We had another cracking thunderstorm with biblical rain early this morning. Of course the electricity kept blowing, but there are always torches to hand for navigation purposes and we breakfasted in candlelight.

Munstead Wood loves the cool rainy weather:

Short dael dahlia Diabolo:

Intrigued to see Ladurée emerging vivid fuchsia:

It definitely wants to be a short climber, breaks laterals readily:

Well, I seem to be on a sunny island here. No rain, but lovely weather. Your Munstead is gorgeous @Nollie. At least you are still connected to the digital world @Perki. Only pros out there 🫣. It starts to smell like autumn. During my nightly death walks aka slug hunt the air is heavy with slightly moldy apple scent. I am not ready for summer to be over 😥.

@ElbFee

Hi Elbfee...what is the name of the pale yellowish/pinkish flower you posted five days ago, sandwiched between Moonstone and Eudora. Cheers.

MW is rarely that ruffled for me ElbFee but I’m enjoying it while it lasts. Back to 29.5c yesterday. Hot, heavy and humid again today, intermittent sun and a few showers.

Thrilling to see a Swallowtail, they have been absent for a while. Here on dahlia Catherine Deneuve:

Buff-tailed bumblebee on Astronomia:

Less welcome visitor, Curled Rose Sawfly larva:

Lady Emma Hamilton:

Versigny:

Château de Vaumarcus:

Chippendale in the sun:

Your MW is beautiful Nollie, the butterfly isn't far behind . Its been raining here more aless non stop all of September

That’s rotten, Perki. Hope you catch some sun soon. There is supposed to be warmer weather heading to the UK soon, finger’s crossed you get some.

The Swallowtails seem to love orange, an old photo of one landing on a Tithonia flower:

Scarce Swallowtails are a far more common sight here, one visiting Harlow Carr:

Nollie -- Your butterfly photos are so uplifting. Really beautiful. Thank you for posting them. The buff-tailed bumblebee is adorable. I thought at first it had a pink bum, and then I realized I was actually seeing Astronomia's rosy stamens.

You’re welcome Windowsill, All pollinators busy in the garden are a joy to see, but the Swallowtails are my favourite!

Hello all — I feel I owe an apology for my absence of late. Work has been rather hairy (still is, truth be told), and the garden has had to soldier on without me posting about it. I’ve been lurking now and then, and it’s been a joy to see your photos — butterflies, bumblebees, thunderstorms, even fibre-optic men flattening sedums!

September has brought me back out with secateurs in hand. Borders are getting their tidy for winter, hyacinths are going in this month, and tulips are waiting for November. I had sworn “no new roses this year”… but of course that didn’t last. I closed my eyes and bought The King’s Rose from David Austin, who will sit beside Desdemona. A royal pairing if ever there was one.

On the practical side, my old Tesco loppers gave up the ghost after just a year, so I’ve treated myself to a set of Niwaki loppers — oak handles, Japanese steel, the works. I promise to take better care of these!

Anyway, just wanted to say hello again, and I look forward to catching up properly with all your blooms and butterfly sightings.

Glad you are still here Peter, sorry work is so demanding currently. I do hope you have found some calm in your lovely garden, summer is supposed to make it all worthwhile.

This summer has been a bit trying with the drought but today was a delight. Colder weather to come now unfortunately

Olivia RA

Harlow Carr

Wollerton OH

Ghislaine de F

Malvern Hills

Scarborough Fair

England's Rose

Kew Gardens

Mutabilis

Sandringham, I agree with Eustace, a great scent

Blush Noisette

Super Excelsor

Desdemona

Bathsheba

Hope you get some respite soon, Peter and you got to enjoy your roses occasionally.

Sandringham is very much exhibiting it’s bourbon heritage there, Tack, lovely.

The weather has been delightful here the last few days and everything is green and lush. Still not much pink action in the East garden, so the focus stays on the West garden and it’s warmer tones. There, Chippendale, Versigny and Chateau de Vaumarcus continue to push new growth and blooms, with Lady Emma Hamilton, Lady of Shallot and Just Joey now joining them.

Just Joey, new this year, is finally producing more than the previous one or two at a time. Despite summer pruning, it wants to bloom on the ends of long, rangy stems:

Lady of Shallot:

My favourite dahlia, Single Happy Date:

Nollie, if you can obtain it, try Abbaye de Cluny for the look of Just Joey. This is a big sturdy rose which blooms constantly, and I do mean it's a true continuous bloomer. ....I love your unusual dahlia above. What a great companion it would make to Abbaye.

