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We are currently enjoying the first reunion with our family for four months so I thought I would begin with a pic of our eldest son Matt and his niece (our granddaughter) Chloe whose second birthday we missed two weeks ago. A bit tenuous but this qualifies as a garden pic as they are in my new rose garden.

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Not my pic, but one of our Cottage Garden Society members sent this as her entry into our ‘virtual’ Sweet Pea competition. Just a gorgeous colour combo.

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A Facebook friend recently requested some seeds of this short lived perennial which, she says, is a good plant of night flying moths. Not sure about that but the scent is wonderful and the early flowers go really well with dark tulip ‘Queen of Night’

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I have tried in vain to grow Dieramas, one on my ‘lust list’, but failed miserably due to my poor draining clay soil. No matter how much I improved the drainage, they died. Then, one of my friends high up in the hills above Bourton-on-the-Water sent me this pic of hers growing on stoney Cotswold brash. I almost wept!

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I am very taken with this little Group 3 clematis which has the most beautiful lavender blue flowers, streaked with white and with bright yellow stamens. It is still very young but will hopefully survive and prosper.

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Never much cared for this plant but, having just moved it into a more favourable position, I am warming to it. Oddly, it never self seeds for me. I have had the same clump for ten years.