Although summer does not officially arrive for another few days, we have gone past the no turning back point with the arrival and picking of the first strawberries at the allotment. The first sweet peas are kindly making themselves available for little vases.
Would be courgettes are in evidence ~
the elderflower is dripping blossom and this year seems more floriferous than ever ~
and the first flowers of rosa rubiginosa are opening ~
Yet summer is not all the proverbial bed of roses - we have an eighty foot willow just outside the garden. For the last week or so it has been going through its annual moulting. As I child I was entranced by the 'fairies' that floated through the air but as an adult I curse the arrival of this phenonomen, as they smother the paths and garden with a carpet of white fluff which is an absolute nightmare to clear up ~
However I am consoling myself that willow may be preferable to poplar after reading about the seasonal miseries endured by the good citizens of Moscow. In fact I am counting myself lucky in comparison!
Poplars are the evilest things in the plant world. My in-laws planted hybrid poplars on the property because the wanted fast growing shade trees. They seed themselves prolifically, their roots come to the surface and sprout suckers-sometimes 20 to 30 feet from the parent tree, and I think it might take nukes to kill them. Not only am I allergic to the pollen early in the year, but the lint makes my skin break out and burn! I'll cheerfully take willows over poplars.
ReplyDeleteThat's a lovely picture of the elder, and your picture of the r. rubiginosa makes me wonder if I finally have a name for one of the roses I grew for a mix of species seeds. Thanks!
We also have a lot of poplars, but they flower sometime in April. It does look like snowing at that time of year.
ReplyDeleteI love that picture of elder. Here we make juice from elder flowers. It’s very refreshing.
Dear Anna, How exciting the arrival of the first strawberry and sufficient sweet peas for your tiny vase.Lovely.
ReplyDeleteIn Budapest, the white fluff is everywhere at this time of year and coupled with temperatures at present in the high 80s, allergy sufferers are in real trouble.
The elderflowers look wonderful. There certainly will be sufficient for a cordial or two, which is one of my favourite summer drinks.
Hi Anna, lovely bouquet! Your elderflower is gorgeous. I know what you mean about the willow, we live in the land of poplars and it looks like it is snowing some days.
ReplyDeletebtw: love the title of your post. :)
Hi Anna~~ There are cottonwood trees near the river about three miles from here. Often the tiny balls can be seen floating in the air this time of year b this year's rain has helped keep them in check.
ReplyDeleteI suppose for you the consolation is a beautiful tree with ample shade. I know, easy for me to say... :)
The elderflower is beautiful! The willow is lovely, too. As a child you were unburdened with responsibilities like clean-up and unknowing about allergies and just saw the beauty of it. The description of it reminds me of the showering of cherry blossoms we see. But the paths are beautiful when covered in the fallen flowers, and I think they politely disappear by themselves. I've never heard anyone complain about cleaning up cherry blossoms. Maybe I'm not listening!
ReplyDeleteAnna, I like the idea of strawberries as the true marker of the arrival of summer. I picked my first wild strawberries this week, and tonight I served strawberry shortcake (surely one of summer's special treats) to the friend who came over for dinner. -Jean
ReplyDeleteHi Anna,
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to see you have sweet peas, I can't wait for mine to flower! As usual I left it too late to plant them so they're a little bit behind :(
Mmmm, I have Willows in my garden too, only I've never experienced the fluff and they're also much shorter than 80 foot, perhaps this is the incentive I need to go coppice them ha ha.
Balsam Poplar! one to avoid I think.
ReplyDeleteI like the rosa rubiginosa.
I love the colour of the sweetpeas, they look so rich and velvety. I picked my first courgette at the weekend.
ReplyDeleteMy willow has made a real mess this year, I dont remember it being as bad last year. Glad we dont live in Moscow though as that sounds very unpleasant.
ReplyDeleteAnna, Sometimes the mess is worth it - I'm sure you'd agree! Lovely photos of what is happening now in your garden.
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