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Here we are once again looking at our visit to the National Botanic Garden of Wales and as promised we will feature the dome, known as the ‘Great Glasshouse’.

Some beautiful planting on the approach to the glasshouse sets the tone for what to expect inside.

The structure of the glasshouse took our breath away even though we have seen it a few times before. The curving metal ribs invite the eyes to explore the whole roof and the sky beyond.

Of course the plants are the stars! Sadly we felt a little let down by the planting as there seemed to be more gaps where plants had expired and the labels in some cases were missing while others were not as clear or useful.

As we followed the gravel pathway gently uphill we found several colourful, unusual flowering plants.

Foliage is of course of equal value as flowers and offers so much interest, as it varies in colours, textures, shapes and size.

We continued to follow the pathways around the glasshouse in search of flowers, foliage and interesting bark.

Once back outside in the fresh air, we made our way back down the central roadway stopping off on the way as interesting vistas called out to us. A tall gateway took us into the unique double-walled garden, where we could seek out interesting borders.

In the centre of the walled garden we discovered a wonderful glasshouse packed out with tropical specialities.

So after a wet unpleasant start to the day we went on to enjoy our visit very much. There is so much to see and so many places to explore.

The months seem to be racing by through 2024. It is hard to believe that it is already the end of July and our garden plants remain confused. The weather varies so much as it has all year. We have plants in flower several weeks too early.

I wrote, “July takes us into the second half of the year. Our garden seems full of fledgling birds, robin, wren, blackbird, and blue tit. Their parents are busy feeding these youngsters often devouring the aphids who cover fresh growth on roses. But roses just carry on flowering.”

The two photos above show a tiny rose bush called, “Rosa alpina ‘Cutie Pie’ which grows to just 4 inches tall and 12 inches across.”

Turning over to the next double page spread I consider flowers with scent especially roses and lilies.

Concerning our roses I noted that, “Over the years we have accumulated lots of roses in so many colours, shapes and scents. We grow several for pollinating insects to enjoy not just us!”

So next I shared eight photos of all sorts of lilies after writing that, “Another family of strongly scented plants is the lilies, asiatics, martigans and the more delicate callas. Lilies enjoy transferring their bright orange pollen on to our clothing!”

Over the page I looked at some of the gardening jobs we tackled early in the month. I wrote, “Whatever the month we always have jobs in the garden or glasshouse to keep us busy. July is no exception. Ian, our Monday garden helper, tackled the two large topiary hollies – always a long job!”

Jude sorted out the field edge meadow planting. She then moved on to potting on over 200 succulent cuttings I had taken last autumn.

Next I looked at the tw0 main types of Lychnis we grow in our garden. Lychnis coronaria and Lychnis chalcidonica. Here I noted that, “We grow two different sorts of Lychnis around our garden, L. coronaria and L. chalcidonica.”

Currently we have just two different coloured L. chalcidonica but throughout the flowering period we can appreciate several more.

The many shades of Lychnis coronaria.

Over the page onto the last page for July I took a look at a few more garden tasks. I wrote, “And the work goes on ………..”

“Checking seephose and repairing leaks.”

“Remaking a whole border and cloud pruning an Osmanthus.”

“Replanting a border.”

We leave my garden journal for July with us working away reworking a border and giving it a fresh new look. We will return to visit the journal at the end of August.

For our July monthly visit to the gardens at Oakgate the weather was dull and overcast, which suits taking photos as when the sun is out harsh shadows tend to take over the picture leaving too much black.

Climbers looked particularly good especially roses and clematis.

At the moment the way colours work well together can be enjoyed by looking at wider views of the borders.

The hardy perennials look even more floriferous than they did last month’s giving bright patches of colour deserving of close up study. The Gaillardia below on the left and the Phlox paniculata next to it positively glowed beneath the dull clouds. They are both unusual shades of orange with hints of red and pink.

Some perennials though look extra colourful when partnered with contrasting flowers or interesting foliage.

Earlier in the year I shared a photo of a newly planted alpine trough so here it is now looking so different, each plant having grown away happily. The rest of the photos in this group are of flowering shrubs, a strong feature of the gardens here at Oakgate Nursery.

There we have it, our look at what caught our eyes on our July visit to one of our favourite gardens and nurseries, Oakgate. We always enjoy our coffee, the garden wanderings and selecting yet more plants to buy for our garden.

Almost half way through the year and we have enjoyed every one of our regular monthly wander around the garden at Oakgate Nursery and Garden.

As we started off on our June wanderings we were instantly amazed by the amount of foliage growth and rich patches of flower colour. There was so much variety in foliage colour.

Many shrubs boasted interesting foliage worth a closer look.

