The garden gives so much pleasure

I am getting so much pleasure from my garden. The early sunrises and my advancing years mean I am often up before everyone else in the house. But I don’t mind being on my own.

I like to sit outside with a cup of coffee. The air is cool. There is dew on the grass. And the birds ignore me. I have the place to myself to listen, watch and enjoy. It is my time.

So many birds

This morning a young thrush was looking for breakfast. A pair of robins were arguing. And mummy and daddy blackbird were frantically sourcing worms for their brood in the clematis.

Up high the sky was full of swifts, swallows and house martins. The swifts shriek as they fly overhead. Just like noisy teenagers.

None of the birds paid me any attention and that’s how it should be.

Heavenly scents

I love the scent of the garden in the early morning. Everything is so fresh. The honeysuckle has a wonderful perfume. It is full of bees and looks very pretty too.

Magnificent dahlias

The dahlias have been magnificent for weeks. If I keep deadheading them, they should last until the first frosts. I am very lazy and leave the corms in the ground every year. Almost all of them survive. I just need to keep an eye out for slugs and snails. If I do lose some, I have the perfect excuse to buy new ones next year.

Lupin displays

The lupins have given a marvellous display but they have come to an end now. I particularly liked the claret and china blue flowers of Melody. It has a wonderful mossy, peppery scent. It contrasted well with the purple and orange flecked Masterpiece. Red Rum is also very colourful.

Plan for autumn

Now is the time to think about what will look good in your garden going into autumn. Agapanthus are always a good bet. Big blue has large blue and white flowers.

Thunderstorms bring welcome rain

We’ve finally had some thunderstorms which have brought welcome rain. They’ve also encouraged the clover in the lawn to flourish. I really ought to get out on the mower, but the bees love the white and purple heads, so I’ll leave it a few more days.

Marvellous summer

Despite the disruptions of covid it has been a marvellous summer. Lots of sunshine and just enough rain to keep everything in top condition.

Returning to normal

It is good to be singing and playing in the orchestra again. Although with social distancing the conductor is a long way away and difficult to hear. At least that’s my excuse! I hope all the hospitality venues and small businesses are able to recoup some of their losses of the last 18 months. It has been a very difficult time for everyone. Let’s hope we are over the worst now.

Gardening tips – Start planning next year’s garden displays. Keep pots watered. Dead head flowers to encourage new blooms. Encourage seed pots on annuals you want to grow from scratch next year.#dahlias#summer#lupins#honeysuckle#clematis#agapanthus#bees#scent#rain