We had a much needed weekend away from the garden this week which of course meant coming back to lots of weeds and jobs to do this week.
Biennial seed sowing will begin in earnest now I’m back in the garden and here to keep up with watering them. Foxgloves, white hespiris, hollyhocks, sweet william and canterbury bells are among some of the seeds which I will sow this week. In the hot weather seed trays dry out very quickly and I find that I’m often watering things in the greenhouse twice a day. Strawberry’s are now being picked daily- home grown strawberry’s are just unbeatable, so sweet and juicy and such an easy fruit to grow. I do grow some in strawberry planters but I find the ones in the ground, which are just left to their own devices do so much better!
Simon has been busy making a new range of glassware for us to use for wedding and event work. Bud vases in a deep, lustrous cobalt blue which look very special with the rich red roses and strawberry’s just ripening spilling out from them, a celebration of the fruits of summer. I love creating a bud vase because you can use all those special little bits that you wouldn’t otherwise pick- one of this and one of that to make something extra lovely. Roses mixed with mint, coriander, thyme and lavender for heavenly scent, paired with pretty Canterbury bells, small apricot foxgloves, sweet peas in bright reds and frothy nigella and bits of grasses to add movement and whimsy.
The garden roses are still spewing out their blooms, the scent filling the garden, my favourite one in the garden at the moment is called rock and roll, a large headed and sturdy rose- not overly productive as a cut flower but to its advantage just one or two of its blooms will transform a design; its smell is sweet, almost sugary and has red, white and pink striped petals reminding me of the big swirled lolly pops you get from the funfair.
Also this week, to coincide with the summer solstice we have begun back on our dried florals. I paired the daffodils which we picked and dried in the spring with the zingy alchemilla mollis and buttercups and added hint of blue from the forget me nots and grasses to soften the look. I love making my dried florals and the way they change through the season as different ingredients come and go.
I wish you a lovely week ahead.
Blessings from this patch to yours, until next time, Rebecca