Who Stole Summer...?

Apart from a few sunny days here and there, there's really no evidence at all to suggest that summer actually arrived here this year. The majority of days have been gloomy and overcast, and my Small Suburban Garden has looked pretty much the same way. The floral extravaganza of wild flowers I was hoping for simply didn't happen, just a few Californian Poppies and a couple of marigolds. The cherry tree succumbed to blackfly and I'm not entirely sure it'll still be with us next year.

The buddleia bloomed but failed to attract more than a passing large white butterfly and a stray bee, although as I was cutting it down this afternoon I was joined by several Red Admirals and a Painted Lady - better late than never I guess. One of the signs that autumn is upon us is the white flowers on my chives - which are actually one of the few things currently cheering up the borders.

Will we get an 'Indian Summer' this month? Time will tell...

Summer Sunshine...

After several weeks of warm but wet weather, the past two days have been utterly gorgeous - long may it last! The damp conditions haven't been good for the marigolds, which now look a little 'mouldy', and the lobelias don't appear to have enjoyed it much either and despite slug pellets the snails have munched their way through about a quarter of them. The ones in planters on the wall seem to have done better than those in the borders.

However, the buddleias are on the verge of blooming which should bring the butterflies into the garden again with any luck. Haven't actually seen that many so far this year. The geraniums which managed to survive the winter are in flower, and add a splash of red to the garden. The Californian Poppies have been the start this summer, and will provide plenty of seeds to ensure a good display next summer.

The parsley has now gone to seed, the jasmine is no longer flowering and the birds have eaten all of my wild cherries, but the begonias which I was almost sure hadn't survived the winter are all looking very promising. Predictably, the ornamental poppies didn't last long.

My bee hotels remain devoid of guests, which is a concern as by now the tubes should be home to baby bees which will hatch out next spring. Hmm.... 

Lazy Days...

In our increasingly hectic and stressful lives, it’s al the more important to take the opportunity, when it arises, to simply enjoy a lazy late-summer / early-autumn day. This is exactly how I spent today; not weeding or pruning, not sweeping the paving slabs or painting the fence, but just sitting on a camping chair in the shade, watching the butterflies and bees flitting about on the remaining buddleia flowers.

The sky was the most amazing blue and I could still see the moon! The sun shone while the breeze gently blew some of the pink and white petals off the geraniums. The lobelias, disappointing this year, have long since gone but geraniums have seemed fairly tolerant of this unpredictable climate we currently all live in, with drought followed by floods and gloom followed by wall-to-wall burn-your-skin sunshine.

The chives were standing proud, showing off their flower heads but the white jasmine had failed to impress – all leaves and no flowers. Red Admirals remain in abundance as do Tortoiseshells, and Cabbage Whites have finally made an appearance.

Days like this are bitter-sweet. Idyllic to experience but tinged with the sadness that the nights are drawing in and winter looms on the horizon…

SEPTEMBER 8, 2012 

Indian Summer...

It’s official – it’s the hottest October since 1985 and I’m loving it!

We’ve had several gloriously hot days in a row and the weather’s currently making up for the somewhat mediocre summer we’ve had this year, however, the plants seem flummoxed and while trees are dropping their leaves all around, certain shrubs and flowers think it’s spring again.

My forsythia has begun to bloom, despite the fact it’s shedding leaves faster than I can sweep them up, there’s still a few Red Admirals on the hunt for whatever’s left on the buddlia – which is precious little to be honest, ladybirds are out in their hundreds, basking in the high temperatures, and there’s still a few bees around the lobelias, geraniums and pansies. The red jasmine is proudly displaying shiny back berries and the chives are in seed, and yet the magnolia branches have grown several more inches this past week…but it gets dark around 6pm!

All very strange…. but I could easily get very used to these hazy, dewy mornings and dappled sunlight evenings…

OCTOBER 1, 2011 

Dragonfly Days...

One of my most favourite things in the word are those lazy summer Sundays, where the rest of the world is having a lie-in and I’m able to enjoy the hazy morning sunshine in my small suburban garden in peace. Today is the last day of July, and the sun has finally come out, bringing with it an abundance of wildlife in all it’s glory. Although I’m obviously not keen on the flies and wasps which the heat of the day encourages out of hiding, I have already seen many cabbage white butterflies, dozens of ladybirds, a tortoise shell butterfly and, finally, a glorious female Southern Hawker dragonfly. It’s true….summer really HAS arrived…

JULY 31, 2011