Rhododendron, Clematis and other garden news

An  images of established rhododendron from the internet.

The rhododendron ponticum bush we bought last year is thriving. Beautiful deep purple flowers.

Oddly for a plant of such beauty, it is considered an invasive pest in Britain, secreting toxin around its base so that no other plants can root there, hardier than native plants, toxic to grazers,

But I was greatly cheered to see its deep purple blossoms.

Other garden news: deep purple clematis, pink clematis, and white clematis by the ban; lovely purple columbines, yellow roses.

The hedge we planted 3.5 years ago is massive, with wild cherries, white dog roses and pink dog roses.

The rose bush we bought 4 years ago, which hardly seemed to pay its way, now does, with a mass of tiny rose blossoms.

Could not bear to run in the paddock, which is now a mass of Queen Anne’s Lace. It would mean trampling it.

Our garden needs a lot of work–and most of all, a pair of sturdy shears.