Resisting Temptation

Clematis - Victoria

Yesterday I didn't go out ino the garden till late afternoon.  I had loads of boring household chores to get on with, and I knew that once outside, I would stay there.  It was a lovely day, but I kept my head down, got on with my jobs  and tried to ignore the sun trying to lure me out.  By late afternoon I had finished, and secateurs in hand, went round all the plants that had gone to seed  Alchemilla Mollis (Lady's Mantle) was flat on the ground and the flower heads were starting to turn brown, a sure sign that they needed the chop.  Then I started on Geranium psilostemon which is a clump-forming perennial that has many cup-shaped, single, black-centred magenta flowers.  These are notorious self-seeders and I have at least five plants in the garden that are all self-set.  Most perennials, when given a chop after they have flowered, will invariably give a second showing of flowers later on in the season, so it is well worth doing.

The Clematis pictured above has been in flower for weeks; it is trained on a fence and has wound its way through my neighbours'  golden privet which is growing on the other side of the fence, making for a spectacular show.  I also noticed this morning that the Clematis Alpina which is a lovely blue, and flowers early in spring, has started flowering again - isn't nature a wonderful thing.