July 2nd, here in Nova Scotia...and hail! Yes, Hail!!! I think I must have uttered 'OH NO' or words similar, for five minutes...no word from Environment Canada why this was not predicted! The damage to our garden...minimal but we won't know fully, until a day or two passes...the bruising and bashing...honestly, I felt their pain. Some of the tomato plants were tattered...but the new flower buds hung on.
But....everyone is having strange weather and Nova Scotia is no different. Do you know, the sea in our small bay was 78 degrees yesterday. When we were swimming today...in the tannin rich fresh water floating above the salt water we noticed mosquito larvae were active. "Never Before"...how many times will we continue to say this?
On the positive side..and yet also, 'never before'..have we ever had the abundance of strawberries as this year.
Nor, have we had the flush of David Austin's 'Golden Celebration' rose. As we walk through the back garden, the scent of oranges lifts our spirits..that is the scent of Golden Celebration! It is pure bliss.
We are enjoying the garden and the gardening right now. It is mostly tidy up and maybe tuck in a few new perennials where others have 'passed-away'. The color orange still continues to consume me, and adding more hot colors to the garden has changed/excited my focus on how I want to view the whole composition. There really are no rules!! It is okay to have lots of bright colors..now! Not so five years ago , I wouldn't have enjoyed it....but now...it is great and gives my eyes a bright buoyant focus, as well as lifts my heart.
Weird weather all over. We are shivering here this evening - we had sunshine but cool temps yesterday and today it's back to misty rain. June this year had more days of rain than any June since 1952. The roses are gorgeous this year, but we are rarely outside to enjoy them. Bring on summer!
ReplyDeleteSad to read you are not enjoying the roses because of the coolness but it is perfect for them!! The heat makes them melt while they shine when it is cool!!!...oh those roses..they make me suffer for their beauty! We are not often friends )))
DeleteThanks for the tip on the choir! By the way... we got hail today as well!!! Larry
ReplyDeleteSorry Larry to read about your hail as well, as your most touching piece on your local farmers.
DeleteHope you enjoy the Fron Choir...excellent, esp the first cd.
We just need some warmth and sunshine - I'm sure the strawberries aren't quite as sweet as when they are riepened by the sun.
ReplyDeleteThey are definitely, sweeter when ripened by the sun and I can attest to that!! Still, if you got critters stealing and hail falling...it is what it is!! Hope your weather improves soon and looks as if you had a good crop yesterday!! Very good crop!
DeleteOh dear ... hail! Glad it didn't cause too much damage. Weather certainly has been strange every where. We've already used our AC more than we normally do for the entire summer. Crazy! I love all the color you are adding to your gardens ... so pretty!
ReplyDelete~Michele
Thanks Michele...it wasn't bad at all...and I was much surprised with that. Mind you, some folks had larger particles so they would have suffered more, and I haven't hear how our our local fruit growers were affected.
DeleteI hope you didn't get too much damage from that hail! You're right, the weather is weird everywhere! We've been getting violent thunder and windstorms that are unusual for here in southern New England. Our winter was exceptionally mild yet we had a snowstorm in the beginning of October.Hail down here too, but fortunately our town was missed.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for visiting...no damage except for a bit of battering. Yes weird weird weather and weirder every year. I watch your New England weather very closely as it is headed our way mostly, unless it goes out to sea.
DeleteBrenda, we were at the beach yesterday (we're on the south side, looking out to NS) and heard giant rumbles of thunder coming from your direction. Now I know what that was bringing. I thought it was rain, had no idea hail would come down. Your strawberries might be a bit bruised now? They kept predicting thunderstorms for here but we never did see a spot of rain. Your roses are wonderful. I have a soft spot
ReplyDeletefor yellow roses and these are stunning, is there a hint of orange colour on the blossoms? and if they smell like oranges, oh my!
Yes M..there is a hint of orange in the bloom. The long branches need to be weighted downwards at the tip early in the season and you get way more flowers if you that. Roses and I don't love each other, but this year has been pretty good for us. The smell, honestly...delicious.
ReplyDeleteSo you could hear Nova Scotia roaring..and it wasn't a beer party!! no ..it was a major rumble! Glad it missed you.
Nice to catch up. Been so busy. Those strawberries look delicious - we've had a very poor year. Some news of my book to come soon.
ReplyDeleteAm anxious to hear more of your book, publication date and promo!! Hallelujah blog post expected soon.
DeleteThank you for taking the time to visit..I know how busy you must be. Strawberries just picked sitting in a heart shaped dish in the kitchen..he says "will just graze on them as I pass by"...Big smile. It has been a very good year for them.
That Rose is fantastic Brenda, I hope the hail didn't smash the blooms. Does it really smell like oranges?
ReplyDeletePaul
I just love that Rose, Paul...and this year, she was a 'showstopper'. To my nose, it does smell like oranges... Hope you get to visit David Austin roses (think it is in Wolverhampton area). Haven't been, but it is on my bucket list ))
DeleteThe hail did damage the blooms but I gave the outside petals a tidy up and they bounced back good as new..well, almost.
Thanks for commenting.
David Austin's site says they smell of tea and then, Sauterne and strawberries... I smell oranges! )))winning awards for it's strong and delicious fragrance. Make room for it if you can!
DeleteI'm adding it to my list as quite a few of the new ones I have planted 2 years ago seem to have very weak necks and cannot support the blooms or should I give them another year? A rose expert I am not!
DeletePaul
You see, that's why roses and I do not get along..I am not expert either and just trudge along. This rose is at least five years old and it is the best bloom I have had. What I did learn, is that if I took the long boughs and weighted the end/tip or tied it outwards instead of upwards, the whole branch sprouted many more blooms. So many roses to chose from!
Deleteps, bought this particular rose as I saw it at RHS Chelsea and it has to be one of the best places outside of Wolverhampton, to see and smell DA's vast collection and to ask the experts our many questions.
There is some very strange weather going on. Some days you can cover more than one season in a 24 hours. My garden is starting to move from it's pink and purple phase into it's orange and yellow phase. The changes are one of the joys of gardening.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear about your hail storm . . . and I sure hope that your plants pull through okay. Thank you for the encouraging comment on the toy kitchen that I made for my granddaughter. I am now following your blog. I know that it is probably not Kosher, but if you would like to follow me back, it sure wouldn't hurt my feelings. I'm trying to develop a community of followers and learn more about blogging. My wife has a blog and she is the one that encouraged me to start this one. I blog about woodworking and cooking, but I appreciate a beautiful garden and I raise a few pepper plants, tomatoes and this year I planted garlic for the first time. I guess I'm what you would call a trial and error gardener. Have a great day. Steve
ReplyDeleteThanks Steve for commenting, and following. Sure I will follow your blog. I really admire your woodworking skills. The small tender you finished is beautiful. Good growing in your garden. If it compares to your carpentry skills, it should really prosper.
DeleteHi Lovey! Sorry I haven't been by in ages but I've been on a serious writing jag. I'm coming up for a bit of air. And if you think my presence on the web has been down - you oughta see my garden. You'd faint. Oh well. Some summers are just like that. We've been out in the canoe and the man and the step-dot got a refinished sail-boat into the chuck yesterday so it goes...
ReplyDeleteThose yellow roses are just so beautiful!! Lucky with the strawberries, no hail on them? And I hope that your tomatoes will be ok :-).
ReplyDeleteJust been to Australia, and posted some completely different flowers :-). Even the desert can have some amazing flowers!
Ciao
Alessandra
http://alessandrazecchini.blogspot.co.nz/