Snappy's Gardens Blog

Pineberry Surprise

2012-01-30T20:15:00.004Z

I got an email about Wilkinson's new White Strawberries.These have also been called Pine berries,as the small fruits taste like Pineapple.I bought all my Seed Potatoes,Onions,and Garlic there in the Wakefield Wilko's but did not see these.I cheekily emailed them for a sample to grow in the garden.A few days later and the packet arrived with the White Strawberry dormant plants in it.I needed to soak the two roots first in water.I then planted them in two pots besides the backdoor.I will watch their progress and hopefully tell you all what the White Strawberries taste like.
I read about these as some of the garden trends of 2012.I hope that these will grow some tasty fruits this year.
I ordered another eight Strawberry plants for my sleeper bed a week ago.They have not arrived yet.They will fill the remaining corner of the bed.Last years crop of Strawberries was a delight of the Summer.

Big Garden Bird Watch 2012

2012-01-30T18:27:00.002Z

I have done the 2012 RSPB's Big Garden Bird watch.I sat for an hour recording what birds landed in the garden.I was surprised by the change in numbers of different birds.The Starling in this photo never flew in during the hour.I wander if the birds know when you are sat counting them.I never saw my Woodpecker,Siskin,Sparrowhawk,or Nuthatch.They are the exotic rare birds I have seen occasionally in the garden.This pair of Goldfinches arrived after the hour.There was a solitary Goldfinch on the nijer seeds during my hour.My surprise visitor was a Green finch.He landed on the Ceanothus briefly before flying off.
House Sparrows topped my list.Followed by Great Tits,Blue Tits, and Blackbirds.I saw single Goldfinch,Robin,Dunnock,Collared Dove,and my green finch. I like how the food and water I put out always attracts the birds in.Its great now I have big wide windows to look out of into the garden.
I looked back today at the Blog and found I bought my bird table in 2007.It is five years old now,and showing signs of its age.I will need to replace it soon,and will look for a new birdbath.Mine is made of plastic resin but has broken on one side.
I have been a big fan of the RSPB's bird count.The results will be collated and revealed at the end of March.I wander what effect the warm winter will have had.I know I will have contributed some data about the health and numbers of all UK birds.

Two New Plants

2012-01-28T17:26:00.001Z

The conservatory has a six foot plant growing between the kitchen and it.It is a Philodendron,a South American tree climbing giant with heart shaped leaves, variegated pattern,and growing up a moss stick which has its aerial roots growing into the moss.I have always loved House Plants from a very small ages.It started with Spider plants and grew from that to a gardening bug.Doctor D.G.Hessayan has a lot to answer for.I got an email about a website called "Me And My Plants".You take a simple test answering three questions to find your perfect house plant.There are five hundred books a day to be won,so you can play several times.My plant came out as Robert the Rubber Tree Plant.It was delivered from the local West gate florists.The website is being run by the Flower Council of Holland.They sent me the book and the plant.They want to encourage positive relationships between people and plants.The web address if you want to try is:
http://www.meandmyplant.co.uk/home
The conservatory has a Spider Plant,an Xmas Cactus,and an Aloe Vera growing along the high windowsill under the sloping roof.I do not need much encouraging to fill this new room with green plants.
They are always well treated by me,and I try to keep them alive for as long as possible.I think they help clean the air,and are therapeutic to nuture.

Winter Clear Up

2012-01-27T21:29:00.010Z

The Winter baskets have finally been filled up with a mixture of winter Pansy's,Violas,and Sweet Williams.Cat joined me in the garden clear up.The table has held the plants for weeks before we planted them in the Baskets.Two baskets fell off the fence due to high winds and a jumping Squirrel (called Hogan now after he did a flying clothes line onto the hanging basket.The weight of the basket,soil,and Squirrel pulled the bracket clean off the fence).I hope that these baskets add a little colour whilst other plants and bulbs are dozing in the soil.

I found my metal Frog fence ornament on the ground behind the Hostas.This was one of Cats baskets.The Hostas are all dormant below the baskets.I need to top dress them with fresh compost so they absorb some of the nutrients.They are Cats favourite plants,especially when they flower in white and purple blooms.A garden shared can be a pleasure.I do the heavy digging and moving.Cat cuts the grass and helps plant things.She is getting braver as time goes on.She is also great at potting up plug plants which we have bought from mail order companies.The Sunken border needed revamping after the builders had trampled all over it.The conservatory needed a gap between it and the damp soil.We went shopping for some bamboo fence posts.These run about six inches from the bricks separating the border from the conservatory.The warm Winter had caused the creeping Buttercups to have taken over a large area of soil.The Teasel also had dropped loads of seeds into the soil and onto the grass.I removed them.I think I will grow Teasel in pots to keep them easier to manage.They are prodigious in the amount of seed each comb seed head makes.They are like spiny giants in the garden.I trimmed the Ceanothus so its more centrally structured.It has beautiful central bark running up with all the branches coming away from it.I hope that the Bee's will fly back for the honey scented flowers on this American Shrub.I moved the Honeysuckle in its pot to the area between the Conservatory and the fence.It kept falling over in the wind.I will try to work out how to secure it to block off the area behind it.A narrow hell strip.

