End of Month View – July 2013

I returned from a heat wave in San Francisco to a heat wave here which has only just ended.  It has left the garden dry and frazzled especially the front garden which has less shade than the back.  I can’t remember when the front lawn was last cut but luckily as it is full of clover and other ‘weeds’ it has retained most of its greenness without the need to water.

Sadly the heat meant that the Alchemilla mollis which were intended to provide a limey green froth along the two sides went over more or less as it started and it really needs cutting back so that the plants can put on some growth to help them survive next year.

I have liked watching the Deschampsia  put  on its growth along the bottom of the lawn but I was surprised at how tall the flower heads are.  I think this is because they are subjected to more sunshine than the ones in the back.  The intention was that the Rudbeckia and Salvias planted behind the grassed would peer over the top and it would all waft in the breeze!!  Instead you can’t see the Salvias and Rudbeckia at all.

Also the actual row of grasses has been niggling me.  I have something similar in the back garden but it is at the back of the border and I think this might be the problem.  The grass along the bottom of the lawn seem very static and almost dense.  They need some sort of lightning, maybe a different texture.  I think I like the row as it defines the end of the lawn and I know I want to add  Allium sphaerocephalon amongst the grasses to continue the planting down the side but I’m not sure about the positioning of the grasses and I am wondering whether to move them back  and plant something in front of them just to hide their feet and maybe break up the row – more pondering while I brush my hair in the morning. I am currently considering whether to add  some of the oregano amongst the grass as the lime green leaves would work with the Alchemilla and Beech although maybe I need something a little taller – who knows.

The side border has peaked and moved on.  The Echiums were fantastic and a real bee attraction for weeks on end.  They are now being followed by Crocosmia and the Allium sphaerocephalon but I need something a little more solid to fill the gaps at ground level.  There are Rudbeckia in here but the dry weather and my reluctance to water too much has meant that they haven’t put on as much growth as they should and are only just beginning to flower and bulk up.  You can see better what I mean by the Alchemilla mollis going over quickly.

On the other side of the lawn the border is quite  dull  and nondescript mainly as I haven’t decided what to plant here.  The beech hedge has been pruned back which makes it look better but I am wondering whether to add something between the Alchemilla mollis and beech aside from the Bergenia which are also low plants.   Maybe it needs something to add some variety of height and break  up the solidity of the hedge.

It is interesting as I have been trying to avoid a bitty look in the front garden and I seem to have gone too far the other way for my liking and by using lots of the same plant I feel that it is all rather static and dull.   So I need something in between – not very easy with my all or nothing character!!

So that’s the front garden at the end of July.  If you would like to join in with the End of Month meme you are very welcome.  I would ask that you add a link to your post in the comment box below and also that you link to this post in yours that why we can all have a nose at each others gardens.  Oh and you can use the meme in any way you like – focus on one border, the whole garden, give a tour – what ever suits  you.