This is the third year they’ve flowered in their pots after being overwintered by the compost heap. They’re fed with tomato fertiliser once a week.

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.

One water soldier flower, like last year, but none the less welcome for that.

I really must clear out some bogbean and greater spearwort. You’re supposed to have 30% clear water.

These plants, good in pots last year, are showing no new growth at all, so I put them on the compost heap:

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.

There’s rather too much greater spearwort so I ought to get some out. It would be nice to let it flower, but I can’t remember when that is. I presume the white arum-like flower is the lysichiton, but everything gets so jumbled up it’s hard to tell.

The bamboo in a tub near the garage was blown over in storm Ciara. It looked nice, but I had been meaning to do something to reveal more of the culms and reduce the foliage anyway. I cut some of the stems that were leaning at an angle and looking a bit manky at ground level. Approximately 5 stems. Then I rubbed off the foliage from about 2/3 of the lower part of each stem.

I took off about 50% of the foliage which must reduce its wind resistance. From most angles it looks much better, although the stems definitely seem to be divided into two parts – old and new. It’s just as tall as it was, which is the main thing.