Today is very wet, so I have taken some snaps from the back steps to show what’s going on this week.

Lazy? Yes.

Warm and dry? Also, yes.

So here are six things in the garden, in the rain, on a Saturday.

THING ONE! The Pond! The focal point of the garden, popular with insects, birds and occasionally frogs, the raised pond is looking great. The red lobelia, ‘queen victoria’ are a fabulous scarlet colour. The big purple flowers behind them are probably hydrangea-aspera. Many thanks to Jim Stevens at garden ruminations https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/91428062 for the ID!

Hydrangea aspera is a spiky plant which brings me out in hives but I’ll tolerate it on account of those fantastic flowers.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/8905/Hydrangea-aspera/Details

THING TWO! Waterlily

There are no flowers open right now, but the waterlily has put on a good show of flowers so far this year. It’s just so beautiful, it almost doesn’t look real.

THING THREE: The Yucca

This one’s particularly for Tony Tomeo, who has admired this yucca a few times since it’s appeared on the blog. I don’t know what variety it is, but can report that it has flowered for many weeks, and seems quite content in its spot under the apple tree. It’s just about finished flowering now, and at some point soon I’ll cut back the flower stems and tidy up the lower leaves a bit.

Its nickname is Yucca Khan, in honour of the soul singer Chaka Khan.

THING FOUR! Pergola progress

Undoubtedly a theme I’ll return to a zillion times, the pergola is gradually getting greener. Yes that’s a couple of bottles of cava that we’ve not tidied up since we had some visitors. And yes the wisteria is growing quickly!

THING FIVE: Hybrid Tea Rose, Nostalgia Taneiglat

This rose has put out a few flowers, despite being in a pot in a shady spot. I took this snap earlier this week, and bought this plant at Mells Walled Garden. It’s just lovely, but has survived rather than thrived this year, in a pot in a fairly shady border.

Next year, the plan is to establish a rose bed in a sunny spot by the back door, so I can have more of these beautiful flowers to share and enjoy.

THING SIX: Micheal Bay

One more shot from the backdoor, and its the bay tree that I bought for my husband, probably ten years ago.

It has since provided a steady supply of bay leaves, and we call it ‘Micheal Bay’ after the film director who likes big explosions. Now and again the wind blows it over, and we imagine it’s exploded dramatically.

In fact, its home to herb robert, and many of the spiders that I’ve removed from the house.

So that’s my six on this soggy wet Saturday.

For more garden highlights, visit the Propagators blog, or search #SixOnSaturday.

I’m going to look at the rain for while, and start planning that rose bed.

Jen x