I am indebted to https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/ for motivating me to get back to my own WordPress blog after several years absence. Like a lot of things in life, I was very enthusiastic to begin with but I ran out of steam and also re-discovered my love of golf!
This Prunella grandiflora, (large Self Heal), grown from seed two years ago, has now found a home in an awkward corner of my new rose garden and is happily flowering away. Its natural spreading habit will hopefully be contained by the surrounding paths.
I have a love affair with Penstemons and add a few new ones each year. This one has the impossible name of ‘Schoenholzeri’ which neatly translates to ‘Firebird’ and is a very true red.
Penstemon ‘Hidcote Pink’ is one of the most reliably hardy and long lived in my Cotswold garden. This particular plant has been in situ for nearly ten years. I keep taking insurance cuttings but end up giving them all away as the mother plant always comes through winter. Obviously, now I have said that, it will die this winter!
This is Penstemon digitalis ‘Huskers Red’ a new addition this year. I love plants with misleading names; the red in the name refers to the stems and not the flowers which are pure white!
It’s going to be a good year for fruit! My ‘Oregon Thornless’ blackberry can barely hold itself up under the weight of burgeoning berries.
Finally, everybody likes a bee. This one is on Thalictrum flavum glaucum and looked like it was going to spend the rest of the day there!
Well, there it is, my tentative return to my blog. Thank you cavershamjj for inspiring me to do so.
Davids Garden Diary 
Great to see you and your beautiful gardens again!
Well thanks! It’s been awhile but now seems appropriate to re-connect with the world! I hope my handicap doesn’t suffer!
Good to see you again, garden looking lovely as always.
Thank you so much!
Enjoyed reading this and loved the pictures. Glad you are back!
How very kind, thank you!
Delighted to see U back David, missed your blog. Have had a look periodically but not there 😧
How very kind Pat. Let’s see if I can keep it going this time! There is a lot of catching up to do!
Glad to meet you. I like the look of that little prunella. I’m a big fan of penstemon as well, in fact I have just acquired a plug of Hidcote Pink (with a few others 🙂 ) and am very pleased to see how beautiful it is!
Hi Gill, nice to hear from you again!
The Prunella has raised a few eyebrows being a weed!
David
That blackberry looks magnificent…
Thanks 😊 it is just one enormous thornless plant that I espalier to make it easier to pick. Mind you, you can only eat so many pies!
Penstemons are such good plants. I also added husker’s red (a trio) to a border this spring because I enjoy their contrasting foliage.
lovely. ironically, the reason i have time for gardening is a distinct lack of golf. i used to play fairly regularly, member of a club and all that, but went off it a bit then our 4th kid came along and i couldn’t justify the time away. i very occasionally get nostaligic for it, but for the most part i don’t miss it in the slightest.