THE SUN CAME OUT, I GRABBED MY CAMERA 7/7/12

It looks beautiful BA! That astilbe is fabulous, the ribbon grass is gorgeous, so many lovely plants!

Also living the astilbe, I'm acquiring some white ones soon from an abandoned garden x

Wonderful blog! It all looks so lush! Love the pond :)

You have a lovely garden Ba. all looking extremely well.

Your garden looks lovely BA it is surprising what a bit of sunshine can do to cheer the heart!

Lovely photos. It's nice to see the sun :o)

Absolutely beautiful, I adore the tables and chairs...I am on the lookout for something like that on ebay..lol.

All looking lovely . . . glad you ran for the camera! We had a sunshiney evening too ~ would have had supper outside, but the benches were still soaked!

Wow SUN.... what is that!!!!! I do agree your garden is lovely and shiny and very beautiful.

Thanks Sticki, I think the astilbe was one of those impulse buys from Morrisons, so glad I'm impulsive:-)

impulsive is good!!!

Hi Magna, years ago around the back of a house for sale, was an overgrown garden. One corner of it was a large mass of fluffy astilbes, visible above the long grass. Never forgotten that sight:-))

Hi Pixie, I've got three different waterlilies in flower, very thrilled. Unfortunately the water is green although I did use this safe stuff to clear it over two weeks ago, still no difference:-)

Thanks Cinders, the weeds are certainly thriving although many of my plants have been badly affected by the weather...typical lol:-)

Hi Richard, that's so true, hard to feel up when it's gloomy everywhere isn't it:-)

Thanks Hywel, it has been a bit depressing all this rain hasn't it? Although I know your bete noir is the snow;-)

its pouring with rain again here

Thanks Michaella, I looked on ebay for ages then bought these from Greenfingers. They give a good service and are the cheapest I've seen:-)

Thanks Sheila, you could have carried your dining chairs out to eat al fresco...unless they're very heavy of course. It would have been worth it....maybe the only chance this summer lol:-)

Your garden looks amazing BA!!

Thanks Marion....summer still forecast for September:-))

Oh bad luck Sticki, still dry here...don't know for how long though. I was kicking myself this morning as I didn't put out a new suet and mealworm block for the birds last night and when I looked out of the window , the juvenile woodpecker was sitting on the arch all disconsolate. I hope it hasnt put him off:-( I shot out to replenish, but only got the starling mob back, mainly juveniles too. I'm certainly doing my bit to help the starlings:-)

Thanks Lil, I may be able to do a little work out there today if it stays dry:-)

i hope he comes back BA

I only had a woodpecker visitor once before, and she never came back (the one with the cuckoo) but I've seen this one a few times now:-)

what did severnside use to feed them, they visited his garden regularly? be good to encourage this one!

No worries Ba . . . we've had supper outside FOUR times already, lol. It was breezy last night too, so we ate in the kitchen with the door wide open (I knew you wanted to know that :)))

A green woodpecker visits us quite often, because what he likes is ANTS, and we have plenty!

I can't believe how nice your garden looks after all the rain we have had, good for you,

I echo that last comment! What a very,very pretty garden you have and it is looking lovely in the sunshine.

Well lucky old you Sheila lol...we managed one family meal out this year using a trestle table etc. No meals outside apart from that. Send your green woodpecker this way, lots of delicious ants too:-)

Yorkie, it's so much easier now the grass has gone:-)

We have had one meal outside so far - it was last Wednesday!!! A memorable occasion!

Indeed Wild rose...we spoil ourselves lol. Perhaps we'll all be outside in September, autumn is the new summer?:-)

Your garden looks lovely.

I love the lay out of your garden, B.A. and I am the same as you. I still have loads of plants in pots which I daren't put out incase they get eaten !

Thanks Drc, I've been working on the front today trying to increase drainage...and do a bit of planting. I was so hot....then it started to rain...again:-)

Thanks Rose, it's so much easier without grass and with the nice shapes, always looks ok;-)

You have a very interesting garden BA. I love your design. It must have been pretty scary getting rid of the grass but looks so much better and bigger for not having any. Youve also successfully managed to get rid of your fences by covering them with climbers. Im trying to achieve that but will have to wait a bit longer. :0/

Thanks Poppy, i'm afraid that I have loads of naked fencing though and some that I did sort of cover...I'm not keen on the cover. One is an orange honeysuckle which doesn't smell....what use is a honeysuckle with no smell? and it doesn't flower for that long either. Since being on this site I've become ruthless and I'm dumping things I'm not keen on lol:-)

Love your garden Ba and especially that Pink leaved/flwering tree/shrub what is it please;0) Also love your Astilbes and your pond, wish mywater lily would flower like yours, lovely planting too;0)

Your garden looks lovely Ba, I also like the huge pink one and the Astilbes, I really must get some of them, they look so nice in everyones gardens, both my ponds are green this year, we even have a light on the filter for the fishpond but its really struggling to keep it clear..
Lovely pics especially like the views from upstairs..

Thanks Carole, if you mean the little tree by the pond? it's an acer Which lived for years in a pot before it was given its freedom. I don't know which one it is as I bought it so long ago from a garden centre 'sin bin' so it was cheap. It is always beautifully coloured...I'd have another if I knew what it was lol:-)

Thanks Lincs lass, my pond is totally green, was last year too. I bought some of that stuff to clear it, but I think the weather was too cold and nothing has happened so it was probably killed off. I believe the fish don't mind it green, nor do frogs:-).

Beautiful, Ba...:>)

Thanks Motinot, the sun seems to have a different quality in the midst of all this rain:-)