Summer Gardens: Pretty in Pink

Summer Gardens: Pretty in Pink

Climbing roses and pinkspink poppyAs we enter the lazy hazy days of summer, the temperature in Chester has been fluctuating from warm to hot to cool again but  gardens are flourishing. The ring of climbing roses  above (a mix of  “old moss” and the paler cuisses de nymphe)  surround an old well and are anchored by a healthy crop of pinks.  The pale pink poppy on the left has opened to the max.

Gardens that appeal to humans entice other critters too. Here, a chickadee hops into a birdbath for a refreshing shower.  Even the face carved into the stand of the bath seems to be sporting a shy smile.

Chickadee in birdbath

A full border of perennials including Peonies, Delphiniums and Campanulas, is set off by more pinks set among garden stones that define the edge of the bed.

foxgloves

The colour pink dominates many gardens here at this time of year. These tall foxgloves are mixed in with blue corydalis and pink campion.   Another pink “beauty”, Kolkwitzia amabilis (commonly known as Beauty Bush),  is shown bent over almost to the ground following a torrential rainstorm that weighed down its branches.

beauty bush

A much paler shade of pink emerged with the flowering of a clematis (Nelly Mosher) on a nearby fence. Clematis, Nelly Mosherclematis close-up

peony

The peonies in Chester gardens vary in the intensity of their colours. This shot shows one of the deeper pink blooms just after a shower. The photo below, showing the head of the harbour at low tide, was taken on an overcast morning, from the small park known as the Cove Garden.  A row of pink rosa rugosas runs along the edge of the garden above the sea wall.

head of harbour
The Cove Garden is owned and maintained by the Chester Garden Club,  whose members volunteer their time and energy to weeding and pruning the plantings.  The Parade Square garden, shown below, is also maintained by volunteers from the club but, in recent years, as members aged and the weeds proliferated, the  struggle to keep it in good shape has been more difficult.  As seen below, the weeds appear to be winning. Brenda and Chenda are standing on what used to be a wide gravel path.

armillary sphere and weedy park
The good news is that Chenda will soon be embarking on a mission to rehabilitate the path – flagstones and wooly thyme to replace the gravel and the weeds.  We’ll be delighted to post photos of the results when the work is done.

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