Midsummer's Day

Midsummer is the period between 21st June and 24th June, the time surrounding the Summer solstice and culminating with Midsummer's Day (24th June). Many people relate with this time of the year to Shakespeare's play "A Midsummer-Night's Dream," as June is the month of dreams and in days gone by, it was sternly discouraged for any festivities (dancing, singing, enjoyment) to be held around this period. The various faiths and churches in days of yore used midsummer for a time of solumn reflection and linked their various observancies to the birth date of John the Baptist (it is claimed that John the Baptist was born on 24th June).

The large garden poppies are currently at their best and in just a few days the flowers will have all formed their seed pods ... only a vew stragglers will remain. If I am very lucky these early seeds will form a second display in late Autumn.

Devil's teardrops

The flowers on this plant are always red and become quite long as the blooms open. When I first saw one of these plants I thought that it was a variety of fuchsia - the plant was old and gnarled but with thousands of flowers festooning its branches. I happened to see one of these plants in my local nursery and bought it for the garden ... it now grows happily beside the garden pond.