We are now half way through the year! How quickly time goes.
It was a very showery start to the month - and very heavy showers at times! Some of the flowers in the garden have already gone over and it is time to cut back the dead flowers and foliage. The compost bins are going to fill up quite quickly. It is also time to prune things like the weigela as they finish flowering - I should have probably have done it already but..... There has been masses of growth and it seems a shame to cut it all back, but if I don't we shall get no new growth for the flowers to bloom on next year.
The sweet peas are just beginning to flower - the smell is just delicious. Couldn't wait to pick the first bunch to put in the kitchen window where they sit in the sun smelling fantastic.
The hydrangeas are also coming up to flower. Ours in the front garden is pink and has huge blooms. I cut out some of the main stems each year and it seems to respond appreciatively with numerous huge blooms.
The cistus continue to flower profusely with their poppy-like blooms. We have a pink one but I like the white one with its dark blotches and golden centres. The flowers only last a day but they just keep coming!
Many of the flowers on the rockery have gone over and now need trimming and tidying up.
Our buddleias - in their shades of purple, blue and white have now come into flower and a few days of nice weather have brought out the butterflies - as well as the bees - to enjoy the flowers. The smell of the buddleia is almost overpowering in its intensity. The moths love them at night too!
The Himalayan Honeysuckle (Leycesteria Formosa) is also just about in full bloom now. The white flowers droop in clusters with purple bracts and fruits. I always cut this right back in the spring - if I didn't I dread to think how big it would grow!! The birds love the fruit and consequently there are always self sets sprouting around the garden.
Among the borders the penstemons have been displaying their lovely colours. I like these flowers more and more as time goes on. The bees love them too, climbing right into the blooms and then backing out to move to the next bloom.
Many flowers in the garden have been a real attraction to the bees - which we are really pleased to see as we planted them for just that reason! Lambs lugs in particular, have attracted a new species of bee for us. The Wool carder bee is moving northwards and has definitely reached Dumfries & Galloway!
July was a very colourful month.
The teasels have suffered as the month has gone on however. They are so tall and heavy with blooms that they are keeling over and we have had to tie them up. Not easy to do when they are covered in vicious prickles! The bees still love them though and sit on many of the blooms for ages.
We have had some lovely blooms among our wild flowers this month too. I keep an eye on the rosebay willowherb as its fluffy seed heads go everywhere if I don't dead head them quickly enough. I do like the common toadflax - for both its form and colour.
The stars this year, however, have been the red poppies that have formed a fantastic clump from the Grow Wild seeds we planted. I do hope they spread lots of seeds around!
July
The flowers in June couldn't wait to bloom,
All in a rush and jostling for room,
But now that initial flush is past
Calm has descended, but a spell has been cast.
They've drawn us in, we can't wait for more
Beautiful blooms all around the door.
The scent of the sweet peas, the roses too
Act like a drug, we're addicts through and through!
We can't get enough, every day wanting more
The sights and smells are grand to be sure.
The height of summer is finally here
We've waited so long, let's give a great cheer.
The bees are humming, the butterflies flutter
People are smiling, no need to mutter.
Enjoy summer, make the most of every day
It doesn't last long, Autumn will soon be on its way!
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