The last couple of weeks have been a blur. My step count is tremendous, largely achieved by barrowing weeds to the wood and compost to the borders (combining both weightlifting, an aerobic work out and stimulation of the epidermis with nettle stings – somewhere out there, people are being charged a fortune for this…). I have, in fact, been so busy I’ve been less incontinent with the camera than usual, as you can see.
My lupins have gone from strength to strength and are only just starting now to go over. The aphids have largely been kept at bay. The intermittent rain has really helped there I think. Last year the prolonged drought knocked the stuffing out of them and the green wriggly fellas took advantage. So bad was it that I resolved to totally rejig the quadrant bed at the start of the drive, getting rid of all the lupins (the competition from the oaks combined with the dry weather just finished them off). I’m now part way through that process – the spring bulbs and the iris beds did well and the early hemerocallis, hostas, epimedum and geraniums have settled in. The lower level of the planting also means I now have a view through to two lovely climbing roses on the wall. But.. there’s always a but…the now removed lupins have left myriad seedlings all over the area. It would take a heart of stone to just compost them all (they were lovely colours and it’s not their fault the trees suck up so much water..) so I foresee a late summer picking them out, potting them on and rehoming them somewhere…..If I can find the time the open day plant sale will receive a selection.
The roses are just getting into their stride and the scent when the sun hits is tremendous. The David Austin ones I picked up in a sale a couple of years ago (Eustacia Vye I think but not 100% certain – though I do think it was a Thomas Hardy moment..) are especially lovely. I have signed up to provide dried petals for an autumn wedding of a friend’s daughter so I’m dead heading and collecting the fallen petals religiously every evening – a rather lovely the end of day ritual. It does make me think of Turkish delight though and after dropping mum off the other night I succumbed to a Fry’s effort from the co-op. They seem a lot smaller than of yore I must say, It was gone in two bites.
Anyway, I am now flagging so I shall sign off, but hope to see some of you on Sunday. Think of the baby lupins – they need homes…
