As the plants are in full leaf and start flopping around with the weight of flowers and fruit (and get blown around by the wind), it brings home to me that the garden really needs thinning out. I rather overplanted it with shrubs, which are now quite mature and in several cases rather larger than I anticipated. Something has to go. The viburnum carlcephalum, which as I've already mentioned is losing a large branch every year and is obviously diseased at the base, is an obvious candidate. My initial idea was to take cuttings; but they couldn't be planted in the same place, and anyway, let's be realistic, it doesn't pull its weight as a plant. It has a nice spreading shape, and the flowers (waxy white and scented) are lovely, but the blooms don't last long, either on the plant or as cut flowers, and the plant doesn't have much else to commend it for the rest of the year. Right - it can go. The mahonia 'Charity' next to it is looking dead, too; that makes a nice big space to do something else with.
The philadelphus has been a problem for a while. Again, the flowers are lovely (I like scented flowers) but it hardly ever produces any, it's crowding out the winter honeysuckle and there's too much else competing for space in that bed. If I can get at its base, it can go too.
Last weekend I decided, a little reluctantly, that 'Mary Queen of Scots' can also have her head chopped off (and the base too, again if I can get at it). It's my earliest rose, hardy and a good do-er, but it has got much bigger than I envisaged, to the extent that it's taking over the side of the patio, and it's also suckering under the flagstones, which is not good. I've also spotted a large ash seedling that is growing through it and I absolutely must get that out. The birds will miss the rose; they use it as a perch while they check whether there's any food put out for them, or while waiting their turn for the birdbath, but removing it will make space for the choisya ternata behind, which should do them just as well.
Just need to find time to do all of that ....
The raspberries and gooseberries have been discovered by a couple of young blackbirds. I don't begrudge them too many, but need to get in there and do some picking, weather permitting. Most of the time, the weather does not permit. It hasn't got any better, and there's no sign of improvement. The lawn hasn't been cut for 3 weeks because it has been too wet; it's full of clover and daisies. And a couple of trays of pansies which I haven't got round to planting out are starting to grow toadstools!
The blackbirds and sparrows are still feeding youngsters. We've seen a few tits, but not too many; no sign of young ones. And house martins and swifts, while still around, aren't in their usual numbers - it may be too wet for them. Unusually, there was a skylark singing above the garden last weekend; they don't usually come so close to the village. An encouraging sign the other day was three thrushes (there was a bit of a fight); they haven't been much in evidence since the magpies raided their nest.
Depressingly, the robins have started their autumnal 'tick-tick'ing. We haven't had summer yet.
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