Can you believe it? 3 whole years of sensory joy!

Thank you SO much for spending this time with me. Writing Pine Marten Post is one of my favourite things to do, and I hope it brings a wee bit of something jolly and joyful to your inbox every month.

Gardening tips for June

The wonders of comfrey

Truly, comfrey is marvellous to grow. Beloved by bees, it brings statuesque height, vibrant emerald leaves and cute bell shaped flowers to your garden. And that’s before you consider its power as a soil improver.

If you grow comfrey, you’ll never have to buy or use any other garden plant food. It offers a complete balance of nutrients needed for most plants to thrive. And what’s more, it’s incredibly easy to grow.

I’d definitely recommend looking for the Bocking 14 variety though. Don’t be alarmed by how scientific that sounds, it’s just a particular sort of comfrey that won’t get too big for its boots and take over your garden (a bit like mint can). I bought mine from Dalmore Croft three years ago and it settled in very quickly.

Once it’s started flowering (around late spring), you can begin to cut leaves off from the base, or even lop off whole stems. Though these leaves are often mixed with water and left to steep for a month to make comfrey ‘tea’, it’s a smelly old process. So I - lazy and impatient as I am - just chop and drop. Literally, cutting leaves and stems, then scattering them around the bases of plants. And that is it, I kid you not. Warmth and rain will help it to decompose, and as it does, it’ll infuse your plants with a kind of mega vitamin drink.

Comfrey will keep putting on new growth through the year, so you’ll be able to chop and drop up to three times in the main growing season. I tend to do my last one around August though, because I don’t want plants to put on another burst of growth to have those tender tips nipped by early frosts.

If you’re tempted to grow comfrey, I’d love to know how you get on!

Fragrant musings from the library of scent: By Your Side by Tsu Lange Yor

Date night at a pottery club. 

Hazy light spills through open windows as gauzy curtains swing in a light breeze. Smooth wooden benches hold pottery wheels and plump balls of terracotta clay. Lilting music plays in the warm air.

A bottle of spiced juice is opened and gets spilled a little. Soft giggles and eager glasses. Fragrant fizz among worn leather jackets.

Dextrous fingers on slippery clay. Warm smiles and flickering glances. The workday cares slide away as you tenderly mould and shape.

And the night is still young…

Nature notes for June

“Have you seen anything?” “I wonder how much longer it’ll be…” “ Poor thing, she’s been there for months.”

Snippets of conversation from wanders around the flooded quarry nature reserve nearby.

Apparently there was a pair of swans who built their nest on the tiny island in the middle for 12 years and hatched many cygnets. And then they left. Where did they go? No-one seems to know.

Last year a new pair arrived, made a nest and then…nothing.

But this summer, after months of patient sitting and turning and adjusting, a single cygnet hatched.

And they’re something of a local celebrity. People are gathering at a respectful distance to admire the proud parents and the bundle of pewter grey fluff. Facebook is awash with images and comments.

All of which is absolutely marvellous to be part of. At a time when it feels like people are becoming more divided, a tiny act of nature can bring us together.

There is always hope.

Spicy drinks for sultry days: Iced chai latte from Nomads’ Coffee Shop

Believe it or not, it can get quite warm in Scotland. Admittedly, nothing like the spikes of heat seen in the south of the UK, but sometimes too toasty for me to fancy hot coffee when I’m out and about.

So, what do I choose instead?

Well, it mainly depends what mood I’m in. Sometimes I’ll plump for a gorgeously green iced matcha latte, but lately I’ve discovered some coffee shops that make really characterful chai. Not the bland stuff made with commercial syrups, but their own blends thick with spice and flavour. And they can be just as delicious cold as hot.

This one from a wee coffee shop in Paisley was absolutely stunning. Rich with cinnamon, with a brightly fragrant kick from ginger and some real heat from black pepper, it really put a spring in my step on a sticky day.

Simple wellbeing tip

When did you last sniff a tree?

I was waiting for someone to have their hair cut in Glasgow the other day, and thought I’d pay a trip to the Botanic Garden. Clutching my deliciously fragrant and steaming chai latte from Black Pine Coffee, I confidently strode towards the rose garden. And then the heavens well and truly opened.

Now, roses are glorious, but they don’t generally offer much shelter. So I made a beeline for the big trees in the photo above and huddled under them waiting for the rain to ease. And, oh, the smell was magnificent. Heady, rich, and invigorating, but also immensely comforting and steadying.

After a while, the rain started to trickle through the branches and down my neck, so I headed for the glasshouses. And straightaway spotted these marvellous fig trees.

Have you ever smelled fig leaves? To me, they’re vibrantly fresh and bright, but also slightly milky and coconutty. Not sweet exactly, but definitely summery and warm.

And soon, very soon if you live in the south of England, it’ll be linden blossom time…

On the blog:

Are you missing tulips already? Yeah, me too. So I wrote about why you might want to plant some bulbs this autumn. It’s always handy to think ahead a bit with gardening.

⭐ As ever, all wibbly words and photos are by me, Rowan Ambrose. The perfume and chai mentioned were bought by me too. Feel free to get in touch with ideas for things you’d like to see in Pine Marten Post—I’m very open minded! ⭐