Six on Saturday – my garden in June 2020

/ karen

Peace and calm.

The scent! Roses from the garden, and elderflower. I’ve been making elderflower cordial. A taste of summer, for when days get shorter.

Constance Spry. Planted when our youngest daughter Rachel was born. It weathers any storm. Reliable and hardy.

Rosa Claire, planted when our eldest daughter – also called Clare, without the i though- was born. Just beautiful. So many twists and turns and folds in the petals. Just like the patterns of life. Nothing in nature is ever a straight line. And there’s no direct journey to where you are heading.

Rosa Many Happy Returns. A lovely, long- lasting memory of happy events.

New rose. Kew Gardens. Sent to us by the team at David Austin to celebrate our wedding anniversary. A kind gesture after I posted this photo on twitter. I was amazed to see it viewed 74,000 times. We had so many lovely comments.

On our wedding day, I distinctly remember saying life might not always be a bed of roses. But we’d be ok if we worked together and helped each other.

Thank you for all your wonderful messages on here and on twitter. It literally made my day.

Links: SOS: https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/category/six-on-saturday/

Kew Gardens rose : https://www.davidaustinroses.co.uk/kew-gardens

Rosa Claire https://www.rosesuk.com/roses/claire-rose

36 thoughts on “Six on Saturday – my garden in June 2020”

  2. Karen congratulations and Happy Wedding Anniversary !!!! I have not written before because the arm and right hand have taken a long time to heal. And then my mother and I went to the beach to see my brother and his wife at their beach house and spend a few days with them: we hadn’t seen each other since February 7. My mother and I are back in Madrid again. Karen, you and your husband are beautiful in the wedding photo, especially you are lovely, I love it !!!!! Congratulations for having come this far loving you very much, although everything has not been a journey of roses, no marriage I think it is, but here you are, together. It has been a great detail on the part of the team of David Austin to give you the Pink Gardens of Kew. I love the wreath of roses and elderflower of the Summer House. I love that at the birth of each of your daughters you plant a rose: for Rachel Rosa Constance Spry and for Clare Rosa Claire: they are wonderful roses and full of love. I hope your whole family is well. Karen I really missed being able to read your blogs and write to you. Much health, strength, encouragement, hope, positive thinking and a lot of love for all your family, Mr B and for yourself. One kiss for Grace and one for Meg. Take care. With all my love, Very loving greetings from Margarita xxx

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    • Thank you Margarita. I do hope your arm is better now. It’s difficult to have to deal with pain as well as all the worry of covid. I have managed to see my mother! First time in four months. And we are seeing my youngest daughter now, although having to be very careful as she is nursing Covid patients. The poor girl has to wear so much plastic gloves, face mask, gowns – in all this heat. It’s terrible for them. Thank you for your love and good wishes. Sending smiles and love in return. Loving greetings karen- and family, and Meg and Grace…and the new little stripy kitten which is joining us in two weeks!!! So exciting xxx 😘

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      • Thank you Karen for your kind words. My arm is already healed, although I cannot make sudden movements with it. I am very glad that you have finally been able to see your dear Mother !!!! It is wonderful, I tell you from my heart. And also that you have seen your little daughter: she is wonderful !!!! Your daughter is very brave working on the front line against the Covid-19, she looks like her mother. What a joy that you have seen her safe and sound. And a new member joins the family at last: Stripy, I love it. When you get there take a photo and please post it as soon as possible. What happy news you have given me dear friend. Much encouragement and love for all your family from me. Take good care of yourself all. With all my love for Mr B, Grace, Meg and you, Very loving greetings from Margarita xxx

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  4. I love your wedding photo, Karen. You both look so happy and your very handsome husband looks like he’s just won the top prize (which no doubt he did, you’re such a star!). And your flower crown is beautiful; the elderflowers are all finished here but I managed to make two batches of cordial, now safely stored in the freezer for later, although some will be used with gooseberries to make a fool. How lovely of David Austen to send a rose, I wish I had more room for roses here, I do love them so. Stay safe, my friend. Cxxx

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    • Thank you Caro. It was a such a happy day. We grew up next door to each other. His parents lived next to mine. Thanks for reading and for your kind comments. Lots of love. Karen xxx

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  5. Beautiful roses, Karen – and a really lovely post, especially about your anniversary! Lots of special memories. Hope to see you and your garden again soon! xx

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    • Thank you. We were SO young! That photo sums us up so well. I was shy but determined. He was just happy to back me up with any project I suggested. Thanks for your kind comments. x

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  8. What an excellent wedding picture! It looks so refined and old fashioned, like weddings from a long time ago. (Although, I can remember when brides still wore those silly big hats.) Anyway, not to get distracted by the non horticultural. Are elderflowers popular for cutting? When I started making jelly with the native blue elderberries a few years ago, no one was using them for anything. It was weird. Now, since my jelly has been winning awards at the Santa Cruz Mountains Harvest Festival, the berries are so popular that I could not get them on the roadsides like I used to do. Fortunately, there are some at work. The bloom is popular as well. So much of the bloom is getting taken from the roadsides, that I am concerned that there may not be enough berries later on. They are tempting though. There are two species of elderberries here, and both are blue elderberry. The species that grows as a small tree is not as productive, and neither the bloom nor the subsequent trusses of berries are very big.

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  10. Happy Anniversary Karen! I love your wreath of roses and elderflowers. 😃 I have also made cordial, but at the rate I am drinking it I fear it will only last me another couple of weeks! LOL! I have made liqueur in the past, but we so seldom drink alcohol I don‘t bother any more. I also made some sorbet, but it was a bit too sweet. Enjoy your roses Karen..

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