geraniums

Summer Solstice 2024

~ Ashley ~ 58 Comments

Oh my goodness!  Here we are at the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year and still it doesn’t feel like summer!  Whilst we’ve had a few sunny days, the skies have mostly been overcast.  Still, the cycle of nature continues to turn and here in our little garden, some of my favourite flowers are blooming, even with overcast skies.  Geraniums are relatively easy to grow and there are many hardy varieties to choose from which flower throughout the summer months.

20240526_114951

With longer days,
Summer flowers open;
Oh my, geraniums!


20240611_173628

20240617_143723

20240608_175055

20240607_132726

Unfortunately, I’ve lost most of their names but I think the 2nd photo shows Johnson’s Blue, and the 3rd photo shows Bob’s Blunder.

Finally, here is a picture from our small garden, under a grey sky:

20240617_164401

In the northern hemisphere, the sun is at its highest point and the wheel of the year begins again. I hope that we do get some warmer days even as each day passes it is a little shorter than the previous one.

Happy Summer Solstice 🧡🌞

Ashley

20240624_140056

Rowallane Walled Garden

~ Ashley ~ 65 Comments

In the walled garden - Rowallane

This photograph was taken towards the end of May and with all the greenery it looks like the summer has arrived. We were in Rowallane Gardens, a favourite haunt of ours when we don’t have to travel too far from home.

There weren’t many people visiting and anyway the gardens are big enough to absorb the crowds. We arrived early and brought a box full of books for their used book shop. That’s at least 40 books we’ve donated this year (only another couple of hundred to go).

I’m a terrible one for plant names and writing them down just makes matters worse!  Here they are, from left to right:

Chaerophyllum hirsutum ‘Roseum’ – Marrubium vulgare Horehound – Ranunculus constantinoplitanus ‘Plenus’

Personally, I prefer hardy geraniums and here is a cracker:

Geranium hybrid 'Ann Folkard'

Geranium hybrid ‘Ann Folkard’

We did have some lovely warm sunny days at the end of May and the first day of June was a scorcher. However, temperatures have dropped back (10c feels like 8c) and today I actually put the heating on for an hour. It’s supposed to be the summer and in a few weeks time it will be the summer solstice, the longest day! Are you ready to celebrate?

Ashley