No postings since May- oh dear! Not enough space on my phone for taking pictures and also so much going one. I wish I had recorded the peonies and delphiniums which were a highlight in June. Apart from that I was doing battle with the rats in the vegetable garden who ate everything in sight- even the rat poison- and went on forever. In the end the extra fencing and clearing the wood sacks/piles helped and now it is burgeoning.

I also failed to establish underplanting in the orchard as the rabbits dug up all the lavender bushes bar one even though I replanted them often and waterbed them they didn’t survive.

What I learnt over the summer

• the garden peaks in May/June with little after that. I need more sustained flowering shrubs and late summer flowers; lavender, roses, hydrangeas and other perennials
• more flowering shrubs needed to make a bridge between trees and flowerbeds
• larger, fuller flowerbeds near to the house with cottage garden planting
• more additional focal points like arches and obelisks for height and interest
• maintain rodent proofing and fence plants off until they establish