I moved the black feathery leaved Sambuca Nigra with its effervescent pink flowers to the right hand side of the border.Last year it got tangled under the Butterfly bush.The Buddleja has been trimmed as well to keep it horizontal.It too has a lovely woody stem.Winter makes you appreciate the structure of plants normally hidden by leaves or flowers.I dug over the soil removing the weeds,and seeing which plants had survived.I found several perennial roots which have been replanted.It will be good to see what grows where.The Camellia survived a Workman's boot which snapped off one of the branches.I hope it will flower this year. They are such pretty plants with shiny glossy leaves,and sumptuous flowers.This plant has survived the winter and has lots of flower buds on it.These turn into pretty scented white flowers.It was one of the original plants that we inherited.There is a green Hebe,and a Pieris that were here when we moved in.This is the side on view of the newly dug over sunken border.Our grass is very soggy and has mud patches.The mole seems to have left us for a while,with no more mole hills along the path.I had spent one afternoon looking at online websites.I ordered all the Vegetable seeds and thought I want to try to grow Grapes inside the greenhouse.Web research suggested that two good varieties were Suttons Seedless Grapes, and Black Munich grapes.I found this plant on the Daily Telegraph garden shop.This experimental plant can grow in the greenhouse during the summer,but can be moved outside during the winter to kill of pests.

It sat on the windowsill waiting for a large pot to plant it in.I hope it grows well,and will record its progress on the blog.

It is the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch over the weekend.I need to spend an hour counting what birds come into the garden from my corner chair in the conservatory.

Dragon New Year

2012-01-24T20:08:00.003Z

I went to Wilkinsons today to buy the Seed Potatoes,Onion Sets,Garlic,and Shallots.I bought some more bird food as well and some Horseradish for future roast beef dinners.
It was the Chinese New Year yesterday,and we are now in the year of the Dragon.
I had an email about the Edible Garden Show in March 16th-18th in Warwickshire.James Wong (who presented Tv's Grow Your Own Drugs) will be there encouraging people to try exotic fruits and vegetables.He suggested Dragon Fruits to coincide with the Chinese New year.They are mad looking red fruits!
http://www.theediblegardenshow.co.uk/
The Squirrel was back in the garden today.He is a juvenile Squirrel and was munching on old dried cream crackers and sunflower hearts.The birds were in the garden en Mass.
Blackbirds,Collared Doves,Starlings,A Wood pigeon,Robins,and the Nuthatch returned.I'm hoping it will be dry tomorrow so I can continue the garden clean up.The sunken border needs a barrier putting at the back to stop the soil getting on the damp proofing of the conservatory.It needs tidying up and a few plants moving.
The pond water had cleared today and I saw that the Water Lily has survived the winter and is growing fresh new leaves under the water.
I think all my seeds will arrive tomorrow for the years Vegetable growing.There are all new varieties and should be good to blog about my experiences.Our hanging baskets should be planted tomorrow too.I will hopefully have some photos to share.

Birds,Seeds,And Dreams

2012-01-22T16:54:00.007Z

The conservatory is finally finished.This was the outside view from the garden.The sparkling lights have been moved out into it.There is a nice wooden floor now,and the radiator keeps it warm.I have some where to sit comfortably and look out at the garden and the birds.The bird table took a battering in the high winds.The House Sparrows flew down to eat some of the seeds on offer.They were very close to the window.I can hear these birds daily chattering away in the neighbours hedge.They are very vocal,and very gregarious birds.If one comes to feed whole family's of related birds come to join in.They are comical to watch too.The Collared Doves are our most frequent visitors.They are in the garden daily feeding on the bird food,or drinking out of the bird bath.

Next weekend is the RSPB's big garden bird watch.Counting all the birds in your garden over a period of one hour.I will do it next Sunday when I'm not working.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/

With new windows to look out I felt inspired to go out into the garden.I continued the clean up of the pots and planters.I went to the pond today to try and sort out the Norfolk grass.It was covered in pond weed!The warm winter and sunny days had caused a boom in its growth.I cleared the debris on top and removed the majority of the pond weed.I have grown some oxygenating plant in the greenhouse which I put back into the pond.I even spied a Newt diving into the murky depths.The Norfolk Reed needs splitting and tougher pots to keep it from breaking out.It is sat in the greenhouse currently.

