September it is then. Time for picking ripe blackberries from the burgeoning hedgerows to be stewed, sweetened and then baked into golden-crusted pies. Topped off of course with lashings of steaming hot custard. But before that, and autumn arrives in all its glory, there is still time to remember summer and what it gave us at its height.
Not wanting to end on a ‘frayed’ note, and how very kind it was of you to show concern for my slug-ransacked garden, I must show you that all is not lost.
Still, on sunny days, butterflies play before their summer is over…
Butterfly in Somerset
(c) Sherri Matthews 2014
Trailing Lobelia cascade from my hanging baskets…
Summer Hanging Basket (c) Sherri Matthews 2014
Roses bloomed and flourished in the eighth-warmest July in the UK since records were first collected in 1910 (source: The Guardian)…
My Iceberg Rose in the back garden, sneaking in one last bloom before summer’s end, makes for a glorious display…
Iceberg Rose (c) Sherri Matthews 2014
This is good news indeed because several years ago I almost killed it off.
While admiring all the blooms in my garden one balmy summer’s evening, I couldn’t help but notice that they were riddled with aphids.
Not wanting to use chemical sprays, I had tried everything including spraying them with washing up liquid diluted in water but they kept on coming, devouring the new growth and baby buds like ravenous monsters, tiny though they are.
Keeping a bottle of rose spray to hand, also used for black spot and mildew, I marched over to the shed and grabbed it. Aiming the bottle and pointing the trigger I declared war on those aphids and sprayed my beautiful rose-bush from top to bottom, as per the instructions, until every leaf was covered wet with the stuff. Job done.
“That’ll teach ’em!” I smugly pronounced to a rather startled hubby, such was my exuberance.
Sitting back down, about to relax in the knowledge that my roses would now thrive and about to take a nice sip of my cold, summer drink – Pimms anyone? – a troubling thought out of nowhere gripped me like an ice-cold vice.
Wait. There were two blue plastic bottles in the shed, practically identical.
Which is which?
If hubby had been surprised before, now he was down right puzzled as he must have thought I had lost the plot completely as I leapt out of my comfortable garden chair and bolted for the shed, whereupon I let out an unearthly howl. Yes, dear reader, upon grabbing the very bottle I had used, I discovered to my horror that I had just doused my gorgeous roses with weedkiller.
Hubby jumped to the rescue as I hopped about like a crazed frog crying, “Oh no, my poor rose, what will I do, it’s going to die…oh no, oh no!”
That is the clean version at least, what I actually said would be unprintable.
So what did we do? Well, we grabbed the garden hose and sprayed the rose with water completely soaking it and then watered all around it to make sure that as much residue as possible washed away into the ground away from the roots and from the surrounding plants.
For the rest of the summer I watched as the roses wilted and faded and the leaves turned a disturbing shade of yellow. But it did not die. That winter I cut it right back and by the following spring, much to my amazement, it burst back into life, albeit rather sheepishly, and finally, after a couple of years it returned to its former blazing glory, thus:
My Iceberg Rose forgave me
(c) Sherri Matthews 2014
No longer discouraged, I carried on. In early summer, the warm air was sweetened by the graceful and familiar scent of lavender as it drifted softly on the breeze…
Lavender in Somerset
(c) Sherri Matthews 2014
Lanterns and candle holders decorated flower borders here and there…
Geraniums that survived the winter months, unheard of in these parts, burst into life by the side of my summerhouse, thinking rather audaciously
that they were in the Mediterranean and certainly not in the
West Country of England…
Geraniums in Somerset
(c) Sherri Matthews 2014
…and the Acer Tree spread its delicate branches to form a canopy across my old, worn bench…
Worn bench beneath the cool canopy of the Acer Tree
(c) Sherri Matthews 2014
Fuchsias which also survived the winter sprung up in unexpected places, never minding what else might stand in their way…
Fuchsia
(c) Sherri Matthews 2014
‘Duck’ (hijacked rescued much to the delight of my children from the Norfolk Broads when found floating aimlessly on a tiny river inlet while on a boating holiday) enjoyed bobbing about in the base of the fountain, no longer working but I like the look of it, and which, over a decade ago, sat in my Californian garden…
And my herbs of sage, thyme, oregano, basil, chives, parsley, rosemary and mint all escaped the slug-scourge…
And when my lavender was in full flow bees visited daily although sadly, not as many as last year…
So it is that we can leave summer’s glory behind as it makes way for September’s harvest.
