Tag: Rhododendron

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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Visit to Dumfries House

Published on by Catherine18 Comments

My visit to Dumfries House last week with my husband was the first since before the pandemic when we went with our daughter, her husband and the two children. The grounds had partly left spring behind, most noticeably in the walled gardens. Elsewhere though, spring loveliness was still a treat.

The car parks were busy, but apart from the area around the cafe, the grounds were large enough to absorb the visitors and on our walks, we barely passed a soul. It was lightly overcast, but warm and perfect for a leisurely walk.

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Rest and Renew

Published on by Catherine29 Comments

Six on Saturday

Our gardens, whether large or small, welcome winter as a season of rest and renewal. It’s a time when we can reflect on the plants we have and ponder new additions that will fill the beds and borders with colour and vitality.

We snuggle up in the warmth of our homes, browsing through plant & seed catalogues and making lists, often impractical because of their length and cost. But still, we optimistically plod onward, full of hopes of sunny, warm spring days when the garden bursts into new life.

At a glance, my garden feels and looks desolate, but everywhere, shoots are pushing through the ground, shrubs are sporting new buds and hellebores are beginning to flower. Spring will come. Winter is a time of hope.

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Six on Saturday 2020 19-09

Published on by Catherine34 Comments
Garden Woes

We’ve just had a new fence built on one side of the garden, and it’s shared with a neighbour. We didn’t get much notice about the start date, so it was a bit of a rush to get trellis off and untangle multiple climbers. A few had to be cut back and dug up. It was a muddy boots job – this area is part of the already muddy and almost-empty border that’s due for replanting. The new fence is up but it has been problematic and not what I was expecting. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I can’t do anything about it, and I’ve moved on, I’m now trying to think of ‘the 10 best ways to camouflage a garden fence’.

New trellis will have to be put up, though I’m wondering if the rambling rose and two remaining clematis will be able to survive their current predicament. I’ve loosely tied them together and have them hanging on the fence…poor things, they currently have nowhere else to go. Continue reading “Six on Saturday 2020 19-09” →