I sowed more seeds into the wildflower area around the pond.It has a wild charm being left to its own devices.I previously removed the Teasel which was too big for the area.The Frogs enjoy hiding under the plants when they sunbathe.

I went through all my seeds today and chucked out all the out of date ones,and wrote a list of what was left.There were over thirty packets of flower seeds in date still.

The Vegetable seed tin was decimated down to four packets only.Last year I had poor germination rates.It occurred to me afterwards I was sowing with old and mostly out of date seeds.My new years resolution was to use fresh seeds.

I went online this afternoon and ordered all my allotment seeds.I need to go to Wilkos to buy the seed Potatoes,Onions,Garlic,and Shallots.Everything else has been ordered online.

I also decided with me trying to grow Mushrooms,to keep the experimentation going.To that end I have ordered a Grape Vine to grow in the Greenhouse.I will also try to grow some Melons which I have never grown before.

I want to be experimental and try to grow new varieties,and new crops each year.My seeds list is all new ones.It keeps it interesting growing Vegetables and Soft Fruit.

The garden still needs tweaking in places,but im pleased how its advanced after a winter break.

Rain Delay And Grand Plans

2012-01-20T21:11:00.003Z

It has been a wet few days here in West Yorkshire.I went to the allotment yesterday and harvested lots of Carrots,and some Baby Leeks.I surveyed the plot and formulated a new plan to dig it over ready for the new growing season.I will only grow what I like to eat.The surprise for me was how much the warm weather has sprouted weeds,but also that I have finally have some Purple Sprouting Broccoli!The ground was so sodden,it just caked my shoes and stuck to them.The rain delay stopped me starting the spring dig over.I have until the end of March to clear the plot and remark the new beds.
I came back home and started the gardens spring clean.The new conservatory needs a lovely vista to look out at.I trimmed the Roses,cleared all the pots of debris,removed all the grasses and weeds.I wanted to create a clear run along the concrete path.I removed old planters that have gone over.I swept all the winter debris of leaves,twigs,and mud.The view above is along the newly cleared path.The Conservatory will be completed tomorrow with the laying of the floor.Once this is done we can move the furniture in.I want a comfy chair in a corner by the radiator so I can watch the birds in the garden.Only one Goldfinch has been brave enough to eat the Sunflower hearts by the conservatory window.The Squirrels have been at them already though,but these are resourceful creatures and not easily scared off (they come back about five minutes later).
I'm cooking some Carrot Soup now with the five pounds of Carrots from the allotment.They are a mixture of Italian and Chantonay Carrots and smell divine.
The rain was falling all day.The conservatory roof echoes every drop like a rain stick.It will be soothing once the floor is in.
I want to finish the garden clear up.The sunken bed needs a new fence panel running along it to stop the soil falling on the damp proofing.It needs replanting and tidying up.I have noticed the Catnip Nepeta Six Hills Giant has died off.The fragrant herb has attracted all the local cats in,and has pretty lilac flowers.
I am drawing up a new wish list of plants to fill the revamped garden.The pond also needs clearing up of debris and vigorous growth by the oxygenating plants needs cutting back.I'm also looking forward to seeing the first Frogs in the Spring emerging from the pond to serenade for mates.
The weekend will see me drawing up a list of seeds to buy for the Vegetables and Flowers for the garden.I will chuck out all my old seeds that have gone out of date.I hang onto them for years past there sow by date,and there germination rate is always poor.
A new year,a new room to observe the Flora and Fauna,and grand plans for the best growing season ever.

Mushrooms and Monstera

2012-01-17T19:51:00.005Z

I finally have some Mushrooms to show you all on the blog.After two false starts when they wilted and died these Golden Oyster Mushrooms have grown.I bought the set from Suttons seeds as a present to myself..I have always thought Mushrooms have the fairy dust element about them.They grow in woods and in wet grass where nothing was before.They also disappear as fast as they came.I tried some quick pan fried mushroom today which were delicious and silky.The set cost £10 but I guess I have eaten what I have grown making them priceless.This was the Conservatory at the end of day 7.The concrete floor is still drying,as it has been freezing weather.The outside tap and all the birds water has frozen solid.Even the top of the pond has frozen, but hopefully not all the way down so my over wintering frogs and newts can survive.The garden has foot prints,and concrete dust all over it.A lot of the plants have been squashed during the building work.The Spring Bulbs are still pushing up despite the steel toe capped boots treading all over them.Whatever has survived will grow again well.The sunken border now sits parallel to the outside wall of the conservatory.The birds will be feeding extremely close to the house.They will need to get used to it.The mess and destruction will be worth it once it is finished.The garden will be closer through the glass windows.The waterford crystal vase has these lovely Carnations,and Gypsophila.I picked three colours of Spray Carnations to give us some colour during the building work.I love the smell and sight of these cut flowers.
I keep thinking about a large specimen plant to sit in the conservatory.Maybe a Yucca,large Dracaena,or even a Monstera.We are meeting Hils at Hampsons tomorrow so we can look for a showy house plant then.
I want to try to plan the garden out with new planting,and a more defined structure..

