As we announced last week, the team has a special “surprise” for July. We are hosting the theme “Seasons” for the entire month. This week, Amy’s theme is ”Summer”.
This is My summer. My summer is my garden, and our summer house.
This year, 2020, more than ever. In Sweden we call them ”Smultronställen”, (in direct translation:” wild strawberry places”) hidden, secret places where we find beauty, peace and solitude.
In later years, I have focused even more on giving my garden a ”wilder” face. A childhood summer face, a wildlife face, a caring for biodiversity focus.
Hawk’s beard grow abundantly in the rear part of the garden – and they are humming with bees when turning their yellow faces to the sun.
A closer look at this part of the summer garden reveals my favorite summer flower – lavender.
– But also Cape plumbago and mallows. As always, click to enlarge.
In the southernmost part of the garden I have plum trees, cherries, elderberry, rowan, black and red currants and rhubarbs, Here there is generous space left for wild flowers.
Many insects hide in the grasses too – lying quietly on my back, I hear them going about their business.
My other summer ”smultronställe” is our little cottage by the sea. Hiking the many paths here is a joy to us all, and the summer nights are long and soft in the Scandinavian light.
Thank you for all your lovely surprises last week! I had some good laughs and some recognizing giggles – and some tears too… and, some Real Surprises!
This week we invite you to join us in a Summer theme. As always we encourage you to use our “Lens-Artists” tag for inclusion in our WP Reader section. Using tags can significantly increase the number of readers who see and comment on your posts. For instructions on adding tags click on this link https://wordpress.com/support/posts/tags/
July 11 Tina Spring
July 18 Patti Autumn/Fall
July 25 A-C Winter
Thank you for your support, stay safe and well – See you!
Leya 
Thank you so much for sharing your amazing garden with us. ❤
A-C, this … why I love Sweden!! Our Sweden! With and without Covid-19 …it always delivery a magical summer. And your garden … is full of magic. Wonderful post,
So glad you loved it, Viveka – it is most alive and lush right now. And just enough rain and enough sunshine.
Such lovely collection Ann Christine.
Treat to eyes.
Always positive and kind, Rupali! Thank you.
Your post reconciles me with the hot summer. Beautiful pictures!
♥
Your summer in Scandinavia was an amazing way to travel up north. I loved the pictures and your words transported me into your world . Beautiful !
Then I am grateful to have transported you for some minutes! Thank you!
Love the yellows of the hawksbeard and the purples of the lavender!
Thank you, Henry – summery and busy bees!
Delightful! Thanks for sharing your summer beauty .. I’m a sunset fan ❤️
Julie, thank you – a sunset fan? OK, I don’t do many sunsets as I don’t live by the sea most of the year. This is one of the few!
Love seeing your beautiful garden, Ann-Christian! Being surrounded by flowers is heavenly.
Thank you, Sylvia! Happy you like my wilderness!
What a beautiful summer wonderland. The flowers seem to be everywhere. Strawberries too 🙂 Ending with a gorgeous sunset…perfect!
So happy you like my garden – and the sunset at our summer place. ♥
It really is lovely!
Ooops! Didn’t finish a ”wild strawberry place.
♥
The flower in the first picture looks so delicate. I love the thought of calling a place a ”secret strawberry
♥ Thank you. Every language has its own special sayings, and some I wish we had in Swedish too!
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Wonderful images; I can almost smell the flowers and feel the sun’s warmth on my face
Beautiful photos, from strawberries (nice accents when zoomed) to sunset. Well done.
Thank you, John – glad you enjoyed my summer!
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Wilder perhaps, but most certainly cared for. You’ve given us the essence of summer.
Warms my heart, Susan – if I really could!
what a spectacular summer you have A-C! surrounded by nature in its beauty and solitude is truly a blessing. love every flower. all exquisite! haven’t seen elderberry? i’m taking them as supplements 🙂 🙂 breathtaking sunset you have! thank you very much for sharing 🙂
Thank you very much, Wilma – glad you came along in my garden! Elderberry is not in flower now, but was in early June. The sunsets are glorious out there, especially when the mosquitoes stay away…
Summer! Nailed it. Especially love the hawk’s beard photo.
Thank you, John. The little things have become even more important, and the ability to appreciate them is growing among people. That is good.
What beautiful places to spend your summers!
I am grateful, Beth. And this summer particularly. Thank you!
Hi, Ann-Christine. What beautiful summer images. I love your garden and your summer house. You gave us a marvelous tour of all the features. Is there a literal translation of smultronställe? I love how different languages label things differently.
Thank you, Patti – and I tried to find a word in English for it, but when I look it up there is not. It says: hidden secret spot; hideaway; lovely little spot. My translation is more to the marrow I believe. I agree – it is interesting how different languages describe things.
Great that you see my summer too – as it is! Thank you!
