Dissapointing year in garden

Well I think you have some lovely colour there San, its not as bad as you think. I think perhaps you are feeling a bit low and not able to appreciate perhaps the colour there. Keep your chin up girl, it will buck up yet.

Don`t get dispondent San, I too seemed to have a lack of flowers for a few weeks, caused by the drought we experienced earlier but now all is picking up, the butterflies have made an appearence in the last few days and there are lots of bees this year compared to the last few years, my roses are also doing better this year.
What you have shown all looks very attractive, it sounds as though you could do with some of the autumn flowering ones so you know you have more to look forward to instead of thinking it will be finished....

cheers cinders i think perhaps you are right, i still have this awfull cough well over a week now, so not sleeping,
sue i think i will look up some autumn flowering plants and do just that, will read up tonight, looking at the pics it doesnt seem to bad but normally my baskets are over flowing.
thanx girlies ;o))

Sorry you're not happy Sandra - the pictures shown look superb ! Love those Sempervivums too - we had other end of scale with drought here - today was first true rain since 2 months. Hope the weather settles for you and you have some happy gardening :))))))))))))))

From the photos you've posted your garden certainly isn't looking tired, quite the opposite it looks lovely. Very cheerful and lots of beautiful flowers.

Hoping I can get mine looking a little more like that over time, at the moment we have exactly two plants in flower - two Salvia's I've just planted. To be fair most of ours has been weeds lol.

Keep your spirits up, I'm sure it'll get better still. Hope your feeling better soon.

thankyou so much paul, the seps have done well to be honest and glad i got some, do i protect them in winter or will they e ok in the pot, i have one in the ground which does ok over winter, poor you having no rain, hope its enough now to soak the garden for you ;o)))

The sempers will be okay - they hate winter rain and can rot them so keep them covered in rain - but they are very hardy :))) Hoping the rain here does something - I put buckets out to collect extra :D

:)))))

cheers sam at least you gave me a giggle with your two flowers and weeds haha, welcome to GOY from me and im sure you will soon have a garden full of flowers ;o))

thanx for that paul ;o)

Hi Sandra ..
Have you tried honey for your irritating cough ?
Maybe get locally-produced honey if you can...

Your garden looks very pretty to me ..
Every garden changes and evolves all the time...

I hope you feel chirpier soon . xxx

hi Terra and thankyou, im going to get honey tomorrow when shopping as i think Pam mentioned that to, i hurt all over with coughing so much, feel like i will breat arib if i carry on lol xx

San you have a lot of colour there, I felt the same as you last week, I thought, why bother just pull the lot out, lay more gravel and get on with your life haha, and i meant it! I havent gardened or sat out for over a week, then, the crocosmia lucifer flowered and lifted me back up, I know a lot of our scottish friends are feeling the same, they were expecting a dusting of snow, according to yesterdays weather forcast!!!!
I think some of the plants i have in the front garden are bone hardy and thats why i have some colour at the min,
Hate to see you down like this San :( As gardeners the weather can do that to us. If i could afford it, I would book a holiday, sunbathe all day and kick my height on tabletops all night :)))) You coming, Love Dee..

Your garden still looks good to me Sanbaz. It has been a poor cold summer though, the coldest for 20 years.

lol Dee and thanx, i will be fine if i could get shut of this damn cough, and yes im up for a couple of weeks in the sun and sangria lol
iv seen a lovely bench i like so i may go for it and cheer me up, its half price at £70 at GC, a iron one in white, nothing fancy but love it, let me know where we are going on hols ok haha ;o))

thankyou Denise guess its the poor weather making me think things. it isnt warm your right apart from the few hot sunny days, is this a sign of things to come.

The bench sounds lovely San, then you plan the pots to go next to it and the plants behind it, then there's the cushions lol.
we are going to Sh i mean Magaluf San hahaha, sending you a hug..

Drc, i was wondering how long since we had this bad a "summer" 20 year huh, next year has to better, so something to look forward to then hehe..

