Sugar Rush

It is an emotional activity, growing cut flowers. Even Barney, who is very steady and even, finds himself pulled from the depths of despair one moment (“Why did I not get round to staking the chrysanthemums before they all flopped over in the rain?!”) up into the sunny heights of extreme delight by the burgeoning and beautiful July garden. Annuals, which we were not going to plant because we wanted to focus on perennials, but then couldn’t resist, are strong and lusty everywhere, with smiling round cosmos and calendula faces, and frothy ammi umbels. All the gorgeous perennial plants which we really worked hard on dividing, muching and staking have rewarded us with lovely strong healthy stems and vibrant colours, and there are so many of them that now we’re wishing we’d cut more back earlier in the summer in order to stagger the crop. Even the roses, which we thought might need a rest, are gathering their strength and surging up with new strong thick stems, thrusty with green buds and glossy with fresh new foliage. We defy anyone not to get excited about it.