We just had another heatwave albeit a short one but it did rain too so all is well in the garden and the pond had a good top up.

I see a couple of shrubs in my neighbours garden have gone totally brown now and look quite dead which is a shame.  There are a few poor elm trees in the golf course which are in the process of being felled because they have Dutch Elm Disease.  Some of the ash trees have Ash Die Back and have to be felled too at some point.  Now the elm is away you can see another dead tree through the gap.

The persicarias and Japanese anemones are flowering away as are the verbena, oregano, agastache and erigeron.  The roses have more buds for their next lot of flowers with the exception of the moss roses.  The heucheras are almost over, astrantias too.  There are a few flowers on some hardy geraniums, campion coronaria, nepeta and the odd flower on the weigelia and hebe.   The purple loosestrife is going over but still attracting butterflies.  This large white (possibly male) stayed still enough for a quick snap.

The honeysuckle is looking good: the flowers have turned to bright red, jewel-like berries.  Other plants with berries are the rowan and berberis.  The elder didn’t have many flowers this year therefore not many berries.

There are the first tinges of dark red on the miscanthus ‘red chief ‘ grass which looks good against the acer palmatum ‘Dissectum Garnet’ .  There is only one grass flower head so far but soon there will be masses.

There are lots of cracks in the retaining wall of the raised bed which the ferns take advantage of.

It is sunny but cooler today so I will just enjoy the garden instead of working in it I think – well, apart from taking more pond weed out and being on the lookout for the Spanish slugs.