We have made several major changes in the par terre, We have discovered a useful evergreen called Pittisporum Golf Ball which is a delightful shade of green and is quick growing, If we had a bad winter we would lose it I think. We have put three in and they are already making a statement. Polly has already clipped them, the chimneys, and the Phillyreas. It makes all the difference in the world to have them well clipped. We have changed around the position of some of the dahlias, and have made a new block of Dahlia Honka fragile, and Dahlia obsidian verrone, They are like a white star, and the latter like a dark maroon colour. I saw them both at Cottesbrooke last year, and was very taken. James is smitten by Honka obsidian verrone. We have also removed four David Austin roses, and now have three Rosa morning mist, two of which are huge and it is a single rose which is a peachy red. The third has only just gone in. This is a David Austin rose.
We returned from three weeks in Corfu, and I could hardly believe my eyes as to the growth throughout the garden, mainly because there had similar conditions to Irish rain while we were away. Everything that I had become accustomed to.growing half the size seemed to have doubled. The Thalictrums, expecially Elin were huge, but I did not like the fact that Thalictrum flavum illuminator, magical early on as it is a lime green colour which shows off beautifully the various tulips that are against them, now are a mass of tall waving yellow, far too much of it. It does not look good if you dead head the yellow. Polly is going to dig various of these thalictrums out. We went to Avondale nursery the other day and bought several rather good plants. About five Achilleas which I have been growing for years and do not always come through the winter, but it is difficult to find any plants that glow with better colours. We bought one called The Beacon which I have often grown before, a kind of glowing red. I remember telling people who come round that we try and change the foliage, and there are Monardas right next to similar foliage. I have rather gone off Monardas anyway and they are very difficult to dig out, and they have self seeded in two places.
Pettifers Garden Blog 
Stunning!
Hello Gina,
This is my belated comment on you last garden blog. It is excellent as always.
Thanks to you, I am growing the ‘Honka” dahlias this summer. The white form didn’t appear to be available in the U.S. yet, so I have a black variety plus Honka ‘Osidian Verone’. We were late getting them in so have not seen the blooms yet.
I have several Thalictrums but am not happy with the tallness of them. They are such a mess when they fall over.
I recently saw them used well with a corrugated fence around them to hold them up. I’m wondering if you have a way to keep them standing tall?
The summer is flying by so quickly. In my area, it has been much hotter than usual and hardly any rain. I do hope you are faring much better.
What a sweet e mail I got from you, I love hearing how you are getting on, I am growing HONKA osidian Verone and it is pretty and rather unusual, like a black star,
I am doing well with my white one which is very pretty, I have put them all together in one block of the par terre, when they have filled in I will send you a photo, I am about to get a new computer as the little i pad I have got is all choc a bloc, I am longing for the book of Clives that I am on the cover of to come out, The garden is dry and we are going to have a very hot week. Do you have time tofolllow me on instagram. I have done big changes in the par terre which I think will be for the better, My son Thomas and his new wife and 8 year old son Nicholas are coming to spend a night next friday and I am looking forward to it, I dont see much of them, It is chaos here in england, Oh dear. We are having a new gate to the paddock soon and I will send
You a picture, it is a sort of copy of one of Prince Charles but not so fancy! No we are having to water newly planted things and the pots, With much love Ginax
Just saw Clive Nichols’ new book. The cover is so beautiful. Surely, your feet haven’t touched the ground yet.
Congratulations to you and Polly!
That is just so sweet of you, we are in Corfu at the moment, and have seen the book briefly with Clive, I am pretty thrilled, love Gina