A year ago I was at the Hampton
Court Palace Flower Show admiring acres of gardens and gorgeous blooms. The roses
in the marquee were so stunning, they almost brought tears to my eyes.
A glance at my garden today
almost brings tears to my eyes. But not because I am gobsmacked by the beauty
before me. Fact is, this may be my worst gardening year ever.
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| First blooms of 'Vanessa Bell' |
When we returned from England
in mid-July last year, the garden was in a pretty sad state. Fair enough. You
cannot leave a garden for three weeks in the summer and expect it to look like
something out of a magazine when you get home.
I don’t have that excuse in
2018. We’ve been here the entire spring and early summer. But we haven’t been
able to overcome the annoying weather we’ve experienced since March.
 |
| Another new addition, 'James L. Austin' |
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| Clematis 'Josephine' has been one of the few bright spots |
First, we had many late
freezes with temps going down to single digits several days in a row. Then we’ve
had downpours virtually every day for weeks. Some of my new plants are literally
rotting in the ground. And my rose leaves look like filigree thanks to
sawflies.
Still, I am not ready to call
this gardening year a total failure. I am going to cut everything back,
fertilize and try to coax everybody into perking up for fall.
 |
| 'Lyda' is almost always a dependable performer |
I know I can rely on old
friends like ‘Lyda Rose’ to lead the way with her charming candelabra of
summer blooms. I’m hoping new additions like ‘Vanessa Bell’ will continue to
impress. I’ll replace some tired perennials with colorful new ones. And I will
politely ask the bears not to step on my bushes.
Will it work? In the end it
doesn’t matter. Because as you all know, gardening is a journey.
I may have hit a bit of a rough
patch this year. But next year is bound to be smooth sailing!
Or so the
optimist in me hopes.
 |
| Some hydrangeas did flower despite the freezes |
Posts
9 comments :
I so get this! I have been away too much fur a happy garden (but not for a happy Grammy) and it’s either been tooo cold, too dry, too wet or too hot. Before I left for my last trip I cut everything back, fertilized and now I’m seeing more signs of life. But, it’s HOT HOT HOT, so blooms will probably be smalL. Good thing I Iove a challenge... so all’s good. Love your stories! 😘
Ah, we are on the same journey dear fellow gardener! And it is lucky we both enjoy a challenge. But the garden can wait when those precious grandsons are within hugging distance. So glad you are enjoying the stories. xo
Hello Lynn, don't be too down-hearted, some years will be good, others not so much. I hoping that no matter how bad the start of the season was for you, the remaining will be full of long, warm days of sunshine with the occasional break of rain to keep things from getting parched. The Lyda rose is a plant I saw at Chelsea and is going to go onto my shopping list, I think. I love the white and blush pink colour.
Hi Lynn, We all face challenges, those who overcome them have great stories to tell just like you. Loved the article. This reminded me of this blog: https://howtogrowandtips.com/container-gardening/how-to-grow-mesclun-salad-greens-beautiful-baby-salad-greens/ Keep posting!
What a tough year. May it get better! xoxo
Thanks Gail. It will. I am an eternal optimist. (One needs to be quite often when gardening!!)
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