RHS HYDE HALL AND THE FIRST ROSES

I'm certain I'm not alone in marvelling how much has been happening in the garden.  There's so much to choose from for this week's six, and somehow I've narrowed it down to a little gallimaufry of garden delights.

The roses are beginning to flower, of course, now it is the start of June.  Just the one bloom here and there for the most part, but there are two roses in this garden which get going before the others.  The first is the delightful and charming Rosa Spinosissima 'Double White' which is the easiest thing to grow and has the loveliest little leaves.  Here it is growing in a rather dry half shaded spot and yet it seems fine.  It is sprawling over a Pyracantha, or is the Pyracantha sprawling over it?  

Sticking with Roses, or we'll loose all track of where we are, here is the one that grows on the front of our house.  I planted them (there are two) and you may well ask why?  When we moved here the front garden was dominated by several yellow leaved or flowered shrubs.  Some lovely, like the Rhododendron Lutea, and some which were not, like the very overgrown golden conifer (which was cut down in the end).  I thought I had no choice but to embrace the yellow and in an uncharacteristic moment of decisiveness I bought two Rosa Golden Showers from the garden centre.  

They put on the most magnificent show.  No rose in my garden flowers so prolifically or for so long.  

Moving on let's visit RHS Hyde Hall, which I did recently.  It is a bit of a trek from where I live but Mr B was heading down that way for a meeting so I hitched a lift.

I was very, very taken with the Cottage courtyard garden, which was just inside the entrance.  I loved the jumble of plants, many flowering and many still to come.  It's led me down a little cottage garden rabbit hole and I ended up watching some of Geoff Hamilton's 1990's Cottage Gardens series on YouTube.  His message was that it didn't require any clever planning or special plants - just stick them in with a home made bench (also demonstrated) and it would all look wonderful,  

I loved this combination in the Cottage Garden at Hyde Hall - an apricot Foxglove with Allium siculum.

Back home, Iris 'Overnight Sensation' has opened.  Quite a bold colour combination of deep blue falls and paler blue standards.

I do try to include something that I've done in the garden each week, but weeding doth not an interesting post make.  Luckily I also potted up the tomatoes in the greenhouse.  I have Marmande (the classic), Black Russian (yum yum) and San Marzano (a new one to me).  A rather reduced selection for this year for we are going ABROAD  this Summer and the plants will be left in the care of Bailey Junior (and we don't like to impose too much.)

I think it would be nice to finish with something looking pretty - Geranium 'Buxton Blue'.  This grows like a giant in my garden and to stop it smothering everything it does have grow through hoops supporting it.  I chose it because I like Buxton, but I'm now wondering whether it was named after a nurseryman rather than the Derbyshire Spa town.

The evening sunshine on Friday shows them off beautifully, and almost makes up for the absolutely freezing/shall we put the heating on?, day we had on Thursday.

 There you have it  - Six things on Saturday, although there could have been many more.  Thank you for reading, and don't forget all the Six on Saturday posts can be found on Garden Ruminations where Jim collates all our garden ramblings.  See you next week.