Glog
Where has the summer gone? (September 6, 2011)
Where has the summer gone? is a refrain often heard at this time of the year. Summer residents, vacationers and tourists all sing the same song, regretting that summer is coming to a close so soon after it began. This summer is no exception, but many will be happy to see it behind us. Record rains in July and August have been wonderful for the plants, but not so great for those seeking to admire them. Those who ventured to the region and the gardens were rewarded with some exceptional bloom and luxurious foliage.
With September upon us, there is just a month remaining to visit the gardens. The gardens of the International Garden Festival are now at their best because the annuals and perennials are at their best and the installations have matured since their installation in June. While some of the gardens will be on view again next year, many of them will give way to new gardens chosen following our annual international competition. So if you want to see some of fascinating gardens created by the world’s leading designers, don’t delay.
This month is also the moment when our gardeners and workers rush to undertake the construction and renovation projects that are impossible during the high season. We will be putting the finishing touches on the new vegetable garden to ready it for opening next year. We will soon begin the installation of the cabinets and shelving to display our new museum of garden tools. The re-planting of our blue poppy beds (that contain more than 10,000 plants) is almost finished. And we have a long list of projects to complete in the historic gardens, planting, transplanting, pruning and improving on the gardens for next year.
Visitors to the gardens over the summer remarked on the steady and continual improvements that we have made. Our approach has always been one of making changes to the gardens slowly, quietly editing to improve on them and adding features to make them more interesting and more enchanting. So as summer ends, our work is just beginning.
