High summer, really?

Well, before all the rain and unseasonal drops in temperature, it was that time of year where many gardens across the towns and villages of East Suffolk had plenty of flowering plants in their grounds and many front gardens were adorned by the splendid hollyhock.

You couldn’t miss cottage gardens decorated with these colourful beauties, often self-seeded, thriving in the local free-draining soil.  This very blousy, double pink hollyhock was attracting plenty of busy bees in the sun between the recent showers. And, then the torrential downpours arrived bringing hard times for both bees and butterflies. Apparently, the jet stream is in the wrong place again!!

So, this is today’s weather .  .  .  .  .

Past, present, future – the first weekend of June 2015

Recently, we might have experienced unseasonably cool weather across East Anglia, but there’s still been plenty of blooming flowers in the garden to brighten the first weekend of June.

Some of the irises, aquilegias and early summer roses are in full glory.

A few stragglers from May are graciously fading away.

But, wait a minute, there’s all this potential just about to burst forth!

June in an English country garden (well, actually a suburban back garden with cottage style planting) can be a quietly charming moment – weather permitting!

Roses – The Scent of an English Summer

Rosa Gloire de Dijon

Being a bit of a smarty pants I have planted two heavily scented roses either side of my bedroom window so that their captivating fragrance could waft into my bedroom on warm summer evenings. But being merely human I have failed to keep them under control allowing them to thrust upwards and become top heavy.

Oh dear, during Saturday night we had unseasonal high winds here in East Anglia and both rose bushes were beaten up and the next morning I found them knocked to the ground in a thorny mess.

Salvaged from the unwelcome and unseasonal wind.

Following a rescue pruning I have retied them into position. It’s not been a total horticultural failure as they are well rooted and as a bonus I have several flower arrangements filling rooms with the scent of summer, and, I have some more lovely floral photos for my work.

Rosa Alister Stella Gray with pink Rosa Narrow Water.

Rosa Alister Stella Gray, Rosa Cécile Brunner and ox eye daisies.

Floral inspiration.