The full-on-sun, no-rain weather continues, leaving the back garden borders with derelict looks. Some herbaceous plants have simply had enough. And now that the rambling cranesbills, Anne Thomson and Red Admiral have petered out, there’s a striking loss of colour.
But not everything is fading. This is the season of SUNFLOWERS, both annual and perennial. And given the sudden floral gaps, I’m happy to see this self-sown and grown colony that’s circling the sweet pea obelisk. The sweet peas, anyway, are almost over – more beheading done than picking.
The perennial helianthus have also started to flower. I have them all over the place, although they can have thuggish tendencies. There’s a pleasing clump by the greenhouse, and more around the edges of the garden where nothing else seems quite so keen to grow. I think the original rootstock came via my sister from our Aunt Miriam’s slightly mad Devon garden; family feelings are involved here. With any luck, they should keep going till summer’s end.
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As mentioned in previous SoS’s, the magenta-purple phlox paniculatas have been flowering valiantly, even as their petals scorch. Now that the heat is not so fierce, I’m hoping the freshly opened PHLOX PANICULATA DAVID will have its time unscathed. It is a lovely plant with a delicate scent, here keeping company with stems of gone-to-seed valerian. It looks so cool too.
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It’s also CROCOSMIA season. We have a big and brutish clump growing in the upstairs garden by the shed. It came with the house. I quite like looking up at it from the back door, seeing the play of light through the sword-like leaves.
But the flowers are suffering, looking more inclined to die before opening. This is anyway not among my favourite plant varieties; far too rampant. But the same doesn’t go for its more refined cousin, Harlequin. I love everything about this plant – its stance, the more delicate sun-suffused leaves, the airy looks of the flowers, those juicy ice lolly colours…
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Number four is not exactly a success story, though it depends on your perspective. This is the GLOBE ARTICHOKE we did not eat and for obvious reasons. It is presently a very busy aphid factory under strict ant management. I nearly cut it down, but then this week it began to flower. Even infested, it’s still spectacular. The bees like it too.
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Five is a shout-out for OREGANO, however it comes – culinary or ornamental. I’ve already featured the very decorative Kent Beauty here, but at the moment it’s the cooking version that’s the big attraction for bees and butterflies. Painted Ladies and Hedge Browns have been among this week’s avid visitors. Much like the helianthus, I have oregano clumps all over the garden, between the raised beds and filling gaps in borders while new herbaceous plants grow on.
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Finally, a food crop success, although not a great haul. And not surprising given the weeks and weeks without rain. Also I only planted 10 seed potatoes. So here we have it – a bucket of ROOSTER spuds. They should keep us going for a while.
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And now fingers crossed for the promised cooler days. There might even be some drizzle this afternoon. (Do I believe this?)
Copyright 2026 Tish Farrell
Six on Saturday: 18 July 2026 This week host Jim has been capturing the garden wildlife.
Cooler here in London today, thankfully 🙂 I’m pleased to see, given the circumstances, that your garden is still managing to produce some colour AND some potatoes!
Yes, am v. pleased with the spuds even if not very big.
Well, despite the weather is not all gloom
Not at all, Sue. Though the lawn’s pretty rubbish 😉
You can’t have it all, Tish?
Ha!
😄
You just can’t beat sunflowers.Especially if they come back on their own.
They’re quite something this year. The really tall one at the bottom of the garden, has 7 flower heads!
Is there anything better than a simply boiled freshly harvested spud with lots of butter? We had a Booth’s supermarket in town – sadly closed now – which sold at this time of year, new potatoes guaranteed to have been harvested that very day (at silly o’clock in the morning). They sold at fancy prices. But they sold. In other news, your garden is looking surprisingly resilient. Pretty good, actually!
Absolutely with you on the fresh spud and butter, Margaret.
Lovely sunflowers, and so tall! We have the mini varieties – one set only grows about a foot tall, the others maybe three feet.
I absolutely love oregano. My husband has two pre-existing clumps in pots and I sowed two more, but it doesn’t seem enough – we had a disagreement about how much of it to harvest today and how much to leave to go to flower. Putting little clumps of it all around the garden might just be the ideal solution.
These are the best sunflowers I’ve ever (NOT) grown. Big chunky stems and all their own work. As to oregano, I don’t think you can have too much, or if you do, there’s usually someone to share it with 🙂
Lovely flowers and those potatoes look so good. Enjoy the harvest.
Cheers, Rupali.
Good spuds, and I like the sound of the slightly mad Devon garden. Happy Sunday, Tish- I’m late catching up this week xx
Ah, the Devon garden, a slightly mad aunt went with it 🙂
In spite of the lack of rain your garden looks lovely. Yummy potatoes!
Yummy potatoes they are, Jennie 🙂
Beautiful pollinators, and it sounds like they are very happy with your Oregano. Thanks for that idea! I have a pot that’s struggling in the heat and drought, and I think I’ll try sprinkling some herb seeds in it. Sunflowers and their look-alikes are so bright and cheery this time of year. Yummy potatoes! I wish I had more sun so I could grow more edibles.
Many thanks for reading and commenting, Beth.
What a great gardener you are! I haven’t visited in a while and it’s always a pleasure to see your photographs too.
So happy to have you visit my garden, Stephen. Hope all is well with you 🙂
All well in sunny LA, but my poor back yard yielding but a couple of tomatoes and some parsley sprigs this year 🙂
Oh dear. A very small salad then.
Your garden is basked in glorious sunshine – beautiful! 🌞