Yet there is one more thing I need to do: there is someone I must thank.
Not too long ago I had the most amazing surprise. Clicking on a pingback from my lovely blogging friend Steven I was stunned into mouth-gaping silence (and that never happens) when I read his post. Steven is a superb writer and artist and as part of his series of drawing portraits of his blogging friends, he drew mine. I was moved greatly by his wonderful act of kindness and generosity. I urge you to take a look at his blog if you haven’t done so already for much more of his fantastic artwork. He’ll be thrilled to have you drop by.
For roses and a heartfelt thank you. September it is then.
A View From My Summerhouse 
and the moral, much to everyone’s surprise, is take more water with it. Who knew?
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Haha…yes, who knew? We didn’t that’s for sure! I read on the label that if it rained within a couple of hours of putting the weedkiller on then it might not work so I figured by dousing it with loads of water that would do the trick. Thankfully it did…!
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Thank you for showing me around your beautiful garden Sherri – as you know I am rather partial to a garden and you have a little oasis (well, it might be a large plot, but I can’t gauge that from this post). I’m with you on the pelargoniums and fuchsias – mine stayed out too and have done brilliantly this summer. And I love the ice-berg roses. They are tough plants and are grown in South Africa often in the vineyards. Such a shame they don’t have any fragrance, but they do make up for it with the masses of blooms. All your roses and the lavender look extremely healthy too. I use an organic spray for combating the aphids, which haven’t been too bad this year. But the hostas suffered from the snails 😦
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Thanks very much Jude, so happy to have shown you around. Shame we couldn’t have had a cuppa in the garden afterwards – although you don’t drink tea do you? Pimms then! Anyway, it’s rained all day here…still, you got to see it on a lovely sunny day 🙂
It’s a garden of two levels, the top part is off from the kitchen, down three steps. We leveled it out, removed the old falling down shed, put up trellis and then my summerhouse. Then you go down more steps to the bottom bit which was grassed but we patioed it instead and gradually replaced most of the shrubs down there. Except for the Acer and other tree. The rest we put in over the 6 years we’ve been here but it’s not huge by any means. Big enough for us though and even though on an estate, we have views of trees and shrubs both ends of the house and not overlooked which helps. We put up another trellis over the bottom steps too so that the rambling rose (the pink one above), honeysuckle and jasmine vine, which has gone mad this year, has created a jungle but it hides the view from the neighbours perfectly 😉 I’m not very sociable am I? That’s really interesting about the iceberg roses in SA. Same in CA so yes, they definitely are hardy and just as well, haha!! Yes, shame no fragrance that is the downside. I have one rose that has a delightful fragrance but I had no idea it only blooms for about 2 weeks in June and that’s it ;-( I have hardly had to spray at all this year either but my few hostas disappeared long ago thanks to the snails and slugs. Then today, as if they heard me, you won’t believe it but I caught three dirty great slugs on my basil!!! Can you believe it?
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I would have loved to have a glass or two in your summerhouse; I’m sure we could spend hours setting the world to rights 😉 It sounds as though you have got the garden exactly how you like it, but they are always a WiP I think. I have a Gertrude Jekyll rose (well I had to buy one of those, didn’t I?) but she also only flowers for a couple of weeks and did it whilst I was away! Lovely perfume though – I caught the end of a couple of blooms. I had loads of roses when I lived in Doncaster, but got rid of them as I was fed up with all the work – pruning, feeding, spraying! Working full-time and having 4 kids to raise on my own, I decided that they had to go! (the roses, not the kids 😀 )
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Yes, we could talk for hours definitely and share a bottle very easily I’m sure 😉 A lot of work that, must have been very tough. I can see why the roses had to go and glad it was them and not the kids 😀
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I shrieked as well when you realized what you’d sprayed your roses with. Still, they came back, most likely 10-fold. 🙂
Your garden is gorgeous. Lots of interesting cubbies, interesting collections and surprises. ❤
Your portrait is stunning. Wow. You lucky lady. You are busy, busy, busy. Looks good on YOU. 🙂
❤ ❤
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Ahh…can you believe I did such a stupid thing? My excuse is that I wasn’t wearing my reading glasses at the time…and I was sicker than a dog when I realised what I’d done
Thank you Tess, I’m so glad you enjoyed these pics of my garden. A lot of work to do before winter comes though, it’s gone crazy this year! Yes, Steven is a very talented artist and you are an absolute sweetheart 😀 ❤ ❤ ❤
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It’s amazing how alive and present he’s captured your eyes.
