Apologies, it's been a long time

Part 2!

Substack limits the size of articles for email, so here’s part 2 of what I started yesterday

This is a fabulous and strongly scented rambler, Francis E Lester; planted two years ago, say five feet from out willow dome, it’s already reached the other side.

The bamboo and netting structure behind reaches along most of the fence, and has four Clematis montana and a few others set to grow into it - to hide the fence, which is a mess!

Into the willow dome is the glorious Gertrude Jekyll, the first rose I planted in the last three houses I have loved in; named of course after the famed English gardener of last century, this is a gloriously fragrant rose that blooms all summer.

And next to Gertie, the yellow rose is Graham Thomas, named after a rose grower of yore; it’s just starting to get established - also the lovely rambler Albertine, which has taken off already in under a year. It may only bloom once, in June, but is sweetly perfumed and very pretty. Clematis and honeysuckle all competing for attention there; to sit in the dome of an evening is to sit a cloud or fragrant rose

Pouring with rain at the moment, so can’t go and photograph the glorious hedge of Wild Edric, twelve bushes in all, planted to obscure the oil tank in the front garden; which it does. Flowers for months and mess superb - have even had a delivery driver swooning over it :-). I cut it back to a foot or eighteen inches every spring, and it comes back bushier and even more flower laden every year. But this is the climber Constance Spry, very vigorous, which I have wound into our Gingko Biloba. It’s a rose tree now :-) And our dear boy Pig the Pig Dog, who died nearly a year ago a day over fourteen, and was beloved by all who knew him is buried underneath her.

Here’s the old feller -and his boy Bear, now five and full of beans. Missed his Dad for months after he went, bless him. Pig used to love gardening with me; I’s be down on my knees grovelling around wherever, and this head would poke in front of me and give me a quick kiss.

From an early age, he liked to do a dishwasher pre-wash; within days of him going, Bear took over this important role in a household.