I’ve been in Somerset for the week. Primarily to garden. To dig out the ground elder and to generally tidy the neglected garden. But. Best laid plans and all that. It rained. No it poured down. The drive down to was wet. Very wet. I stopped off for a toilet break. And sat in the car for ages. Waiting for a break. Which never came.

I did manage to empty the pots at the front of the cottage and to replant with geraniums. This year it’s all a bit pink with a bit of lavender thrown into the pots right outside the front door. ‘Thrown in ‘ now that’s a horticultural technical term. Isn’t it? From a man who still calls Coleus Coleus and gets a row for mixing up my pellies with my geraniums.

Even though we aren’t there a lot I like to keep the front pots planted. Now all I need to do is persuade my godson to water them for me. I’m sure he will. I’ve perfected it over the last 16 years. It will give him an excuse to drive his tractor down the lane. Not that he needs one.

I dug and dug until I was almost in Australia in attempt to clear the ground elder and bindweed roots out. Ian arrived mid week and helped me clear large parts of the problem. There is still a long way to go. Not to Australia. That is a long way. But to be rid of ground elder and bindweed.

If you look closely you can see him under dark skies ideen in the midst of the greenery! It’s a side on view rather than the usual back of the head pic!

We all photograph the best bits in the garden. The most photogenic. The ones with a bit of colour. Behind the honeysuckle and to the right is a really untidy bit of garden. At the bottom there is bindweed trying to strangle the currant bushes. Nettles protecting the raspberry canes. But there are some lovely flashes of colour. A reminder of what the garden has and is hidden. In the weeds!

I planted this orange poppy two years ago and it’s flourished. It has flowered and flowered and there aré still more to come.

There are some straggly dark poppies to come through – found through the weeds and I have scattered seed of the Californian poppy throughout the garden. I’d been recommended the colours Copperpot and Ivory Castle so have used them as well as a general mix. I love the vibrant orange. They remind me of my parents garden c1970’s.

Can I admit it? I’m not a lover of this Phlomis. Was on the garden when we bought the cottage so had been around for over 20 odd years. ( some years were distinctly older than others) and it keeps returning. I prefer the pink one. No that’s not a theme of pink big I find this one a little dull.

There is only one self seeded foxglove in the garden. Two years ago they were abundant. The astrantia continues to grow like a weed – they obviously likes it here. I first bought Astrantia in the old Hadspen gardens. It was run then by Sandra and Nori Pope two inspirational gardeners and where I bought Astrantia Hadspen blood.

The Cornus this year has gone crazy. The tree is so top heavy with flowers that the rain has made it hang very low over the garden. I need to look how and when it should be pruned. It’s a beautiful sight especially at dusk and dawn where it illuminates the border.

A the roses are awesome this year. This really pretty pink is smothered in buds. The rambling rector which we thought we had lost has literally hundreds of buds waiting to open and hundreds already open. Not easy to photograph though!!

I don’t usually have much luck with clematis. Rubbish at pruning they are generally left to their own devices. But in Somerset there are three that return year in year. This year it is the turn of my old friend Nelly Moser to go crazy. Big fat blooms.

It hasn’t been all gardening. A message from a fellow Insta & witterer Harriet Rycroft to say she was in Bruton and was I around to meet for a catch up and a visit some gardens. Some. Well three.

Piet oudolf Field at Hauser& Wirth

Coffee and catch up first and then a wander around the Piet oudolf garden at Hauser and Wirth.

As the garden is a 5 minute drive from the cottage it’s a garden I pop into whenever I can. The change week on week is startling. The flowers are coming into their own and the colours are striking.

Slower I suspect than previous years bearing in mind our spectacular lack of summer so far. But you can’t help but be impressed. can you? I am.

Common Farm Flowers

Next stop was for a quick cuppa with Georgie at Common Farm flowers. Often my last stop on the drive down before I get to the cottage for a cuppa and a catch up. I love the garden and the cut flower farm and even at the end of a busy picking week – deliveries for House party’s, bouquets and wedding flowers all picked and delivered – the garden is still a riot of colour.

The newt in Somerset

Finally a whirlwind walk around The Newt in Somerset. I still don’t like the name – but I’ll get used to it.

My second visit to the new garden and I absolutely love the colour gardens – a homage to Sandra and Nori Pope who gardened here when we first moved to Somerset.

There is so much to see. First lunch in the garden cafe. Beautifully set so you look out Over the circular walled garden. The walled garden has espalier apples adorning the walls. Each section is Mamés for the county or country where the variety of apple is from. It’s a gorgeous walled garden and unusual in that it is circular.

The colour gardens are red. White and blue. I liked the white garden which was beautifully planted. But can I be honest. I’m not a huge lover of totally white gardens. But there was no getting away from it we both agreed it was beautiful.

The blue garden was – well blue and again beautiful.

But for me it was the red garden that stole the show. I just think I’m a bright colour type. I have to admit I missed these gardens on my first visit but to be fair there is so much to see.

We both agreed that we needed a selfie. It hadn’t happened unless we did. Looking at it sent me to have a haircut the following day.

London Garden

The rain drove us back to London. Not literally. But it was too wet to do anything more in Somerset and I needed to do some things in the garden before I headed off to Spain. The garden is planted in pots. Everything is is pots. The reason was that we hadn’t intended to stay long in the house and we could move the plants we wanted with us. 17 years later it’s still in pots.

is decided that lavender was in order for the window boxes this year and they are doing great. Attracting bees like crazy.

The back garden is small and these two salvia are a welcome colour. Salvia amistad is huge. A beautiful deep colour and as I’ve planted it ( in a large pot) and shoved it ( another horticultural technical term) at the back of the garden it has had to climb up through other stuff and is now as tall ( or as short) as me. Salvia hot lips is well hot and grows like crazy.

Ian’s a fan of tree ferns so we have had to have them in the garden. I love them too but as they are his favourite then it’s only polite to let him buy them. A win win situation.

I love this time of year as the fronds are opening up and are as green as they are. Mark from Todd’s Botanics recommended I put a handful of alpaca poo beans in the crown every 6 months. And to feed liquid feed fortnightly too. I have and it works. Always good to Poo your plants.

I love agapanthus. Easy to grow in pots in the garden and again this year they are.

Budding up nicely. All bar one. All fed on alpaca poo from Lou Archer Yep. I poo my plants.

There is good colour scent and shape in the garden at the moment. The honeysuckle, planted in a Victorian chimney pot blasts out a great scent now that the jasmine has almost finished. The banana is growing well but all would do better with a bit more sun.

If you have got this far then thank you. I realise it’s been more a marathon than a sprint.

Lesson learnt. Blog a bit more often. And shorter.