I have made a
promise to myself that this year I will not squander the lovely long
summer evenings inside, neither at my desk working nor in front of
the tv, but be outside enjoying the daylight hours in my garden for
as long as I possibly can and so far I'm sticking to it.
I'm equally happy
doing something useful and productive like a stint digging in the veg
patch or just pottering around looking which new flowers have opened
and noticing as day by day the garden gently settles down from it's
fresh spring flush into the soft fullness of early summer.
So well known by
day, the garden changes into an unfamiliar and magical place as dusk
gathers, the blackbirds which always seem to be the last birds to
stop calling fall silent and the rooks and jackdaws pass over
following the same flight path every night on their way home to
roost.
As the natural light
fades there's a chance to see bats flit silently but swiftly over the
pond on the hunt for moths and as all the colours disappear, in
monochrome, any white flowers glow as if artificially lit.
As vision become
less certain we notice other sensations like the drop in temperature
and a freshening breeze. Hearing becomes a bit more acute picking up
the typical night time 'twoo' of a tawny owl and a sharp 'twit'
answering call and the scents of the night garden are suddenly really
noticeable.
There's the heavy
sweet perfume of so many flowers, late bluebells, lilac, honeysuckle,
wisteria and as June wears on roses pervade the air but to sniff the
delights of many plants we need to rub the leaves to release their
oils. Herbs like rosemary, thyme and sage evoke a succulent Sunday
roast, Perovskia, Santolina and lavender are a reminder of a Greek
island holiday. Mint has to be the freshest of all scents especially
after rain, just like toothpaste, but for me the best of all the
garden's many wonderful perfumes is yet to come. I'm looking forward
to one of the highlights of high summer, walking into a warm
greenhouse full of tomato plants, it's just scentsational!
