Nothing beats going through the garden! I especially like the purple flower standing tall above others in the last picture of your post. I wonder what it is? Thanks for sharing your wonderful experience! Nancy

Glad you are all enjoying these. I know I just love to view everyone's pictures even when I can't keep up to post replies...keep em coming everyone! Debra, The cats were there and a portion of her sales went to support a local charity for a spay/neuter program for stray cats. But, darn it, my camera batteries ran out of juice before I got done with daylilies or I'd have taken some photos of the cats too. It was a tough choice to make...cats vs daylilies... LOL

Thanks re the ID of the cleome. I don't grow annuals so am not familiar with most of them. I did a Google search on 'annual flower thorny stems' and cleome did come up but I couldn't seem to find a picture of the foliage to confirm that it matched.... I had heard that they seed around a lot so I'll warn them about that. re the slope/lower garden - the topography of the property and area is complicated and confusing! The house sits lower than the street and the driveway is sort of a ramp off the street and runs close to their front porch - there is no front garden - there isn't even room for a 'necklace' of green' like we have between the driveway and front porch. The lot slopes from the front of the house to the back - but not to the extent of producing a walk-out basement. The lower garden is naturally lower than the rest and the step down was there when they bought the property. The land behind the fence appears to be higher ground. So they seem to be sitting in a bowl - but there doesn't seem to be water retention problems so I assume that the land continues to drop off somewhere beyond the lower garden. The seating patio in the corner is just steps from the stairs down from the deck. It's a nice place for morning coffee and afternoon and evening relaxing. The outdoor dining table is on the deck. The hanging baskets someone commented on in the second picture above are hanging off the deck. The compost are is - and needs to be - attractive because it is across from the end of the stair from the deck! I took that picture looking down from the deck while standing near the stairs.... The garden space is both attractive, functional and used efficiently.

fragrancenutter.... we hope you have a lovely stay in London and that you enjoy the Chelsea Flower Show... I've never been but I watch on the t.v.... We are spoilt for choice with open gardens here, I have to say that, but it would be a bit early for the main flush of roses, but the start of the season would be underway about then... although with our mild winter everything is arriving a bit on the early side... and we are due warmer weather next week which will bring things on a lot.. My favourite gardens around the London area apart from those mentioned, would be the gardens at Regent's Park... The RHS gardens at Wisley, Surrey - this is a fabulous day trip... and the Valley gardens and Savill Gardens at Windsor Great Park, near London.... they are next to each other... the Valley gardens has free admission but you pay for Savill... Valley gardens - it should be like this photo in May Savill gardens RHS Wisley Regent's Park rose gardens ..just a few to be going on with... there are many more outside of London, it depends how far you want to go really... Lucky you!... I live here but I don't get the chance to visit gardens so much these days.. so I'm quite envious...