What gorgeous weather we are having; and how worthwhile it is getting up early in the morning – Sundays seem to be particularly wonderful. There is no noise as the rest of the human world seems to be asleep. Sitting out on the step this morning admiring the stunning deep greens that this early summer has bought us, there was a small hullabaloo going on in the trees. A pair of great tits appear to have reared the first of their broods and were busy hoovering up small insects to feed to their voracious young.
The dew is full on on mornings such as this. Alchemilla mollis, or more prettily named Lady’s mantle gathers the dew into individual drops. In medieval times these drops of water were collected for beauty purposes as people thought they had magical properties.
Despite the lack of rain, the garden is looking rampant. There are some wonderful pairings that have occurred without my say so! My geums, Mrs Bradshaw, are presenting me with a sea of red. Seeding themselves amongst them is Love in the Mist (goodness knows where it came from), and it sets off its pale blue next to the hot red. It has also paired up with my favourite Euphorbia ‘Silver Swan’. Later on as the helenniums come to the fore, the geums will put up one or two stalks throughout the summer presenting me with bright red highlights amongst the planting.
My other great pleasure at this time of the year is the advent of one of my favourite shrubs philadelphus. One of the advantages of living on chalk (and they are few and far between!) is that philadelphus thrive on it. I have various varieties; Manteau D’Hermine, and Belle Etoile; their scents mingle with the the heat during the day. One of the most memorably scented gardens I have ever worked in was a small garden not far from here. For about a month going to work there meant a heady scent of honeysuckle and philadelphus. What a joy. A garden without scent is like living life without chocolate! A great loss.
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