Work In Progress

2012-01-14T20:55:00.004Z

The Squirrel was keeping an eye on the developments going on in the garden.The conservatory is being built.The past few days have seen the foundations and bricks being built up.All the pots and containers on the decking have been moved into the lawn.

The view from the back door.Once it is finished the backdoor will be moved to the conservatory.I am already planning to buy a large specimen plant for indoors.Maybe a Yucca,or a Parlour Palm.

The past few days have seen me off colour with a cough and a cold.I am working Sunday before a week off.

The garden needs revamping,and the sunken border will need replanting after all the building work has finished.The past few nights have seen the temperature drop below freezing for the first time.It finally feels Wintry.

I hope to blog lots more on my week off..

Snappy New Year

2012-01-02T16:47:00.003Z

I cannot believe it is 2012 already.It will be a great year with the Queens Diamond Jubilee,the Euro football championships,and the London Olympics amongst other things.
I hope it will be a good growing year.I feel more inspired to grow flowers,fruit,and vegetables.To nurture the wildlife around me,and to record it all on the blog.
I hope that 2012 is good for you..

Xmas 2011

2011-12-27T15:30:00.002Z

I have enjoyed this Christmas.A mixture of presents,television,and eating well.The build up always makes you enjoy it more,but it passes too quickly!I have been out in the garden today tidying the greenhouse out.I removed the dying back Tomato plants and chucked out rubbish.I re potted my Climbing Fuchsia from Cromer,and replaced all the shelving ready for spring flower and vegetable seed trays.I got a White Indoor Rose plant from Mum.Cat bought me this Elvis Teddy bear with peacock embroidered jump suit with gold edging, and a microphone.He will decorate the sidebar next year.
I bought an Oyster Mushroom growing kit.I read the wrong instructions (there were two different types on the back too),and then took the bag off.I have now replaced the bag back on my Mushroom kit.It was sat next to the Elvis bear.The first pins are already growing up through the straw.I cannot wait to photograph my Oyster Mushrooms but also cook them.
The garden winter clean up will take place in stages after my night shifts.I need to get to the Allotment too to start clearing the beds ready for next years growing season.
Xmas is a good time to relax and remember what went well and what did not.I have found my two tins of Seeds ready for my inspection.Im thinking about next years growing season already.
I hope you all had very merry Christmases.The New Year is only five days away..

Xmas Eve

2011-12-24T19:45:00.002Z

Its Christmas Eve and I am excited about tomorrow.We have had our Christmas dinner early as it was the only night we both have off.We ate roast Turkey and all the trimmings.Cats Mum made a Scottish Clootie dumpling.These flowers are decorating the front room to brighten up the dark nights.I bought this Swedish Angel Chime in Scotland,in a Highland Xmas shop.When you light the candles the angels turn,and the metal rods hit the bells.I lit the candles this afternoon and watched it turn around.
I hope that every one has a wonderful Xmas Day tomorrow.

Wild Friends

2011-12-22T19:33:00.006Z

There are only three nights until Christmas Day.I cannot wait..the longer nights and colder days have drawn the local wildlife back into the garden.Watching and photographing them is quite therapeutic.I love the Robin.He is very cute,but extremely territorial.I have seen two in the garden but luckily on opposite sides of the garden.For me the Robin is always symbolic of Xmas.The furry raider that is the Squirrel has been in the garden.I watched as he nicked the peanuts I just put out.He grabbed them then tried burying them in our long grass!He is a natural born acrobat and peanut pirate!His tail is like some mad flag waving and quivering.The Blackbirds have made a welcome return to our garden.I love their songs,and their chattering alarm calls if you disturb them in the garden.These are probably Russian migrants who fly here for the winter.Olaf we called him last year.The Goldfinches are back with their beautiful colours,and amazing aerial acrobatics.I love how they can fly at each other in aggressive displays but not actually touch each other.They repel each other by invading their personal space.Their songs are quite sweet,and you can tell if they are hanging around in the trees before you see them.The local House Sparrows continue to amuse me as they line up on the fence.Waiting for the chance to fly down for some sunflower hearts or fat balls.They are gregarious,very noisy,and quite fun to watch.They have had lots of juvenile Sparrows this year,so they benefit from the all year round food supply.The Collared Doves are in the garden almost every day eating the seed in the tray feeders,and drinking from the bird bath.
For a bird that came from the Balkans it is very well adapted.It looks like it has a dog collar around its neck.They coo coo quite a lot on the fence and on the neighbours roofs watching the garden from high above.
The garden has about eight hours of daylight and it is noticeably more frenetic with the wildlife feeding.Its good to see all the winged friends come back for the Winter.

