Balcony Colours through Instagram

I've been away for almost a week, then busy with various things and had no time to blog or take proper photos with a proper camera.

Instead, I took the following pictures with my phone, as I am quite pleased with different combinations that I've managed to create for this summer's pots.

 

This red-edged succulent with the mauve flowing petunias that proved to be a blooming machine

 

The fuschia with the pink pelargoniums and the succulent that will soon bloom

This combo of plants that are fuss free

The cherry tomatoes against the sun-powered lamp

Nicotiana and fuschia in different shades of pink

Nicotiana and pelargoniums in ... well, pinks again :)

 

And this pretty verbena with pink&white fuschia

Garden Treat

The strawberries started to give us fruit a couple of weeks ago.

First, just a handful, now there's a bowlful.

The kids are just loving picking them

up and, of course, eating them...

 

 

... and I love mixing them in my champagne

 

Summer's good

Bits of June

These days I had no time to go around the garden with my camera, so what I did was to take some photos with my phone.

I do have a lot of them, but I decided on a small selection.

 

Graham Thomas is giving me its best summer so far. Bunches of blooms and buds that open up successively.

 

I am trying to peg it a bit to the fence and I am doing it gradually. So far, so good, although the branch I had pegged last spring is now dead and into the compost bin.

Below, you can see it with some allium, seed heads of Black Barlow and a bit of Lady Emma Hamilton who looks not exactly her best self this year. I believe I need to prune it more severely ... or maybe I put too much rose food...

 

Here's a close-up of Artemis, by Tantau. It has really pretty blooms and glossy foliage and it has already grown into a big round bush in only its second summer, but it started sending there long shoots and the bush is not so balanced now, which I don't like much.

I am not a big fan of fragrance free roses and I had bought this one thinking it would have at least some fragrance. Alas it has none!

 

 

This is not the case of beautiful Pierre de Ronsard.

Before buying it, I had read complaints that it had no fragrance. Well, this proved to be not true - it has a very mild fresh fragrance, just enough so I don't feel disappointed when I dig my nose into its blooms.

I love this rose!

It blooms a lot, repeats well, has beautiful foliage, does well in partial shade and those blooms last for a very long time both on the bush and in the vase.

 

And I'm going to end my post today with a surprise - a Heleborus that started to rebloom!

Is this normal?!?

I am enjoying it none the less :)

Columbines

They are a sign of mid-spring.
They look like they have wings.
They have delicate colours, but no fragrance.
They bloom for about a month and then they show their pretty leaves.

I have three colours in my garden.

Barlow black, here with an alium and buds of Graham Thomas

 Pink Barlow

 and a white one

A June Bouquet

Pretty Rose Seeks Identification

Hi!

I'm pink and very pretty.
I have numerous petals and sometimes open up into a quartered rosette.
My buds are a very dark shade of pink, then they get lighter as the blooms open up.
I have a divine perfume. Strong but without a hint of myrr. A rather classical rose fragrance.
I have big thorns and I offer my blooms several times a year.
I form a rather wide bush and my branches do not stand up right.
I guess my heavy big blooms have a say in that.

The girl who takes care of me assumes I might be Rose de Recht or Mme. Isaac Perreire .... or maybe some rose she hasn't even considered.

Can you help with my name?