Abbaye can be darker, depending on the sun and temps and who knows? My camera?

Oh, Abbaye's seed parent is Just Joey, and don't pay any attention to size estimations. This rose is large. Mine is grafted on Dr Huey and I've grown her for about 19 years. Diane

Hi Diane, I have always admired your Abbaye de Cluny, but it’s largely disappeared from Europe. Softer tones bleach out so much here, so I suspect it will be a far less attractive dirty white for me anyway. Lack of space means I am vowing to restrict myself to one order direct from Tantau this year.

I realise that this is a bit of a long shot...
But does anybody have any idea what rose this might be? It's a climber that grows up an arch in my next door neighbour's garden. It gets to about 7 foot tall with big sprays of large flowers on long canes.
To my nose it smells quite strong. It blooms all summer with no watering/dead heading/ feeding or any type of care and outperforms any rose in my garden! It seems to do well in a vase.
My neighbour doesn't know what it is, but gave me some cuttings.
Any thoughts on what it might be are welcome, thanks!

I'm probably wrong, and those who grow my guess should weigh in to correct me. I'm taking a long shot and guessing the Kordes rose Florentina. Does your neighbor's rose repeat bloom? I'm assuming it does. Good luck.

Thanks, Nollie. I have a hard time believing your hot sun is worse than ours. It does fade Evelyn a lot, for sure, and the late, unlamented Olivia rose, whom the voles dispatched. But I haven't noticed much fading in Abbaye de Cluny. Diane

@Garden Dweller I can only guess as there are too many red roses. My guess is that it could be Red Eden; it does have a moderate fragrance. May be you should check whether there is a label placed there when it was planted. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the replies.
Sadly there is no label, that would have made identification much easier!
It does repeat bloom very well considering it's just left to get on with it.

My shot-in-the-dark guess is Don Juan. There are some growing in my neighborhood, and they bloom prolifically, though I suspect they don't get a lot of care.

Good guess, windowsill. But the unknown rose looks like it has shinier leaves than 1958's Don Juan. See "piano's" photo of Don Juan on HMF. It shows the leaves well. Diane

Is this rose in England? It reminds me of 'Sympathie' a Kordes climber which I used to grow on a fence. Also has those green glossy leaves and same shape hips. Readily available here.

Marlorena, my bet's on your rose, Sympathie. And it's probably in the ancestry of Florentina. Diane

Yes, (Norfolk) England. The pictures of sympathie do look very similar. If the cuttings don't take then I'll likely look into getting it.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

That sounds like a terrific rose, Garden Dweller, especially the continuous blooming. I hope your cuttings take. The glossy leaves made me hesitate, otherwise I would have thrown in Crimson Glory, but Marlorena is brilliant at IDs so I bet she is right!

Munstead Wood:

i really like this new Dahlia, Little Swan. No staking required and a prolific bloomer:

My favourite shrubby salvia, So Cool Pale Blue:

Morning all 🌞

I've had issues with Houzz, hence my lack of uploads. Here are a few photos taken yesterday.

Newsflash

Prague

Sommerwind

Ulmer Munster

Salmon vigorosa

Black spot is rampant. A few roses have already started defoliating this autumn with the night temperatures dropping to 5-6 degree C.

@Marlorena's id Sympathie is right on the mark. I had planted it last year, it was a weak one rescued from the 'reduced' bench of a nearby garden store, unfortunately it didn't survive. Hoping to get another next season.

Brrr, it’s gone pretty wet and chilly here too all of a sudden, down to 7c overnight which (for here) is unprecedented so early. Increasingly weird seasons and extreme weather patterns are the new normal, it seems.

On the whole, it’s not been a stellar rose season for me, with a particularly disappointing first flush due to the heat setting in far too early. The toughest roses shrugged it off, flashes of brilliance from some, but many struggled to produce more than scattered blooms. You might have noticed an absence of full bush shots from me this year, with good reason. In the East garden, a couple of the old roses are bravely putting out new buds and even a small bloom or two. However, they have taken so long to recover from the Big Burn they are unlikely to amount to much now.