Stunning. ❤
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Steven is a great talent that’s for sure…and a really lovely guy ❤ 🙂 ❤
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Yup. Sure sounds like it. ❤
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❤
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Lovely photos Sherri! Thank you
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Thank you so much Susan, so glad you enjoyed them 🙂
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What wonderful and glorious photos-so very lovely!! made my day and I am still laughing! Now I wonder if we are somehow related to one another, either that we are both related to Susan from Desperate Housewives!!! 🙂 ❤ ❤ ❤
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Ahh…and how lovely of you to share on your FB, which I always appreciate so much. Can you believe how stupid I was? Yes, Susan it is…but I so wanted to be Bree 😦 Guess I’ll have to try a lot harder, haha 😀 Thank you so much my friend, it’s great to be able to share pics this way isn’t it and give you a good laugh at the same time 😛 Much love and hugs… ❤ ❤ ❤ xoxoxoxo
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Hey, Sherri, your garden looks grand. If roses can bloom that way, slug or no, your garden is wonderful. I love the climbing plants you have. And I am so sorry about the mistake, I can feel your agony. I sigh with relief that you have a fast-thinking husband who knew what to do.
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Thanks so much Imelda, I did so much want you to see the good garden and not just the slug ravaged one 😉 Yes, I couldn’t believe it when I did it but thank goodness for hubby. I was so upset but it all worked out in the end… phew 😀
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Just lovely, Sherri! Thank you for showing me your garden. I am so envious of your roses, and delighted in your story about spraying them with weed killer. It’s not that I enjoyed your suffering, but I have been driven to similar impulsiveness myself, and your description of that cold feeling when you realize what you’ve done: been there! I am so happy to have found a fellow gardener and friend.
Fondly,
Elizabeth
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Thank you greatly, I’m delighted to show you my garden Elizabeth and I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Yes, it’s great to share our triumphs and disasters as fellow gardeners isn’t it? It’s a lot of trial and error but in this case I was just plain stupid and couldn’t believe it! Oh well, it all worked out and my rose is blooming beautifully now 🙂 Lovely to share the journey with you my friend and fellow gardener ❤
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Oh that is an unfortunate accident with your roses but I’m glad they survived. They look stunning!
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Thanks so much Rachel, I’m glad too but still can’t forget doing that…I was convinced it would die but it came back stronger than ever, yay 😀
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Sherri, wow what a beautiful garden! Thanks for showing me round and for taking such lovely photos. Loved the story about the alternative rose solution & how they survived! 🙂
And it started with “hot steamy custard” which i love, and really made my stomach grumble as i’m fasting at the moment! lol. 😀
Thanks again for an amazing post, your loving brother, Steve 🙂
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Thanks so much Steve for your wonderful comment, it’s my pleasure to show you the sights and sounds of my Somerset garden 😀 It was horrible at the time as I was convinced that I had killed off my rose forever so it’s wonderful to see it thriving now 🙂
Ahh…I hope I didn’t tempt you with the hot steamy custard, lol 😉 All blessings to you my brother and friend in your fast… 🙂
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Lol you captured the shock perfectly and even i got tense wondering if you could save them! 🙂
Mmmm custard!! Guess what i’m having after my fast!! 😀
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Haha…love it 😀
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Despite the weed killer attack, the aphids and the slugs, your garden is beautiful, Sherri! DFD is constantly in battle with the aphids.
I love Steven’s drawing! I remember seeing it on Patsy’s blog and I was amazed by his talent.
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Haha! It sounds like a battleground doesn’t it, except that I am responsible for one of them!!! Ahh..thanks so much Jill. DFD and I share our gardening battles against those pesky aphids, you can send him my commiserations 😉
Steven has great talent that’s for sure. I read your lovely comment on his blog Jill, I was very moved by it, you are such a lovely lady, an absolute star… ❤ xo
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What a beautiful flower gallery! It’s so wonderful to see such beauty in the early morning.
Great photos!
