Early Summer Showtime

Published on by Catherine29 Comments

Roses, Peonies, Clematis, and many perennials are now starting to put on their summer show. The weather unfortunately is not. It has completely ignored the ‘Summer’s Here’ command for the sun to shine and temperatures to rise. It’s been a rainy and cold week, with strong winds that have left damaged plants behind in many gardens. Snow in the hills is being forecast – but to be honest, that’s not unusual for Scotland. Skiers will have fun. All is not gloom though as we’ve had a couple of dry days this week (or part-days), enough for me to get out with the camera and search for hardy survivors. Just enough to fill the six requirements for this week’s Six on Saturday.

I’m having problems with the WordPress slideshow at the moment; it’s also affecting previous posts, so for the moment, I’m only posting single images.

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Geum Love

Published on by Catherine27 Comments

The rain finally arrived in the wee hours of last Saturday morning. It rained throughout the day, that night and through the following day. It has continued to rain a lot this week with a couple of sunny days in between – but I’m sure you get the picture! The garden is now looking green and lush, and plants are responding well after 4 weeks of drought. The baked soil had been unsuitable for planting, but that’s all changed and we’ve managed to plant several new shrubs and perennials. Hopefully on Monday I’ll be able to start putting the seed-sown perennials and annuals into the ground too.

It’s cooler too, but I’m not complaining about that as it’s easier to work in – though I hope it warms up as we go into summer. I’m sure that no one on the northern hemisphere needs reminding that the first day of summer, if you go by the Meteorological calendar, is tomorrow. But if you don’t mind waiting another few weeks, the Astronomical start of summer is Saturday, 21 June 2025.

The plants have made up their minds about which season we’re in; roses are starting to bloom, and there are pops of colour all over the garden as buds start to open, most of them, just a little bit earlier than previous years.

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Wilting

Published on by Catherine33 Comments

It’s been another dry and sunny week. There’s no sign of rain ahead, and it’s much the same throughout the country. Tuesday was exceptional warm – too warm to do any gardening, though I did try. Like some of the plants, I was wilting and had to give up. There has been no hosepipe ban, but we’re being urged to use water as efficiently as possible in homes and gardens. I’m trying to do my bit, but I can see the plants are stressed. Yesterday morning I found a large oriental poppy with four white flowers lying face down on the grass. It’s been watered and I have added supports that it doesn’t usually need. It’s recovering but I’m sure there will be more face flops.

It’s time now, to get on with this week’s Six on Saturday.

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Still Sunny

Published on by Catherine30 Comments

Yes, it’s true. The sun is still shining and it’s making people happy – strangers are smiling and commenting on what wonderful spring weather we’re having. Today will be the 20th day with no rain, and if the forecast is correct, the first day of light rainfall will be another 10 days from now.

Yesterday the topic was raised in the Scottish Parliament and the First Minister was equally surprised that this is only early May and they were talking about possible water shortages. He would check the SEPA report later. Well, I checked it later too, and the water scarcity report stated that my home area has been raised to ‘Alert’. Hosepipe ban ahead? I hope not. That’s something alien to us here on the west coast. I need to check the water butt and I now wonder if we should get second one. But today I’ll be outside making the most of this spring sunshine!

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A Few Glorious Days in April

Published on by Catherine31 Comments

The month of April, whether at the start, middle or end conjures up thoughts of cold winds, frost here & there, lots of rain and sometime even snow. But who would have imagined that at the end of April we would be seeking out shade in the garden to escape from the heat. While temperatures here on the Scottish west coast were lower than further south – for me, it was hot. It lasted only a few days, but those days were wonderful!

Temperatures have dropped now, but it’s still pleasant enough to allow me to get back into the greenhouse and continue potting on small plants and seedlings. Meantime, Six on Saturday is with us again, and here are my selected photographs and perhaps unsurprisingly, for this time of the year, they are all tulips.

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