Golden days when early morning light starts to become golden (as the angle changes) and is accompanied by other seasonal events: first Ontario peaches, first local sweetcorn, Golden rod starts to bloom – all golden!
The light is turning golden, and humidity and temperatures rising, although it is wetter than some years. High summer is here even if we haven’t yet reached the dogdays. There are compensations: first Ontario peaches, homegrown aubergines ready to cook, some garden tomatoes ripe enough to eat, dahlias in flower along with many of the lilies. While some lilies are finished with just one not yet opening its flowers, there is still a good show from them. The garlic crop has just been harvested.
Most of the dahlias are in bloom, apart from the very late-starting Kenora Macob, with plenty of buds to come. I planted three late-shooting dahlias at the front, behind the irises but next to the drive, where they are almost ready to bloom but from much shorter plants, presumably because of more sunshine. There should be a good show of apricot flowered Bronze leaf dahlias, with several already in flower in pots, and we already have four good flower spikes blooming on canna lilies.
The garden is full of juvenile birds demanding food from or being shooed away by their overwhelmed parents. The past few days have seen the arrival of lots of Yellow Warblers as well as an American Redstart, female or juvenile. There have been lots of juvenile hummingbirds visiting the garden flowers for the past couple of weeks.