Today we were joined by my fabulous step-daughter, K, who is with us for four weeks.  She helped me choose the photos for this post, and chatted to me throughout.  So there might be some weird sentences as I accidentally type random words from our conversations.

Here is the lovely view from the table.  That’s Stevie’s vine curling elegantly.

The light coming through the vine leaves is beautiful.  You can see the network of veins transporting nutrients and water around the plant.

I am really pleased that I planted my favourite plants near the seating area.

I especially love the combination of maroon foliage, peachy-pink rose ‘Lady Emma Hamilton’ purple Phlox and blue-purple Geranium ‘Azure Rush’.

I can’t help it.  I’m going to have to show you some pictures of the divine ‘Lady Em’.

Can you smell the sun-warmed fruity fragrance?

I love the way the leaves are shading the delicate flower, and casting a pink shadow.

K and I are also enjoying this combination of pink and purple, with Rosa ‘Lady of Megginch’ and Phlox paniculata ‘Purple Flame’.  Even though these might be though of as ‘cool’ colours, they are sizzling here.  Perhaps because there is red in the glowing magenta at the centre of each Phlox flower and the deep folds of the rose?

Here is ‘Lady Meg’ in a cascade of colour.  This reminds me of the quarry garden at Scotney Castle, which is filled with Azaleas.  They spill down the sides of the quarry; a bubbling waterfall of colour.

I think Phlox paniculata ‘Purple Flame’ deserves its own photo.  I just love that brightest pinkish-orange in the throat of the Phlox.  That’s Rosa ‘Roald Dahl’ in the background.

It’s a similar colour to this delicious deep pink hidden in the folds of ‘Lady Megginch’, here looking quite pale, so that I doubted myself that it was her.  But I went to stand in the same place in the border to check.  And it is.  There can be quite a lot of colour variation in the same rose, depending on conditions when the bud was forming.  This one formed when it was incredibly hot and dry.  I think this has also affected the texture: the petals are really thin, and curling back at the edges.

Here is a sunlit Rosa ‘Boscobel’ with Phlox paniculata ‘Purple Flame’.

And I can’t let a rose garden post go by without a sneaky salvia.

Rosa ‘Jubilee Celebration’ is just gearing up for another flush of flowers, but for now the foliage is looking lovely.  This is the most elegant of roses in every way.

I’m enjoying Penstemon ‘Raven’ with a backdrop of Rosa ‘Roald Dahl’.  This is another manifestation of my obsession with purple and apricot (see Using the Colour Wheel to Plan your Garden).  I love the deep plum shades around the frill of the skirt.

I quite like this dark corner in the shade of a maroon crabapple.  It is a little haven away from the direct heat of the sun.

Rosa ‘Roald Dahl’ continues to be wonderful.  Like scoops of vanilla ice-cream on a summer’s day.

Echinops ritro looks rather lovely with the buttermilk yellow tones of ‘Roald Dahl’.  I love the structure of this flower.

I am really pleased that the rose garden is still looking fresh.  I think this is largely due to the new foliage on the Gallica and Rugosa roses.  They are especially lovely first thing in the morning, with the sparkle of dew.  The Gallica foliage is mid-green, with just a touch of blue.

Whereas rugosa foliage is brightest acid green.

The penstemons are also throwing up new shoots.

And aquilegia, which was cut to the ground about a month ago is producing a lovely new crown.

All this new foliage is rather like K, burbling away to me.  Stevie and I have had a very quiet week without children.  K’s arrival is like a refreshing sparkle of rain.

Those of you who read Comparing the growth habit of different roses, may have seen one of my Rosa ‘Munstead Wood’ looking bit skinny after I removed the stressed foliage.  I am happy to say that it is sprouting fresh new foliage.

The other two ‘Munstead Wood’s have continued to produce a steady succession of flower.

The flower above is looking onto Geranium ‘Azure Rush’.  You can see why.

‘Azure Rush’ is probably the best Geranium in the garden right now.  It is late to start flowering, but still looks fresh once other favourites are tiring.

It has deliciously curly lashes.

Another new arrival for August is Phlox paniculata ‘Europa’.  I love the contrast between the white petals and the dark background foliage.

I planted in with Rosa ‘England’s Rose’ to pick up the pink corona in the centre of the Phlox.  I do love a contrasting corona.

Rosa ‘Princess Alexandra of Kent’ has been rather swamped by Geranium psilostemon, and so hasn’t put on as much growth as I would like.  Since I culled the Geranium, ‘Princess Alex’ has been getting going.  This hoverfly has come to take a look.

Another Geranium that has just flowered and flowered and never stopped is ‘Tiny Monster’.  I had to water the Mystery Rose yesterday, and ‘Tiny Monster’ got a drenching too.

There. I managed a whole post without even mentioning bokeh! Even though there is some beautiful bokeh in these photos!

Now I can give my full attention to K.  She has been doing craft at the table, browsing my photos and not pausing to take a breath whilst she talks.  She multi-tasks beautifully.

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My aim in this blog is to share the little pops of wonder I get from gardening and from nature. You don’t have to be into gardening to appreciate these. The world is an amazing place and there are so many sensory delights that go unnoticed. Let’s not waste the pleasure!