Growing problem in my garden!

Apart from a nice week in June, this summer has been a bit of a washout so far.

Last weekend I spotted shoppers on Falkirk High Street in heavy, hooded jackets, on Tuesday there were people in shorts and t-shirts.

Thanks to the vagaries of the weather my plans to do great things to my garden this year have been put on hold.

What is the point in spending lots of money and effort in putting in a new patio, buying lovely garden furniture only to stand in the house to look at it through rainswept windows.

So I’ll have to make do with my ‘‘cottage garden’’ look for another year.

That’s my way of saying that the weeds have been given a reprieve again.

I like pottering about in the garden – when I’ve got the time but my knowledge of all things horticultural is very limited.

Most of the time I struggle to tell the difference between a plant and a weed. If it’s got a pretty coloured flower I always feel a bit bad about pulling it out just because it’s a weed.

But then the other week my friend, who has a husband who knows about these things or at least she says that’s his excuse for spending just about all his free time outdoors in their garden and not with her ...

Whoops, I digress. Her husband says that some weeds are actually good to grow in your garden. Apparently not only are they beneficial for insect life, but they are also good for the soil – and no doubt, help even more weeds spring up.

A few years ago I noticed that a seed must have found its way on to a pebble area close to my garden shed and had sprouted. Note to self to pull it out was overlooked and before I knew what was happening it’s grown into a tree!

I’m now concerned that it’s going to either crash down on the shed during high winds or the roots are going to damage its base.

Now I’m looking for someone with a saw to help me cut it down.

But it does make me wonder why the expensive plants that I treat myself to from the garden centre never seem to thrive so well!

I plant them carefully, water and feed them but sometimes to no avail, they just shrivel up and die, sending me back to buy more.

Perhaps the Scottish climate is to blame – like us, the poor plants and shrubs never know what it’s going to be like from one week to the next.