How has the year been for you? What were the standout roses and any new ones that performed well in their first year and/or showed promise?

Ebb Tide did well this year and I think my new standard Rhapsody in Blue will be good in future also. Blue for You and The Bee's Knees have seldom been without a flower. The Country Parson I am rather disappointed in as it went very tatty looking in July, but perhaps it didn't like the heat - it is looking better now.

Last year I planted a Salvia Rockin' Blue Suede Shoes next to The CP quite late on. I realised it was not fully hardy so I covered it with a cloche over winter but I thought I had lost it this spring. However it has reappeared about 3 months ago but is only just now coming into flower, although it is a very large healthy looking plant, about twice the size of The CP.

Next month Gardening Which will have a feature on growing roses in containers so I am looking forward to that. May be tempted to invest in a bareroot or two!

Hello all — I’ve been catching up on everyone’s posts, and what a season it has been. Between Nollie’s “Big Burn” and Eustace’s black spot chorus, it feels like we’ve all been improvising this year. Here’s my own report from the wings:

This season felt more like a dress rehearsal than a full performance — the heat rather turned the garden into Glyndebourne in the Sahara.

The roses, though, insisted on taking centre stage. Gertrude Jekyll delivered her lines with power and poise, while Desdemona sang so sweetly she nearly stole the show. By contrast, Scepter’d Isle missed her cues entirely, and poor Summer Song forgot herself and turned pink — a tragic miscasting if ever there was one.

The newcomers were like nervous understudies: present, steady, but not yet ready to carry the play. I’ll give them another season to find their voice.

Elsewhere, the dahlias staged a mutiny — endless buds, none willing to open on cue. The canna gave her usual diva’s aria, two brief weeks of blazing glory before collapsing like Violetta in La Traviata.

Pirouette, however, has tiptoed onto the stage this week with five perfect blooms and more waiting in the wings — all the more satisfying as they were the two roses rescued from my sister-in-law. A quiet triumph amongst the louder dramas. I now understand why @Marlorena likes her so much! - a good doer, as they say.

At least the set dressing went well: the gravel paths were laid and gleaming. The final grass path, however, awaits its entrance, postponed by the heatwave.

Reading others’ posts, I recognise echoes of my own drama: Nollie’s “Big Burn” scorched much of the first act here too, and Eustace’s chorus of black spot is being repeated in my wings. We’re all improvising in this new climate theatre — roses as players, gardeners as stagehands, each season a different script. The least said about my sweet peas with 3" stems the better!

Oh, and I got served a Dog Control Notice after Agatha escaped into the next door primary school, one time too often. Proudly owning a dog with an ASBO!

I got so frustrated with my Ebb Tide this year, Kate that I dumped it, because once again it failed to become more than a one cane wonder. Glad to hear yours did well.

Peter, great to hear from you, but worrying to hear even Aberdeen suffered in the heat. Kudos to Agatha!

Good morning 🌅

Thanks @NollieSpainZ9 @Kate James @Peter Aberdeen for your updates.

This season for me has been a mixed bag 🛍️. The first flush was glorious 😍. Then came heatwave after heatwave, 4 in all. On top of that the hosepipe ban. So the second flush was barely a flush. I didn't want to aggravate the dryness of the potted roses, so they didn't get their midsummer feed. Then the rains came last month. Most of the roses are now putting out their best, though belatedly.

Best this year for continuous flowering in my garden: Bonica, Kolner Flora, Julia Child, Till Eulenspiegel, Evelyn May, Sandringham, Parfum Royale, Weg der Sinne, Darcey Bussel, Heavenly Pink

Laggards/Blackspotters: Pure Poetry, Royal Celebration, Golden Celebration, Eustacia Vye.

I was looking forward to a second flush from Gertrude Jekyll, all I had was a smattering of individual flowers.

Regarding BS, I don't spray, but defoliate the offending leaves and let the roses carry on. Also, some of the DA roses have grown weak, lost canes and not grown any new basals; so I'm thinking of ditching them as I don't seem to have the time to devote to their care.

The only roses I have now are my usual stalwarts, but I've seen some extraordinary growth on them this summer. 'Marie Nabonnand' is now some 15 feet wide, which I've not seen before in the 10 years I've had it. 'BMS' has also been more growth than bloom, it must be 8-10 feet. I'm not sure I'll keep it beyond next summer.

