Visit 9th/10th August

5 mills in the rain gauge, the lowest fortnightly reading for some months. However, it started raining shortly after my arrival and a further 10 mills had fallen by next morning. The rain was frustrating but I've been lucky with the weather this winter so couldn't complain.
After many years of working on having colour in the garden all year, I feel I've just about got there

So many things flower even in a cold winter, with the wallflowers, winter iris, hellebores, early daffodils, 'Winter Cheer' pokers flourishing in Daylesford. 

This visit I planted a euphorbia, 'Thorn' penstemon. seedlings of the unusual poppy 'Danish Flag' (Drapeau danois) which should be spectacular. Plus more cornflower seeds. For some time now, I've had a bit of a craving for stewed pears, so took the plunge and bought a 'Williams' Bon Chretien Pear and planted it in the paddock. Hopefully the horses won't also develop a liking for the fruit.

4 more roses were pruned and some of the cuttings planted in the vegetable plot.

It was pleasing to note that the 'Bulbinella nutans' is beginning to flower, surely earlier than usual. Such a delicate flower. Also my one camellia is doing well, the best ever. It really seems to have benefited from all the rain this year.

Much time was spent chopping perennials back, chrysanthemums, bog sage, penstemons and scabiosas. 

Also, the time has come for the feijoa to get the chop. It was producing plenty of foliage, never fruited and was beginning to cover some nice day lilies and irises. This time, I took cuttings of the blue and white penstemon, the pink buddleia, and divided the maroon aster for potting up. 

The rain prevented me lopping as much of the laurel as I would have liked but a bit more of it was removed. I noticed the horses tasting some of the cut foliage. They must be looking for more variety in their diet. One of them popped around to check out what I was doing in the garden but didn't offer to help!