For the first time in ages there seemed to be a dull morning today and, mum having been kidnapped by Ishbel for compulsory fun in Eyemouth, I thought I might lurk indoors and catch up with this. I was in the middle of editing some photos when I heard an unfamiliar sound – rain on the window. Saddo that I am, I leaped up joyfully and ran out to see the last of the seven drops we were allocated by the weather gods. The sun is now out again making sure the borders go back to concrete before I venture out…..
It has been blistering of late. I made the most of the discomfort early in the month and ventured into the top pond to de-weed. Although I extracted two full wheelbarrows, there’s still a lot of water hawthorn, so we have only had a few sightings of the golden orfe. They seem to lurk mainly down in the underwater jungle. In the bottom pond, however, where my clear out earlier in the season was more brutal, the lads (as we are calling the grey orfe) have much less cover and have quite taken to giving us regular displays of water aerobics, complete with spirited jumping. Not to be outdone, one of the frogs has started climbing up the waterfall rocks to get a better high platform before doing the full Tom Daley with pike. Lurking by the pond with an ice cream is now very much part of the gardening routine.
Down in the greenhouse, Keith’s dahlias have started to sprout. I managed to prep a few spaces before everything baked solid, but the remainder will, I think, have to go in where I planted tulips in the autumn, as it should, hopefully, be less concrete there as a result of the pre planting prep. The last of the tulips are just fading now so with a timely growth spurt by Team Dahlia I might even get some in before I am immobilised. I have eschewed seeds this year, but have been unable to resist the odd cutting . I am quietly hopeful about one clematis and have a nice crop of chrysanthemum. The old (never used) cutting bed is being repurposed as a nursery bed so as they come on they’ll be popped in there. I am definitely going back to seeds when my leg is better as popping into the garden centre for just a couple of annuals is proving disastrous…..
Everything is getting stressed with the dry weather and starting to bolt. I would say we are several weeks ahead of schedule plantwise. My yellow species tree peonies have been lovely but are on the wane and the standard herbaceous ones are out now. The back track is awash with aquilegia, I’m very taken with a rather smart white and navy one, and for some reason this year we have pink campion rather than white. Blowsy red poppies are already spilling down the bank and over the wall, but do seem to be suffering a bit with the drought so I think that unless we get some decent rain it will be a short season for them. However, for the first time in ages I have buds on my patty plum poppies (now on their third home having failed in several locations) so mum is being deployed to water them first thing. I was so heartened by this that I’ve invested in a couple of 3 for 2 offers (see above for the perils of the garden centre…) for other poppies (the traditional livermere red and a white one whose name eludes me). She is also blasting the lupins with squeezey liquid anent the whitefly, which are ubiquitous this year.
It is going to be a cracking year for fruit I think, with the orchard all a blossom and baby figs much in evidence. I don’t want to tempt fate, but there are promising little bumps on the patio peach as well. We’ve even had two servings of asparagus with more to come…Anyway I must now dash – I have some sad looking roses down the bottom and am off to feed them up with a box of guaranteed miracle working powder. I wonder if they are just getting too much competition from the nearby bird cherry as some peonies nearby failed last year too? I may need to bring out the big guns and deploy the last of my stocks of Alison’s pony poo.
