Garden Diary – Memories that flowers bring

A week of hot sun and heavy downpours, superstitions and mystical creatures, harvesting and Al-fresco eating, flowers with happy memories and flowers that make you itch.

Our amazing weather year continued last week with some seriously sunny days, and the warmth now carrying through into the evening. Which of course means eating outside whenever possible.

I harvested the red onions that were planted last autumn and have grown over winter. They are now drying on the raised bed covers (cat toilet prevention), but we couldn’t resist frying one to have with our outdoor cooked sausage batches. Yum yum yum!

Of course when our weather gets a bit too hot, we have to have the obligatory thunder storm, and we did. It turned out to be excellent, raining all through the night, which couldn’t be better for the garden.

I was joined in the greenhouse by a small Tortoiseshell butterfly, that I eventually had to free by trapping in the bee catcher (rescuer). We usually use it at the end of the day before closing the greenhouse doors.

I have one pot of strawberries in the greenhouse, just to make sure we get at least a few berries that the squirrel doesn’t find. One of them had grown into a funny shape and I thought it looked just like a strange little cartoon creature. I couldn’t resist drawing an eye onto the photo.

The tomatoes are growing at quite a rate now and I don’t think we are far away from that first ripe fruit, what a treat that is. The black tomatoes ‘Indigo pear’ which were so late last year are in contention to be first this year, how things change!

I’ve been remembering mum this week with some beautiful roses that were bought for her final birthday last year. There were three miniature rose plants in a pot, she told me to take them home after they’d finished flowering. I did so potting them on, and I now have a lovely display and lovely reminder.

My white Clematis ‘Prince George’ on the other hand is a not so pleasant reminder of a horrible itchy material from my childhood called crimplene. Those of you that were unfortunate enough to have ever worn it, will now be squirming in your seats at the memory.

A third flower memory last week was from Lysimachia punctata, which my mums neighbour passed onto me donkeys years ago. It’s a spreader, so regularly passed on from one gardener to another. I brought a small clump with me from my last garden and it’s now a very big clump indeed. I think it’s probably time to pass some on!

And so it was a week for those of a superstitious nature to look with dread at the calendar, telling them it was Friday 13th! It is strange what myths and legends build up over time, making people fearful of numbers, birds, cats and all number of funny things.

I was that child that walked under a ladder, on purpose, just because people said I shouldn’t. With hindsight, it might be wise to at least look what’s going on up the ladder before deciding whether to walk under or around lol.

But I do encourage you all to challenge those superstitions and free yourselves!!!

Monday 9th June 2025

Yippy, good start to the week, the suns out & we’re in for warmer weather again🌿☀️💕🌿

#MagentaMonday #pinkflowers #mygarden

Tuesday 10th June 2025

I finally have a Nepeta back in the garden, ‘Bokratune’ a compact variety that’s deeper blue 💙💜

#TuesdayBlue #nepeta #flowers #blueflowers

And so for my comic strawberry exhibit. No A.I enhancement just eye-eye 👁️🍓🌿

#comicfruit #strawberry #growyourown #homegrown

Wednesday 11th June 2025

This beautiful rose was sent to mum last year for her 95th birthday, sadly it was her last, but she’d had a good long life & we were lucky to have her for so long.

I don’t know its name but obviously it’s now called ‘mums rose’ & will be a lovely reminder 🧡🌿

#rosewednesday

A small Tortoiseshell came to join me in the greenhouse yesterday. Simple pleasures 🦋

#WildlifeWednesday

Thursday 12th June 2025

I love the crinkly tepals of this clematis ‘Prince George’, but it reminds me of a material called crimplene that those born in the 70’s or before will remember as itchy, sweaty & generally uncomfortable! 😁🤍🌿

#ClematisThursday #whiteflowers #crimplene

🎶 Me & my sha-dow 🎶

Winter red onions now drying in the sunshine, whilst this one contributed to last nights al fresco feast ❤️🤍🧅🧅🧅🧅🧅

#growyourownonions #gyo #homegrown #onions #kitchengarden #growyourown

Spot the bee coming into land 🌿🤍🐝💜🐝🤍🐝💕

#InsectThursday

Friday 13th June 2025

Anemone ‘Mr Fokker’ 🌿💙🌿💙🌿💙🌿

As I dead-head this plant it just keeps shooting up more lovely flowers #FlowerOnFriday #anemone

It’s Friday 13th, so why not discard your superstitions & walk under a ladder, spill some salt, get your shoes on the table, put your umbrella up indoors & be happy to see 1 magpie.

But just in case, here’s some lucky lavender 😀💜🌿

#FridayThe13th #flowersonfriday #superstition