An unexpectedly sunny afternoon after our early morning drive from the West Midlands to Aberglasne saw Chris pondering on just how much he should be pruning off a mixed hedge and a berberis thunbergiii ‘Pink Queen”

This’ll be a job to keep us busy tomorrow, but we’re happy to see that there’s been enough rain to help restore the lushness we are so familiar with in this garden.

Unfortunately it’s not all good as there’s a bit of a problem in the river – just beyond our garden, a significant branch has split from a tree overhanging the bank. This has resulted in a barricade against the water flow and although not a problem with the height of the water now, will be a hazard if its still there when the level rises and the flow steps up in Autumn. With the help of the farmer who owns the land we’ll be sorting this out this week.

In the heart of the garden, this lovely clematis has not flowered previously in September in the years we’ve been here and as we were concerned about the appearance of dead stems this June, we’re really happy to see a flush of flowers today – good sign for next year?

Overall, there’s some work to do, weeding and mowing particularly, but overall, I’m happy that this week will see us relaxing in the garden – weather permitting of course!