8th June 2025

Welcome

They say be careful what you wish and the rain has arrived in bucket loads. Fortunately the weather has stayed warm and the rain is not continuous but enough to give the plants a good drink.

It’s a busy time in the garden with cutting down, dead heading, planting vegetables and tying in with so many jobs needing doing at once. Definitely the time to make a plan.

The spikes of soft yellow flowers by the Vegetable Garden gate are Sisyrinchium, a clump forming evergreen perennial.

In the Vegetable Garden we are digging early Potatoes, pulling Beetroot and picking Chard, Cabbage and salad crops. The Herb Garden is flourishing, and we have had our first Strawberries. Straw was placed beneath the strawberries to protect them from mud splash from the rain- just in the nick of time. We are running out of space.

Sorrell is quite an unusual plant and we have just cut our row of Sorrel before it seeds- along the far wall-. It has a lemon flavour and is good for stuffing fish or melted down with butter to make a sauce. Worth a try.

We have planted our tomatoes in the Greenhouse – a variety called Marmande which is later to fruit than some but has very tasty large fruits. All our vegetable crops start life in the greenhouse as a protection from wildlife.

The Iris have finished flowering and are now cut down to prevent wind rock. Delphiniums are taking their place and the tall plant on the bank behind this bed is Cichorrum pumilum or blue Chicory .

The daffodils have not completely died down so these areas cannot be cut yet. We have fed them with blood fish and bone and the rain has watered it in.

In the Bog Garden the water Iris in flower are Pseudacorus Variegata  ( yellow flower) and Laevigata Variegata( purple flower).

The West Lawn is a riot of colour with Paeonies and many varieties of Poppy but it is the roses who take centre stage at this time of year. With over 100 roses in the garden it is impossible to give credit to their versatilities when it comes to growing and choosing a position for planting. There is a map of the roses in the Coffee shop for you to identify a favourite you might have seen.

There are a few spaces left to go round the garden with me – 2pm on Wednesday 18^th June, if you would be interested to know more about the roses and the summer planting.

We have had Muntjac in the garden and you will see the scuffs made by the rabbits. Many birds – names recorded in the Coffee Shop but please add to the list if you have recognised another. The Heron was seen with a large fish in its beak rising from the Moat and the Hebridean sheep have almost successfully finished their task of mowing the Car Parks.

Stay healthy and good gardening

Lynda Tucker