GOINGS AND COMINGS

Let me begin with a flop - or not - sugar solution put out to attract butterflies and here come the black ants!

One planting companionship that works is alachemilla and nepeta (catmint). This border is at a garden in Scotland but at home the alchemilla can seed itself and flop over edges to soften the straight lines.

White is suddenly coming to the fore again whether the thyme (or Doc's hat), elderflowers, white rosebay willow-herb or our two Rambling Rector roses of which below is one.

Mind you, not all is a roaring success. You go away to Scotland for a couple of days and the chard explodes. I think the term is run to seed? R and I have been weeding, deadheading and tidying up today. The aquilegias are almost over so they are being cut back, we are still pulling out goosegrass by the handful and there is still a long way to go. Whilst we were gone S the gardener strimmed the streamside not that there is any water in it. We have had one day with some rain but that is gone and none is forecast for the next two weeks. He has also moved the old compost and begun the removal of the old compost heaps which clever old me made out of willow. So they rooted and do not want to go.

When in Scotland we visited three gardens - the National Trust one at Threave, the almost lost gardens at Arbigland and Elizabeth Macgregor's wonderful walled garden in Kirkcudbright. Her white wisteria was in full flower.

The candelabra primulas at Threave were stunning.

We have a few by our pond and the primula veris plus the usual self sown mimulus guttatus (monkey flower.)

Roses out, peonies about to flower, jungle to clear, grass to cut - I think I shall go away again. Oh! to garden in a window box? A bit small to sit out in though. 

SEALED WITH A KISS

Yes, it's gonna be a cold, dreary summer, but I'll fill the emptiness, I'll send you all my blog every week  etc etc . . . 

Just watched a squirrel trying desperately to get its head through the bars of a squirrel proof feeder - and failing (for now).
The house martin nest in the gable is very silent and I believe the squirrel has had the eggs and the nest is abandoned - well was - suspicious tweeting coming from up there - possible a takeover again by the tree sparrows.

The garden is, sadly, full of fledgeling pigeons - 4 sitting in a row on a cherry tree branch, but then, also goldfinches feeding in the long grass to cheer me.

The lower banking needs scything if I can find the weather, the time and the inclination - actually the banking is steep so plenty of inclination. (Groan)
This is a self sown broom on that banking growing a bit close to the liquidambar (on the right). The broom needs pruning but I killed off the last one - pruned too hard - so just a light trim this time - after flowering of course.

Stuff arrived from Sarah Raven - 3 Euphorbia characias wulfenii and three Cosmos - the latter so taped into the bottom of a deep cardboard box I broke one trying to get it out. Planted them out and also the gladioli R bought at the Greenodd potato do that I had put in pond baskets - so I could fill a gap at this time of year.

The cardoon is enormous and I have a fancy to have several in a big clump somewhere as a STATEMENT.

This pansy is backlit and almost looks better from this angle - as they are south facing outside the kitchen, they face away from us. (Too many faces.)

Here is a combination that has worked - the catmint and osteospermum ecklonis.

They are by the roses. I have underplanted a large part of the rose bed with nepeta (catmint) which seems to be ok.
The forgetmenots are over and will be self sown so need to be removed.

In the fruit garden I have used the tried and tested chives as edging - and useful in a salad or as an addition to potato and mayonnaise salad (with a sprinkle of paprika or cayenne pepper on the top for colour.)

My old (well not ancient yet) friend PS from new Zealand came for lunch and take photos of the garden but it rained and rained - soft mizzle - soaked everything. Then, just before he went there was a short burst of sunshine lighting things up. He came, he ate, he drank, he took pictures and ate a large ripe strawberry. We talked, and laughed.


We went to Threave Gardens for a cuppa and a stroll. They have done much since last there including adding some Joe Smith stone sculpture like this.

I am reading Maritime Ireland, An Archaeology of Coastal Communities by Aidan O'Sullivan and Colin Breen. It makes one feel so transitory when one thinks of them fishing off the coast 10,000 years ago!
(I am also reading Geoge MacBeth's Collected Poems (Owl is a great poem) and Peter May's Blow Back - an Enzo Macleod novel so not too stuffy.) (In between I consistently fail to do the gentle Kakuro in the paper but can do the diabolical one - answers as to why on a small piece of paper by yesterday.)

We have been away in southern Scotland and walked the wonderful woods at Castramon near Gatehouse-of-Fleet - fantastic old beech trees, nuthatches and pied wagtails, sanicle by the path.
In the tree pic the footpath goes between the two trunks.

And then poppies are stupendous so here are more pics -

Glory of glories, the bullfinches are nesting in the privet at the back of the house.