Most of you will agree this was a challenging summer for the garden… Fighting the weather, (drought, heat and wind) is not a battle we will ever win.
Struggling after a most unusual winter, many trees and shrubs could not recover to their previous glory and in my case, many didn’t make it. It’s a reminder to us that creating a garden is not about perfection but about acceptance. This is a lesson I’ve not learned well!!!
A good part of June was spent mourning the loss of so many of my long-established boxwoods. The boxwood graveyard grew higher and higher every week. I don’t know many I replaced but at the last count, it was 130 (there were many more after that). It seemed I was doing a run to the garden centres every other day to pick up more and I’d be surprised if I didn’t clean out the Green Velvet supply in Edmonton.
It will take some time before the hedges look full and lush again, and as a precaution, I didn’t clip the hedges that survived for fear of stressing them further. Thankfully, we didn’t have any water bans this summer, and I’ve been watering often, hoping this disaster does not happen again next Spring.
All was not lost this summer. Although most perennials came up later than normal, they did shine. At one time, the tulips, lilacs, peonies and roses were blooming simultaneously. The Mock Orange and Snowball Viburnum were laden with blooms and the newly planted white borders last year survived and performed beautifully.
Reflecting on the past five months, I can’t let the lows overshadow the highs. I’m grateful every day for my garden and the lessons I can learn from it.
Soon the garden will be tucked away for another season and we’ll be daydreaming about what comes next…
How was your summer?
xox Judy❤️