Summer Blooms

Welcome to my blog!

For the first entry in my blog, so that you’ll know where I’m coming from (so to speak), what better place to start than the garden of my West of Scotland home? Weather permitting, it’s a corner where I love to sit and read. And write.

The weather here this summer has been one of extremes: temperatures, rainfall, winds have all triggered a glance at the calendar to make sure we’re in the season we think we’re in. Of course, these unusual weather conditions have had an effect on our gardens. Spring flowers bloomed early and faded quickly. Bedding plants seemed to have drowned, then suddenly acquired a new lease of life, although many disappeared without trace.

Recently, we've been enjoying a heat wave, which the forecasters suggested would not last long. In this glorious weather, there are two blooms in our garden that are at their best: clematis and roses. The clematis was planted two years ago to cover a gap in the hedge. The rose bed is three years old.

In Scotland, there's an old-fashioned belief that every garden should have a rowan tree to bring good luck. If the berries appear early, it forecasts a harsh winter.

I hope that’s just an old wives’ tale!

Joan