Out of the Blue!

 

Oh my goodness, where did May go?  Time never stands still of course but you have to agree the merry month of May flew by on wings of busy little birds, wind driven rain - a lot here - and, for me, flying over and back to the West coast.

Now it's June and although no long trips are planned, perhaps some short drives into the countryside. To see the green and golden fields and farmland of this beautiful state will be a pleasant change. Brief times away from the garden outside the windows is sometimes refreshing.

My garden is perhaps at its best right now. The cooler days here were a blessing whilst we were overheating in a northern California early heatwave with every day in the 90's. Granddaughter Jasmin came by to water the pots which was perfect, and the remainder of the garden managed itself quite nicely. The figs are swelling and look especially prolific this year, dozens on each branch. The roses, buddleia,  daylilies, hostas, jasmin, honeysuckle, hydrangeas are all blooming and wafting their fragrance through the air, especially in the damp evenings we've been having. Even the carpet of perfumed wild ginger is smothered in white blooms and provides great ground cover in the shaded back garden.

Despite the very wet holiday weekend, a couple of evenings we dined in the gazebo, cool but not uncomfortable. Have been enjoying good home cooked dishes and eating healthy as we settle back into our routine. I have worked in the garden the past couple of days, weeding, trimming, removing the last of the spring bulbs leaves which had turned brown, pruning oversized azaleas and of course clipping hydrangeas for the house as there are so many blooms this year. They of course love the cooler weather we've had for nearly two weeks, and soaked up the rain. I tried the latest tip of keeping the blooms fresher longer - have you tried this?  After cutting plunge the heads into a bucket, or the sink, of fresh, cool water and swirl gently around a few minutes. Shake off the water, cut bottom of stems on a sharp angle and place into a vase/container of hot water.  These were cut last Friday so are now a week old inside the house - I refreshed them yesterday - and they still look amazing. Definitely great water lovers and the most beautiful flowers.

Enough of the blues, next time I'll add more color!