PUSHING THE BORDERS

I haven't been able to post any photo-threads this year, as I've been away from home in hospital for long periods due to ill health, but I have been home often enough to take these shots that I uploaded to my Flickr account yesterday:

2013 garden

In my absence, my partner (whom you can see peering out from under a Brugmansia) has been doing sterling work keeping everything growing, aided by an unusually good growing season.

I'll be away from this forum and GOTE for awhile and will catch up with you all when I have recovered. Happy gardening.

Hope all goes well David, must be very frustrating seeing your garden looking like it does (rather splendid) and not being able to relax and enjoy it properly

Your garden does you and your partner credit, it looks very lush and exuberant.
A friend of mine is dealing with the effects and treatment for a malignant melanoma and I am now in awe of what the medical profession and a positive attitude from the patient can achieve. So here's hoping for a positive outcome for you David.

David,

I'll think of you through the day.

I wish you good luck and a speedy recovery.

Chad.

Looks great David, nice pictures, please tell me though, how do you grow Oxalis triangularis like that, as much as I try, and I've tried a lot of different ways, mine always get the rust.

Slowly on the mend now, with enough energy to fire up the laptop.

Ade Shattock wrote:...how do you grow Oxalis triangularis like that, as much as I try, and I've tried a lot of different ways, mine always get the rust.

This is the first year they have remained rust-free through to September and I think the answer is that they don't like dry soil. They become susceptible to the disease when they have been weakened by drought, even briefly. Now that both of us are watering the garden instead of just me, a number of plants in my very drought-prone garden have looked much happier this year.

And we've only had one prolonged period of several weeks without heavy rain this year, through most of July. People will think of this having been a 'better Summer' than most recent years, but in the past 3-4 years, there have been at least two periods of 4-6 weeks with no meaningful rain in London - it's just that they happened in Spring or Autumn. This has been a beautifully balanced growing season: moderate heat, manageable drought, enough rain and plenty of sun.

Hope you continue to feel better.

The garden looks great