Long views along pathways were impressive.

While sat in the outdoor area of the cafe enjoying our coffee and carrot cake the sun highlighted a yellow leaved berberis which also had contrasting red stems.

We then wondered how other berberis might play a strong role in the successful use of colour throughout the garden. Berberis are often grown alongside other shrubs to enhance both sets of colour.

The photo below shows another yellow-leaved berberis partnered with a golden catalpa – a great combination!

The next photo shows a red and pink variegated berberis which goes by the name ‘Harlequin’.

Several specimen perennials were putting on a good show of flowers to catch the eye of the visitors, including us.

I think it would be a good idea to finish our June report of our wanderings around Oakgate Nursery and Garden with a gallery of interesting hardy perennial plants with foliage that takes centre stage when their flowers are not around.

Our next visit with camera in hand will be in July but we will visit many other times for coffee and cake and a perusal of the plants for sale which change all the time.

Here we are with the June pages of My Garden Journal, which takes us to half way through the year. I began my June entries with, “Gardeners have great expectations of June – warm weather, a proliferation of colour, bright sunlight and of course plenty to keep busy with. Wherever you look there is colour.”

“Foliage and flowers play equally important roles in giving so much.”

Six photos follow …….

Turning over the page we see that double page spread features insects on the left hand page and spires of flowers on the right.

On the page concerning insects I share 7 photos and write, “Insects seem to be all around the garden busy feeding and adding life to our patch.”

Sloe Shieldbug (left) 18 Spot Ladybird (right)

Helophilus pendulus Hoverfly (left) Dragonfly nymph(right))(Dangling Marsh Lover)

Large Red Damsel Fly (left) Southern Hawker Dragonfly (right)

On the page opposite I shared photos of flower spikes and wrote, “Many of our flowering perennials have the structure of ‘spikes’. Just think of Foxgloves!” and “Our insect friends love them all too!”

The next two pages featured some of our colourful dahlias, a recent interest. I wrote, “We have made four gardens together and it seems strange now to realise that we have only been growing dahlias for the last decade or so. Now we have lots of them that Jude grows in large pots. We grow those with open flower heads that insects can appreciate as much as us.”

I then filled two pages with photos of some of our dahlias.

pinks

Turn over the page to the final entry for June where I considered alpines, writing, “I don’t think I have ever featured alpines in my Garden Journal, so I will now even though they are out of their best season.”

So that is all about June in our garden which takes us half way through the year already. Back again in July!

After a day at the huge RHS garden of Wisley, it felt good the following day to visit a garden in the same area that was very low key in comparison.

We made plans to meet Graham and Vicky, our brother and sister-in-law, at West Green House not far from their home in Farnham. We arrived at the same time even though we had travelled from opposite directions. Of course we began our day with a catch up, coffee and cakes in the very pleasant coffee shop.

The welcome we receive when visiting a garden for the first time is so important and a good coffee shop is just one element of this. At West Green we felt good before we took our first sips of coffee and bites if cake.

All it took was a touch of quirkiness!

West Green was a rediscovered garden being re-born, reconstructed and re-planted! So much was yet to be touched and these places gave us clues as to its original character. It was amazing how well-positioned new benches set the tone for the areas they were placed in.

Many areas had been generally cleared and as the original grew amid weeds and wildflowers there was a certain “Mrs Haversham” beauty to it.

We followed the path to the left and we all spotted patches of an unusually bright shade of blue in a border up ahead. Once close enough we realised the colour was of hyacinths. We had never seen such intensity of colour in hyacinths before, but we were so pleased to be observing them.

The blue hyacinths were alongside a small stream with banks planted with spring plants. By following the pathway beside the stream borders we arrived at some older places with more formal designs.

As the closing time for the garden approached we made our way back and passed the welcome building and off to the carpark, now almost empty.

I began my entries into my 2024 Garden Journal for the month of May by stating that, “May is the month when we see the garden embrace summer with its brighter days and warmer nights. The garden responds by giving out lots of colour and powerful growth.”

Below this statement I shared 6 photos I took to show some parts of the garden, illustrating places where growth has been powerful.

On the opposite page I looked at the power of foliage, writing that “Fresh foliage brings life to a garden and here in our Avocet Garden early summer is the time for growth. Foliage opens fresh and glossy. By planting 2 or 3 different plants together, the similarities and differences come to light!’

The group of photos below illustrate this.

Over the page I looked at dark flowered perennials, writing “Dark coloured flowers look good at the moment, when sunlight catches petals and foliage. Such plants are often referred to as ‘chocolate’ or ‘black’.”

