When the rain is warm and soft

We finally had relief from the heat wave today. The morning started with a crack of thunder amid some odd curling clouds, and then settled into a slow, light, warm rain--much needed, I must add. 

A little rain has never stopped a girl from enjoying her garden. So, of course, after my son went to sleep this evening I wandered out amid the rain drops to enjoy the roses.

There is something about the first flush of roses that melts me. It's not the same as the first flash of bulbs in the spring. No, this is deeper, and a bit soul-stirring. Their beauty moves me. They are so beautiful that surely they are a gift. I have four bushes along the front walk so that passersby can enjoy them as well.

However, the ones in the back garden are all mine. Each flower is fleeting and I deadhead eagerly because I never want them to end. But then each year June comes and again they return, flushed and as beautiful as ever.They must sleep some kind of immortal sleep. If only winter were so kind to me.

This year I bought a long-coveted Claire Austin rose. I know it won't last here. I know it is only visiting. But we only live once and I had to have her, even for a while. Tonight, in the rain, was her first flower. I am smitten. Agog. Do, I have it bad? Yes, I don't even pretend to be sensible in the garden this time of year. I am rose drunk. Roses have the power to tap directly into whatever spirit it is that compels us to become gardeners in the first place.

Just to prove that roses aren't the only thing I noticed out there, I also made a point of admiring my potted Nikko hydrangeas, another fleeting visitor. They are the party girls, and I have them stationed at all the social points in my gardens....the front entrance, the deck, and the patio. They are the extroverts and put my guests at ease. But when the guests are gone and I sit in the twilight, it is the roses that sing to me.

You are responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose.

~Antoine de Saint-Exupery (The Little Prince)

When Night Shimmers

"If a June night could talk, it would probably boast that it invented romance.”~Bern Williams

it's that time of year, here at latitude 53, as we approach the shortest night of the year, when it doesn't really get completely dark at night. I find that in June I barely sleep.

I think I just don't want to miss anything--the birdsong, the lilac perfume on the air, the soft, fresh green of new summer. Because our back garden is private, I like to sneak out in my pyjamas and soak it in--dozing in my lounger with a blanket.

June makes me feel like a teenager again going to a summer dance. The world is beautiful and everything is possible.

And now they're gone...

At last, I get to enjoy being out in my garden listening to the birds.

We were really pleased with the work the landscapers did, and they were very pleasant guys. But we are glad they are gone. :)

My south facing bed is about 2 - 4 ft deeper. And that can only mean one thing--plant shopping!!!

I did get one little treat for a shady corner of the patio, and that is this sweet meditation Buddha. It makes a very soft musical sound so nice to have it close to the seating area. I added some aqua sea glass to the bowl the lotus flower spills water into. The flower has orange LED lights in it under the water so I am really looking forward to seeing it later this evening.

I better enjoy this quiet evening before the planting begins!!!

I hope you are all enjoying this kick-off to sweet summer! 

Update: I captured a short clip of the fountain at night. I think the water looks like liquid flames. I like!

http://vimeo.com/99002679

My new garden boyfriend

There’s a new man in my garden and he is a little fierce looking, don’t cha think? I mean, all that long hair and what about those teeth? I’m okay with it though. Because, really, he is quite the pussycat.

Since he appears to be sticking around we have named him Lionel (after a favourite character in the show As Time Goes By.) I have a bit of a crush on him actually. He is the strong, silent type and doesn’t ask for much besides a drink now and then (like many men).

  

He brings a certain ambience to the garden and soothes us with his gentle song after a long day. To be truthful, we don’t know how we lived without him for so long.

I find myself wanting to plant at his feet. First, I moved a languishing maidenhair fern from a too shady spot to his base. It will keep the ostrich fern beside him company. Next, perhaps a silvery fern like the Japanese Painted Fern?

I don’t want the spot to get busy and plan to stick with a pretty monochromatic palette with emphasis on texture and maybe one or two stunning plants that bloom in succession. How about something with some white candle-shaped flowers to contrast against his dark complexion? Off to his side is a Limelight hydrangea which I think will look gorgeous against him later in the summer.