Xmas Spirit

2011-12-17T21:30:00.004Z

There is only a week until Xmas.The tree is up,the decorations are hung up,and the presents have been bought and wrapped up underneath.I had to order this Harrods bear to sit on the fireplace.We were not able to get to London.The bear has become an Xmas tradition.

Certain plants have been associated with Christmas like Fir Trees,Wreaths,Holly with red Berry's, and Mistletoe.Asda have been selling the Poinsettias with their red and green.These are the colours of Christmas.We have the wreath on the front door,and the decorated Xmas Tree.
I have been baking and cooking when the weather has been cold.Butterfly Buns,Millionaires shortbread,and choc chip n pecan cookies.Comfort food is good,along with good gardening books or magazines.The short days mean the end of the year and reflections.
The new year will see the decking ripped out,and a new conservatory put up.The garden will be revamped.The sunken border will be even deeper than it is now.I have to decide to which plants to save.They will be dug up and potted up for saving.
I ordered a Mushroom growing kit from Suttons which is now sat on the dining room table.I hope it grows some edible mushrooms for me to cook with.
The new year means new resolutions,and plans.I need to dig over the allotment and plan next years growing season.I want to try more plants in the garden,and to continue to attract wildlife.
I love Xmas as much as gardening.

Congratulations

2011-12-16T21:00:00.001Z

My baby sister Jawsy and her partner Scott have had a baby boy called Marshall Rex Cullen on Friday the 16th of December in Auckland, New Zealand.

Pansys And New Years Plans

2011-12-13T21:33:00.003Z

There are only twelve days until Xmas.The weather outside has turned decidedly wintry, with rain and freezing cold winds.The bleak days have finished off most of the late flowering plants.These Pansy's are due to go into the hanging baskets for Winter colour.These delicate flowers are as tough as old nails.Freezing temperatures and torrential downpours has not dampened their flowering spirit.The cold weather has meant I have been indoors lots cooking and baking.The garden looks green but without much vibrant colour.The decking will be removed in January when we have a new Conservatory built.I will be able to move the dining room table outside closer to the birds.The sunken border will probably be replanted after all the building work has finished.We will have an outdoor plug too for putting more lights outside.
I have had emails about garden projects for next years Olympic Games.Green fingered community leaders will be celebrating the games for local communities.2012 will be a great gardening year.

Waterford Colours

2011-12-03T08:48:00.002Z

When it is December the gardens flowers have mostly died away.Any colour you can find helps you through the gloomy dark days.In Scotland I bought a lovely waterford crystal vase and have bought some flowers to illuminate the front room.The most brightly coloured Peruvian Lilys with pink,white,and yellow spashes of colour.The light illuminates them.

To accompany the Peruvian Lilys I bought some White Carnations.These smell faintly of cloves and contrast to the Pinks,and reds of the Alstromeria.
Cut flowers can give you winter colour.The wind is blowing outside today.The Mole has been back digging in his favourite holes along the path.
I still have two nights to go before I can get back to gardening.The Xmas Tree will be put up on Monday after a sleep.

Foxglove Friday

2011-12-02T08:42:00.002Z

Its the second of December already.Only twenty three days to go until Xmas!
Amazingly the Foxglove has put on an extra show of its purple spotty flowers.The Autumn has been quite mild, and the usual freezing temperatures have not arrived yet.
There is little other colour in the garden in December.It is mottled greens and drying seedheads.
I'm back on nights again.The garden looks green and lush after lots of rainfall.
The birds are coming back slowly to feed.

Time And Teasel

2011-11-29T18:55:00.000Z

I cant believe it is nearly the end of November.The wind and rain have been battering the garden again overnight.Lots of rain has fallen,and the wind has knocked over the bird feeding station.The plastic catcher under the Nijer seed has smashed again.This was the second one that the wind has destroyed!

I have been enjoying the warmth of the indoors and reading my emails.The photo was taken from the backdoor.

