A New Rose Combination

Published on by Catherine32 Comments

Since my last post two weeks ago, we’ve experienced such an unpredictable blend of weather, shifting from hot to cold, dry and sunny to wet and chilly. Yesterday I found myself reaching for the same jacket I wore during winter. I headed to a nearby town for some shopping, and found that I wasn’t alone in my wardrobe selection.

However, the garden seems to be thriving in these conditions (much better than I am) and it’s vibrant with colour. I am deadheading as quickly as possible, knowing that soon this initial burst of colour will fade, and the garden will transition into a more peaceful rhythm of flower production.

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Colours of June

Published on by Catherine23 Comments

We’re currently enjoying some welcome hot and calm weather, thankfully not as hot as some of you are experiencing in England. I can’t work in the heat and there are times when that’s a good thing. Sitting in the shade on the patio has been a pleasure. While I’ve been doing that, the garden has being doing its own thing and producing enough floral delights to keep me happy.

It’s Six on Saturday time again – and here’s my choice of six plants for this week.

Clematis ‘Luiza’ is a dwarf variety, reaching a height of only 12-18 inches. I grow it as a trailing plant in my large patio planter. It’s a gorgeous clematis with only one problem – it’s currently 37 inches long and is lying on the patio floor! However, that means loads more flowers, doesn’t it.

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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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