I love you garden Sanbaz plenty of colour from what I can see in the photos:)

san your gardens lovely hun .........you no worrys there love , all our gardens allways changing love............. xx
you take care hun , keep ur chin up . xxx

Hi Sandra,your garden looks good to me, lots of colour & plants all looking healthy.are you still painting ?

i think the bench is a yes Dee and holiday sounds great lol ;o)) cheers for the hug x
thanx nana, cristina and joan for your kind comments ;o)) x
yes still painting joan and almost finished one for the exibition in aug ;o))

Everything in your garden looks fine to me Sanbaz. Plenty of colour from what I can see. Of course we all set different standards and have different expectations.
It is not very easy to have much colour all year round in an average garden. I do not know how big your garden is, but having the average semi detached house garden myself, I find it impossible to have colour all season. So I concentrate in a summer colour. At the moment everything is doing fine in my garden and there is plenty of colour. I do not know if I am in a minority but don't let yourself down. Things might be better than you think. All the best.

Oh dear,San..so sorry your cough is getting you down,I know what it's like,so painful,and seems to be worse at night too.Try some Manuka honey..it isn't cheap,but it really is good stuff...It helped me,when I had one like you...and as for your garden..I think you have lots of colour..it is still lovely..is that a dwarf lilac or Buddlia,in the pic with the bird bath ? That is lovely..all my stuff aren't in flower yet,especially some Fuchsia's ,so don't despair..it will all look good again to you,when you start feeling better..keep your chin up,luv, big hug X

thanx coshad your right about the avarage garden, hard to get a good display all year, my garden is about70ft long but with the garage being in the garden is not got borders both sides and not wide, but i think its better than most on my road as alot dont like doing the gardens and yes maybe i expect more, glad your happy with yours this year, cheers :o)

thanx sandra and yes will get the honey tomorrow, my fushias arent flowering well either, normall weighed down with flowers, and its a buddlia in pic, i had two dwaf ones but lost one over winter, so nice to see this one ;o))

Hi San, you have colour, looks lovely. So dry here, plants not met full potential, lawn is yellow but we had rain today thankfully. Spring and Summer drought coupled with the harsh Winter, hasnt been kind to my plants :(
like you say ..... Ups and downs of gardening.

Your first pic of the black Hollyhock is a stunner San ... you have some lovely plants in the other pics too but I know you've had awful weather in your region for months now. Take a look at the blog by Anchorman on Plants for a very long flowering season ... it's full of good ideas for plants in all colours/heights/situations etc. ... sorry your cough is still a nuisance and hope the Honey does the trick ... keep smiling! : o )))

Hello San! Sorry to hear you're feeling low, try not to fret too much about your garden, I think we've all had problems with the weather...high winds, hailstones, too little rain, too much rain...I think I'll go and dig the garden up and just grow rice!! It's like a paddy field! It's sad when your plants go over early, just makes it feel like autumn's just round the corner. But from what I've seen you've done the very best with what you've got, which is really pretty San! You'll feel much better when you get rid of that cough, maybe you need a wee antibiotic? Sorry! I'm mothering you now! Hope you feel better soon, sending you a big-((hug!))!!;0)

San your garden is not as bad as you think......there is still plenty of colour and your baskets look great, it is the cough that is getting you down, clear that up and you will soon be back to your old self I am sure, and book a holiday in the sun too. xx

All beauties there San...:>)

its hard to see the bueaty in our own gardens San....but believe me yours looks lovely..;-)
hope your feeling better soon.....get on the honey and lemon...x x x

Well you've showed some very nice ones Sandra. I know the weather is hopeless, and last winter put things back a lot it was so cold. It put me back aswell lol.
I hope things look up for you now Sandra. xxx and roll on some summery weather ! ;o)

Sorry to hear you are feeling down Sandra but your garden still looks lovely to me with lots of colour and pretty planting combinations, your Pholx is gorgeous! I do agree we have had poor weather in the north and I havent seen any butterflies in my garden, hoping that we have a late indian summer which will liven everything up. Do hope you are soon feeling better Sandra, not like you to be so down;0)

Well, I will only be repeating what others have said!!!
I enjoyed your garden! I felt the same about mine the other week too! Just had buckets of rain and everything looks fresher.
I do hope your cough gets better with the honey.
Take care x

Sorry your not feeling great but your garden and pots etc look really lovely. If you feel like a natter pop round for a cupper. Keep your chin up.