The Teasels have finished flowering and now the seed heads are browning away nicely.The birds quite like them to launch themselves onto the bird feeders amongst the Teasel thistles.

The great garden clean up needs to continue.The baskets are waiting to be filled with the winter bedding plants.I will try to do it tomorrow.Short days and colder nights make the warmth and light of indoors quite tempting.Reading gardening books or perusing seed catalogues ready for next year.

I ate my one Scotch Bonnet Chili yesterday raw,sliced onto some cheddar cheese.It was delicious!Next year I will try to grow Jalapenos,and Scotch Bonnet Chili peppers.Again the greenhouse needs the Tomato grow bags clearing away and the years debris cleaned up in preparation for over wintering the tender plants.Cat wants me to move the Dahlias out of the shed into the greenhouse!

We are thinking about a new conservatory,and all I can think about is how much light will flood in,and how much windowsill space there will be for plants!

The December issue of the RHS magazine came talking about Phalaenopsis plants,and gardeners who brought their plants indoors.

I also got a list of next years Flower Shows run by the RHS.There are loads starting with the Spring flowers shows,to Chelsea,to Tatton Park..

Yesterday at Earls Court six colleges came to enter the Young Gardener Of The Year.They will display their sustainable gardens at the Ideal Home Exhibition next March in Earls Court from March 16th to April 1st.

The show Gardens will be five and a half metres by four metres wide, with the theme "Land craft Techniques within an Urban Setting".David Domoney (from Garden E.R) will be on the judging panel.Hundreds of thousands of people will see these budding garden designers!Last year over 250,000 people saw the show.

This was all the students entered into the competition from the six colleges.I hope to go along in March to see what each College has done.

http://www.princes-foundation.org/content/student-design-competition-launch

Even though the year is drawing to a close there is always reminders of the next year.More things to look forward to.

Sunflower And Sparrow

2011-11-21T16:03:00.003Z

I'm back after a little break from blogging.The cooler days and darker nights seem to make it harder to go into the garden.The summer glorys are over, and now the seedheads are forming.The garden looks more scruffy as it edges into Winter.The birds seemed to have dissapeared for a while.Today I saw Collared Doves,a Robin,and some House Sparrows.These little garden spirits cheer you up on gloomy days.
Between working and sleeping I have not been as active as I would have liked.I need to do the winter baskets and replant the pots and sunken border with the winter bedding plants.The mole has been back damaging our grass again with his digging!
I will be back to regular blogging now to keep people going through the gloomy Autumn days..

November Rain

2011-11-04T15:14:00.004Z

After a weeks holiday in the Scottish Highlands and one day back at work i finally went back into the garden with a camera.The rain days and early darkness keep you indoors more watching TV.I emptied out all the hanging baskets ready for the winter bedding plants.Cats parents gave us three varieties of plants to grow over the winter.After my nights I will plant up the baskets and the pots around the garden.Violas,Pansy's,and Sweet Williams.I have some Blue Tulips to plant to.The Arthur Bell Rose has managed a late flush of colour.Beautiful lemon yellow with a lovely old rose fragrance.It glows after the rain has fallen.Gertrude Jekyll looked sickly and I did not expect her to re bloom but she has.The pink Roses are amazingly fragrant and the colour glows in the dying autumn garden.She needs training up the supports we bought so the flowers can be supported next year.
When we were away in Scotland Cats Dad and John helped put our bird box up above the backdoor.The birds have all winter to find it and suss it out.I topped up the birds food today.They will start coming into the garden soon with the colder days ahead.

I have lots more tidying to do in the garden.There are spring bulbs already planted so they need clear soil to grow up through the earth.I cleared one Teasel away from the pond area.I snipped some dead flower heads back so you can see the pond outline again.I think I will leave the pond clearing until spring.The frogs should be able to chill in the deep water without freezing.

I will keep going out and clearing the garden debris a bit at a time.When spring comes it will be ready for another growing season.

The mole that visits us seems to have moved away.There have been no more mole hills yet.I saw a small brown mouse the other day running along the fence.

The garden birds and the wildlife like the garden as much as me.I will do more blog posts too now after my little break..

Scottish Autumn Break

2011-10-22T09:38:00.003+01:00

After finishing my four nights we are now off to Scotland for a week.This is a weeks holiday with Cat and Tom.We are going to the Highlands of Scotland, near to a Loch.
The birds food is topped up and the garden can be left for a week.By the time we come back the Pumpkins will need harvesting for Halloween.
The Roses are still blooming despite the October weather,and darker nights.
The camera batteries have been charged.I hope the weather is not too bad for our week.I have packed a hat,gloves,and scarf.
I hope that we can see lots of flora and fauna in the wilds of Scotland.
See you all in a weeks time!