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Thank you very much Amy, I’m thrilled to know that you enjoyed these photos to start your day and a huge compliment from you 😀
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What an exquisite garden you have, Sherri! I love rose, and fuchsias, and I’m so glad that your iceberg rose survived its terrible ordeal. I can just imagine your horror when you realised your mistake. 😯 Your little duckie is so cute, and looks very happy in its little ‘pond’. The butterfly is lovely, and so is your birdhouse. Happy autumn to you. xx 🙂
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Thank you so much Sylvia for your lovely comment and I’m so glad you enjoyed this little tour of my garden, particularly as I got to show you little duckie 😉 I look at my iceberg rose now and breathe in a sigh of relief knowing it survived but I was so worried about it. When I planted it it was only about a foot high so I’ve nurtured it for years and hated to see it dwindle away. But then it came back stronger than ever, phew!
Happy autumn to you too my friend and not long before you are here to experience it at its best 🙂 xx
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How glorious, Sherri! I love the frilly feminine “victorian” type flowers, but in Arizona most of ours are brighter (sometimes obnoxious) colors and less frilly petals. I miss the roses and peonies and columbines and morning glories and the likes of my days in Michigan. And might I add that I love waking up and reading a post with hedgerows and lashings in it?!
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Haha…oh Luanne, you do make me smile! I love that, ‘waking up to a post with hedgerows and lashings in it’. So glad to bring those to you first thing in the morning 😉
I’m thrilled to know that you enjoyed the pics so much. That’s really interesting about the difference in the petals in Arizona. We visited Arizona to see the Grand Canyon and stayed in Flagstaff. I was amazed at the beauty of the place with all the forests and pines high up in the mountains as I always imagined it to be hot, dry and dusty plains! Who knew? The air seemed to pure to me there. Michigan sounds delightful too. I loved my morning glory in California, it grew everywhere. But I never did have my hanging baskets until I moved back here…just too hot 😉
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Oh Sherri, what a disaster with the roses! (Though, I must confess that I laughed) Only because it didn’t die, and I knew it forgave you 😉 Otherwise, that would have been mortifying. I love roses.
Your garden looks so pretty. I saw a saying not too long ago…:
‘If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk through my garden forever.’ – Alfred Tennyson
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I know, I know, can you believe it? But please laugh away, it was meant to be funny, just one of my many stupidities which are, lets face, blooming hilarious, haha 😉 Not at the time though, I couldn’t believe what I did but I blame it on the fact that I wasn’t wearing my reading glasses at the time and was so keen on destroying those little mites that I went a bit mad. That’ll teach me, right? Yes, my poor rose did forgive me and for that I’m so grateful 😀
Thank you dear Jenny Jen Jen, I’m so glad you enjoyed these pretty pics and I absolutely love the Tennyson quote. Just beautiful…. ❤
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Haha, we can certainly get wrapped up in a delusional state sometimes, being so focused on a particular thing 😉
I always think of flowers as being quite forgiving little things, really. I’m not sure what it is. But then, all of nature is terribly forgiving, considering what we do it, as humans. (My obligatory green message for the day, right there)
Glad you liked the quote! 🙂
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Love your green message…really do… 🙂
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That was a nice gentle jaunt around your beautiful garden, Sherri. I’ll be interested to know what you recommend for a bit of autumn colour – that’s where we fall down, once the geraniums finish I don’t seem able to find a suitable substitute – I don’t have much luck with pansies!
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Hi Jenny, glad you enjoyed it and got to see the nice bits that the darn slugs didn’t destroy 😉 So far as autumn colour I am useless at that. I just plonk in my bulbs in October and wait for spring. I can’t put pansies in because of the slugs and never do well with them either for some reason. I will have to ask my mum, she is the garden expert. In fact, her garden is gorgeous and seems to know these things 🙂 I’m wondering if our geraniums will survive another winter…but who knows what weather we’ll have
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Looks like it’s still summer where you’re at, Sherri, with all your flowers flourishing like they are. They’re beautiful, for sure. Can you tell me what liquid soap mixture you prepare for your rose? I think I’m having the same problems with a new lilac bush I planted this year and need to get a handle on it before it gets cold. Thank You! You’re the best and Steven’s tribute to you was wonderful! 🙂
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Thank you so much Pat, glad you enjoyed the pics and yes, Steven is a lovely guy, I was very humbled by his amazing gesture, still can’t quite believe it… 🙂
Some photos were taken earlier in the summer, June/July time and so don’t look as colourful now but my iceberg rose still looks good as do my hanging baskets and geraniums. The lavender has gone over now it was beautiful in June when I took the photo with the bee 🙂 It’s a mixture of dishwashing liquid(I realise I called it washing up liquid which is what we call it here, I forget sometimes which is which!) diluted with several parts water in a spray bottle. It usually works quite well but be sure to use it in the shade otherwise it burns the leaves. I hope it works for you, let me know 🙂
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Thanks Sherri — on the mixture what is the ratio (part to what part), i.e., 4:1. May not work as our lilac is in full sun but could try it when it’s cooler and cloudy. What do you think?