I think your garden look's really nice, and your pot's are lovely and colourful Sanbaz.It is the weather that has us all at six's and seven's,take care

We have had 13mm of rain in glos. today!!

your baskets are lovely sandra.... weather has been awful hasnt it.. the wind here by the sea has been very strong and ruined a lot of my plants as well....

Glad to have been of service San.

Not so many weeds now mostly bare soil lol. Cheered myself up today and brought myself a lovely Aster, its got loads of gorgeous flowers on and loads of buds. Can't wait to get it in the ground - 3 flowering things now :D

I agree manuka honey. You could try gargling with it, I find its really good for sore throats. Not tried it with persistant coughs yet though.

Thank you for the warm welcome.

wow so many comments and lovely to know i have so many nice friends on GOY, which i knew anyway hahaha
im alot better today, been out in all the rain to fleetwood tram festival, soaked to the bone, waste of time doing the hair and when we got back in the car my eyes were black with my makeup running lol, what a fool i looked, baz cracked up laughing.
got the honey so started that thanx for that everyone who suggested it.
been out and picked the black hollyhocks off the ground grrr, put canes to surport them, damn weather.
im not going to moan again this year so you can all give a sigh of releaf now haha
thanx agin to you all my friends, art tomorrow and tuesday, cant wait ;o)) xx

Hi Sandra, it's not surprising that our gardens are as fed up as we are with this miserable weather. Sorry to hear you're still not well, sometimes it seems like it's one thing after another but I'm glad you're still managing to keep up with your art. What you've shown of this summer's garden looks pretty good to me :o) Hope you'll shake that horrible cough off very soon. x

San, I'm pleased you got the Honey, as so many folk suggested it, so it can only help that cough of yours. I did smile at your description of yourself after the Tram festival ... waterproof mascara just isn't sometimes is it? You're sounding a bit perkier and you've got Art Class to look forward to for two days ... enjoy it ... : o )))

glad to see you have perked up a lot,San..and that's a good sign,being able to laugh at yourself..Lol....nice to read your cheery comment...get that honey down you..Its soothing in hot milk for a cough too..don't know whether it works,but feels like it,especially before you go to bed...

Your garden looks fine, Sanbaz. Isn't it bizarre that you have too much rain and some of us were moaning about a drought! I was weary of baling out my shower water for my pots :) Hope your cough improves very soon, take care.

hi lily nice to see you and im feeling churpier now after my art today, garden isnt to bad but just not as good as last year, my cough easing a little, will take time i guess :o))
thanx shirley, i love honey so not a problem eating it yummmy ;o))
sandra i feel alot better mentally haha, must be the painting, almost finished it ;o))
cheers Gee, yes total opposites, we have to much rain and like you alot havent enough, a happy medium would be great all round ;o))

Happy to hear your feeling happier san, we had a break in the weather yesterday, so decided to go to B&Q just as we pulled out the street it started to bucket down, you should of seen me walking round the GC, hub stood undercover shaking his head, other people were there with umbrellas or hoods but not me i was dripping, what a site hahaha...

You do have some lovely plants there Sandra but I know what you mean about the weather. Living in the south east I was lucky enough to get the hot weather in April and May, however it was followed by the dreadful wet June. The flowers all came up early and the rain kept them going but I know they are going to finish early. Most of the flowers look as though its mid-August and not July and all my roses have suffered badly. I hope you feel better soon, I`ve been coughing myself for almost a month, it really does get you down!

