Lazy Summer Days

Ahh Summer! You dream about it all winter and when it actually arrives it's something to savour. I know summer heat can get intense and even oppressive on some parts of the world, which effectively prevents nearly anyone from doing anything outdoors from late morning till late afternoon. Here in the UK it rarely gets that uncomfortably warm even on sunny days where temperatures rarely goes above 30C. Okay, stretches of sunny and dry weather are not guaranteed here either (sometimes we don't get it at all, like in 2012) so when you do get it, it is an extra incentive to enjoy it.

Even Twinkles is enjoying summer in the garden

So far this summer is proving to be a really good one (by British standards).

We seem to have been a little bit lazy and extra chilled out this year. It started with our non appearance to Cornwall last May which broke a tradition. Then a decision not to renew our membership to Kew this year and have breather from a place that we love but got too familiar with. We haven't been to as many shows and fairs, or garden and nursery visits either, especially compared to our fervour from previous years. Replanting following the fire damage was completed earlier this year and the jungle hut repainted and redecorated but apart from that no major projects have been undertaken.

Previous years have been so much more intense for us, especially the last one so we do need to slow down and just...enjoy the garden!

Loving this variegated Beschorneria septentrionalis, which doesn't show signs of burning on the new leaves even in full sun

Especially on beautiful summer days like today.

Usually we still do lots of pottering on days like today but there was a moment earlier when we were both sitting down doing...nothing. Then Gaz suggested that we get some building sand to start sorting out the quarantine pond (which was a much delayed project). Usually I would say yes but not this time, I said no and suggested we do very little instead. He immediately agreed. Best decision of the weekend.

So it has been a generally a lazy weekend for us, doing not much but enjoying every moment of it! And it looks like the trend will be like that for most of this summer.

Different colours on the leaves of Magnolia denudata 'McCracken's Variegate

The mind continues to wander though and we know this laziness is just us recharging our batteries. Plans are brewing for things to do later this year and next year, that's just the way we are.

I mentioned that we haven't been to many events and places this summer so far, a major contradiction to that is about to happen as we gear ourselves to be inspired by Hampton Court Flower Show tomorrow, and be thrilled by Portland later.

Aeonium 'Poldark' one of the new hybrids from Trewidden 

So good thing we were lazy, we need the energy for the next few days!

I leave you with a photo of this Quercus currently delighting us with a new flush of leaves. It looks fab but I'm too lazy to rummage through my plant label box to find out its species. Maybe later, it's summer where procrastination is more forgivable.

Mark :-)

Posted in: exotic blog , exotic garden , exotic garden blog , summer , Twinkles