High summer garden tips & tour - lavender, thugs & re-vamping the border...

[@laurahale5774]

Thank you for being real in addition to having a great sense of humor, "at least that is what I'm telling my husband and anyone else." about re-wilding. Your garden is beautiful, and your ideas are wonderfully useful. Thanks again.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@chriscotterrill6460]

Loved the video this week! I always feel so encouraged when I watch your posts because you are refreshingly honest about the challenges we face in our gardens ! Thank you !

[@suetulloch2138]

I love how refreshingly honest you are about your lovely garden and the problems you encounter. I am sure your new border will be brilliant next year. 💚

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Oh, thank you, and I hope so!

[@ThreeRunHomer]

The tip about having a wow plant for each season is excellent. I hadn’t thought about planting exactly that way. Thanks.

[@AndyGrowsFood]

I thought exactly the same, great advice

[@coloradotulips]

I do love the descriptions of how your plants do over time. It’s helpful to think about how they behave as they get established. Thanks, Alexandra!

[@kurthartle5473]

You're so right about the impossibility of keeping all areas of the garden perfect year round. Where possible I've done some succession planting, and simply enjoy the seasonal interest in some areas/features

[@tmy1065]

Your comment about a garden not being perfectly filled in or in bloom everywhere all the time is encouraging. Watching this video as well as past posts I’m learning to appreciate the ebb and flow of plants. After visiting the beautiful gardens in Japan I noticed the only way to achieve “perfection” is to avoid having too many flowering perennials at once. Every month there is usually only one that stands out and the rest of the landscape is very structured. It limits the part that is in transition to a contained area. But having lots of flowers is worth the trade off.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I absolutely agree!

[@Holly_at_gypsyhollergardens]

😂 " ...thats what I tell my husand and vistors " loved it ! I do the same of any "crazy" spots ...thats for the pollinators ! (😅 I even use my judgy voice, to shame one for questioning 😂) Love your garden !

[@gracepeterson7483]

Yes. I've been buying perennials but rather than planting during our dry summer, I'm keeping them in pots to plant in the fall. Great video as always.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Good strategy!

[@manorgarden]

I absolutely love your videos as you are at once so knowledgeable, open to new ways, and realistic about what works and what doesn't. I was nodding throughout this entire video as while my garden looks different from yours (with some similarities), the same challenges and experiences apply. Thank you for this validation!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@jwalton6819]

Really helpful video about how impossible it is to have all areas of the garden looking great all the time. We look for 'plant of the week' each week instead.

[@JoannaLouise200]

I dont think I could ever tire of traditional English lavender ~ there is something so comforting about that depth of scent, and the colour is so heart-lifting when in full bloom. It seems to have an enveloping character...like a giant fragrant hug! Yours looks sensational Alexandra.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@RichNorth-c7m]

Yup, love the honesty and humour, this kind of snapshot of a moment of a season is a great idea and one of my favourite videos of yours.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you so much!

[@Carolyn2Short]

Congrats on the new puppy - super cute! If we could only get them to dig holes where we want them instead of digging up our plants. Best of luck. -viewing from Oroville, California (Northern Sacramento Valley, also Zone 9, but much hotter summer temps)

[@vika_festu]

I followed advice in one of your videos and planted blue delphiniums this year. Lots of them, from seed! Didn't expect I would succeed but I did. Hopefully, they will survive our harsh minus thirty winters 😊 Love your channel, thank you.

[@kmsch986]

Love the rewilding of the veggie beds 😂, I have had a rainy summer which was totally atypical and my beds were set up for drought with moisture holding soil, mulched to the top and I suspect have developed fungal diseases bc all are dying. In Colorado our grow season is so short no time to salvage so I’m “letting them go” and your post today was perfect timing❤

[@quicknumbercrunch8691]

I laughed at your rewilding the veg beds. Stick to your guns! Thank you for the good advice as well. I have made the mistake of not being aggressive enough in pruning lavender. You inspire me to give them tough love as I cut the flower stocks. You have also given me permission to keep the poppies and even to plant some. As for drought. I am 35 kilometers south of Paris and we are in permanent drought. Fortunately, I have a pump in the well and water with that, but I keep in mind that this land is so overbuilt with housing that the drought will continue to get more severe. The swindlers in France give land to members of the town halls and then land zoned for farming becomes constructible. The French are poorer than the British so the new housing is small ugly concrete homes and council housing where people look into each other's windows. This produces a great deal of heat, contributing to the Heat Island Effect. My house is 70 years old and I just installed air conditioning because there was no longer a choice. If I live another decade I will start planting cactus. cheers.