Garden Update

2011-10-17T14:13:00.012+01:00

Autumn has arrived in Yorkshire.The trees are gradually shedding their leaves.It has been wet and windy for a few days.The plants are getting blown around outside now.It needs tidying up and the new winter bedding plants need planting in the pots,baskets,and sunken border.This was the view from the backdoor a few days ago.The Toad Lilys have begun to bloom in earnest.They have such beautiful colouration on their petals.The stamen seem to float over the plant like something from a sci-fi movie.The combination of warm sunshine,and wild weather has caused the Lady Emma Hamilton to put on a second flush.This year has been a bad year for the amount of these Roses.I think the plant needs trimming back in the Spring to reinvigorate the plant.The Roses she produces are gorgeous to look at,and heavenly to smell.The Apricot coloured blooms seem to sing out during grey days.The soft light seems to make them glow like copper coloured candles.Another job to do is to try to cut back some of the pond plants.They have exploded in growth and totally covered the pond.There are now baby Newts in the pond.The summer newts laid eggs and left in August.The Lily pads and pond weed provide perfect cover for the nifty one inch mini newts.There are a lot of Frogs in the pond though who eat small Newts.Hopefully some Newts will survive the winter and go on to lead productive lives.The Flag Iris pot is the favoured home for the Newts with its coloured stones.They wedge themselves between the stones.The Norfolk reed needs splitting and potting into an aquatic basket.It is vigorous!the Wildflowers around the pond will be left to set seed and will only be cut down in the Spring to clear some soil ready for the new plants to germinate.the only thing I want to move is the eight feet Teasel.They have made giant seed heads,like architectural sculptural pieces.I will leave one lot for the birds.I will spend the next year digging up Teasel plants from all over the garden!The Frog here was chilling in the water balanced on the pond plants.I love Frogs.I hope that the water is deep enough not to freeze solid..The Seed heads of flowering plants can be quite decorative.As the flowers start to fade they add some magic to the Autumn garden.Once the first frosts hit they will look magical with hoar frost on them.I will try to leave as many as possible for the birds to eat,and for the decorative effect until spring.It takes training to leave a garden a little wild after the beautiful flowers of summer.This years Apples are still growing on the Tree.One is almost Apple sized,the other two are catching up.The Tree has grown six Apples in 3 years.I am planning on planting it in the winter with lots of compost and manure into the ground.I need to buy a tree stake to keep it growing upright.Once it is bedded in the fruits should grow more plentifully.I love the idea of growing fruit in the garden.The Strawberries have been a great success.The raised sleeper bed has provided us with pounds of fresh juicy Strawberries.They need more compost digging into the bed and the weeds removed.I will pin down any Runners and maybe buy more new plants for the last section that is not full of plants.The netting has kept bird damage down to a minimum.the bruised ones get put on the grass for them.The Verbena Bonarensis have flowered quite well in their first year.These will grow better next year as they find their feet.The birds loved landing on the tall stems.these plants look great en Mass so the purple flowers can shimmer in the air.The Gladiolus have flowered secretly in the sunken border.They have been blown over and hidden amongst the debris of other plants.The pink and white blooms look lovely when they first bloom.I always forget to stake them and they always fall over.Next year i will remember.
The birds have started to visit the garden again.The spring garden was full of hundreds of birds.As the natural food becomes more available they come less.Winter will drive them back into my garden bird buffet.I have mixed seeds,fat balls,Sunflower hearts,and Nijer seed.I am looking for a new peanut holder as mine keeps getting wet then going mouldy.I need one that keeps the peanuts dry.Most seem to be open cages.The Yorkshire garden is quite exposed to the elements.
I have some new Tulip Bulbs to plant.These are called Tulip Purple Prince.They came as part of the offer with the winter bedding plug plants.Violas,Pansy's,and Sweet Williams.These will provide the bridging colour between Autumn and Spring.

Autumn Signs

2011-10-15T16:52:00.006+01:00

I finally have a weekend off and I'm going to enjoy it.The Autumn weather means it has fluctuated between sunny days to wet rainy days.The damp days have inspired these Mushrooms to start growing in the grass.They are like fairy castles appearing overnight and then disappearing a few days after.The underside of the mushroom is amazingly intricate.Fungi's are strange things,a cross between a plant and an animal.These little grey caps look like a miniature village.Like the Gauls village in the Asterix comic books.they are hidden under our back gardens grass.The appearance of long hidden mushrooms is a sign of Autumn.Usually woodland floors sprout lots of Mushrooms in the autumn.The Spring Primulas have grown quietly over the summer and have begun to flower in earnest under the bird feeder.The white Flowers have a radiant yellow centre like a spun egg yolk.These are very hardy plants and should survive the winter.The Echinops flower heads have turned into seed heads.They still have an architectural form to them.Seed heads forming is another sign that the seasons have changed.