You should be proud with the tribute Steven gave you. It was nice. I liked the picture, too. Looked like a drawing of you. 🙂
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Yes, sorry Pat, I should have been more specific. Just put in about the same amount you would use when doing the dishes, a small dollop into about a liter of water. Spray it, bubbles and all on your plants and it should work within hours. Cooler is best. I hope it works, let me know! And thanks again my friend, that is so sweet of you 🙂
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Beautiful garden; beautiful words.
So glad you were able to save your rose! 🙂 Have a lovely September.
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Thanks so much Tracy, and yes, I was too, very glad! I won’t do that again in a hurry, hopefully 😉 A lovely September to you too…I hope you are doing well ❤
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Oh my goodness! Sherri, this is absolutely delightful. More eye candy (not going to call it flower porn again) for your readers. Absolutely stunning. Is your garden part of a garden tour in your town. If not, it should be! Great job on resurrecting your rose bush, phew! Let’s see what September brings for us. 🙂
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Ahh..yes, I like eye candy, lol 😉 Ahh, thanks so much Maria, I’m thrilled you like these pics, and again, I did think of you 🙂 That’s so sweet of you but my garden pales into insignificance when it comes to those on a garden tour. You should see some of them. Although I haven’t gone on one for ages come to think of it. Yes, I was so relieved that my lovely rose bush survived! And yes, here’s to a glorious September… 😀
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Frayed I enjoyed this too much haha! I do love a good garden, a wonderful celebration of nature and a fun journey as well. So here we are in Autumn, I think we should get the coats, Lemsip and high heating bills ready for more ‘fun!’.
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Haha…nice one! I do find I can settle down to writing much better when it’s cold and wet outside. But not liking those high heating bills. Although I do find Lemsip works rather well when called for…but not yet 😉 Thank you, glad you enjoyed the garden pics…now get your woolies out it’ll soon be Christmas…well, if the discount card shop in my town is anything to go by. Christmas cards out since July and I’m not kidding…
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Cold and wet is our natural habitat, I don’t think we function well in the heat…if we did we’d be Spanish or something. Card shops should be avoided at all costs, I would hate to work in a factory making them, it would depress me somewhat chronic. I think it is almost time for our local Wetherspoons (one of the three in the town centre) to put up its tree first…tradition is not always a good thing.
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Oh no…not Wetherspoons? Three of them?? I expect there are a few card shops crammed in between them. Oh dear…
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It’s grim having card shops and pubs everywhere, we don’t even have a second hand book shop anymore!
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Now that’s pretty grim 😦
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Your garden is beautiful Sherri. And, your Iceberg Rose is gorgeous. So glad that you were able to wash the weed killer off… that was very quick thinking.
Your portrait is amazing! Steven is a very, very talented artist.
I could never draw portraits of people very well. It was too hard to objectively portray a person’s outer appearance when the minute my subject and I locked eyes I could sense their inner qualities. (I hope that makes sense.) I quit trying because I didn’t want to offend anyone. On the other hand, it’s pretty hard to offend flowers, so flowers and landscapes have become my main subjects.
Thank you for sharing the inspirational photos dear Sherri 😉
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Ahh…thank you my friend, I always have you in mind when I post flower photos as I can’t wait to show them to you and thought why wait until the end of the week! So glad you enjoyed them, thank you very much as always for your always lovely compliments of my photographs.
I’m amazed by any artists. Steven is a wonderful talent no doubt about it. I was totally blown-away by what he did. You draw and paint what you are gifted for and you are naturally and wonderfully talented too. I think you should put together a book of your art, I really do. With the quotes and your narrative, what a gorgeous book that would be…I would definitely buy it 🙂
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Thank you Sherri, but you are too kind. You’re the one who should author a book. Can’t wait to purchase your memoirs someday. Have a nice weekend my friend 🙂
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Ahh…well, you keep me going with my writing Theresa, that’s for sure…and here I am only just now replying having left Friday afternoon for the weekend with the boys. We had a wonderful time, thank you and hope you did too. Here’s to the week ahead 🙂
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Such a lovely yard! Gorgeous. I love your roses and especially the white ones. Of course the California girl loves lavender. But moreover I like how you say goodbye to one season to welcome the next one. Fall is as beautiful as summer and offers other treasures to cherish. Happy fall to you and your family, Sherri.
