We’re in the middle of July, the jet stream is in the wrong place and causing havoc in the garden with heavy rain and high winds. Here’s my six from the back garden at the gulag.

The pergola bed is sadly a good example of what happens when there are lots of tall plants without sufficient support. I mostly blame the ammi and cosmos, but it’ll be better next year…

The full sun end of the herbaceous border has hit its stride and I like the colour combinations. The climbing rose is a David Austin Strawberry Hill, if you squint you can just see buds above the pale blue delphinium. DA describes it as having arching branches, in its first year there’s more flop than arch – it may be sulking until it has an obelisk to climb up. I did get in early with supports for the dahlias, delphiniums and penstemon, who look as if they appreciate the effort. The artemesia Powis Castle is having a growth spurt but in an attractive way. The gaura and antirrhinum were grown from seed this year. To the far left just about the silver leaf of the artemesia is cosmos Apricot Lemonade. It works well with this colour palette but it’s neither apricot or lemon which makes it meh.

On the opposite side of the lawn is the north border where the survivor hydrangea has decided to show her face and it’s blue but on the first flush of bracts the bluest of electric blue, now moving towards mauve. It must be acid in there! That’s the only pop of colour in a sea of cool greens; the perisicaria is busy growing tall without any sign of flowers. The Japanese anemones will join the party in a few months.

Moving down the garden, I decided to brighten up the front of the greenhouse with a few pots (truth be told there wasn’t any space for them in the borders) The dahlias are new tubers from Sarah Raven and a little small to leave to fend for themselves at the plot. They are Adam’s choice (from my orange phase) and the white Fleurel. Next to them is a pot of rubekia and helenium. The strulch seems to be keeping the slimy hordes at bay.

As the sweet pea ‘hedge’ worked so well against the polytunnel at the old plot, I decided to do the same here with the added benefit of improving the view from the kitchen window. They have been late to get going, not helped by the gardener neglecting to tie them in regularly.

And finally, I needed a break from the screen and spreadsheets and there’s nowhere else to go except the garden centre (honest!) Here we have Salvia Lake Garda, and lobelia Russian princess. They are in a pot for height and ease to move them under cover to over winter.

That’s my six for this week. Join the rest of the sixer’s over at Jim’s our host and horticultural expert.