Monochrome Magic

  

The recent damp weather has been most welcome for the garden. However, the downside is that time spent relaxing outside has been minimized. So while we have hardly used the terrace during July the plants are flowering and producing a lovely display. As you can see from the accompanying pictures the roses are in full bloom, the hebe has its gorgeous purple flowers and the sambucus is equally pretty when in flower.

Of course all this growth means that deadheading is a regular activity. The roses are feed regularly and while there are signs of blackspot (despite a rigorous hygiene routine) the aphids seem to be much reduced at this moment in time. 

Top Tip: roses are hungry plants and remembering to feed them regularly will always pay dividends.

The range and variety of roses is so vast I would not dare make any firm recommendations but the variety which does best for us is simply "Claire Austin" an English climbing rose, with the added bonus of being a repeat flowerer.

Black and white can also be spotted elsewhere in the garden, even on rare occasions when the weather is inclement!