Pretty in pink ...

There seems to be a theme to the garden at the moment which has little to do with me and my planning. There is a profusion of pink ...mainly pastel pink, with hints of cream and mauve and blue... but mainly pink !

The Tamarisk has been in full flower for a few days now and looks good against the blue of a summer sky. I think it must be well over 50 years old, as it was old and gnarled when we moved in, 30 years ago. Traditionally a seaside tree, it is blissfully happy away from the salt laden air of the coast, and puts on this display every year. It lives on despite my best efforts ! A few years ago, I planted a white Clematis Montana next to it, hoping that it would twine through the branches , giving a fantastic contrast to the Tamarisk flowers, as they are both blooming at the same time. Well, it worked ... far too well ! The weight of the clematis nearly brought down the tree, and it had to be killed off pretty damn quick ! I still have to check around the base of the trunk periodically, as that Montana keeps resurrecting itself, like one of the Undead !

No, this isn't the offending Clematis Montana, but, just to show that there were no hard feelings, I planted another one on a trellis at the other end of the garden, where it can stretch to its heart's content ! Beautiful, wilful, robust, vigorous ... it ticks all the boxes for me. Also, tinged with pink !

This garden seat, framed by pink lupins, is a new addition to the garden, and how welcome it is ! It is a place to sit and muse and it gives a different perspective on the garden. It is South facing so it gets all the sun and is very sheltered too. It is an extremely good place to hide, as it is not visible from the house ! 

More pastels with an emphasis on the pink - verbascums, poppies, lupins , Gardeners Gaiter's Grass and the mauve one which I think is Sweet Rocket, but please put me right if you know otherwise !!

I have a love/hate relationship with perennial Poppies like these. I love them when they are growing and flowering, then HATE them as they die back very quickly leaving a gaping hole in the border. That is why I love things like Aconitum, which keep their place in the border for the whole season, and only die back late in the autumn. I try to keep something in readiness for the 'poppy gaps' like Dahlias, which slot in nicely and are soon covering that bare soil .

Still pink, but more vivid than most of the pastels flowering at this time.An envelope of seeds was given to me as a Christmas gift, and they are Sweet Peas from the Alpujarras in Spain. They must wonder what they are doing in a damp English garden, but they are not complaining!

Who needs rose-tinted glasses ?