MSH Backup

As we wave goodbye to summer for another year, I’m determined to make the most of the short window of time left to enjoy being out in the garden. Whilst the heatwave wasn’t particularly kind to some of my favourite plants (poor hydrangeas!) now that things have cooled down a little bit it’s lovely to see some others in full bloom again, and hopefully they’ve still got a little bit of flowering power left before the temperatures drop: Dahlias really are the most beautiful gift at this time of the year, and make the slow segue into autumn and winter all the easier- the ones in the garden now have blossomed from bulbs which I picked up in Marks and Spencer, and I’m hopeful that next year they’ll be back in bloom- perhaps planted out into a flowerbed rather than in pots as they are at the moment. Similarly, the delphiniums are loving the last burst of sunshine which we’re having at the moment, and if they’re well protected over the chiller months I’m sure they’ll revive to be even better n...

As I touched on in last week’s post, this year things in the garden have been quite slow to get started, but now that spring has arrived (and thanks to that Bank Holiday heatwave!) things are definitely on the way to full bloom. After a really long and gloomy winter, it’s been lovely to get back out into to fresh air and take some time to give everything a long overdue spruce up, complete with some new additions too:    Ranunculus are always firm favourites whenever I happen upon them in bouquets, so when I spotted this two-tone variety at the garden centre a couple of weeks ago, I took the plunge and picked it up. Growing and looking after something for the first time can always feel like a bit of an uncharted voyage, but more often than not it’s a choice which really pays off. Since re-potting this plant it’s come on leaps and bounds with very little looking after- so much so that I’m now keen to get some more!  Seed wise, there are plenty more cornflowers on the go- ho...

Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I’m usually at my happiest when I’m out in the garden. It’s a space which has always felt especially sacred, and, as well as holding lots of special childhood memories (usually involving me chasing one cat or the other!), as I’ve grown older it’s become a place which I’ve come to recognise as a real sanctuary too- the space I always go to when I need a bit of a reset, or even if I’m just after a moment or two of tranquility. Embracing all things green-fingered has become a serious stress-buster over the last couple of years too- and there’s something really rewarding about seeing all of your hard work blooming away during the summer months. Of course, there are always planting projects which don’t quite work out, whether blighted by the weather (or by the slugs!), but having setbacks always tends to make those little blossoming victories feel all the sweeter. With that in mind, here’s a whistle-stop tour of some of the blooms which are bright...