Fragrant garden

The beauty bush is bringing bees to buzz, and scented geranium are now beside the little pond, nodding their spicy heads. 

I kept pots to a minimum this year - one on the deck and another nestled in the hostas - splashes of colour in the green. Purple petunias and red geraniums smell a bit like pepper.

And the front yard! No poppies or peony right now, but the willow hedge is blooming, and there is such beautiful clover I hesitate to cut the grass. The sage is flowering, and when I walk past I bend down to pluck a leaf and rub it over my teeth and tongue for a pungent awakening.

I get up in the mornings and head outside to see how the plants are doing, sometimes watering and sometimes just standing and staring. Morning meditation.

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Work in progress:

One day I was looking at the scrubby lilacs and thought I would take them down in autumn. Next thing I knew I was by the fence with clippers, clipping away. Rob joined in with something more heavy duty, and before we knew it, a whole new view into the neighbour's back garden opened. I planted some ligularia and Nine Bark in its place. Now that the fence is gone from the top of the retaining wall, I'm trying to train Virginia creeper to tumble down the side of the hill and into the ravine.