Saturday, July 5, 2025

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Hello Friends. 

How are you all this week? Good, I hope. 😊

This week, I wanted to share with you how our garden has been changing and growing. Halfway through the year now, and a lot has changed in the woodland. Most things have done well, a few things needed moving, and a few plants got a bit too sun-baked. 

I'm also showing the not-so-pretty bits, such as the area where the bark and other bagged items are stored, as well as hubby's sand and ballast supplies. There are also the vital parts of the garden like the compost and the water butts. Where would I be without those?

We have just about finished covering the whole area with chunky bark. This will massively help to reduce watering and weeding jobs. During the varied hot, windy, wet and everything else in between weather, the bits of the garden that already had bark laid suffered little wilt and no weeds peeping through. Now the entire area is covered, and we also have a designated spot to place our chairs and enjoy the garden.

Now, follow me around the garden and see how our plants grow.

The area covers about 30ft x 25ft, or about 10m x 8m.

Starting outside the shed, we have a space large enough for two seats with a bit of shade from the Hawthorn tree overhead. At the moment, the tree has lots of green berries, which will ripen later into red ones that the birds will love. We can't leave seats out because we are plagued with pigeons and their ....!

Two of our water butts are located next to the shed, making them very useful.

This is one of the less pretty and more functional parts of the garden. Everybody needs somewhere to store 'useful stuff'. Here is where we store odd slabs to be repurposed, bags of grit, sand, and bark, and my long canes. I already have a plan for the slabs in another part of the garden. 

Another very valuable resource is the double compost bin that my hubby made a few years ago.


Hmm! This doesn't look too good, does it! 

The grass has died back quite a bit, but there are still some patches of green, so I won't give up hope. It hasn't been watered at all this year, and perhaps not enjoyed the extreme heat. It will recover, though.

The same applies to this bush Amelanchier. I will be placing plenty of bark around the roots to retain moisture, and next year, I will find some temporary shade for it.

The log and twig pile is growing and will be a cosy home for small creatures in Winter. 

This pretty little Acer was not happy where I originally placed it and, as a result, got quite burnt. I have since moved it into some shade, and it seems much happier. Next year it will be even better.

The whole area has now been covered with chunky landscape bark which will make things so much easier for us to maintain in the way we want from now on.


Everything has been growing at such a rate even with the very hot days we have had lately. The Rodgersia plant with its frothy flower heads has been the best I have seen.


This Acer has now reached the height I am happy with, but no further. I will trim it back in the Autumn.


The Rheum (located just in front of the ferns), which resembles a large rhubarb, has been sulking, but I think it has got too hot and not enough moisture around its roots again. It has had plenty of water and a cosy bark mulch as a way of an apology, and I need to think about how to keep it happy next year.

Finally, this is a useful table that I use for pots of bulbs, taking cuttings, and other small garden tasks. My hubby made it from an old door and covered it with EPDM rubber left over from when we had our flat roof recovered.

In other garden news, when we visited our local garden centre for more bark, this pretty Lantana caught my eye. It went straight into my basket when I saw the price. For now, it will be placed in a large pot while I decide on its permanent location. The Clematis was reduced, and also made it to the checkout. Both plants now need planting. 





Well, that is how my garden is growing at the start of July. If you have any outdoor garden space, I hope it brings you just as much happiness as mine does. 

Have a lovely week and mind the sun if it comes out to play.

B x

23 comments:

  1. I know very little about gardening, but I enjoyed reading your post and your lovely photos.

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    1. Just glad to share my garden in pictures with you. 😊

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  2. Your garden looks so well organised. The bark mulch is doing its job - one less job for you. The Lantana is beautiful and such a bargain, and the cyclamen is so pretty.

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    1. If putting the bark down saves on weeding and watering, I am very happy. I do like a bargain plant and the Lantana was too good to miss. I already have next part of the garden to sort out planned, but that will be next year. I need to be sure that what we have done continues to work for us.

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  3. Gardens are so much work.... but totally worth it! Enjoy yours, it looks great x

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    1. Anything that reduces some of my less favourite jobs in the garden. I do love my outdoor space but some tasks are more fun than others.

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  4. We don't have such dry areas in our garden but we do water when its very hot.

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    1. We do have a very sunny garden with little natural shade. I just want to make things a bit easier for us as we go into retirement. Looking at your lovely garden, you seem to have got watering just right.

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  5. I wonder if you know the name of the pale lilac Clematis? I have one very similar but have no idea which one it is.

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    1. I have just been to check and the clematis is called 'Comptesse de Bouchaud'.

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  6. Your garden is looking good. I hope your water butts and pond benefitted from yesterday's rain. Your new clematis is lovely, I like the colour. I think it is going to get hotter again later this week so shade will be needed :)

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    1. Thank you, Rosie. The water butts have all filled up nicely and we are also trying to save as much grey water as we can as well. Wednesday looks like the day it all starts getting hotter again for a while. I shall make sure to keep vunerable plants sheltered and watered. I shall also not be venturing outside in the extremes of heat. Keep safe and sheltered yourself too. 😊

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  7. Your garden is looking good and it must be so pleasing to get everything organised.
    Water Butts can be so helpful and in this summers very hot weather have been well used but there are many areas of the UK that need more rain!
    The Lantana and Clematis you recently purchased look lovely ... definitely a good buy.

    Enjoy the week ahead.

    All the best Jan

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    1. I think I am becoming more organised as I get older. I certainly have got rid of a lot of clutter lately. Thank you for your kind words about the garden, Jan. We are very blessed to live in an area of the UK where we don't suffer from extremes of the weather. We are not at risk of flooding and have some protection from the hills around us in this small corner. It is still going to be very hot over the next few days though.
      Take care and enjoy the rest of the week.

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  8. I loved seeing all of these bits. They alllll looked good to me.

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    1. Aww, thank you Ivy. It's always lovely to have you stop by and visit. 😊

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    2. Thanks, I feel the same way and I LOVE your avatar with the flowers. I forget where I first found you on someone's blog but I loved the flowers so much they made me come to your page.

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    3. You have made me smile already this morning, Ivy. I think the flowers were a simple watercolour, done by my lovely daughter.

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  9. It's interesting to see all the working areas of your garden. A beautiful garden takes a lot of looking after so water butts and composters are needed, especially if you encounter a hosepipe ban like the one which has come into place here in Yorkshire. I do like your new plants, the reduced section is always worth a look.

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    1. I did see that your part of the UK was the first to have a house pipe ban, Jo. I hope you and your outdoor space have managed to stay hydrated in this very hot weather. Both new plants have been planted and I now just need to keep an eye on them both and water as best I can. They were a great bargain.

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  10. Thanks for sharing your garden, I have enjoyed seeing what you have been doing. Those none pretty bits as you call them, I still find them very interesting :) A lovely look at what has been going on. I need all the help I can get with my own planting.

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    1. Thank you, Denise. I'm having to be a bit more watchful this week as it is very hot here at the moment. We are not used to this kind of weather. Glad you enjoyed this part of our garden both the pretty and otherwise.

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    2. I always find reading about your garden fun and interesting and yes, please take care in this overly hot weather. I turn all kinds of shades of splotches in ours and tend to feel ill if I am out in it for too long. That hasn't changed in all these years of dealing with our hot summers Have a great week Beverley :)

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