So far this has been an unusual garden year. No need to water the lawn or the gardens, and the garden pots only occasionally. All thanks to nature's generosity in supplying us from above with more than ample rain. Perhaps the surprising thing is that although we've been inundated with constant rain events we've also had the privilege of frequent sunny days, so the gardens are truly 'in their element' and it shows.

Plants, both perennial and annual, have had a comfortable time of this spring and early summer. An absence of nothing, required to grow with gay abandon. It seems to me that they've been flowering earlier than they would during a normal such period, and have been growing far more robustly.

Our pleasure in perusing the gardens while perambulating about to see what's new and how the micro landscapes of the garden pots are presenting themselves has been boundless. The peonies, magnolias and rhododendron have outdone themselves this year. The irises and the mountain bluet, the geraniums and the Canterbury bells have been real troopers, flying their colours.

And the roses, the clematis vines, have entertained us right royally with their elegance and beauty. Our leafy favourites, hostas of all sizes, textures, colours and formations never fail to draw our attention along with their companion heucheras.

Each time we gaze out from the house on the gardens, or wander along the pathways, front or back of the house to take the full measure of the natural and cultivated loveliness of the trees, shrubs and plants, from the rock garden to the shade garden, both at the sides of the house, we're grateful that we have this opportunity to indulge our senses in such pleasure-giving sights.