Wow A-c, I had no idea the extent of your garden. It is incredible! Enjoy your summer cabin but however do you leave that beautiful garden behind ?!??
thank you, Tina – the garden helps me stay sane these days. And leaving the garden behind can only be for two days…or three, if my son will do the watering.
You have a beautiful garden!!
So glad to share it with you!
Beautiful flowers in your home garden and what a wonderful place to have a summer cottage!
Anne, I am very grateful for these places, they help me feel good and coping with the world. Thank you for coming with me for a walk!
A-C, I would love, love, love to have this sort of garden were I somewhere it would grow. I like the wild, relaxed feeling of it (no, the two aren’t mutually exclusive) and it’s a complete delight. What a wonderful accomplishment and thanks for sharing it.
janet
So glad you love the idea of such a garden. I am constantly working on it, trying to improve.
What a beautiful garden you have. Full of flowers I love too. A wonderful summer paradise.
Happy we love the same flowers! I’d love to visit your garden ♥
Anytime, you would be most welcome
♥
Beautiful garden, beautiful flowers!
Thank you so much!
Love your summer home and summer garden. All are beautifully captured. Thank you for the tour, AC!
The sunset scene is breathtaking. 🙂
Thank you, Amy! A lovely challenge!
Such beautiful flowers for the summer! Seems like an idyllic paradise
Thank you, Theresa, my aim is to surround us with natural life and support biodiversity as much as I can.
That sounds like a wonderful idea to incorporate! ❤
♥
Wonderful natural solitude, Ann-Christine. Beautiful images.
Happy you liked them, Jane! My great joy to support biodiversity and wildlife in this small scale. I love knowing that some species live their whole lives in my garden.
Wonderful palette of real treasures, dear Anne-Christine! Aslan is nearby for certain! 🙂
Oh, there are two Aslans in my garden – so I am more than lucky! Thank you!
What a wonderful Summer garden Ann-Christine, I love all the wildflowers and the sunset image is gorgeous too 🧡
How happy I am to have shared it with you!
🤗💕
What a lovely summer garden you have Ann-Christine. The flowers surely make your days enjoyable!
Thank you, Miriam, they do. And I love all the insects living there, and the chirping grasshoppers!
You’re welcome, Ann-Christine. We don’t have grasshoppers, but I know the sound and liked it.
Do you have cikadas?
No, we don’t. I used to listen to them when I was in Hong Kong. A few miles away still has some natural woody areas but the immediate area is pretty city and planned trees.
Ah
Such lovely wild flowers and not so wild in your garden. I am surprised that you can grow Cape Plumbago so far north. Such a lovely soft blue colour.
I love plumbago too, and still remember the first time I saw that colour. I have to take it indoors during winter –
I love the term ‘smultronställe’….. and you have illustrated your two so well, A C! Your garden is so wildlife friendly….the birds, the bees, the butterflies
Sue, that is my aim – I constantly work for it to be just that. Not always succeeding though…but happy to realise there are species that live their whole lives in my garden. Some birds for example. Feels very satisfying.
Marvellous! Speak tonight?
Tonight Monday, yes!
I shall aim not to forget!
;-D
😳
Well, you didn’t turn up….
Oh – so sorry, I was one hour late…
Beautiful!
Thank you so much!
🙂
This is wonderful. I feel sure you are employed by the Swedish Tourist Board as you always make your country look so idyllic (come to think, you do that for everywhere you visit …). These are delightful images and thoughts.
I totally agree, Margaret!
Thank you, Sue. I guess I am lucky only.
😊
Margaret – thank you for a fun comment! If you think I can make things look idyllic and lovely – I take it as a compliment! (Not being employed by anyone right now…)
The very best form of employment!
True! ♥
Lovely! I love the wilder things, since they are so wonderful and there is such a need for more of them and for the life they support.
Indeed they are needed – I try to help as much as I can. ♥
So do I. Our squirrels and chipmunks run up the screen of the door when they see me, since I feed them tons of healthy things and give them a bowl of water all the time all year and let them eat any plant they want. The ones that survive do fine. It did bother me that they dug up a couple of small ferns I planted the other day, but I just keep planting them and eventually they’ll adapt or become compost.
Lovely animals – glad you support them and communicate with them – even if they eat some things they shouldn’t…!
When we first moved here a few years back, I had naively bought hundreds of dollars of seeds and plants that I thought would fit in well, and that was taken by the animals as a giant welcoming banquet. They have loved me ever since and expect the same tribute regularly.
♥♥♥ No wonder they do!
I am thrilled that wild roses grow well here, and forsythias, and all kinds of things. It is just a matter of me accepting it, and buying 40-pound bags of sunflowers seeds and organic millet regularly, and giving them all the older carrots, and making sure the water is filled and somewhat clean, and…
;-D
I love the flowers in your garden. Beautiful.
Thank you, Colline!
Oh what beautiful summer flowers you have photographed. Love your last ”sunset” photo. 😀
Glad you liked them, Cee – many wild flowers this year.
Wonderful flowers A-C 😀
😀