Month: July 2018
So today I cut down huge shadow casting hawthorn boughs and trimmed back elder and dug out excess clay on rocks and now Elizabeth’s corner looks even worse. But this is the beginning of a whole new renovation involving crocus snowdrops primula (I HAVE MY EYE ON A LOT OF gold tipped cowslip/primula daffs etc. Any suggestions for small shrubby plants that can take dry soil? So next time the little lady asks the emperor will be clad!
Did some edging on Hannah garden and it looks well!
This is a test on mobile. Hope you are having a nice day!
Craig
The beautiful red moon appeared over the trees and as it rose Mars also appeared more gold than silver. The moon gradually faded and almost disappeared and then just as magically reappeared. then as the eclipse ended the moon slowly lost the red and became the silver brightest element in the sky – and a full moon at that!
Here is where I was ….Sunny Catalonia! I believe I have to prepare for a return to “normal” summer when I get home!
Here are some more photos of me enjoying my time at GLAS. Has anyone ever attended?
Hi everyone, I was recently at the GLAS show at Citywest, and it was awesome.
Later he comes down with wheelbarrow and transfers rocks to garden. They become pathlinero. Little walls or even just nicely placed rocks as in… three days ago I planted a large hydrangea limelight beside an acer. They clashed. The one big and blowsy the other light and airy. I asked a friends advice. She suggested planting the hydrangea elsewhere and replacing it with ferns. Then Cherub lute reminded me that stones and ferns go well so I have introduced some river rocks and it is looking far better. So many thanks Felicia! And Cherub of course. Photos to follow.
And thank you Heather for this lovely plant at Blarney. I have mixed fortunes with houseplants, yours is certainly a winner! Displayed in a beautiful pot hand painted by Clare, which was a present a few years ago.
Many thanks,Joan, for the Zinnias you gave me at Blarney. This is the first to flower and I love it. Loads of buds coming on on all of them. Thanks again!
She does love her plants !
Am I the only one here still not getting email notifications? Most annoying. Losing heart rapidy.
Tomatoes in polytunnel not ripening ( green) any tips welcome?
Have removers boots, cut away some curling leaves, used feed weekly and water every few days
May not be the weather for a hearty 💓 meal of broccoli , new potatoes and chicken but couldn’t resist.
Seems to be ‘bolting’ a bit now.
The bees are going mad for my geraniums today. They are ignoring all the other plants. I wonder why.
Quite a tiring day but hugely enjoyable. Started early and was in the river at ten! (Some unmentionable person actually dumped about thirty big filleted fish.
I only saw them after I came out. But it was sickening. Obviously someone had a stock of fish that went bad.
Anyway to nicer things. Anna thought she would like a plant for her big red orange pot. We went to the Arboretum. Anna liked a spider Web Fatsia and a fig. A very nice Moroccan man Said was passing and he knew a lot about figs. He picked out the best one for himself. Then he very kindly offered it to Anna if she wanted to buy it. We did.So home and I repotted it and and placed it in the larger tub.
Then down into Scrub and spent afternoon strimming and strimming and got a lot done and the bog area is now huge!but it’s nice.
And after that another swim
of course but not near the dumped fish!
These flowers have really surprised me. I grew them from seed last year (from Seedaholic) and they’re described as a tender perennial normally treated as an annual as they don’t survive frost. They were nice enough last year in combination with Cosmos, producing a few deep rich purple flowers per plant with little pinpricks of lighter colour when seen close up. When I went to take them out in autumn, I noticed new growth low down, so just cut them back to see what would happen. With the horrible winter and heavy snow in March, I never expected them to survive but they have come back in profusion this summer, a good 4 ft tall. They are loving this warm sunny summer of course, and the bees are enjoying them too!
I meant to have other flowers to complement them but had little success with seeds this year.
I reared a new Queen and released her on the 9th July into a small homemade box together with some bees from another hive close by . The intention being to start a new colony from scratch . This Virgin Queen has already started laying following a succesful mating as the photos hopefully show . They are now in a slightly larger hive where they will overwinter and all going well be transferred into a full hive next Spring . I’ve now got 4 of these starter colonies so hopefully some will head up my 2019 production .
This sits on the window sill neglected for 20 years . I drowned it in water a few days ago and boom ! It suddenly decided to flower for the first time , must have been the desert drought and sudden watering triggered a response ? Pretty flowers anyhow
So no gardening. I usually rest on Sunday anyway but went out for a little look around and the thought ( Cherub Cymbals)? Struck me that if I edged the bed just a little more it would have a nicer line. So I took off four inches..then some more here and a bit there.. I love when a little does a lot. I’ve decided I do a sinuous curve when I want to! See if you agree!
I first visited Bellfield House, the home of the renowned garden designer Angela Jupe. I visited this garden a few years ago in early Spring for snowdrops and to hear Paddy Tobin give a very interesting talk. I seem to remember that there was a Plant Fair there that day too. I always wanted to see that garden in Summer so when my local Gardening Club planned a visit I was delighted to go. And it did not disappoint! The lady herself spent some time with us telling us the history of her time in thie garden – removing 36 mature trees from the remnants of an old Walled Garden – rediscovering the paths – and then finally planting it up with a wonderful selection of herbaceous plants and bulbs – Lilies in particular at this time of year – with some shrubs and taking advantage of the few remaining trees.
The result is a charming garden, with lots to catch the eye.