You See Your Beauty

I wish I could write.  And when I say write I mean I wish I could really write.  For this evening I was sat on the swing and I was transfixed by an overwhelming sense of beauty.  It was made up of light and colour and plants and insects and movement and noise and yet it was so much more than all those things too.  Low light backlighting foxglove stems, creating an airy haze through Fennel, fresh Yew growth and London Pride flowers.  The air was alive with insects and gossamer webs were weaving from my neighbour's shed to plants in my garden.  To the foreground was a red Pelargonium in a pot and away in the distance was the dark red of the Peony.  Under the shade of the Sycamore the purple of the Alliums was fading almost to invisibility while splashes of the orange Spanish Poppy through it made me think that could have been deliberate, but it wasn't.  Bird sound was everywhere and I found myself thinking that maybe my late mum could see the beauty I can see in this garden now - I don't think she quite got it when she was alive.  Sue would certainly get it and see it.  And that is when I was struck by the thought - I actually helped create this.  I most certainly didn't do it myself and most of it was either done before I came or is caused by powers way beyond my control, but I did play some part in creating this moment of beauty.  And for a dumbass like me, that is a truly amazing thing.

As I say, I wish I could write because I'd like to share that moment more effectively with other people.  Or, I wish I could take photographs - I mean really take photographs - maybe then I could share the moment.  Or paint.  Or make a movie.

When I was younger I wanted to write because I thought I had something important to say about changing the world and if I wrote well enough then people couldn't help but be moved and the world would become a wonderful place.  Today I would like to write because I want to share just how beautiful life on this planet really is.

However, I am neither a great writer nor a great photographer so here are some pictures of some of the things in my garden that have given me a lift today.

I can start with a rose: Rosa 'Madame Alfred Carriere' which is a climbing rose.  I planted it in the winter of 2013 and have given it a good hole, mychorrizal fungi that supposedly help root establishment, and a load of manure in three springs.  This year it has rewarded me with a single flower that won't last long, but oh what a fantastic scent this bloom has.

Of course, the experts say this rose thrives on neglect - maybe I should listen to them.

A more subtle single bloom is Primula scotica - although there are more blooms to come.  This tiny flower is only found in Scotland.  I was inspired to grow it by Phil Lusby who was one of my tutors at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and who this summer was awarded the MBE by the Queen.

In particular it was Phil's book (written with Jenny Wright) that inspired me: "Scottish Wild Plants: Their History, Ecology and Conservation."

This is its third summer with me and not only is it alive but it appears to be increasing its number.  Thanks Phil.

I like this picture of the Hemerocallis I received from Peggy Nicholson and which is now in its first year actually in the ground.  I like it because it illustrates the reason for its common name, the Day Lily - each flower only lasts a day, but they keep coming.  You can see yesterday fading, today wide open, tomorrow preparing to open and the next few days budding.  Wonderfully, this will go on doing this through the summer.




Two more hardy geraniums have also begun to flower since my last blog entry:

Geranium pratense 'Mrs Kendall Clark'

Unknown Geranium that was here when I came.

Digitalis purpurea 'Primrose Carousel' is a new Foxglove for me which I grew from seed sown last year - it really is more yellow than this picture implies, but a lovely soft yellow rather than a loud one.

And almost as cherished as the Foxgloves are Delphiniums even though my garden is not ideal for them.  This one which is getting ready to open up soon is Delphinium hybridum ' Pacific Giant' which I grew from seed free with Amateur Gardening magazine.

And finally, we have the swing upon which I sit - complete with the Ox Eye Daisies which have begun to flower and which I hope will one day colonise much of this grassy area: Leucanthemum vulgaris.  I cheated with these by buying three small nursery grown plants last year - just to get me started.









As I sat on the swing another thought occurred to me: I don't need to write or photograph.  I've found beauty in my eyes.  And you, you will find beauty in your eyes - you don't need me to tell you that.  You just go out and find it.

I'll leave you with four old men singing a song - Long May You Run: