Beating the Big C, the Mitcheldean Garden 2020
Pansies, Peonies, Poppies and a Pussy Cat

This page is part of a series of garden blogs from 2020. Click here for the index.

In 3 short weeks, it's been all change in the garden as far as colour is concerned as we saw summer arrive early. It was the UK's sunniest May ever and one of its driest. As such we spent an inordinate amount of time watering the garden, normally I wouldn't water shrubs and bushes but I've had to eat my words and without it, many would not just have failed with their flowers but probably have been set back in the long term or worse. However, at least it meant that the grass stopped growing! The lockdown sadly means that we have no opportunity to share the pleasure the garden gives us except by means of this blog.

The lockdown interrupted deliveries of young plants and we had restricted supplies from the family run nursery at Bromsash and our internet supplier so there have been fewer tubs this year and some of Yuehong's favourites did not appreciate the non stop strong sun. An exception were the young pansies which lapped it up and flowered strongly. The giant poppy in the rockery also put on a great show.

Peonies need plenty of water but the showier ones are always at risk if it rains or blows too hard. The dahlias went in the main bed a full month earlier than last year and in early June some already had visible buds. Behind is our star peony, it's in a crazy position under a silver birch tree but it loves it. Look at those blooms and then the close ups from others, this is a display that will get better and better as the years go by.

Starting from the bottom, the honeysuckle has swallowed the arch I gave it a few years ago. It now extends similarly the whole length of the garage where two cuttings from it are firmly established. Nearby our second lilac is now flowering strongly it's white as opposed to the more common (round here) purple. 

We added two peonies in front of my 'study' and the more advanced one is covered in flowers, the other one has flowers which are about to open as I write. We have managed to keep all our clematis alive through the drought and the one by the front door has had many blooms. Next to it is a nasturtium that found its own way there, what the rose thinks about the invaders I don't know. Yuehong has religiously watered all the beds next to the house and this seems to have worked well.

To me the patio is workspace but Yuehong would disagree. The geraniums came through winter well and instead of 'bed hopping' them they have all gone into pots and tubs and get fed fertiliser regularly, the result is a splendid display. The pond has recovered from the pea green soup algae although the waterfall now slowly loses water as the new liner could not be inserted behind it. If the sun is shining we have midday tea here, especially now the Albertine rose is in bloom, and as often as not we have company. You can see which chair he prefers. 

Our #1 azalea always comes later than most as it is part sheltered by the hedge but never fails to delight. Next to it, what I call our giant daisy was swamped by moss during the exceptionally wet winter but I extracted that and now it's looking good, each flower opens in the morning and closes in the late afternoon, like tulips, peonies etc but the change is quite extreme. Our soil always takes a while to warm up so the broad and runner beans are started later than most but they are just about to 'bolt'. Next door, the dark dahlias are in their usual position, they are well consolidated and will flower soon. 

Purple foxgloves are local weeds, I tolerate them when they add to the display but most get removed. The irises in Yuehong's lily bed are almost finished (see below and last month) but the first of her oriental lilies has opened, it really is that rich red colour, many more will soon follow.

You can see something of the blue irises below, but the pictures are really for the lupins which have defied the text books by going strong year after year. Behind the flowering bushes are effectively finished and beyond them, my 'new' bed need some weeding but it can't be done till the bluebells drop their seeds later this month.

I can never get close to the top bushes when they flower for the bluebells around them. On the left is a white flowering broom and then two large rhododendrons, the purple is the original and will continue to get pruned until the other two (one is hidden) are nearly the same size. Next to the broom is our bonfire site which has so far been used mainly to burn masses of moss, that's more waiting to go next. The white bags are filled with bonfire ash which had piled up, it will be distributed as fertiliser but as it is said to be rich in calcium it will be kept away from our many lime hating bushes and trees The ash necessarily comes mixed with some topsoil which will be welcome in some of our beds in front of the house which are still builder's beds into which all sorts of rubbish and rubble was tipped many years ago. Note the gap in the top of #35's garden, Richard has removed the last of the small Leylandii before they could grow large enough to be a problem for either of us.

All through May we would spend the day working in the garden, as often as not supervised by our unofficial loan cat. Afterw a hard day's work, he would join us when we adjourned for refreshments.  Less welcome are the mice which seem to be his pets, they made a meal of some of the tulips and he seems to have invited some into the bungalow where we are now having to set traps. Unfortunately, he seems to have told them how to lick the bait off without activating the trap.