If you think the BLOG looks bad ...

.... you should see the garden.

What with one thing and another (and another and another) this has been a lousy summer for the my poor garden. After a really spectacular spring things just fell to pieces and I haven't been able to bring myself to confess it to the blog. Hence the long periods of silence.

There's really nothing to report. There are plenty of weeds which will make it very difficult to grow things from seed next year. Some of the herbs need separating, but since they're the thing doing well (the daylilies did a good job, too, but they're over now) I can't even begin to imagine hacking into them right now.

We got some raspberries. That's happy.

Front blooming

In the front, the mystery yellow flower is blooming. Something dreadful happened to it during the long grey months and about half of it died off, but the survivors are blooming as if nothing strange had happened.

The red astilbe is also out. I love the colour of this thing. There is a white astilbe, too, but the red is most definitely my favourite. I wonder what I can do to encourage it to spread.

Side blooming

The herbs are blooming now. It's a treat (as I mentioned) to have the lavender flowering, and the thyme is flowering, too. The oregano will be blooming shortly.

An open and shut case

The alliums are about to flower (I hope). It's been so grim and grey here for so many weeks, I can hardly bring myself to believe in flowers, but I think these will open. They are very, very, very tall. Over 4 feet. I'm impressed and surprised.

A first

The lavender has flowers! I am very happy about that. I cut it back quite severely at the beginning of last summer and apparently that was a terrible mistake. It's now established enough to put out pretty little purple things and I'm a happy camper. But I am also so basically vicious and destructive in the garden that I am already thinking "maybe that means it's time to divide it". I should just lie back and enjoy the show.

Soon to bloom

The delphinium furthest to the south is going to bloom soon. I despair of seeing anything from the others. I think they're done for.

The day lilies will come out soon, too. And not soon enough, actually. The side doesn't have very much on the go.

Iris Eyes are Smiling

I am home in time to see the very end of the irises.

I am very sorry to have missed their peaks. I love the iris. The last of the white (bearded) iris flowers is lying somewhat disconsolately next to the pavement, begging for the end.

The last few siberian iris are still going, but so many have passed that I think we're going to see the last of them this week.