Early Summer Showtime

Published on by Catherine

Roses, Peonies, Clematis, and many perennials are now starting to put on their summer show. The weather unfortunately is not. It has completely ignored the ‘Summer’s Here’ command for the sun to shine and temperatures to rise. It’s been a rainy and cold week, with strong winds that have left damaged plants behind in many gardens. Snow in the hills is being forecast – but to be honest, that’s not unusual for Scotland. Skiers will have fun. All is not gloom though as we’ve had a couple of dry days this week (or part-days), enough for me to get out with the camera and search for hardy survivors. Just enough to fill the six requirements for this week’s Six on Saturday.

I’m having problems with the WordPress slideshow at the moment; it’s also affecting previous posts, so for the moment, I’m only posting single images.

Geum ‘Petticoats Peach’ was rescued from large container where it had lived for a couple of years with some other planting. I’d forgotten it until the container was being emptied. It was in a sorry state, but many neglected plants will respond well to some TLC and happily this is one of them.

Geum ‘Petticoats Peach’

Peony ‘Bartzella’ is an Itoh (intersectional) peony, a cross between the herbaceous peonies and tree peonies. It’s a ray of sunshine in the garden, and I love when it comes into flower.

Peony ‘Bartzella’

Rosa ‘Jacqueline du Pré’ in dappled shade. Rosa ‘Jacqueline du Pré’ is a pretty, delicate flower, usually flushed pink, but this one is fading now and mostly white. Recent wind and rain has damaged most of the other flowers – but happily, there’s still plenty of buds to open.

Rosa ‘Jacqueline du Pré’

Clematis ‘Fleuri’ is a short variety and has been growing up a 4ft obelisk in a pot beneath the canopy at the front of the house for several years. Last year it was beginning to look quite sickly so we moved it to a bigger pot with fresh compost and it’s now thriving again. It’s an attention-grabber.

Clematis ‘Fleuri’

Rosa ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ is beginning to flower now, along with some of the other roses in the garden. It’s a pleasure to see her in bloom again.

Rosa ‘Gertrude Jekyll’

Peony ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ The full range of colours on the blooms are at their best when the flower matures and starts to go over. My favourite peony.

Peony ‘Magical Mystery Tour’

It’s raining here today, though I might go out to the greenhouse later and plant the remaining dahlias into pots. I’m experimenting with copper tape around some of the pots and copper mesh around the tops of others to see if this really will deter slugs and snails. But that still leaves earwigs, doesn’t it? You can do so much to try to protect plants from damage, but eventually I think some of those very visible efforts can begin to lessen the appearance of the plant.

I hope you’ll all have a dry and sunny weekend! If you follow the link to Jim’s blog you can meet others who take part in Six on Saturday, and see what they’ve been growing this week.

Happy Gardening!

Catherine x

29 thoughts on “Early Summer Showtime”

  1. This white rose “Jacqueline Du Pré” is rather nice because it’s not too big and it remains elegant. I added a few roses in my Six this week too. Obviously, the 2 peony flowers caught my eye; they are superb.

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  3. Lovely selection, the peonies have to be my favourites at the moment! I have P. Bartzella but she decided not to flower for me this year, she is still only 2 yrs old and she flowered last year so hopefully next year. Also like Clematis Fleuri, looks similar to one that I have climbing up a small frame at the top of the garden in a raised bed, maybe it is the same, I’ve lost my label!

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    1. It always puzzles me why a plant flowers one year and not the other, especially when they’ve been well cared for. Perhaps winter conditions affect the way they respond in spring or summer – who knows? 🤔

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  5. Yes, a wild week indeed and today is more of the same down south. Your peonies are wonderful, I have been tempted by the Itoh’s in the past, the urge has not left me. Perhaps I will succumb. Gertie is beautiful and doesn’t she know it?! And the rich colour of the clematis is wonderful. All smashing!

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    1. We’ve had very light rain today and it was a good to get out and spend time in the garden. It was a day of straw hat off, rain hat on, straw hat on…and the jacket remained on all day. But it was a good, worthwhile day. Go on, treat yourself for next year – the Itohs are beautiful. I bought mine at a good discount at the end of the season.

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  6. When roses are out, as well as Peonies, your garden is just about perfect, but then you add other beauties such as that delightful clematis. And to think some people have yet to discover the very many pleasures of gardening, your post is certainly a way to convert them.

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    1. Thank you Noelle, though I do wish it was near perfect – it has a long way to go! It would be wonderful if everyone who was able, gardened, there are so many health benefits attached to it. Perhaps one day it will be a compulsory subject in schools.

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  9. I can see why Peony ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ is your favourite Peony. It is a beauty. It’s odd to see Gerty growing low down and mingling nicely with a geranium as mine grows as a climber. I must try and take some cuttings and see if I can grown mine as a non-climber as she’s such a healthy and fragrant Rose. A lovely selection.

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    1. The geranium is psilostemon, apparently one of the tallest of the hardy geraniums and grows to 1.2 – 1.3m (4ft). The area it’s growing in is on a slight slope so it sits higher than the rose. I once made the mistake of growing it at the front of a border – that didn’t work well. 😆 Gertie is pruned every year to keep her quite short. Hope you’re successful with your cuttings.

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  10. WordPress is a pain! Liking and commenting doesn’t always work well for me but up to now (fingers crossed!) no problems with slideshows.

    As ever, lots of lovely photos this week, but “Fleuri” is a knockout!

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    1. The WP gremlins are at work again. I’ve had issues adding comments on other WP sites, but that seems to have been resolved now.

      Thanks Helen, C. “Fleuri’ is looking good this year and I’m really pleased with it.

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  12. Another week of beauties from you Catherine but Peony ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ takes the gold star. I haven’t grown peonies since my Doncaster days when I had a lovely double pink one called Alexander Fleming (bought because of the name) which flowered well. Not sure they would survive the conditions here.

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    1. Sorry Jude, I’ve been swamped this week and didn’t see your comment arrive, or the others below. I do love my peonies, but the herbaceous types are struggling this year with the winds. I’ll have to make a point of giving them more support next year. I’m not getting a lot of flowers either and a full investigation will have to be established!! 😁

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  13. A lovely six selection. My favourite: Peony ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ because it is so unusual.

    I hope you manage to resolve your WP issues. Sometimes I can’t post pictures in any shape or form which has resulted in my Six on S becoming six on Sunday 😦

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  14. Your photos are always so stunning, Catherine. I’m going to go back through and view again. I love this time of year with the Roses, Peonies, and so many other flowers blooming. Thanks for sharing the beauty of your garden. 🙂

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