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Ahh yes, the lavender 😉 Thank you very much Evelyne as always for your lovely comment and a happy fall to you and your family too…it is a wonderful season 🙂
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Your garden is lovely despite the slugs. I suffer with them too because I don’t like using chemicals. The picture of you on Steven’s blog was wonderful too. He’s very talented.
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Very kind of you Marie, thanks so much and yes, Steven is a wonderfully talented guy 🙂
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Soooo, I pop in for a whistle-stop stealth blogging operation and what do I find? Nine thousand lovely comments on my Sherri Poppins portrait, due to your linkage (slight exaggeration, but seriously, I was expecting zero). Thank you Sherri P for sharing, and indeed all who have been very kind and encouraging in here and over at my place. As I said before, or if I didn’t say it before, I SHOULD have… you are the greatest!
What a story. Funny now, but I can imagine what an intensely serious situation this would be…. trust Sherri P to come up with the solution so quickly! I would have felt very guilty had I murdered roses like that.
Your garden is blooming lovely. I am quite jealous. The canopied bench looks so inviting, and I want that duck!!!
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Haha…well JG see what happens when you disappear? I told you I would come after you with my summerhouse – on wheels, no less – and I wasn’t kidding 😛 Ahh…well, you only get what you deserve (and I do mean that in the best possible way!) and so glad for all the visits over at your pad. You are a super-star my friend 🙂
Oh yes, I still feel guilty, even though my rose forgave me and survived, and some. Phew! I was so upset when it happened, couldn’t believe what I’d done. Still, it all worked out in the end thank goodness 🙂
Ahh…well I’m thrilled to know that you like my garden, thank you so much! As for that bench, I actually brought it back with me from California, it used to sit outside my house on the porch. Yes, I had a porch once upon a time ago… *sigh*….and I was determined to bring it back with me. It’s a bit rotten now but Eddie loves to sleep on it in the shade on hot days and I like having old, rusty, rotten things sitting about in my garden…the bench, not Eddie I mean. Is that weird? And as for the duck, well, as you can see, it came from the Norfolk Broads, been back to the States and back here again. Isn’t that a strange coincidence? We’ve had it about 15 years or so! A plastic duck of all things, haha. You didn’t have one like that once did you? If so, I can only apologise for my kids pilfering it….but it is very happy as you can tell 😉
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Weed killer, Sherri? OhNo OhNo. And you have such beautiful flowers and arrangements. In addition to your quick solution, another good thing is that you did it at the end of the season, and not at the beginning.
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I know, I know!!!! Can you believe it? I should have added that I wasn’t wearing my reading glasses at the time either, which didn’t help matters
Yes, that is definitely another positive with the timing…but I still feel so stupid about doing it! Thanks so much Marylin, glad you enjoyed the photos 🙂
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Radiant blooms of September reminding us that even it’s back to school, Summer is still here and that fun and adventure is just around the corner. My mom used to have a flower beds of roses in our from balcony when we were kids. Early morning just after sunrise, it’s sweet fragrance fills the air as we watched in awe dew drops falling from its petals and leaves. Thank you for taking me back to a beautiful nostalgic childhood days. It’s amazing how we can go back in time from images of today like everything happened yesterday. Happy September! Let’s hang on to what’s left of Summer before Autumn goes full swing!
