with our cold winter last year ..... wasn't convinced they 'would' because we never usually see minus temps, but they were fine :-))))

Wonderful !
I'm waiting for part 3 ;o)) lol

Beautiful very colourful collection Louise, the Dianthus is certainly stunning.

Another fantastic show of flowers, Louise! I couldn't help but add it to my favourites, like your last blog!

I had a Cactus Dahlia similar to your Park Princess as well as a white one growing on my balcony a few years ago. I had to give up trying to grow Dahlias on my balcony because they attracted ALL the earwigs in town to feast on them! Even though I put plastic cups filled with newspaper among the plants (I had 3) & emptied them out every day they still filled the cups every day for weeks! They just shredded the poor plants. I got fed up with that & planted them the following year in my sister's garden. One white one survived for at least 3 years but the last winter must have finally killed it because it hasn't grown this year. Strangely enough the earwigs didn't seem to bother it there!!!

they're all lovely :-))))

Thanks Hywel, Db, Balcony and Grindle :-)
Balcony, i've noticed earwigs in a lot of the flowers here - notably the ones that 'do' have lots of petals/nooks and crannies for them to live in !
When i pick them (for the vases) i have to shake them well or all the little critters come inside with them !
:-(((

I seem to have more than my fair share of the wigs this year! Everything is full of holes. There are loads of caterpillars to. I fear the lack of garden birds has a lot to do with it....if only my neighbours would plant a tree or two! Still, I have my new feeders up now and they are visiting a bit more again. :))

Try applying some vaseline to the stems of your blooms Louise, that might keep them off. They hide in the petals and come out at night to chomp on them!!

Little b****rs !

I lost y park princess in the winter, as I didnt lift it :o(

really must get a replacement next year

I love those dahlias..fantastic! Grow mine in pots and have to ditch the tubers each year unfortunately as I dont have room to store bulbs etc..

Just splendid. The dahlias are terrific. I must try some next year, as I love them, but I suspect that like Tetrarch, I'll have to grow them in pots. btw, if you are every near Cambridge at this time of year, visit Angelsea Abbey, a National Trust property, where the dahlia border is to die for. There's also a fine dahlia border, though not on the same scale, at Rouseham in Oxfordshire.

A good one at Calke Abbey too...like extra large dinner plates. Also Chatsworth have a great set of dahlia beds behind the Maze...

Beautiful photos, Louise. I have 'Renoir', and I still wish I'd bought 'Pablo' that day...remember?

Thank you everyone :-)
Spritz, i remember it well .... next time we're together i'll 'push' you into buying something ;-))

Yes please! :-))))