The Mitcheldean Garden 2024
Yuehong's Garden

This page is part of a series of garden blogs from 2024. Click here for the index.

Few people in England have thought much of summer 2024, it's been cooler than we have got used to and there's been regular rain throughout, but few deluges. I have to say that it seems to have suited the plants in our garden, something which came as a bit of a surprise to me. As a result, I have done a lot more 'hidden gardening' than usual as the various hedges and shrubs have all needed an extra cut.

Within the last 12 months we have lost both neighbours on our north side. The executors in each case have apparently been in no hurry to tidy up but things do seem to be moving at last. However, I don't expect to have new neighbours before we go to Penang because both houses are very 'tired' and will need work done before anyone new moves in, not surprisingly neither garden is a 'picture'. If anything the south side is even worse. Our immediate neighbours are the latest (third) occupants to have given up and we now have a wildflower meadow there and I believe that the garden beyond is much the same as the black plastic sheet has simply disintegrated. To make matters even worse, we haven't seen the lady who used to keep sheep in the field directly behind us for months and that is now well on the way to being a wildflower meadow too.

So as has been the case for a long time, we have been left to fly the flag for the traditional English garden, but for a change I am going to highlight Yuehong's contribution.

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You can't tell it now but these beds in front of the bungalow suffered a full frontal assault by the roofers back at the end of May. Even those snapdragons that lost their heads are enjoying a premature second flush. The lobelia are fading now but have been amazing this year, the poor baby begonias didn't stand a chance.

The petunias in the hanging baskets look much as they did then only they are rather larger. It helps that we haven't been away this year and Yuehong has been able to water them every day and give them a boost with fertiliser every week.

In case of an unexpected late frost we usually buy some extra snapdragons and for them there is a convenient space next to the front door. We are in course of 'renewing' the bed behind the front wall. From the front we have fuchsias (long established), gladioli (relatively recent, more needed) and 50% peonies (more recent) and now 50% phlox. The last of these went in last year as 'proof of concept' and all the signs are that they will thrive. Next we have to work on the bed next to the steps where well established roses have been fighting a losing battle against he marauding deer.

I wouldn't call the dahlia bed at the south end a disaster but it's clear my labeling system suffered a brain failure. It's not what I intended but it looks quite nice and our #1 giant dahlia made it to its reserved space in the corner. The greenhouse is full of tomatoes and this year Yuehong has, at last, followed the rule book. We have roughly the same number ripening but the plants are not as unhealthily leggy as before; as always we are very grateful to the Tyacks in Coleford who started them off for us. Unfortunately, although Yuehong's system can tolerate tomatoes in small quantities, she yielded to temptation, got all sorts of aches and now I have to eat vast numbers each day. Fortunately they go well with runner beans which she can eat.

It's time to take a 'me break' before looking behind the bungalow. I've lost track of the number of large plastic buckets of off cuts from the front bank which have vanished for 'recycling' but it's well into double figures. Few people will notice when I give the rhododendrons and camellias a hair cut but the fuchsia hedge at the bottom would turn 'woody' shortly and needed urgent attention.

We have an electric Bosch 'Hedgecutter' which is just perfect for the job and it took much longer to clear up than it did to cut. As you can see, that's four more bucketfuls ready to go up the steps for recycling. The bits from our neighbours French roses, bindweed etc which invade our space are neatly piled up just over the border.  

Two of these blue lilies appeared at the top of the garden this year, they are a little bit similar to Agapanthus but Google suggests 'African Lily' or 'Lily of the Nile'. The precocious red lilies are in three planters nearby having graduated from the patio a couple of years ago, splendid!

We have one decent rose left in the top garden, why it hasn't (yet) been crippled by the moles, I have no idea. The bed in front of the wall now drains too well thanks to the mole tunnel system. I tried the usual red salvia but they did not go well and Yuehong suggested they would prefer a tub on the patio where she could cosset them - she was right. This year, she has 'done a job' with last year's African marigold seeds and they are far more tolerant of the conditions here. The fuchsias don't complain out loud but they don't flower much either.

The top of the 'vegetable patch' has some rejects from the formal lily bed - red Crocosmia and white Phlox for both of whom the word 'precocious' could have been invented as far as our garden is concerned. After its makeover about three years ago, that bed again needs some attention, it's a place where I get no vote, maybe in 2025 it will come good. Since the picture on the left was taken, most of the dahlias behind the gladioli have stared flowering. but overall it's not been a good year, storage conditions in the wet winter were less than ideal.

On the patio proper, there are always a few lilies in pots which can be watched carefully until they are strong enough to make the move to the top of the garden. For a few days, they really are utterly beautiful.

Like the hanging baskets in front of the bungalow, these petunias are still going strong two months on. The patio is a classic location for begonias, occasionally they get too big for their own good and snap off. All the ones you can see came through the winter in the greenhouse in their seasonal pots, so we shall not store them in the garage in future.

Yuehong has had her best season yet with the patio, an endless mass of colour. There are multiple pots of geraniums and tubs of baby begonias. There are two kinds of small dahlias, the dwarf variety and the appropriately named 'patio' variety. Both have multiple smaller flowers than the classic kind. 

This is where the salvia ended up and very happy they are too as are the African marigolds. The pansies and nemesia are nearing the end of their season but have done well. Yuehong has grouped begonias next to the pond where the limited amount of daily sun seems 'just right'.

Looking back, there are yet more geraniums above and the dwarf dahlias below. Only the patio dahlias in the middle are taking a rest.

What you can't see are the masses of slugs and snails which see the patio as a giant banqueting hall. Every day when it's watering time, each pot gets a quick check for intruders. It's all very time consuming but very rewarding overall. Whoever established this part of the garden obviously had Yuehong in mind.

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