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June garden




There’s a small window of time roses become rampant in our garden after laying dormant all winter. And it’s now. If the weather is nice, as it has been lately, with a couple of weeks of bright sunshine and quite warm days, they bloom and become glorious. In the evenings the air is sweet and fragrant and has you breathing in deep and fills you with a kind of giddy happiness.



At the same time, our magnolia tree is in bloom. A bit of competition. The pointy white flowers are hidden in the thick leaves but I know they are there. You only need to leave the window slightly open and with a slight breeze a whiff will bring the sweet delicate perfume in the house.

Beyond the wall the hydrangeas are timidly growing, still tender buds at the moment awaiting the full onset of summer, when they too will take their turn at being the center of attention. The flowers were once a blueish lavender when they were young shrubs, now years on down and matured, they have become a flamingo pink, however for fun become violet again in the autumn as they dry.

I can’t take any credit for any of these sweet garden blooms as they are all perennials, and have all come upon us like a storm as we come out of months of lockdown, like a welcoming committee, ready for us, as we take part again, in life beyond our doors.


Il y a une petite fênetre de temps où les roses deviennent presque envahissantes dans notre jardin après avoir dormi tout l'hiver. Et c'est maintenant. Si le temps a été clément, comme cela a été le cas récemment, avec des semaines ensoleillées et des jours assez chauds, ils fleurissent et deviennent glorieux. Le soir, l'air est doux et parfumé et en respirant profondément vous êtes remplit d'une sorte de bonheur et d'étourdissement. 

En même temps, notre magnolia est en fleur. Un peu de compétition, voyons ! Les fleurs blanches pointues sont cachées dans les feuilles épaisses mais je sais qu'elles sont là. Il suffit de laisser la fenêtre légèrement ouverte et avec une légère brise un doux parfum délicat embaume la maison.

Très tape à l'oeil cette année, les géraniums sont également en fleur, chez nous d'une couleur cramoisie, et ils ont également leur parfum doux et très particulier. J'adore le peu d'huile essentielle qui reste sur mes doigts quand je retire des fleurs fanées. 

Au-delà du mur, les hortensias poussent timidement, des bourgeons attendent encore le début de l'été, quand eux aussi seront à leur tour les vedettes. Les fleurs étaient autrefois une lavande bleuâtre quand elles étaient de jeunes arbustes, mais maintenant des années plus tard et mûries, elles sont devenues un flamant rose, mais juste pour le plaisir elles redeviennent violettes à l'automne en séchant. 


Je ne peux prétendre à aucun gloire de jardinière pour aucune de ces fleurs car ce sont toutes des plantes vivaces, et elles se sont toutes fleuries d'un coup alors que nous sortons des mois de confinement. Comme un comité d'accueil, elles sont là, même flamboyantes, alors que nous sortons timidement dans la vie au-delà de nos portes.

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