Hello Debs and other friends'

As a change from all the nasties(slugs and bugs) I thought I would wax lyrical for a moment. I went out to hang out the washing this morning and pausing for a moment I realised my garden was absolutely wonderful. The birds were singing, there were no barking dogs, the local kids were all in school, hardly any traffic not even a distant tractor and the smell.... well! Even though the Lily of the Valley and White lilac were over my lovely old rose, white alba type, I think Madam Plantier, is covered with flowers and smells glorious, the thymes and rosemaries were giving off essential oils, some pinks that a friend gave me are just out and the elderflower in the bottom hedge is in full bloom. Who wants to go abroad with all this on your back door step! The old boy who used to deliver my compost always said that he always knew my garden because it smelt so good. Nicest compliment I ever had because the garden always looks a bit untidy so not too posh. To quote H. E. Bates it's "just perfic!.

Jane

Hi Jane

Reading your post this morning really made me smile, its nice when you can stand back and enjoy all your hard work isn't it? I live near a school not far from the playground so the silence is occasionally broken with the noise of excited children at play. I've just looked up Madame Plantier and she looks adorable, my Rosa Mundi is in flower and the petals have been ear marked for making rose petal vinegar later today.

The bees are buzzing everywhere, the lavender is almost open, and an iris I planted 5 years ago has finally flowered much to my delight, in the spring I was going to pull it up as it hadn't done much, but I gave it a talking to and it seems to have done the trick! Simon said a similar thing to your old compost chap, he walks into the garden after work and he says he gets a different smell each time, always pleasing and its welcoming and he knows he has the right garden lol! If I had laurels I rest on them lol, wait a minute does bay count? I'm waiting on the next lot of honeysuckle to flower and the sweet peas to come out, wonderful scents of summer along with the roses and lavender.

We don't have an elder flower tree yet, but we'll be off picking some later today to make cordial, wine and tincture and anything else I can. Sarah has some great elderflower recipes on her blog http://kitchenherbwife.blogspot.com/2008/06/cooling-herbs-for-summer-elderflower.html 

Thanks for sharing, its lovely to hear and see what others are growing, but more so to hear how much pleasure they get from the garden

Debs

Hello Debs,
Thanks for you kind remarks. Yes it is good to stand and stare at times, we are generally bottom up, head down grubbing about at ground level. The rose came from a cutting which I took from the rose that adorned the old outside privy at my parents cottage. I have a very old photograph, about 1900 or so, of an elderly couple outside the front door, him in his farm labourers clothes and she sitting in a windsor chair with her lace pillow on her knee. There in the background is the brick built privy with the rose trained up the wall. Wonderful! I've taken several cutting since, seems to root easily, I expect that is why the old cottagers loved it apart from the scent which can be out of this world. I could send some cuttings if you would like to risk it.

Jane

Ohhhhhh that photo sounds wonderful! I'd absolutely love a cutting of Madame Plantier that's really most kind of you, it would be wonderful to have a child of a rose that graced a cottage garden over 100 years ago  How about you take the cutting for me and I can get it from you at a future event? Much safer than the post and I'm sure at some point in the not too distant future we'll be in the same place at the same time I'm sure others will be in the cuttings queue as Madame Plantier looks stunning and with the promise of fragrance and floral eye candy how can they resist?

Debs

Hello Debs,

Will get some cuttings rooted and then we will go from there.

Jane

Thank you