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Wow, what a mass of flowers. My garden is like a dust bowl. The rain always misses us in the Surrey area, none for weeks.

Yes indeed, I have had to support it this year as it has put on a lot of growth!

I doubt it ... it's a tad too gaudy for my taste!

This usually happens in June and is known as June drop. The tree has 'hormones' that sort out how many fruit it can carry. Too many developing fruit and as Owd says lack of water/food etc.

other than the rampant Orange King and Indian Summer I have no luck at all, even ones in pots. So I have given up trying to grow them.

True Feverfew, the flowers aka moon flowers or devils trumpets are attractive and do have a pleasant aroma. The remainder of the plant is foul smelling and unattractive with highly toxic alkaloids which necessitates very careful handling.

I think it’s a James Grieve. It used to have a Cox nearby but that wasn’t happy either. I wonder if it’s the stony ground as the houses here were built on a brickworks. It doesn’t look very happy these days, that’s for sure. We usually treat the soil in the springtime but neither of us has had good health so it didn’t get done until a month or so ago when we employed a gardener.
Thank you

Wow! Imagine finding this growing in your woods! It’s so exotic!

It looks great compared to mine! The slugs have really gone at it this year. I will probably take it out. I hate looking at destroyed plants.

Strange! Will you keep it Shirley?

Nice soft colours Shirley.

I am no expert, but my experience is the same as yours with the dwarf ones. But two tall ones that grew really well for me were Indian Summer and Yellow Friendship.

Origanum rotundifolium ‘Amethyst Falls’

Thanks. We were looking for info on the taller ones like A. Tessa, A.Sirius and others of that sort of height.

That's a good idea as somebody is bound to know.

It's one for the favourites list :-)

I find the Summer paradise heat varieties good growers...they are tall with vibrant colours and hardy...I do mulch in the late autumn. They are planted in an exposed bed .

Thank you Callie I am a lot better now and just need to get some energy back!!

Julia it is tiresome when the website is not functioning like it used to! I seem to have lots of feet in my blog now - very attractive!!! Let’s hope it improves.

Rose lovely to see you and thank you for your very encouraging comments. I shall write to you soon. Quite a few plants in the garden are becoming unruly now as they always do at this time of year!!

It really isn't working well at all these days ... :o((

No, it didn’t Shirley. Thank you for trying x

Hello Chris, I hope you are feeling much better now!
Your garden is wonderful and I love those sweet peas. I grew mine in the autumn, a pale pink but no scent. So disappointing!
I do love your new greenhouse! So envious!
I will write to you soon.
Lots of love Rose x

Why? It has nice blue flowers?

Many thanks Owdboggy.

Definitely. Possibly Cornus downy scale insects.
Not a good sight. They can do a lot of harm.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/scale-insects

Thank you. We had a really dry spring and I was guilty of not watering through that period. However, I am soaking them now and have noticed some slight growth, so I am hoping they will recover.

What variety is it? Is it self fertile? Does it have a nearby pollinator? Is it in a pot or the open ground?

Other than that, as above reply

You have obviously been working hard, Balcony!

Well, I have now sent Sarah Raven the photo at the top of this blog, explaining how they have "ruined" my careful planning! Several weeks ago (complaining about the dead Verbena) I was lucky enough to speak to a helpful lady in the Complaints Department. But soon after that, the phone lines were closed with a message that the company was overrun with complaints! It is still "paused" so obviously there are many disappointed people.
I'm hoping that we'll eventually get some kind of explanation, as I had been a regular (satisfied) customer for many years.

Thank you Callie, I think I will. xx

I've tried GFs for a few weeks...the layout is so different from Goy and not as clear especially the size of print. I'm sure there are a few who would disagree. Let's hope Dave can
help.Now I see my photos have disappeared from the blog.

Sheila, it is similar to Karen's lovely rose, but not as robust. I'm sure I knew it's name, it'll come to me when I'm not thinking!

It's so disappointing Shirley to think to have half an hour to catch up and add a couple of pics, but no, no access again till today.

Thank you Balc, no it doesn't and it's such a shame as we all want to use it.
It really is a shame it's not being monitored and kept up to date.

The tree will only retain the fruit it thinks it can carry. Your tree thinks it cannot keep any, so it is either too young, hungry or thirsty. Obvious answer to that.

Yes, I've noticed how slow it is even to reach this page. We've just had a heavy shower of rain, so that will help the flowers. It's a bit cooler today, but we did manage a walk at 8 this morning.

I like all your photos Wildrose, I hope you feel better soon. I am having trouble also with GOY. xx

I liked your photos Sheila, they look lovely.I think its a good idea to get in touch with Sarah Raven, good luck xx

Thank you Balcony:-)

Hi Shirley yes I agree. Thanks I still don't know the name of the plant yet, might pop it on the questions :-)

Yes indeed David. Thanks for commenting.

David, I have just sent you a PM (16.45) and hope you receive it!

Guilty ... some in 2020 and 'Purple Emperor' in 2023.

Yes, I do make a note of plants sent and received ... :o)

Well, you are consistent!!

I've never bought any plants from Sarah Raven but I'd always heard people speak well of them. It's a shame when a company can't keep up its reputation! It's not easy to get a good level of trust but it only takes a couple of bad instances to lose it!

I've been posting on another gardening forum for about 3 years now as well as on GoY! For about 2 years I was posting on 2 other gardening forums then I stopped posting on one of them when an enormous influx of new members, from a forum that was closing, suddenly invaded it! I continue on the other, much smaller one still.

I don't know what got into me yesterday - I made the same mistake on another gardening forum I post on!!! :D :D :D

Thanks for asking, Lindak. :) I'm keeping fine thanks. The heat is a little oppressive at times (like right now!) but after having lived many years in Spain I know how to handle the heat! :)

Except for my first summer in Spain I've never had problems with the heat. But when I did I recovered quickly.

GoY has become so slow to respond to comments or pictures that it is becoming a torment to post on! :( I post on another gardening forum & I can upload half a dozen photos in less time than it takes on GoY to upload just 1! And all at the same time as well! As for posting comments you don't have time to blink even once from when you press the send button to it appearing on the screen online!!!

Was it you who sent me some Sedums 3 or 4 years ago? Whoever it was & whenever it was they are growing better this year than in previous years! :)

I've always liked Sedum & used to grow them in my parent's garden when I still lived at home - more than 55 years ago! We didn't didn't have these variegated or coloured forms back then they were all grey/green.

A GoY member (possibly Shirley) sent me a couple of these plants about 3 years ago. This is the first year they have grown this well! I like them very much! I still remember growing them when I lived at home with my family - well over 50 years ago! Only back then they were grey/green leaves & had pink flowers.

Thank you, Karen!

I thought this was the only time I've ever grown them but I think I had some I bought in the 99p Store many years ago.

Karen, I sent you a PM yesterday but I guess it didn't reach you?

I emailed Dave (Shedman) asking him to view your question, and the comments, as something needs to be sorted with this site.

Another Sedum that looks familiar!