Only the neighbours really get to see the hydrangea, but it’s well worth going round to look.

For 11 months of the year I wonder why I keep the dianthus (carnation, pink?) in its pot. This is why.

Salvia ‘Caradonna’ is the only one I’ve tried that succeeds left in the ground.

There’s a neighbourhood cat that will destroy the nepeta if it gets the chance, but not when it’s this big, I think.

The acanthus may completely take over the NE corner, but I don’t mind.

It’s incredible how weedy the E fence fuchsia looked only a few months ago. See E fence in winter. But today I was cutting off great branches so I could get round the pond.

These continue to do very well. It’s quite hard to determine peak flower time, but it must be close. Each flower of the pink one hardly smells at all, but there are so many of them there is definitly a hint of something slightly sweet and toffeeish in the air. Marshmallow?

The white one at the back had originally found its way almost to the eaves, but the top wire broke in the high winds. It’s now been replaced with something thicker.

Both plants will need to be cut back, probably with shears, or the hedge trimmer, when they’ve finished flowering.

The solanum was heavily cut back after being blown down last year and in the NE corner fence clearout, but is still obviously in a rude state of health, and will benefit from further treatment later this year.

The bleeding heart (now called Lamprocapnos spectabilis) has a moment of glory now before being swamped by the acanthus.

The foliage in the SE corner is now so good that I can’t see the fence at all. Unfortunately it’s all deciduous so I’ve got to do something when the fence is replaced next winter. The rosa rubrifolia always looks dead at this time of year.

The lighter ones are picotee, which is not my favourite form, but they are very welcome at this time of year.

The purple loosestrife in the pond is the better, and later flowering, of two plants.

The cannas were bought last year and kept outside in their pots over winter.