We've been away staying at my sister's in the West Country for some time. If you'd like me to start a new thread, I don't mind doing that, I think we usually do this time of year.

Here are some of my best companions, still flowering well today..

Aster 'Monch'..

Anemone 'Wild Swan'.. in bloom since May, marvellous plant..

Gaura 'Gaudi Red'..

Salvia 'Delice Feline'..

Salvia 'Royal Bumble'..

Ceratostigma willmottianum...

Ceanothus 'Henri Desfosse'..

Penstemon arabesque 'Apple Blossom'..

'Violet'..

'Forever Royal' roses..

Just to say, in case anyone is travelling by night these days - as you do, - we had the most horrendous time getting back home, as we thought to travel nighttime so as to avoid traffic, but we did not realise that they close parts of the motorways at night for maintenance, so crucially the M25 and M1 were shut at the points we needed to turn off. We got diverted here there and everywhere, ending up in both Watford and Hemel Hempstead - lost at 2 in the morning. We don't have Sat Nav, but eventually we found a way back to the M1 - no idea how. A 3 hour journey took 6 hours.

It's taken us some time to get over it, I must say.

That sounds incredibly stressful, Marlorena, so sorry your trip ended in such a nightmare journey. What lovely perennials to come home to though, your Delice Feline is particularly fine. I do love a shrubby salvia, very much the backbone of my garden. Those, Salvia Amistad, Dicliptera Suberecta, dahlias and abelias are all still in full bloom.

William Shakespeare 2000 is putting out some nice blooms, if a touch ragged around the edges. Such a fabulous fragrance:

Rose de Rescht hasn’t done much all summer, not the heat to blame this time, instead something kept chewing off new shoots. It’s looking much better now. Another great fragrance, emanating from such small blooms:

So very sorry @Marlorena to hear about your travel travails. We too travel early morning and always check the traffic on Google maps before starting. Roadworks on the motorways usually start around 9 PM and go on until 5 or 6 AM.

A few photos taken today in the fading light.

Evelyn May

Eeuwige Passie

Darcey Bussel - this flower is on its 3rd day.

Coral flower carpet

Sweet Honey

Julia Child

Heavenly Pink

Scent from Heaven - heady fragrance indeed.

Desdemona - lots of BS though.

Bonica - not even a day has it been without flowers this season. I bought another Bonica - climbing Bonica, Canibo - this season, but then the leaves are much smaller compared to these.

Till Eulenspiegel - some flowers singed by the autumn sun. 😲

Harlow Carr - lovely scent.

Timeless Charisma

And a few tomatoes.

Shed Treasure Unboxed – The Razor Hoe

Had one of those deliveries today that made me smile. The parcel was stamped in bold “This parcel contains a bladed product” — like I’d ordered something from a blacksmith rather than a garden supplier! Inside was my new razor hoe.

First impressions are very good. The blade is carbon steel, sharp and springy, and stamped with Japanese lettering. I have a hunch Burgon & Ball are buying these blades in from Japan — so really it feels like I’ve ended up with a Niwaki in disguise.

Took it straight out to the roses for a try. It slices through weeds effortlessly with a single pull, neat as you like between canes and hostas without disturbing the roots. The pointed tip makes short work of the stubborn ones in cracks and tight corners. There’s something oddly satisfying about the action — like a miniature scythe, sharp and precise.

I can see why people say these have a cult following. It feels like the sort of tool that quickly becomes a real shed treasure: nothing flashy, but always the one you’ll reach for first when you want the roses looking tidy.

@Marlorena, I fogot to say, I’m happy for you to start a new thread as I’m sure everyone else will be.

You do have such a lot of roses to care for, Eustace, but which Austins are you thinking of getting rid of? Roald Dahl is one of mine that’s gone recently and Darcy Bussell should have gone years ago, but it’s mostly hidden behind a bench so out of sight out of mind, mostly.

That's a nice long Razor hoe @Peter Aberdeen. I am looking for a good one as I had to do lots of bending when it comes to the never ending weeding task. Please may I know that brand perhaps the link of the product you have purchased?! Many Thanks

Yes I'd like to know too Peter..

thanks Nollie,.. I'll leave it until Wednesday..

..thanks Eustace.. it won't happen again I hope.

