And then this happened..

All of this has appeared in just under a week!

Tall and fiery Geum Mrs Bradshaw

Elegant and papery Cistus, responding to the sun.

     

Osteospermums in red and purple, dazzling in the intensity of their colour.

Positively neon annual Geraniums - pass the sunglasses!

Gorgeous Californian Poppies, ruffled by every breeze.

You may have noticed a lack of subtlety so far, an abundance of unco-ordinating colour, an overblown excess of bloom and intensity. This is my courtyard garden - known as the hot garden (and it is) - but really full of all the fabulous plants that I can't resist but are too overbearing to fit into the more cottage-y front garden.

If that was a bit much for you, don't worry, here come some delicate and soft colours from the front garden.

Delicate and dappled Iris.

One of my favourite mixes of Allium Roseum, Heuchera and Geranium sanguine striatum, so pretty. Usually, to the left, there is a Purple Sage to add to the texture and colour but it didn't survive our wet Cornish winter. I have a new one waiting to go in, I'm just waiting for a bit of rain to soften the ground (we've gone from one extreme moisture to the other!!).

    

Allium Roseum and Allium Christophii just about to explode into its starry fireworks.

Weigelia - usually so reliable, this year the flowering is patchy, some parts covered in flowers, some completely bare. I'm not sure if I should be worried.

Aquilegia, each year they appear in an ever increasing number or shades of purple and pink.

Towering white Foxgloves (and the odd sneaky pink one - I can never bring myself to get rid of them).

     

Aquilegia green apples grown from Sarah Raven seed. Finally, three years in they are flowering and look like the picture - lovely.

Broom or Cytisus, a sprawling explosion of flowers and covered in bees.

Rosa Gingersnap, my only successful Rose, and it smells heavenly!

     

And my favourite of the week (although it's been a struggle to choose) Nectaroscordum siculum.

It's so elegant and restful somehow, it stands cooly and calmly above the manic growth and scrambling for position that goes on beneath.

Now I'm off to water - everything is so dry and my veggies are struggling already!