Colour at home and in Dawyck

Fortunately the weather proved to be far less severe than the forecast. Yes, there was quite a bit of rain yesterday but no sound or light effects and neither did we have hailstones as large as a fist as one UK newspaper had predicted in a doomsday scenario. Most of this morning was spend putting back all the pots and hanging baskets that had been transferred to sheds and greenhouses yesterday but as we did all this in sunshine it wasn't a particularly demanding task. We decided to spend the afternoon in Dawyck Botanical Gardens but on the way out of our own garden I couldn't help but snatch some more pictures of the laburnum tree.

It had escaped unscathed despite the rain and that in itself was worth a celebratory photograph or two. And it only flowers for around 2 weeks each year so there is only a brief window of opportunity to capture just how wonderful it is.

Then it was on to Dawyck where the rhodedendrons and azaleas are mostly past their best but there is plenty of other colour to admire in the gardens such as this wild orchid.

 The intermittent sunshine made the streams sparkle.

 And the flowers of the Rodgersia pinnata have started to appear.

 And there were still some rhododendron blooms to admire, both in flower

 and as a carpet on the ground.