Manuka honey is marvellous for a persistant cough, it really did mine a power of good one teaspoon a day, expensive but worth it. Hope you are feeling better by now and your garden is very pretty & full of colour, dont be too hard on yourself!

thanx Dee, your as bad as me, many times iv been dripping and others sheltering, lol :o)
hi sandra sorry your suffering to with garden and cough, wonder why these coughs are lasting so long, must be something different in the virus or something, hope your feling better to soon ;o))
thanx Granmage its improving and also a few more flowers apearing in the garden, lilies opening but not as big as usual, also rudbeckia opening but not even a ft. high, last year at least 3 ft high, i did split them this year so maybe thats why, will see ;o)

Well Sand, what you have flowering are beautiful.
Same here weather wise. Raining yet again today.
I am really fed up of my garden this year.
My Granddaughters flowers have gone beserk, and looking pretty. Mine are all struggling, and what I have in veg is pathetic.
So Sand,you are not alone. Join my club. :o(

thanx linda and so sorry your in the same boat, isnt it dishearting, better luck next summer for both of us :o)

Between the dog and the rain, I've had enough.
Mali went and dug up another bean plant, and my Livingstone Daisies. She seems to have gone backwards to her puppy days, unless rain is getting to her as well...

aww thats such a shame linda, like you say i think animals get fed up to, casper is like a child when he gets in especially in the evening, i have to play chase for about two hours lol, im shattered ;o))

I have had dogs and other animals all my life, but I've never had a dog to bury things like Mali does.
Whatever you give her, she runs to bury it.
Rain stopped about 20mins ago, and noticed her in amongst plants again. Just went to check the 'damage', and she has now dug a hole by the base of my Passion flower. Never seen a dog like her...

strange how she likes to bury everything linda and your poor passion flower :o(

Young Granddaughter has planted wild flowers, and Mali has even dug a hole through them.

Waving "hiya" and reaching out with some (((hugs))) for you San x I'm coming to this quite late on from when you began your blog...it's nice to read all the encouraging comments you've had which I'm sure makes you feel so much better :)

How's that cough doing now? Should be improving as you get more of that honey down. I put honey in a hot lemon drink when I feel off (even though I'm not really supposed to have the medicinal kind!) and find it does perk me up.

I am a tad jealous of your budleiah (not sure if that's the right way to spell it)....it looks so lush and full of bloom. I think the rain and winds of late have made things look a bit sad in the garden...we had a lot of high winds the other night and my sunflowers all hit the deck! Had to chop two of them down as they had broken up on their heavy stems. No rain yesterday so got the grass cut finally and today we've had the summer house put in the garden so that will be a fun project to look forward to for me :)

Pleased you are getting on with your painting too, San. I know how much that transports you to a happy mood so great therapy to cheer you. Take care my friend. xx

oh linda i think mali needs behavier lessons before you have no garden left, hope your grandaughter doesnt notice, she will be so upset.
iv been told if your doggy does something naughty, you carry a sqirty bottle of water and when they start then a quick squirt, they then learn not to do that paticular thing again, but you must follow it through, maybe worth a try as its not cruel and wont hurt your mali ;o))
hi jacquie and thanx for you kind comments and encouragment, im alot better and cough not quite as bad so honey is working a treat.
sorry you have had damage to in your nice new garden, its dissheartning isnt it. my budlia is lovely , i had two small ones but lost one over winter, i also have a big one but the flowers dont last as long on that, forever snipping them off,
glad you got the grass cut, i must get mine done over weekend to, its surpose to be nicer, lets hope so.
overall i am feeling more myself, glad iv finished my painting as its taken a long time to complete, but im happy with it.
enjoy your weekend jacquie :o)) x

Thanks Sand.
As it is, she doesn't like water. lol.
When you shout at her, she'll choose not to hear you, yet if I shout 'bad girl', she'll run.
If I say, 'Where's my stick?', she'll jump in her bed, which makes me laugh, as I haven't got a stick. What the word 'stick' means to her, I've no idea, being as we've had her since she was 6/8 weeks old. :o)

they say dogs go off tone of voice and use of one word tells them things, but we as humans think talking to our pets they understand lol but not, they have to be shown we are the leader of the pack so to speak, so things like the water tells them that its a no go, apparently us shouting means nothing haha, good luck linda, we love them naughty or good x

It's looking good to me.
I just love that purple Hollyhock, I never knew they came in such a stunning color, I'd love one of them.

thats angie iv cheered up since this lol and now my garden has had some sunshine its coming to life again, i love the hollyhock to its surpose to be black but i dont think flowers are ever true black :o)