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Yes, for all those back to school families (and oh how I remember those days so very well my friend!) these are exciting times indeed. So much to look forward to with the change of season, so many wonderful activities and new lessons to be learned, classroom parties to enjoy and family celebrations 🙂
Ahh…what a lovely memory of your mom’s roses and I’m so glad to have reminded you of this precious time when as a kid you can remember the fragrance and those beautiful dew drops…so beautiful. It is amazing isn’t it, how we can be transported just like that? Even if only because of the memory of just one rose…
Happy September to you my friend! And may it be a glorious one filled with blessings galore for you and your lovely family 🙂
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An absolutely lovely post and your garden is just beautiful and so colourful. Steven’s likeness of you is spot on as he has captured the inner as well as the outer beauty. If ever you need to reassurance that you are doing the right thing just go and read his post again. You have a tribe of visitors to the summerhouse that hold you close. And I’m glad you didn’t kill the rose. ❤ 🙂
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Ahh…thank you so much my dear friend for such a beautiful message. I take all that you say to heart and I shall remember it. You have truly lifted my spirits. I don’t know what else to say other than yes, I’m glad too and so, I hope, is the rose 🙂 ❤ 😀
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I absolutely love this post Sherri, I slowly read through each paragraphs, captivated, and was dismayed at the near disaster of the roses, but was glad that the roses forgave you and blossomed again! 🙂 I love your devotion to those exquisite flowers… you’re doing a wonderful job! Well done friend!!
🙂 🙂
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Thank you so much Seyi, I’m so happy to know that you enjoyed this post so much, even though it seemed to contain such a disastrous message at first! I was devestated when I realised what I’d done, I grew that rose from only a few inches high when I first put it in the ground and now it is up to 5 feet tall blooming magnificently. So yes, it definitely forgave me much to my relief 😀 I hope you had a wonderful weekend my friend, and a blessed week ahead… ❤
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A wonderful, exuberant post Sherri, which really captures the blooming summer we’ve had. I’m so glad you saved your rose bush as it’s beautiful, but then so are the other blooms in your garden. I’m already turning towards autumn, with summer having its last gasp, so you’ve reminded me of what a summer this was.
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I’m really glad you enjoyed it Andrea, thank you so much. It is a particularly beautiful rose, it was only inches high when I planted it and I’ve really nurtured it so to have that happen was devastating! I couldn’t believe it…but as I said to Marylin, my other poor excuse is that I wasn’t wearing my reading glasses – should’ve gone to Specsavers, haha!! Oh wait…I did
Yes, autumn is definitely upon us. Driving back from our weekend in Brighton we saw great evidence of that, despite the sultry, warm weather (perfect for sitting on the beach watching the sunset) we saw more than a shade or two of muted oranges and browns of leaves fluttering to the ground. I wanted to get this summer post out in time and barely made it 😉
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Iceberg roses are great. Mine even produces a few blooms in the shade, with no feeding and definite overcrowding problems.
Your garden is looking absolutely lovely. And what a haven for wildlife.
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They are hardy, that’s certain, and I can prove it, haha!!! Yes, mine will probably have another bloom even now. Last year, with it being so mild, I had blooms right up to Christmas. But I’ll cut it right back this year as its getting a bit ‘leggy’. Still, thank goodness it survived! Will you take any of your roses, or cuttings, with you do you think?
Ahh…thank you very much Denise. It is a bit ‘jungly’ in parts but I do like to go mad with buddliah, roses and lavender, amongst other things, purposely to attract bees and butterflies. Sadly, also the slugs…but hopefully they’ll disappear soon… 😉
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Ah, Sherri- I love you! I’ve just read backwards through the last 3 posts and I haven’t time to comment on them all (The son’s menacing ironing is looking at me balefully from the back of the armchair but I’m avoiding eye contact). I share many of your doubts about the writing process and the whole business of publishing sounds to me like a nightmare. I should go back to that post because I wanted to read the links. I’ve already seen Steven’s amazing likeness. Oh, why isn’t there more time? And it’s Monday tomorrow so I need to get cracking! Have faith, dear girl. You’ll get there and it will be a great read. 🙂
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Dear, dear Jo…I just can’t believe it! In returning to this post to check on old photos of my roses (my poor rambler came down in last night’s storm) I am mortified to see your wonderful comment here from September 14!!!!! I can’t believe it! How did I miss this? I came down with that horrible virus after my birthday on the 10th and then my daughter got ill so I can only think that is when your message came up and now I’m thinking I probably missed a few others too. So sorry 😦 But reading your message here I know we were both chasing our tails and trying get catch up…and just when I got caught up look what happened? Again!!!! Ah well, we get there in the end don’t we, massive piles of ironing or not. Anyway, you are such a superstar and I love you too my friend….you keep me going, you really do. Hope this week is a good one for us both…and I’ll be over to you very shortly, promise! Big hugs… 🙂 ❤
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Hugs to you too! I’m just off to cook tea- I’m starving 🙂 🙂
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I’ve just made a cuppa…I’ll join you 😀
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