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well they are not straggly so I wouldn't cut the flowers off. just keep dead heading to prolong flowers.

Thanks Owd...have just pulled it out!

Leycesteria is what it looked like to me too.

Our neighbour who is into bedding out like that never does. His look good straight from the start.

Balcony,

I’ve been growing papayas for 25 years. Home-grown papayas are literally a thousand percent better than the ones sold in the store. Most people I talk to hate papayas, it’s because they’ve never eaten a real ripe papaya. Papayas don’t build up their sugars until they turn yellow or orange.

Looks very nice in that lovely pot.

I think you are right Eileen..there was a mature one years ago not far from where this is growing.

It could be the Himalayan Honeysuckle [Leycesteria formosa] but I don't remember it having such toothed leaf margins.

:))

Thanks very much everyone , yes aphids and black fly ! my daughter has found several catterpillars on the branches too , no ladybirds yet , agree the best option is to leave it to nature and hope , if i recall , the same thing happened last year , otherwise all okay ecept from the lack of rain , and water suppy running out , fingers crossed everyone , thanks agin .

Good luck Julia :-)

Thank you Shirley.

Think I will Klahanie..just read how to do this so wish me luck!

I shall be thinking of you and wish you well with the surgery.

Shirley, I would donate some if people would be interested.
Not this year as I am going for a hip replacement surgery next week.

Can you take cuttings Julia?

Kenny I'm sure it is..I've checked it on Google and the leaves look very similar..
It can be invasive
so it will have to go.Many thanks.

I agree with Julia. I like them as well for many reasons.

Begonias have beautiful foliage and flowers as well. Looks like there are several of them in the pot, Are they cuttings Homebird ?.

Is it himalayan honeysuckle

I'll put up another photo of it!

Keep this in mind too..the more houses the more traffic...the more traffic the more road kills.

usually you just put a thank you statement in the reply box under your own question/blog.

leaves dont look right for honeysuckle.
are the large leaves part of the same plant?

Did you see what was her home and garden! Her influence was widespread in the 1800s.I was hoping to buy another Munstead wood.

There is a Honeysuckle very near,you may be right TH.

Could it be some kind of honeysuckle seeded by birds?

Thank you Sheila I do like this one :-)

Ah no I haven't watched it yet, I saw a bee go in the penstemon though yesterday 😀 and round the geums :-))

Klahanie, you could set up a little sales area!!!

Oh David, it's hard work being a gardener!

Julia, I have only seen one Ladybird this year, so disappointing not to see more of them.

Karen, my thoughts exactly.

Sheila, some of the snails here are so very small, hard to see them.

David, I leave the aphids for the Sparrows, Bluetits and other small birds!

:o)))

I do like the Barbery shrubs even though they are quite spiney.The mottled colouring especially attractive.

Thanks Sbg I think it is hardy begonia grandis ‘Sapporo’. Label long since lost. I bought it from Henstead Exotic Garden in Suffolk in 2017. I also bought a banana which unfortunately didn’t survive. I will take a look at B Sutherlandii.

Thank you Janey.

I wish we would have some of yours "blackbirds" here Janey.

I did little bit of reading on Munstead wood rose,Munstead Wood n Surrey, a garden designer Gertrude Jekyll's home.

I like the blooms Shirley but the leaves are cruel. The flowers come in September when the rains start so they do not last very long and fall down to the ground.
Interesting thing is that local garden center wants $5 for each bulb. I have hundreds of them.

They are Julia, thannk you for liking.

Sheila, he was so genuine in his fascination with the Bees and was so knowledgeable about them.

I don't have any buddleias on the balcony but I did have a terrible infestation of aphids a month ago which killed 4 of the 12 Pansy plants I had growing on the balcony railings in pots. Also another 2 pots with 3 Pansies in each were killed. I also lost the dozen plants of Violas to the infestation! :( I only got it under control after spraying with a solution of Neem oil on 2 occasions a couple of weeks apart. The top of the balcony railings was like a motorway for ants & it was their extreme activity that tipped me off to the infestation.

Though I've known for many years that ants farm aphids, like we farm cows, I didn't connect the 2 till I saw one pot so full of ants that I thought they might have made a nest inside the pot! Then the "penny dropped"! :D

The first solution was probably too weak to eradicate them. I had to send away for more Neem oil but by the time it arrived & I made up the solution, (a little stronger!), it was almost too late. I managed to save the remaining 8 pots, although one later also died, but not the Violas. :(

I now watch much more closely my plants & at the first sign of aphids I squish them on the plants before they can get to infestation levels! The rose 'Masquerade' is the plant that most attracts aphids now so I watch it much closer than before & have already "nipped' a couple in the bud so to say!

Yes Shirley the gentleman was brilliant, wasn't he?!

Beautiful rose, Kate! I grew it many years ago when I lived at home with my parents still.

I will go and have a close look at my Ajuga - thanks for the tip Shirley! I do use a lot of gravel with my planting, so maybe that helps to keep them away.

My problem this year is the gangs of snails eating my Petunias - that hasn't happened before :(

Lovely plant, Shirley! :) I believe salvias attract a great many bees, perhaps they attract other pollinating insects as well.

Lovely to see so many different Daylilies altogether in one place, Wylie! :) 'Viva la Vida' is really lovely! :)

I was going to ask you, Andy, if they are edible then I saw your post above! :)

Shirley, I grew a climbing 'Masquerade' many, many years ago. I also had a bush one when I still lived at home with my parents. It's a real magnet for greenflies! I've cleaned them off the buds 2 or 3 times already! I try to remember to check for them every few days when I go out t water the plants on the balcony.