Hot, hot, hot...

Oh boy. It's one of the hottest days so far this summer. I've watered the Cannas in their pots by the pond and I've got the hoses on. The nicest thing to do now in the garden is to slosh up (or down) the water race and do some edge clearing. Cool, clear water...

 By the water race.
Scarlet Rose

And that's what I'll do. Will put on my shorts, crocs, and hat, and take a small selection of garden tools with me. These must not - NOT - be left behind and/or lost.

 Sneaky!
Buster the Spy Cat

Later...

Back from a quick trip to the big garden centre to check out things. I have a voucher to spend! Things I liked : some boysenberry coloured Lavenders, and some pink and white striped Flower Carpet roses. Just thinking abut them, for now. Far too hot to be spending money and loading the car up with plants.

Darling Buster...

Dear, darling Buster - it must be very hot being a black cat today! She's been spying on me from the back lawn.

So far, so good - I've trimmed Phormiums, ducked and dived underneath huge spiky Gunnera stems without doing too much skin damage, and found loads of weeds to remove. But really I've only scratched the surface (for two hours) of this task.

All the water-side Flower Carpet roses have gone completely silly, and heavy flowering stems are de-stabilising the bases of the flaxes. Have chopped some off - the nectar part of the flowering is over, so no birds are disadvantaged.

 By the water race.
Coral Flower Carpet Roses

The lupins are finished - time to collect some seed pods. And the lawn needs mowing again. Nothing is ever finished.

Shift those hoses...

Now I'm going to have a shower and clean myself up, then wander back outside to shift the little hoses. Loving the bright roses flowering along the water race, particularly the big scarlet red, a recycled rose, name unknown. Wow! Looks amazing against the greenery. And loving working with the sounds of running water.