Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[Daphne]

As I'm feeling rather down in the dumps with my rubbish results from flower seed sowings I'd thought I'd ask how everybody's perennials are doing.

 

My geraniums are very late into flower indeed - the first ones are usually open in March, but it was only last week that the first ones opened - so I'm seeing some very unusual flower combinations. My roses are putting on a spectacular show already and in this heavy weather their perfume is beautiful, and I have mega oriental poppy blooms (vile colour unfortunately - I keep meaning to grub them up ). But my peonies are sulking - I normally get 10 blooms on a plant, this year I've got 1

 

On a brighter note I've had the best ever year for camellias (more flower than leaf 8 on one plant in particular) and magnolias.

 

Whats been happening in your garden?

[bluekarin]

My peonies bloomed really well this year, but they have faded from a deep pinky red to a very light pink and only lasted about a week I need to put some where it is shadier for most of the day to see if they last longer there. I have only just bought some geraniums so don't know about them yet. My roses have just started to flower which I think is a month early for them. Oh, the irises seem to have flowered early and are on their way out too. And the honesty flowers have gone but it is my first year of them so I don't know if that is usual for them.

[chickencam]

My geraniums were late, I have some lovely roses, but my aliums have started to go over really quickly. I have a very perennial heavy front garden and it looks amazing at the moment but it will soon fade, we have done really well with aquilegas this year. Geums are just coming out and the bleeding heart has gone over in a flash this year as has my Montana clemetis.

 

The fruit trees really suffered and we have no pears, very few plums on our large tree but quite a few on the small one so the bigger one might just be having a rest they do that sometimes, and the cherries are very few and far between, but the apples are less but ok.

[lillybettybabs]

My roses are starting to bud here, Had a spate of green fly but the washing up liquid in water spray

seemed to have done the trick. My Lupins are looking fabulous this year as do the other cottage garden plants

in our front beds.

Only one pear tree with fruit on,the Plum and the other pear have none even though they did bloom, Blackcurrant

are looking good and so is the gooseberry bush.

Plenty of weeds!