I was on vacation. My annual classic car rallye. Beautiful small, slopy side roads and great weather. That's the upside of the ongoing drought. The downside is clear. Plants don't seem to be affected, but damage is happening.

My review, July was the wettest since recording but every other month was too dry. First flush was very satisfying. Second flush got washed away in July. Just like most of my veggies. I did not suffer much from the vole but slugs, oh my, I am still snipping them every night.

Oranges like cooler temps, say Emma and Maurice. Hello autumn says Lady Hillingdon. Dark reds are happy. And I am waiting for the few tomatoes that survived the July deluge to turn red.

Very disappointed by Pierre. Who has it tough, last year vole attacks, this year ant pee. It gets another Chance. Quicksilver sits in the shadier border formerly known as hedge. It is getting there, but very late to the party.

Peter’s new hoe looks too good for me, I’m far too careless with tools. My super strong Bulldog stuff, however, have managed to survive every form of abuse, misuse and abandonment to the elements I care to subject them to.

Jelena Frayla, gorgeous fragrance but frustratingly thin-caned and floppy:

The Prince:

Flamenco Rosita (Ivor’s Rose) really has to go this year, proliferates at the slightest temperature change:

Hi @Marlorena, hi @Rojas — thanks both. The hoe I’m using is the Burgon & Ball Long Handled Razor Hoe. It’s a good back-saver for those endless weeding jobs.
Here’s the exact one: Burgon & Ball Long Handled Razor Hoe.

Thoroughly recommend it, as the head is a good size only 12cm, as opposed to a dutch hoe at 14-16cm.

I know what you mean @NollieSpainZ9, I go into my Zen head space in the garden and blades get cleaned, sharpened and oiled afterwards - no, it is a ritual. Hence when work is 'hairy' it shouts through the Zen and I tend not to enjoy the garden as much. But shed treasures make the whole experience richer for me, as it is not just about the garden, but also the discipline. I'm a bit like that!

Thank you so much @Peter Aberdeen.. I am going to buy now.

Thanks Peter, not as dear as expected, considering the brand..

I should be a more like that, Peter, but I know it’s a forlorn hope!

Nice roses @NollieSpainZ9 and @ElbFee. @Peter Aberdeen that's a nice long handled hoe. I have a dutch hoe and a rake; both long handled - weeding gets done whenever I feel like. But then, I'm very lax about weeding 😲

@NollieSpainZ9 you asked which DAs I'm thinking of ditching - Golden Celebration as it is a BS mess and spreads the BS to other roses too. This year hasn't been good for my DAs. Summer Song (bought from DA) died and I opted for a refund rather than a replacement. Roald Dahl also gave up the ghost. I bought Dannahue and Penelope Lively this year from a source other than DA, and both failed. Sir Walter Raleigh was another DA bareroot that failed. However, Pretty Jessica, Charles Austin, Tranquility and Royal Jubilee have made a promising start. Malvern Hills (replacement from DA) is now an one-cane wonder. Tried MH after seeing @Mr.VineEye's and @Tack UK's glorious specimens. Probably doesn't like it here. Susan Williams Ellis is very stingy in terms of flowering.

Kathryn Morley, a gift from @Rojas - Thanks, was not doing well during the heatwave, but then it has sprouted a new cane and is now good, though a bit lanky.

Ah yes, I remember well the BS mess that was Golden Celebration, Eustace. All of the other DA yellows I - in fact most yellows - I have tried were the same. The pinks and purple/reds are healthier. Shame about Penelope Lively, it looks a really good rose, judging by Tack’s.

Golden Zest (a child of GC) started off so well, but has become a constant defoliater even in dry weather. Now buds are just rotting in - admittedly heavy - morning dew:

Nearby Honey Bouquet also suffers from black spot but the blooms are much tougher:

Astronomia/Sweet Pretty still healthy and going strong:

Marie Pavie recovering, it’s been burnt by the hot winds two years running:

Munstead Wood, just because..

William Shakespeare has been in search of a permanent home for too long. It’s finally going in Flamenco Rosita’s vacated spot under the East-facing kitchen window:

I have a Wolf Push Pull Weeder which I find very quick and easy to use. I think mine is the narrow one.

THIS THREAD IS NOW CLOSED, PLEASE SEE THE NEW WINTER THREAD. THANK YOU..

OVER HERE FOLKS: WINTER