As I was saying, I came straight back from Scotland and clipped the box. What a relief! Even I had begun to be embarrassed by my furry 'garden structure', unclipped for 24 months due to the box blight. Feeling more confident this year due to low rainfall - we've probably had a maximum of 8-10 days of rain in the last 3 months (April through to June). The grapevines have benefited tremendously in the dry weather. The growth is amazing and the bunches are so far looking good. But recent storms appear to have devastated some of the Burgundian crop with hailstones. 
My little dumplings with their haircuts! 
One of my main incentives for clipping was to show off the lightness of the lavender against a sharper box line. 
Finally something tidy to admire - she's my little control freak! 
Don't try this at home - this is not box blight, but a foolish gardener's carelessness. The learning curve is steep and sometimes you only learn by ignoring advice and making your own mistakes. Unfortunately, with my memory, I'm liable to make them more than once. Fortunately this mistake is not serious, since the scorch marks will disappear when - if - we get more rain and the plants make new growth.New facts about box to add to my armoury:
1. The spores are actually killed off at 33 degrees C. Hurrah! We must have had at least two days in this garden (in April/May, if you can believe it) during which temperatures rose that high. And I thought nothing would kill the little ...
2. Wild box shows no sign of being infected to date. This is because the blight is encouraged if gardeners over-clip their box. Not guilty!
3. Finally (see pic, above) You should never, ever (ever) clip box when the sun is shining strongly. If you begin to clip on a good, overcast day and the sun comes out, the tip is to spray your plants over lightly to stop the shoots scorching. Personally I'm not sure this last would work, since a hot sun would dry the film of moisture very quickly? Perhaps choose a better time next year ...
Grass, what grass? Generally the garden has not enjoyed the intense heat. And I refuse to water grass. But at least the mowing load is reduced; all I have to do is to go around and clip the weed flowers off as I see them. 
By contrast, Verbascum thapsus and Artemesia 'Powis Castle' and 'Lambrook Silver' are revelling in the sun. 
Moving down to the borders below - I can genuinely say that this is the first year I have begun to be delighted with the effect and to enjoy my garden again. Unfortunately the voles seem to be back - this year they've discovered a taste for sweet peas (no pictures, sorry!). The fennel still looks good and the self-seeded Salvia sclarea and verbascum are coming into their own. 
Echinacea 'White Swan' is beginning to really enjoy where I've put her - and there was never any doubt about Salvia sclarea, which will take over our world if we let it! 
And yes! I once again have agapanthus in flower. It has 'rested' for three years, but came through severe temperatures down to -15 in February 2012. Finally I can begin to enjoy, divide and spread ... 
This is the first time I've used Allium sphaerocephalon and I'm not sure why I waited so long. Perhaps I was made nervous by rumours of how well it spreads itself ... we'll see. 
Pleasure in this last week - a white form of Galega officinalis that I sowed back in very early spring 2012 is flowering. I used to have a beautiful blue, received by seed as 'Galega caucasica', I think. The name isn't 'good' botanically, but I'm longing for its blue flowers again (the flowers of true Galega officinalis are more of a washy, blue-pink). 
My plant of the week, Helenium 'Moerheim Beauty'. How many years have I waited to grow this in my own garden after carefully weeding in its vicinity at work? And the voles haven't eaten it (yet). 
Here with Verbascum thapsus (yet again!) and my much longed for Eryngium 'Mrs Wilmott's Ghost'. The last was a great triumph as I've never succeeded in growing it from seed before. Now the bated breath is all about whether she'll like me and live with me long term by self-sowing ... 
Can you see my pretty little garden mimics in the picture? 
All the Batavia lettuce 'Rouge Grenoblaise' that I sowed back in March are running to seed now and pretending to be verbascums - but aren't they pretty? I can't really bring myself to tear them out. And fortunately the lettuces that a kind friend gave me in April are a little slower to run themselves to death, so we do have some salad. But what a lot of water they are gobbling up!Blogging about lack of rain must be a little like doing a rain dance ... as my fingers touch the keyboard, I can look out of the window and see that we are getting what we so sorely need.