[@moniquemannaert3468]

Thank you for sharing your insightful story. If at all possible, see if you can create well composted area's that you keep feeding and build out over time. The organic matter (and the anorganic feed of minerals and spore elements) keep your soil productive ad roots protected. The water can sit around the roots for a bit longer, giving the plants longer time to drink. This way you'll have an active, protective soil that actually needs fewer litres of water, but can put more of it to actual use. Better producing plants will prroducce more compost and so the cycle goes up. In winter it protects your plants from freezing and strong winds. See where the cold rolls to and where the pockets of run off water and wildlife are. Hope it helps to support your lovely garden! Beautiful summer. 🏖️

[@quicknumbercrunch8691]

@@moniquemannaert3468 Thank you. It is true I have not paid enough attention to the properties that help soil retain water. I will work on that using your advice. Cheers.david

[@moniquemannaert3468]

@@quicknumbercrunch8691 it's an ongoing task. I give half of the compost in the spring to help start after a tiring winter and half in the fall to keep the soil warm and not breaking down too quickly due to rainfall, wind or frost. Only exception should be clay; then the frost is a useful friend! Compost heaps and wood rills support biodiversity and prevent erosion. It's so gratifying! Enjoy the boost of your labour! 🌿👍😊

[@helenthompson5926]

I enjoyed that. Straightforward and honest and amusing. I like the English tendency to self-deprecate - makes a change from the tendency of some to overindulge in superlatives and self-congratulate.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@SpanishEclectic]

I too appreciate your honesty when chatting with us about gardening. It's a process and not all experiments are successful. And sometimes there's a surprise, when something that looks dead comes back. The neighbors have acanthus plants and I'm dying to dig one up and move it to a shady spot so the leaves won't die. Right now they are all brown and laying on the ground, with only the flower spikes remaining. I think between apple cider vinegar and smelly pine cleaner I've managed to discourage the possums, skunks, and raccoons from eating my rose and Boysenberry shoots. The fact that things are getting dry and hot should help as well. The roses were quite prolific this year, and the smell was wonderful; the critters thought so too. :( For many years I used systemic rose food and never had this problem. An endless experiment! Good luck with your thugs...I'd love some red poppies.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you and I am so relieved I don't have to deal with possums, skunks and raccoons.

[@sharonbannister6564]

Hello, I garden in 9b Southern California. It’s about to get HOT but in this unusually cool spring and mild start to summer I’ve gotten a lot accomplished. While I can’t use many of the plants you discuss I find great value in your suggestions and advice based on your experiences, thank you💐

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you so much!

[@kathyfoster181]

Great to have these timely updates Alexandra! Loving the pops of hot colours next to your lavenders, orange really makes the purple pop. Agreed, feature plants do help distract from those scruffy garden corners, also think a feature sculpture or two helps as well. Great advice as always, love your content 🌹🌿🪻

[@teresanorth3691]

Great to see how your garden is doing this year Alexandra ! I love all your videos but your garden tours are my favourite

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you so much!

[@elliepaske2062]

Thanks Alexandra. I have a bed of lavender Hidcote. It’s 3 years old and has lots of flowers but is almost lying flat as if in a strong wind. I certainly pruned it down but leaving about an inch of green. The woody leggy bit is about 6 inches in length. It’s such a pity that it’s not standing upright like yours ❤

[@eileenchang2173]

@elliepaske2062- I too thought my lavender was blown down by the wind and could not figure out why 1/3 of it was horizontal!😂

[@glgardener4972]

Excellent. The lavender is beautiful. Love your garden.

[@carlas872]

Thank you for sharing! I can always count on you to give me the bad along with the good. I love astrantia and want to add lots more to my garden! It does take a year to get established but then it will bloom it's little head off.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I was wondering if the astrantia might poke its head up next year, just when I've stopped expecting anything of it

[@gardentours]

The lavender looks absolutely gorgeous. I did that to my lavender as well and I was surprised that it came back so nicely. Your veg garden looks very nice as wild as it is.

[@bluesky7226]

Always inspiring to revamp a border. I am a gardener for several clients, so my garden is always last to get planted, etc. Because of my work, I plant all through the summer. Acclimate the plants for a while, then plant. I have found they are happier in the ground than they are in the pots. As for lavender pruning...I have had a stand of lavender for more than 20 years. I prune them hard in the late winter...literally an inch or so above the ground. They come back every year and have reseeded happily through my garden. I do this only to the Lavandula angustifolia varieties. ❤

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

An inch! I'm tempted to try that, although I'm almost decided to replace the lavender.

[@bluesky7226]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden try it with the newly planted plants.

