The great thing about spring and summer is there is never really a moment to mourn the passing of one magnificent blooming plant because others are following with their own radiant show.

As we bid goodbye to such spring lovelies as Alliums, Tree Peonies and Bleeding Hearts.

We are greeted with the arrival of Roses, Iris, Poppies and so many other beloveds.

Much as I would like nothing better than to keep my nose buried in the Flowers like the honeybees, I’m not quite finished with planting the gardens and must take myself elsewhere. My last two big planting projects this week have been the Red Shiso and the Venus Garden. During the last couple of days, Emily and I planted the Red Shiso. This is a very frost sensitive plant so we wait until we are pretty sure there won’t be any more frosts before sowing this seed. It is the one crop that we can’t manage without so everything to do with the Shiso gets a lot of focus. This is true of the Venus Garden too because of its cutting edge role in our Flower Essence Collection and the way this garden takes us forward on our Green Hope Farm camino.

This morning, no one was around to help me start planting the Venus Garden so, while a cardinal bird sang to us, I drafted MayMay and Riley to give moral support.

They rose to the challenge and did their assignment of resting nearby with great panache.