Cats in the Kitchen, Flora in the Garden

Every year since I moved into this cottage I have grown some giant sunflowers, because I love their big yellow heads and also for the fun of seeing how high they will grow. Two years ago I grew the tallest ones so far, last year's were quite good but I do not know how good they will be this year, as I tried a variety I have not grown before 'Russian Giant' and I was disappointed in the amount that germinated, and in their rate of growth since. With the bad weather we had last month and the slow growth of the small plants I cannot see that this year's batch will make for a record year. These photos are of my sunflowers in the summer of 2004. What I love about them is that you can keep the heads to feed the birds as the Autumn draws in.



Great excitement for me this morning, the first of my poppy flowers has opened, a beautiful enormous red oriental poppy. I am so pleased there are seventeen flower heads on this poppy plant to open, and my pale pink oriental poppy has sixteen heads, many more than last year, but I suppose they are more mature plants by now. Two dahlias are also pushing out of the ground and some other bulbs, I think they are called liatris? which I have not grown before. I will post some photos of my poppies as soon as I finish the film I am using [I have not gone digital in cameras yet].



I have been filling the house with vases of lilac, I adore the smell of it, I know it doesn't last a long time but what a beautiful fragrance while it does. It is a sign to me that summer has begun, I have associated the smell of lilac with the beginning of summer since I was a child. Are there any fragrances that epitomise summer to you? We have also had our first meals in the garden this week, it's so lovely eating outside, I always think food tastes better in the open air. Last night when I went to bed, for the first time the night through the open window actually smelt warm and earthy, you can't beat the smells and fragrances of the earth and flowers on summer nights. Night is falling later and later and dawn is coming earlier and earlier, it is wonderful waking up in a grey dawn light and realising it is only four in the morning, and going back to sleep for another couple of hours.