[@DownButNotOutYet]

Good morning Darling Alexander, I had such a good chuckle hearing you sort of complaining about just too much!! I am a gardener that also thinks let them self-seed but oh my goodness! That can become a disaster. Well, be that as it may, allow the fresh plants to become established and removed root and all the older plants, even if you cut the flowers after peak performance so that they cannot seed. Gardening is a big challenge but good fun. It is very disheartening for me when I spend money on the plants and they do not survive, what a waste I think. Alas, we are not in control of the weather, you should have placed those new plants in pots into the wheelbarrow and wheeled them away :) a gardener becomes a quick thinker as well. The back north border looks fine just pull up the existing extras after a good shower, regardless the loss then it becomes easier. I have decided to finally remove the trees I mentioned previously they cause too much shade and the house is very cold in early winter mornings. We have had snow on the mountains and it was extremely cold, Monday and Tuesday were days for nobody to really be outside. Plants I enjoyed for a number of years have almost frozen, there are a few green twigs, but it's fine, I will cut back when it warmer, refresh the soil in the pots and carry on. Africa is not for the weak. So enjoyed the garden talk and doggy is looking beautiful, I can already see the change in growth she will be so lovely when grown up. Oh I have to add, you are looking very posh! Many blessings.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you! And I think we all - even trained professional horticulturalists - waste money on plants because they don't all survive, so we shouldn't feel too bad about it!

[@sunitashastry5270]

I tend to buy perennials in early spring - they sulk for awhile but need less watering. I also buy on sale plants in late summer, hang on to them and plant in September ( USA zone 5 b) Central Illinois) Like you I find some do well, and others not. One suggestion - I use mulch around the new planting to know it is there. This helps to keep track of them. I also try to write them down in a journal. I just LOVE your lavender - I cannot grow it to do that. Our wet springs do overwhelm them - I need to find the most well drained spot I can get to have them survive. I’m still looking!

[@deano1018]

I can relate to so much of what you shared in this video. Thanks for your work and honesty. Wishing you success in the continued plant policing 😅😂

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you so much!

[@juliabinford6500]

I so enjoy your sense of humor:) I hadn’t thought of having one show stopper in each season. Those topiary trees are certainly marvelous. Digging out perennials is hard on the body, so, would cutting back new foliage on perennials as they emerge, and through the season be an alternative?

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you. I think that could be a bit frustrating as some perennials would die but others would just keep coming back and you wouldn't have the space to plant the new plants, I agree that digging the plants out is tough, and I wasn't able to do many of them. I have four hours a week of paid help in the garden, and this was invaluable in the digging out. Perhaps someone stronger could help?

[@jamaica5930]

I wish your videos were longer!! Such great content. Thank you

[@sallypascoe5487]

Thank you for all your videos. Giggled at the old plant young dog label!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

You are so welcome!

[@AndyGrowsFood]

This is such good advice. Your garden is absolutely stunning those lavender really are so lovely during the summer. A feast for the senses.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@mauracurran3270]

Love your garden tour, I am trying to control Japanese Anenomes using large sheets of cardboard, am on second season and v hopeful that I have smothered it. I covered the cardboard with woodchip. Good luck.

[@itsmewende]

I have some plants I'm still fighting for 10 yrs. An autumn clematis has taken over everywhere, even in the yard, mowing takes care of that. Some areas...most I have to take hedge trimmers too, just never ending. Your new border looks lovely.

[@curtist358]

perfect puppy/plant easter egg in there 😍

[@bigtomatoplantslover6205]

Wow lovely purple flowers ^^ Like 778 My friend, have a good day

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you! You too!

[@suzetteccc]

Great video. I feel your pain when it comes to Japanese Anemones. I have them too. I guess I always will. I dig/pull them out whenever I can, especially when planting something new, but, of course, as you say, they always come back. I would call them invasive because you can't get rid of them and they come up inside all the plants and shrubs. I have learned to live with them. They aren't the worst I have. That's too long a story!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Exactly! They are pretty, at least.

[@eileenchang2173]

Hi Alexandra, you must’ve heard my cries for help when I tried to make my Hidcote lavender display look “presentable “ yesterday , as well as and trying to keep my standards high so that all my gardens look great all the time! Thank you for the advice !🌸❤️🇨🇦

[@mariemcgrath8681]

Great honest video, I often over plant, & then I'm running around when I have too much success, finding new homes in the exact positions. I guess, it does not pay to put too much in Borders, just 'wait'.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you - I think even top gardeners experience these sorts of problems, so we shouldn't feel too bad about it.

[@claudiaceleste777]

I stumbled into planting in Autumn when I realised how much growing time I still had before the frosts started, now I also take a look at where the plant will be placed, such as near a brick wall to get residual heat and how frost tender it is before purchasing. I’ve found I can plant almost year ‘round now until it’s more that it’s too cold for for me personally to potter in my garden, where as my shrubs and flowers still look beautiful. I’m very lucky to live in a temperate zone (although high summer can regularly be up in the high 30s and even 40s Celsius), but we have to irrigate to make it through. I do wonder how the zone will change as temperatures continue to increase.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Yes, I wonder, too.