I am open to suggestions from all you experts with such good taste. The bed is south facing but gets dappled light for most of the day. I know he will appreciate your efforts.

I think maybe he likes to be adorned, and, um, admired. :)

One Ringy Dingy...Two Ringy Dingys...

Time to stop and smell the roses. Literally. Life has been going at top speed with a major career change and that secret season called "soccer."

Who knew that Under Sixes needed to play two nights a week? Not me--or Coach Daddy. :)

I am trying an experiment here with this post. I am actually phoning it in.
Really. I took the photos with my phone, edited them, and am now sitting in the rain in the gazebo posting them with the blogger app.

I don't see any way to format the actual post, so it looks like it will be all words on top and photos on bottom--or the other way around. :)

If the photos are on the bottom, please do take a moment to scroll down to see them. They are of the trio of J. P. Connell roses I put in last July. It was so wet that month that the buds rotted on the stem.

I must say I am rather chuffed that they are all blooming their little heads off this year. They sit at the front of a corner curve of the bed and steal the show. It was raining when I took these shots so you may see some drops on them.

So much going on in the garden and in my life right now (all good!) that I think I'll need to make a pot of tea and write a chatty post. As soon as soccer is over. :)

OK, time to hit "send" and see what this post looks like.

Hope you are all having a glorious time of it in your gardens! ((hugs))

I don't know how to make this post not sappy

This is a post about rainbows and wishes. Just shoot me now. Really, does it get any sappier? I fink nottle. Stop reading now if you can't bear it. I warned you.

It was a dark and stormy supper hour... ;)

And then the west sky broke open and light streaked through to the east. We had a gorgeous rainbow - a double rainbow. My four-year-old boy jumped up and down on the front stoop, enchanted by the ribbon of colours that arched across the sky. He ran up and down the sidewalk in the rain, giddy and whooping. I explained to him that he could make a wish on the rainbow. He was dazzled by such an offer from the sky.

Finally, he determined what he wanted to wish for. Wait for it.

His wish was that the colour orange would come down out of the rainbow. He loves orange like nobody's business. All his favourite clothes and toys are orange. I know him and I know he wants to hug orange and probably rub noses too. So, Orange, did you hear that? Come on down anytime. You have a little fan waiting to meet you.

And the song below? That was the song that kicked off our wedding reception. I can't help myself today. I'm just a ball of mush. *sigh*

I hope you are finding some rainbows in your downpours this strange summer. Oh, and if you see orange, send it this way, won't you?

Rainy Day Mystery Game

Anyone up for some gardening mystery fun? Is is raining where you are? Because it is raining so hard here I feel like it must be raining everywhere. :) What does a convalescing gardener do when her garden is turning to mush? She pores over her garden photo files. Of course!

I found pics of a couple of mystery plants I have been wanting to ID and I thought this might be a good time to ask all the wise gardeners out there for their help. Both of these plants are in my back lane here in zone 3.

This first one I photographed early last September. It was about 5 ft tall and covered in these pink and red flowers. The flowers themselves are about one inch in size. While the plant was a little scrubby in nature, I think it was a perennial, not a shrub. Any ideas on this one? (BTW, you can click on any of these photos to make them bigger)

Now this second one I discovered only the other day, although I noticed it last year too. It is a ground cover, 2 - 4 inches high, and runs rampant along some properties in the back lane. It looks like an ajuga but I am not sure. If it is one, which one? I like it and am thinking of nabbing a piece from the lane for a little project I have cooking. Before I do that I want to know just what the heck it is. If it is aggressive like goutweed, then I will have to put an icepick in my forehead if I bring it into the garden. (Kidding! No icepick, but please, don't let me get started on my neighbour's rogue goutweed!)

I appreciate all possible id suggestions. And I wish you sunshine in your gardens very soon. Lots of warm, golden sun. (And a cool glass of wine to enjoy out in that sun!) Thanks muchly!!

UPDATE: Many thanks to Ann and Laurrie for their quick identification skills. Wow, you guys *are* good! And this is why I love the garden blogging community. :)

The Healing Garden

So, my busy life has come to a standstill. In June. A few weeks ago I finally got the call for a long awaited surgery. Nothing serious, but it does lay me up for a month. And that month is June. Yeah, so I won't be doing much. The good? It is June and I can go outside. In the garden.