On the page opposite I shared my sketch of a fern frond with its delicately arranged leaflets. I noted that, “I took a division of a small fern we found in my Mother-in-Law’s garden. The fern drawing shows its actual size and ‘cristata’ formations.”

The next double page spread looks at white flowers and our roof garden.

Concerning white flowers I wrote, “Until the last few years I have not enjoyed or appreciated white as a flower colour. Slowly more have been planted and I feature a few. white coloured flora below.”

Our next port of call is our roof garden and I noted that, “At the moment our roof garden on top of the woodstore is looking at its very best.”

Back down to soil level again I next looked at one of our favourite perennials and then our May garden jobs.

Concerning Geums I commented that, “The perennial plants really providing colour in our borders are our Geums, giving bright hot colours – reds, oranges and yellows “.

On the page opposite our geums we shared our gardening jobs that needed doing. I wrote that, “May is a very busy month in the garden and we have managed to get a lot done.”

The final page of entries for my May garden journal is about some of the wildlife that shares the garden with us. I noted that, “Wildlife bursts onto the scene throughout May including a few unusual creatures.”

A Broad-bodied Chaser – first for our garden!

Angle Shades Moth. Cucumber Green Spider

Yellow-tailed Moth Caterpillar Ctenophora pectinicornis – Cranefly

That is it for my May entries into my Garden Journal 2024. I will look again at the journal in June.

For a change we decided to take our walk around the garden at Oakgate Garden and Nursery before our coffee and began our walk where we usually finish, so we wandered around in the reverse direction for a change.

Thus we entered through an archway that is normally our finishing place and immediately noted this little sign jut as we passed this floriferous Clematis montana.

We found ourselves in the more formal part of the garden in front of the house.

Moving on we moved into the usual areas of mixed borders, where we noticed just how solid the batches of flowers were especially on shrubs.

Azaleas and rhododendrons were consistently solid with flowers, both deciduous and evergreen varieties.

Although these azaleas and rhododendron tend to dominate this garden in May the perennials and annuals were not hiding away – they were putting their own special show on for us.

So much colour always brightens our days and prepared us well for coffee and lunch with gardening friends we met there.

I will finish with few wider shots of the garden to give an idea of its flow.

I began my journal entries for April with thoughts about the weather as usual, as it has dominated this year so far. I wrote, “April should be the month of showers – ‘April Showers’ – but this year we have been subjected to “April Storms”. Storm Kathleen brought heavy rain and strong winds. Nevertheless low growing plants are flowering well.”

Below these words I shared photos of a small selection of these low growing plants.

On the opposite page I looked at some of the gardening jobs we managed to get successfully done. I wrote, “Any tasks that need doing this month are delayed by regular heavy storms. On each dry day, of which there were so few, are used to catch up.”

Turn over to the next double page spread and on the left hand page I looked at flowering bulbs in flower during April. I wrote, “Our flowering bulbs have been so good this year but we they have been confused by their flowering times. At the beginning of April we had some of all sorts out at the same time, from snowdrops to tulips and bluebells.”

I then shared some photos of their flowers.

On the page opposite the bulb flower photos I featured fruit tree blossom and wrote, “Look down to appreciate the variety of bulbs, but look up and you can enjoy the beauty of fruit tree blossom. Pear, plum, apple, crab apple and quince.”

My final page in my April journal entries is all about tulips and I feature a set of photos of some we put in last autumn. I will return to my Garden Journal 2024 when I look at May.

I wrote, “Back in late August we invested in lots of tulips. In November we planted them and now we are being rewarded richly for our efforts with the best tulip show ever.”

Here we are back at Oakgate Garden and Nursery in April, where of course we started our visit in the tea shop for coffee, followed by a wander around the garden with camera in hand and lastly a look around the nursery. The nursery sells such good plants at irresistible prices. Rarely do we return home ‘plantless’!

We sat outside to enjoy our coffee even more and from there we get views into the garden. On that particular day it was the fresh foliage on the shrubs and small trees that drew our attention.

We continued to enjoy interesting foliage as we wandered along the narrow grass paths, and this included foliage of conifers, ferns and more shrubs. Fern foliage was just emerging unfurling its crosiers in such interesting and unique ways. The photo below this set shows how well the sun enhances foliage colours and textures.

Early flowering shrubs especially rhododendrons and azaleas added sparkle to every view.

It is always uplifting to see the early herbaceous perennials adding colour below trees and shrubs.

One aspect of spring gardens which gives double value for us is the flowering cherry, their flowers pink or white on the branches with the carpet of fallen petals covering the earth beneath.

As we passed under the metal archway out of the garden on our way to the nursery we were treated to views of this beautiful blue clematis.

What a cheerful April visit to Oakgate Garden and Nursery with so much to enjoy in the spring sunshine.