August moments, Locus amoenus…

The Hortus is cleared out in spite of the blighted box in an attempt to try and return a modicum of order. Perhaps it can still be seen as a flourishing space – its structure has not changed, but we just need to accept and respond to what is happening here.

Then there is the continual prolonged weeding of nettles – the area around the Claudi bridge is a hot spot – as are most of the pond edges.The same treatment is dished out to willowherb throughout the garden. Not only where it is obviously rampant on open hillside but also where it has managed to sneak into the most inaccessible corners amongst whins and brambles. Now that it is cut down the purply mounds of heather can come into their own here for a while.

 The Allotment is again refreshed along with the ‘sea’s leaves, strawberry’s waves’ bed. Squash are planted out in any available corners, clearing space on the greenhouse shelves. There is not much hope of these bearing a bountiful harvest, but they do fulfil a simple decorative purpose.

Hostas are split and their planting extended around the Siegfried line area. It is another opportunity to clear away sweet Cicely gone straggly brown and tired. The raspberry beds are cleared by the Kailyard and in the Front garden to retain their basic framework. Old canes are cut down and the rest left ready for next year. There are still plenty of currants which have not been stripped by the birds and brambles are now in ripe abundance on the hillside.

A start is made to weeding out potamogeton from the lochan by hand and keeping the water surface running. It is really not such a bad place to be on a warm day. The spring source also needs cleared out where it had become heavily silted again and the filters clogged up slowing the supply further down into the garden.

Containers are refreshed – pots of strawflower are put out by the Waves Sheaves inscribed paving stone in front of the cottage and nicotiana sylvestris finds a place in front of the Temple of Apollo. The sedum pots by the Panzer Leader tortoises are also tidied up and given encouragement. Amongst the beds by the fishing boat pavers Gooseneck loosestrife is coming into flower, alongside phlox paniculata. The spiny leaved acanthus and baneberry Atropurpurea are next in sequence.

The perimeter yew hedge around Julie’s garden is clipped, as is its counterpart separating the Parkland from the Kailyard. The return of structure and formality.

By the Temple pond it is impossible to miss the neon pink fronds of astilbe, offset by much softer creamy sambucus. Meadowsweet is still in full bloom around the lochan. Yarrow sways in little cloud formations among the long grass, along with bright punctuation points of devil’s bit scabious.

The weather makes a few passable attempts at resembling summer, but for the most part again it is very much scattered sunshine between showers and a disappointing sequence of grey days. It has been very windy and leaves are swirling down. Shadows stretch out as autumn quickens in…