The end of July: jungle beasts growing

July has been hot! a time to sit and enjoy the garden rather than doing lots of work. The majority of things are now all ok and doing well however there is a slug and snail army which is attacking at every turn. Last night we picked about 15 slugs and snails off a 6ft Dahlia imperialis taking great pleasure at stepping on the snails and cutting the slugs in half using some sharp scissors.

NGS opening wise, I worry how some plants have been damaged too much as there are 2 dahlias which are having trouble coming out of the ground and a few salvias that are decimated however we shall see.

I have been surprised at how well the Ricnus are able to cope with the slugs (and surprised that they can eat something so toxic!) however those seedlings which I planted out and then had to rescue have done as well as those that went straight in the ground and next year I may keep them in pots until they are taller.

There is still lots to do as there are a few gaps and the huge area taken up with the Scotch thistles is about to look very empty as they are withering away and producing so much seed that I could stuff a pillow. Thankfully there are some gems that have managed to seed themselves with some 3cm high Nicandra popping up and also a forest of spiky solanum.

Anyway a July wander...

The palms are getting big! supplemented by a still sulking bamboo and Musa sikkimensis

i am very pleased with this...a huge Musa sikkimensis in a pot with a Schleffera macrophylla which is still alive!

pots on the wall....lots of red from the Hedychium greeni and Ensete

other side of the terrace, Brahea and Ensete that is already too big for its pot!

HUGE Plume poppy and cardoons

Wider vists with the arches covered in Cobea that I am having to wind in to keep controlled

Cobea being very prolific

The Kangeroo Apple has gone crazy this year as it wasn't knocked back by the frosts and has actually grown too much! I have had to cut back huge swathes of it to keep it in check!

The Paulownia is already as big as it got last year

Clerodendron a go go.....above is C. trichotomum and below bungeii

Emerging dragonfly on a water arum

The first canna flower!

I have hopefully solved a dry corner where nothing grows by creating focal point with a large pot of Thaila

vista of the pond and growing Ensete...holes formed by slug mauled salvias....

hurrah first flowering water Canna

 Finally a picture of Mirabilis longiflora, a native of SW USA/Mexico. The flowers open at dusk and have an amazing scent. I also marvel at how long the proboscis of the moth that pollinates it is as the flower is very very long!