"The hum of bees is the voice of the garden"

If nothing else feels normal the weather certainly feels like it's back to standard Scottish summer, wet one minute, sunny, the next, hot, cold, we've had it all, usually in the one day! The weeds are growing like mad and the gardens have a lush, verdant look to them. The early summer flowers are going over and we are entering that July lull in the garden, where flowers are less showy before the pazzaz of late summer and autumn. Work continues, madly in between customers. I've upped propagation of lots of batches of plants as we are selling like never before. I like to think at this very moment in time I have the upper hand over the weeds......but we know it won't last. 

Aquilegia 'Red and yellow'

I've spent the last few days weeding and tidying the gardens. At this time of year this is a lot more than just weeding. Plants need cut back that have finished flowering, especially those that were buffeted about by the winds and rain over the weekend. They get a very cropped haircut but will recover well and may even flower again. The chives, Lupins and several others are looking a lot tidier for it. Plants need tied up and generally given a good tidying. The plants in the checkerboard have had hair cuts to get them back to square.

Dianthus monspessulanus

When TV programs and garden magazines are talking about the Chelsea chop, mostly our plants haven't even started flowering up here! Now we are into July a lot of the earlier flowerers are looking sad and in need of a hair cut. Doesn't that sound familiar ladies! With the strong winds and heavy rain too there is a lot of tidying to do. So this week when I am weeding and tidying the nursery gardens I shall be doing a lot of cutting back. Those plants will grow another set of nice healthy leaves and some may even send out a second flush of flowers. This was beautiful Lupin 'Chandelier' getting some TLC this afternoon. Galvanised dolly tubs and planters available from Junkshopantiques

Pea 'Blackdown Blue' in the vertical veg garden here in the nursery. A heritage variety from Garden Organic Heritage Seed Library . Originating in northern France, these peas were given to a young soldier returning from the battlefield of the Somme as a memento of happier times before the war. He took them home to Somerset where his family and friends have grown them ever since. The plants will reach around 1.8m in height and produce beautiful bi-coloured flowers followed by purple pods packed with flavoursome peas.

I love a delivery, last week it was some lovely new items for our wee shop. Chosen to compliment the items already in the shop they make lovely gifts or a treat for yourself. 

Now everyone can move around more, our weekends at the nursery have become much more social as friends have been visiting for a catch up. Last Saturday Fiona came to visit bringing plants for my greenhouse, because what else do you give a gardening friend who can never have enough plants. we had a great catch up. This Saturday Sarah-Fiona and her Dad came to visit. Again a gift of plants. If you need an Aloe plant, Quercus is the place to come! Great to catch up and chat and bonus was the gift of a box of creme eggs from Sarah-Fiona!!! 

Next to get a mid season hair cut in the nursery gardens were the chives in the herb garden. They've looked amazing again this year (first photo) but are now going over and flopping everywhere. So out with the shears and off with their heads! Never fear they will grow back in no time with lots of fresh leaves for cooking with and hopefully another show of flowers.

I have begun to take Mondays off again, as I've worked 6 days a week for the last 6 months, I can pick and choose if I need to go in to do some catching up, but it was lovely to have two days off. I don't feel any more relaxed, de-stressed or less tired but I'm sure it did me some good. On Monday we went into Edinburgh to have a picnic at St Margaret's Loch with David's daughter Becky and brother Ian. It was lovely to catch up at long last. Great chat and company and Bracken as was on form! The weather behaved and it was pleasant sitting chatting and eating, watching the world go by.

St Margaret's Loch

Tuesday and after queuing to get into the bank and Boots Bracken and I walked back along the river Tweed while David did the food shopping. It was a lovely walk and Bracken enjoyed some high speed running on the grass paths. David picked us up on the way home. Some house cleaning, a dozen red roses, lots of nursery admin, a quick tidy of the cottage garden, well the bits we can get too and an evening walk along the river which we haven't don for a long time. 2 days is no where enough time off to feel better, back to work tomorrow but hopefully a bit more focused.

Title quote -   -  Elizabeth Lawrence

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