Gardening year in pictures.

indeed Ange, November my back looks awful just a bath . lose a few bits each year , heathers mainly and sedums . Your garden looks super and March was uplifting , only 4 months which will go by soon enough. Wish my grass was good as yours , we get too much shade and combined with wet then frosts , no chance

Lovely blog Ange. I especially like the Viburnum (Mariessi?) with Alliums. Since you ask, I think my star plant this year was Viburnum Kilimanjaro (my visitors commented on it anyway!).

So far as to what interested visitors to my garden the most was the Zen garden I created this year which has not a living thing in it (even the bonsai I placed in the garden is a fugazi). It is 100% climate resistant too. Since it is a representational garden it takes a bit of explanation to visitors who have never seen or heard of one before but once understood, they get into the groove of its various meanings and enjoy it greatly. So, since you asked, relative my Zen garden, my star performer is a rock I dug out of my property that has the shape of a fish which I made the centerpiece of this oriental garden. One of my previous blogs has photos of it should anyone care to see it.

Paul, the grass is mostly clover and continuing to be dug up by moles, despite OH's best efforts with scarers etc. which have had no impact! The drought didn't help. The pics.probably make the garden look better than it actually was...

Sheila, we bought a new viburnum very like Kilimanjaro in the late summer (can't remember the name). It's too soon to see how well it will do here. Yes, the one in the photo is Mariesii.

I enjoyed your Zen garden, Loosestrife, and love the idea that your star was the fish rock! I have always veered towards the cottage garden look but it's a lot less easy to maintain than it used to because of the fuctuating weather here. I have tried to introduce more shrubs (which survived reasonably well) and am realising that flower gardens may be much less easy to maintain in the future.

Yes, even though I live on the other side of the pond my weather conditions were very much the same as yours. It was a real battle to keep my garden hydrated with days of no rain, no clouds and high temperatures.

Well would you flipping believe it, I commented here yesterday and now find my comment is not here, thats typical Ange....Trying again.....
I really enjoyed this blog, I like to see gardens through all the seasons, although we did not have much to show this year for a few months, brown lawns and gaps where some of our plants did not survive, things perked up for the autumn show and my plants did me proud, it was so good to have green grass and lots of colour back, saying that it was a relief for a while not having to get the mower out every week.. Now its gone the other way and my plants are in danger of drowning instead, I don't really know what I would consider the star of the show, I'll look back and try to choose Ange...

I too enjoyed your blog, Ange. I like the rose, old wollerton hall, such a delicate colour. Re the moles, have you tried putting moth balls down the holes? Worked for me. Doesn’t kill them, just sends them off to someone else’s garden.
Ivy- leaved pelargoniums are a wow in hot conditions so more of those for the containers next year. A neighbour had some Gazanias , & they just loved the heat too, bet they thought they were back in Africa. I’m annoyed I lost my pink flowered Strawberry, also some heather, tho’ I’m hoping the heather might reappear next year. All in all, most things looked very sad during August, just suffered until the rain came, then tried again, so all a bit topsy turvy. What will next year bring, I wonder.
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Thanks for your comments outlining your own results over the year. Lincs, I think we're likely to drown too. Extraordinary year so far!

I will suggest mothballs Fever, thanks for the suggestion. You're right with your topsy-turvey comment. It's very difficult to make plans, isn't it?

Klahanie, if they survive the monsoon season we seem to be having at the moment I will certainly post some pics.. What a shocker of a year!

Thames Water have just ended their hosepipe ban!
Apparently there will be sufficient water to refill rivers & reservoirs if we have the usual amount of rain this winter.
The river Wey is in full spate & the flood plains are, well, flooded.

You couldn't make it up, Fever!

I don't know how I missed this blog Ange!
What a great idea to look through the year and your garden looks pretty good despite the heatwave!
I am still out there gardening as I wanted to widen slightly one of the borders and as it was so mild until recently had sent for new perennials from a nursery called Bally Roberts which I can definitely recommend!
Cheap delivery charge too and their web site is so original.
Loads of info about plants too.
Now though as the weather has turned colder and wetter, my new plants are in my greenhouse.

Just wanted to add Ange, but I have just checked my notifications and your blog wasn't on there!
I thought I had added you as "favourite" when you were first on here!
I always get told when you have done blogs , but am going to add you as " favourite" again incase it's because you changed your name to Ange2 ?

I think that's the reason, Rose. Thanks.

Lovely blog, Ange. It’s an interesting look at your garden timeline this past year. You’ve such beautiful peony and rose shrubs/plants. You’ve carried out a lot of changes throughout this year too. From rejigging, removing, replacing and reflection, I guess.
Your borders look good in the latter pics. We’ve been extremely lucky with our acers in the back and in the front. Hydrangeas..not so much. I only have 2, and I think they may not have survived the hot summer days.
It’s been strange this year, weather wise. Lots of rain recently..plus it’s definitely getting colder too.

Yes, Kate, the garden is 'the same only different'! I'm still working on ideas for next year. We keep discussing the idea of a pond but it doesn't seem to be materialising yet. My acers are huddled in the g'house for now. We have to add bubble wrap for extra insulation as the heater won't be going on this year for obvious reasons.