EVERYTHING COMING OUT ROSES?

So it is the beginning of rose time - glorious.

What did I do today?

The beech hedges needed a trim - they are growing so fast there was almost no way up into the wood. I have found a free packet of cornflowers that came with the Gardeners' World magazine so have sown them here and there own sunny positions. The forgetmenots have been uprooted and chucked around at the top of the wood where they will self seed (as they will do in the rose bed and elsewhere.)

The columbines continue to flower as do the hesperis and oriental poppies. In fact one wonders, when the beds are bare in the winter, where it all comes from. Butterflies still scarce - only the odd red admiral and painted lady, plus the usual whites. 

Talking of whites the white comfrey is a delight, less vigorous than the wild form and containable - I hope. The variegated horseradish has been putting on its crambe like show for weeks.

We have two nests of house martins but R caught a young squirrel on our bedroom windowsill so hope it has not taken the eggs. 
The woodpeckers continue to come and the pheasants are getting a bit blasé, we can see paths through the long banking grass and a place where she sits with the fledglings. He still struts his arrogant stuff.

The grass is growing fast and though I only cut it four days ago it needs another trim - a bit like losing a cricket test match - praying for rain.

Two gardens we visited when we were in Scotland were Dunrobin Castle and Inverewe.

This is part of the formal garden at the castle near the fountains. The smaller building on the right is the Duke of Sutherland's summer house!

The whole garden is only separated from the sea by a short distance but well sheltered.

Inverewe is also well sheltered - when it was first started a large plantation was put between it and the westerlies off the Atlantic. Then the owner imposted shiploads of soil from Ireland. On the left is one of the big echiums, on the right a path by a pond in the woods.

On the tv last night M Don told us about the new RHS show at Chatsworth - we went there some years ago and despite the great gardens the two things that impressed us most were Elizabeth Frink's Walking Madonna and War Horse.

R has finished all the rhubarb and ginger jam I made so another batch has been done - needs a lot of stirring when it is boiling as sticks to the bottom of the pan.

Time to mow but it keeps right on a-raining, every minute of every day - well not quite but you get the gist - and re grass - it keeps right on a-growing . . . 
And next day I wake to the squirrel trap skittering across the shed roof blown by a gust of wind. It is pouring down. Glad I mowed last night.

This pic has nothing to do with gardening, just loved its famous red roof (near Shieldaig in Scotland).
 

So tomorrow is election day. Today is good news - CT scan ok and appointment for next one in a year's time.

Bad news is that we have such an uninspiring crowd of politicians here - we need someone to liven us up - but, no thanks, not Don T.