Summer this year seems endless

 

Here is another corner I've been working on in my back garden. Little projects I can spend an hour or so on while the light nights last. Bigger transformations will have to wait for whole days when I'm off in winter. I took out all the Alchemilla and self seeded Dryopteris and put in a stone edge to the path and along the front of the new border with stones lying around in the front garden.

I then removed the gravel from the corner, sieved all the soil and leaf debris out it and topped up some low areas around the alpine troughs, nothing is wasted here, just like in the nursery

I dug over the planting area, which has ended up being around a man hole for the water supply which was hidden under the Alchemilla so not in my original plan! Compost added in to give the plants a boost, dug over again ready for planting

I moved my smallest stone trough to the space on the gravel which fills it perfectly and finishes of the run of troughs.

As this is a shady area I have planted some of my favourite plants which will grow well here and cover the manhole cover

Actaea simplex 'Brunette'

Aquilegia vulgaris var. stellata 'Greenapples'

Chaerophyllum hirsutum 'Roseum'

Geum rivale 'Album'

Clearing out the old plants

Stones unearthed in the front garden to create
an edge for the path

Adding in compost to give the plants a boost

Plants in

We are now selling Whitmuir honey

Jim has his hives in a corner of the orchard on the farm and his bees forage and feed all the time in our nursery gardens, so this honey literally comes from the nursery gardens, how cool is that?

Tonight's sky ...................... somewhere over the rainbow....

In the nursery gardens today

Althaea cannabina

Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora 'Honey Angels'

Hops

Slippery Jacks

Evenings dog walks. The eastern entrance of the Neidpath tunnel is five minutes from the house, walking along the old railway track bed through a wooded cutting to the tunnel mouth. The other end emerges over the Neidpath viaduct and is walkable with a torch as it bends in the middle and is pitch black.

  

More kilner love. This is one of the desserts for our family dinner on Sunday

Say hello to the new additions to Whitmuir farm. Goats are great, so much character and these ones are just across the fence from our polytunnel Plans for goats cheese have been mentioned, I've offered my services for tasting as I love a good goats cheese

Fish and chips by the river for tea tonight, then a walk home

Colour in my garden at home, these were already planted when we moved in and will be staying. I love Calendula and narsturtiums, and they will re-seed ever year. The everlasting pea is also a bonus, sadly not scented but it makes up in the quantity of flowers and long flowering period.

If any one loves runner beans, please pop along to the nursery. We have loads

Managed to round all mine up and had a lovely afternoon together in our new house. I did skive off early from the nursery and left David in charge great to show Ben, Jamie, Daniel, Natasha and Elizabeth Coupe our new home and what we've done so far. First big meal in produced in our wee kitchen and all went well. Everyone pitched in to help and Maisie and Poppy were spoiled and entertained so we might get a quiet night

Thanks for gifts, chocolates, flowers, wine and candles are always welcome

No pictures of starter and mains as they were scoffed rapidly

Monday and David has another job at another Strathspey distillery, so Maisie and I have gone along for the ride. We've had a lovely walk along the River Spey while David was working, and then a picnic by the river. A perfect day off.

Bind weed

The view from Rothes Castle

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