[@violaqueen2234]

Alexandra, you look fabulous in that colour! My garden thug is Lily of the Valley, love it, but it’s taking over the bed. I love your channel, happy gardening.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@scallywags12]

I deadhead all the purple alliums to keep then I’m check. Good tips thanks!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Great tip

[@lisamorris4232]

Thank you for this helpful video. We all need to "stop and smell the roses" enjoying our gardens more instead of working on perfection. I like the term policing our plants. However, the Japanese anemones I planted m-a-n-y years ago have also taken over an area and are pretty hard to dig up. We've made peace with them and are trying to keep them reined in if possible. So, here in the US we enjoy them as late summer and autumn color as do the bees. Hope you have a beautiful summer in the garden! We'll be looking forward to seeing more. ⚘

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you - and I agree about the anemones.

[@lisamorris4232]

On the subject of garden thugs, if you haven't already, a video enlightening others about types of plants that are very aggressive and hard to eradicate would be helpful and greatly appreciated. Thanks for all your practical videos.

[@isabelledelacotardiere9230]

Hi Alexandra, Thank you so much for your video. I feel so much better 😊 I have created a mixed border 2 years ago, trying to emulate what you've done in your lovely garden and following the varied advice videos you posted. But I was feeling very frustrated. Some plants take longer to settle and it leaves big gaps, poppies feel quite at home but they have bloomed as early as the end of May this year so now they have dried -uglily😮- out and I trimmed them down, but there again : huge gaps. My dahlias are starting blooming but the ones I planted last year are already flowering while the ones that I planted in spring are still just in leaves but with buds. Out of frustration I went to the garden centre and did what you should not: I bought perennials (2 salvias and a rozane geranium) I am willing to extra water them but I know they might suffer. My house is in Brittany but it is a holiday home, so it comes with the extra challenge of not being around enough to look after it, or at times not bearing witness to some of the blooming.... To see that you are struggling in some parts of your garden make me feel less useless.😅

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

ah, I'm sure you're not useless. I think most of these new plants just need time - I'm finding that dahlias I accidentally left in before winter last year are blooming, but the newly planted ones aren't, so just like you.

[@dyanalayng5507]

Such good advice to have a wow focus for each season.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@luckysmummy5325]

Great video Alexandra, thankyou. I have to admit i tend to cram things in a lot closer together! Im too impatient but like rearranging things so suits me. Im constantly experimenting with cuttings, so some things settle in & others don't quite make it! Ive got shrubs, perennials, annuals, bulbs all mixed in my borders. You're quite right, some of the annuals grow exponentially & I got fed up with the tall purple poppies this year & yanked some out as they were blocking my view from kitchen window! Ive been thinking more about winter interest, & noticed how beautiful your garden looks in the winter pictures. I love lavender & have it round a tree with rosemary, love reaching out to pick some of each for instant aromatherapy as i pass!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I think cramming in often does work!

[@Laura-rx9mp]

thank you!!! always enjoy your videos

[@jolenedyer4788]

Excellent video!

[@gramermanush1279]

gorgeous works

[@shamsjaffer15]

Amazing video and encouraging. Thank you .👍

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@susanwade2638]

Have you considered cutting the bottom out of a deep plastic container to plant flowers near your Japanese anemones to provide a barrier?

[@GentrysGarden]

I followed your advise last year and cut the lavender quite low. It looked pretty sad, but it came back this year better than ever. I have an area where I've been trying to get out the Japanese anemone because it was taking over. Unfortunately, I planted a bunch of mid-height delphinium right after. They are doing great, but they look almost the same as the anemone. I'm afraid I may just have to let the anemone take over that area, but the delphinium will be beautiful this year.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

It sounds very much like my garden!

[@jimbailey3705]

If I buy something now, it's going into the ground now - plants dry out sooner in pots!

[@prof.cecilycogsworth3204]

Thanks!

[@sylviaprudhomme5417]

Liked the advice❤❤❤

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

So glad!

[@conniekeshet]

Hole, holy, wholely. All at the same time.

[@flowerpixel]

I wish I was your neighbor bc I could help with the extra plants 😅

[@helenachase5627]

Is the euphorbiA lookalike beuplerum ?

[@ginnyross7289]

Live your heartfelt jolly goodbyes 👍

[@bootnyps19]

Yarrow and lambs ear are thugs in my garden

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I love yarrow but my thugs out-thug it. Also the thugs are a bit different in different soils and climates. Love lamb's ears, too, but it's just not quite thuggish enough in my garden.

[@bootnyps19]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden I'm in 5b USA. The yarrow acts differently in 2 beds that they're in. Thankfully you don't have that with the lambs ear! To weeding the garden! Cheers

[@TheRedverb]

👍🏽♥️✌🏽

[@Flower_hoarder]

🌳🌿🪴NEVER DISAPPOINTS‼️🪴🌿🌳

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!