David Austin Abraham Darby and other DA roses

[@wendybartlett6717]

Hi Nik, Getting fed up with the rain aren't you? I keep deadheading the plants in the garden but it's the Petunias in the hanging baskets that have become really tiresome as they get so soggy and sticky with all this wet weather. Your garden is still looking wonderful and looking at all the buds on your roses, you're going to have a lot of blooms to come. I like your little see-saw and the two lady planters by the pink Hydrangea. I've not noticed those before. Good to see that you've got some Cosmos. I sowed a few different varieties this year and I've finally got all the plants that I grew from seed in the ground which is such a relief as I felt so behind compared to other years. Thanks for the garden tour Nik.

[@nikkonch]

Hi Wendy - I wouldn't mind the rain if we got decent stretches of hot sunshine occasionally - that would suit me perfectly. The two ladies are Gladys and Ethel - they always seem to be gossiping, probably complaining that we never change their hairstyle plant pots. You're ahead of me - I still haven't put all my seed-grown plants in the ground yet.

[@Jay_Jay]

Lovely nik and the most healthy of roses still. Your roses doing fantastic nik.

[@nikkonch]

Thanks Jay Jay. I think the health and good growth is mainly down to the weather here this year - not sure how or why. So maybe I'll be hoping for miserable summers from now on.

[@peterhaymaker7562]

Hi Nik and thanks for the look around your very happy and healthy roses. Lots of lovely new growth coming so, many more roses to come soon, some may even be out now as I'm 5 days down the line now. I've got two Cosmos in my garden and it was very difficult to find space for them as I grow too much., or should I say it grows and I let it. Very hot here in Kent today Friday 19th July - 29'C!!! Cheers! P.

[@nikkonch]

Hi Peter, some roses have indeed come out and some of those have already gone! The heat tends to speed things up, so lots of deadheading - and watering. In previous years. I have had large areas of tall cosmos and zinnias in the bottom bed, and they looked pretty amazing, but the roses are squeezing them into a smaller area now. I think we have had similar temperatures to Kent - we used to live in Thanet until we retired, and we still have family there, so I keep an eye on things there. Thankfully it's getting cooler here tomorrow.

[@peterhaymaker7562]

@@nikkonch Thank for the update Nik. I live in Maidstone, not a million miles from Thanet where we do venture to now and then. I too have grown many Cosmos in the past but now things seem to be getting a bit crowded. A bit of sorting out to do in the winter I guess. I've got too many Anemones/ tall wind flowers for a start and so it goes on. Cheers! P.

[@soulgirlktf]

Hi Nik, lovely roses and that lavatera is too good to dig up. I didn't notice any mess at all. Your garden always looks fabulous. You have so many buds and still having first flush you will have lots to come. I looked at Peach Melba yesterday in the garden centre, very pretty colour. No workmen today YaY they have finished except for a couple of tiny finishing jobs to do later in the week so I've got my garden back ! I'm lugging pots here there and everywhere and in the process of figuring out what to keep and what to get rid of :) The clematis you showed looks very much like Piilu with it's yellow anthers, does it ever produce double flowers? Thanks for the lovely tour and for the view at the end I love that view, sunny here today hope you're enjoying your garden today, take care.

[@nikkonch]

Hi Linda. It says online that lavatera's lifespan is only about 5 years and ours is over 7 years at least. We will miss it when it goes, despite its hogging so much space, because it seems to be almost constantly in flower. Perhaps I should take a cutting? I just read that Piilu is early-flowering, from May onwards, and this one has just started over the past fortnight, but it's been a funny summer. Glad to hear that your garden belongs to you again. I'm sure that you will enjoy rearranging everything. Can you really get rid of anything? I think I have already run out of space for roses and there is a list of roses I want, but every rose I have has some redeeming features which make it difficult to say goodbye to it. And then then my wife always pleads for the life of those I might be able to bring myself to dig up. I don't know if you could see how tall the grass is in that field behind us now? There's a lot of hay to be made - but will the sun ever shine for the farmer? Lucky you with the sun! No such luck here.