My husband set up our gazebo for me and I have an outdoor wicker chaise lounger with cushions. So I have been taking a blanket, music and reading stuff and dozing outside in the afternoons.

I'm actually getting to enjoy watching my plants grow. Who knew it was so fun? Well, some of you, I know.

My columbines (Aquilegia "Biedermeirer') came through the winter beautifully. I hope they self seed and spread the love around.

The irises (name unknown) my Dad gave me are just starting. I've realized my garden is shadier than I thought as everything seems to be a little behind sunnier gardens in the neighbourhood. I'm good with that.

I only got one tulip (tulipa 'Spring Green') from my small patch by the back door. The rest are suspiciously picked and trampled. I could blame the crazed magpies guarding over their fledglings or perhaps a certain enthusiastic preschooler who frequents the garden? :)

My maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum) is just unfurling and dances in the light. Hard to believe how tough this delicate looking little plant is. I highly recommend it for those who garden in the GWN.

My Eared Lady Fern (Athyrium Otophorum), that I thought was a goner, made her appearance today. She simply glows in the shade and I am so pleased to welcome her back.

And finally, a sure sign of the nearing summer, my very first rose bloom of the season. Thérèse Bugnet is covered in buds and promises to delight me all week.

I really believe the garden is keeping me sane during my imposed time of rest. It is also giving me lots of time to think about my life, my plans for my garden, my dreams for the future and what is really important to me. It's amazing how inspiring quiet time in the garden is. (If I make some big shift in my life in the coming year blame it on this June in the garden!)

In the next week or so we have some guys coming to help with some major planting of the garden. Should I lay on the chaise like a garden princess and observe (and probably feel guilty - or worse, bossy) or should I keep to the house during those days? What do you think?

I hope you are all enjoying some quiet, restorative time in your beautiful gardens.

Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language. ~ Henry James

You Glow Girl

There's a glow in my garden these days.

You can really notice it in the evenings

It's not the showiest bloom on the block

Her beauty is more sublime

And elegant in her simplicity

Her scent is fresh with a hint of citrus

And she seems to like it here.

My Morden Snowbeauty, purchased last year, is a real asset to the garden. She came through our winter with no extra protection and narry a problem. Her glossy green foliage is delightful. Her long buds are truly elegant and her open-faced blooms are sweet bee magnets. She's a nightime girl, though, and it is the evening when she really becomes the star that she is. I can't take my eyes off her when I am supposed to be sitting out there reading a book and sipping wine. Given that evenings are when we really get to enjoy the garden, plants that add something then, including scent, are an important part of the garden. This charmer politely stays within her space and her blooms are recurring after this first glorious flush. Yay for sweet hardy roses!

Snowbeauty, you glow girl. :-)

She always holds a party in June

One of the great thrills of June is Mother Nature’s elegant hand at carpeting the world with flowers. She really thinks gardeners are quite clever with their studied designs and drifting borders, but she chuckles to herself because she knows we are really just learning from her. Walking in the woods is my way of visiting her garden and acknowledging the Master Gardener of us all.

Her paths are swept with borders of bluebells.




Her groundcovers inspire the carpets in our grand hotels




She has made an art of combining textures


And always has a few stars show up to create a buzz


And some interesting bon mots tucked away here and there






It’s no wonder her garden residents wear their finest gossamer wings


And volunteers clamour to be part of the show


Ah, a June early morning in the woods.

"In small proportions we just beauties see,
And in short measures life may perfect be."
~ Ben Jonson

I left all my words in the garden last evening

I found I could say things


with colour


and shapes


that I couldn't say any other way


-things I had no words for.


~Georgia O'Keeffe, Artist


It is warm and sunny and the late afternoon light is dappled through the stand of spruce bordering the west side of the garden. I have a terrible cold and my thoughts are running, I suspect, out my nose. ;) Now I am off to to lay under the umbrella in my garden with my new book. Hope you are all enjoying these fragrant, lustrous days.