Tag: Hydrangea

From Sweaters to Sunscreen

Published on by Catherine31 Comments

I messaged my daughter in the US to say how hot it’s been this week at 28C. She sympathised and said it was 37C where she is.

I messaged my youngest in Australia and told her the same. She laughed and said, “Mum, it’s just going into spring here, and it’s 26C”. OK, I know how hot it gets over there, but I suppose it’s what you’re used to and here on the west coast of Scotland, 28C is hot! I’ve put my new autumn sweaters back in the wardrobe and dug out my summer blouses. And the sunscreen.

I’m sure Saturday Sixers up and down the country will be commenting about the heat we’ve had this week. It’s come as a surprise but I have to confess, I’ve enjoyed the warmth and sunshine, an unexpected treat for September.

My garden though, has been baking. I mentioned last week that my Cosmos were fading. I wanted to persuade them to last a little longer, but I made the decision this week not to use water on them and let them die off. I’ve made the same decision with other annuals and as a result, much of the garden is looking sad right now. But let’s take a look at this week’s selection for Six on Saturday.

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Welcome to Autumn

Published on by Catherine27 Comments

Six on Saturday

Friday 1st September was notable for two big reasons. First, it was littlest grandson’s 5th birthday and he’s settled in well at school. We all knew he would. Second, if you observe the Meteorological calendar, it was the first day of Autumn.

So what do you like most about autumn? For me it’s the changing colour of the leaves on the trees, cool days where I get to wear a cosy scarf and gloves and not feel silly the way I did during a couple of days in July! I hope for a dry crisp autumn where fallen leaves crunch underfoot in the park and the sparkle of morning frost. Simple things to make me happy.

Our temperatures are apparently going to be 19C to 23C this coming week, better than many days we had in summer. My garden’s parched as we haven’t had rain for what seems like ages and there’s little rain showing on the weather forecast. I’ll have to get the hose out. In September?

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Not an Ugly Duckling

Published on by Catherine32 Comments

Six on Saturday

Three of the six photos are from this week, and the other three were taken just before my teenage grandsons arrived on their first international trip without their parents (actually, their first trip anywhere on their own!). Am I cheating with my before and now photos? Perhaps I need to read the rules for Six on Saturday, but for this week, I hope our host Jim will forgive me! The boys have gone home now, and I’m surveying the sad state of the garden. It’s looking sad because many of the plants are already fading as autumn creeps in and also because too many have failed to perform this year.

The main failures this season have been the dahlias, two so far, have failed to produce any flowers at all, and the remainder have produced far fewer blooms than in previous years. To add to the problem, the snails, slugs and earwigs have been feasting well on them. Is anyone else having dahlia problems this year?

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Weekend Jobs

Published on by Catherine7 Comments

It was cold last Saturday, 4C, but calm with occasional spells of sunshine that made the garden more enjoyable to work in. The garden is undergoing a bit of a change, through necessity, and at the moment it’s not the prettiest of places. However, the winter gloom has given way to signs of spring as the borders turn green with emerging perennials and a few little splashes of cheerful colour here and there courtesy of spring bulbs and hellebores.

I’m longing for the day when the sun streams in my bedroom window early in the morning and I can hear the birds chirping outside. It’s always motivation to get up and get started with whatever happens to be on the agenda.

But back to the jobs that husband & I managed to tick off the list last Saturday. Two hydrangeas were lifted and replanted elsewhere. Six Hellebores were also dug up and moved to a shadier bed. Various perennials were replanted or moved from one area to another, and a new Exochorda ‘Niagara’ was planted. I’d love to think it would be covered in masses of flowers this spring, but I think it’s too young for that, so I’ll appreciate whatever flowers it offers up.

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Six on Saturday 2020 14-11

Published on by Catherine33 Comments

It’s been hectic these past two weeks and I suspect it’s going to be like that in the run up to Christmas. I missed last week’s six and didn’t manage to check out all your lovely blogs, but this week I’ll be able to take a tour and say hello.

The garden is in a sad state, there’s been so much rain and I’m tired of digging in heavy, muddy clay. I console myself with thoughts of snowdrops, narcissus, muscari, hellebores, little iris reticulata and more, that will bring colour back to the garden from late winter through spring. Perhaps this autumn will morph into a beautiful crisp winter. 😊

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