In the pots on the decking this lone Petunia flowers away.I love the vibrancy of the red with the patterned veins.The October skys illuminate reds,oranges,yellows,and browns more clearly.These colours seem to glow.

The Snapdragons by the pond are still flowering.I enjoy the candy stick smell that these flowers have.There are pink and these white Snapdragons growing still.These self seeded from the first year we planted around the pond.The wildflower area should grow anew each year with different varieties of flowers.The soil has been left poor with no compost added.

I topped up the birds food and water after we went shopping.As the weather gets colder they will come to the garden more frequently.I think that the Trees and shrubs provide plenty of natural food for the garden birds.Winter will draw them into our garden to feed.

Harvest Reflections

2011-10-11T13:15:00.003+01:00

Its the eleventh of October already.The crops that I have grown are almost ready to harvest.The old men have started to clear their plots and the air can be quite smoky at the allotment from bin fires.I am resisting still and compost all my green waste.I have started to clear the beds that have gone over.The peas,the onions,the garlic,and the sweetcorn.The Courgettes have died back and are covered with a white sooty mould.It has rained quite a lot over the past few days so I hope my five Pumpkins are increasing in size.I want to use one as a Jack O Lantern,and the rest will be turned into soup.As the harvest kicks in I find you need inspiration to deal with the glut of Vegetables.I will try to cook my Runner Beans into a Lebanese Tomato and Garlic dish.What do you do with eight Cabbages that are all ready to pick?I guess I could blanch them and freeze them.The freezer already has Tomato Soup,and Carrot Soup frozen in small portions.These can be used on cold wintry days after a long walk,with a crusty bread roll.The summer harvest can be carried over through the dark days of winter.
Its not all gone smoothly this year.White Rot has decimated my Onions and Garlic.The Sweetcorn keeled over as soon as it was planted out.The Cauliflower plants died after strong winds and slug damage.The Broccoli has not grown any florets yet!
Despite all this we have had sixty pounds of Potatoes from the Plot,Carrots,a few peas,Rhubarb,Runner Beans,and a beautiful Cabbage.
Still growing in the ground is winter Vegetables.Parsnips,Swedes,Carrots,and Brussels Sprouts.I am planning next years crops already.
The garden has grown Strawberry's in the sleeper bed.Potatoes in grow bags which were not as productive due to the dry early summer.Tomatoes and Chilli's have been a great success.I will definitely grow these again.I will look for new Varieties to try and grow.The Red Cherry's were lovely,juicy,and strong tasting.The Outdoor girl were big but not as tasty.There are hundreds of varieties of Toms to try,and more Chilli's.
As the growing season ends it is a good time to reflect on what has gone right,what was a disaster,and what could be done next year.
I will try to grow Sweetcorn in large grow bags in the garden so they can be tended and watered all year around.Working full time and not being able to go every day made the crop fail.They need the tender loving care for them to reach their potential.
I think the sleeper bed in the garden needs more Strawberry plants.Last year i increased my stock by pinning down the runners from the parent plants.Strawberry plants can be propagated easily every year.The thrill of picking bowls of fresh Strawberries was amazing.
All this harvested crops need storing,freezing,or used in cooking.The whole point of growing Vegetables is to eat them freshly cooked.I enjoy finding new recipes to cook and taste.Growing and cooking are two of my passions.

October Garden

2011-10-09T21:17:00.005+01:00

I have been working lots so the blog has been slightly neglected.I have been enjoying the last blasts of colour and flowers in the Autumn garden.A few days of sunshine has inspired flowers to bloom for a second flush of colour this year.The Mexican Orange Blossom suprised with me with its almond scented flowers above glossy green leaves.Arthur Bell flowered for a second time.The plant has such a lovely deep yellow colour with a slight fragrance.The roses have all grown on beautifully.The Roses Wisley,Lady Emma Hamilton,
and Gertrude Jekyll have all got rose buds on them now.The Abysinnain Gladiolus have been flowering away in a pot by the backdoor.They look lovely with the white and plum flower,with the scent of Lilac.They have been damaged by the wind and rain that has ravaged the garden.The leaves have started to change colour,and some have dropped off.Walking along the street can involve kicking through piles of leaves.The Lilac Tree leaves look autumnal now.
Today has been a lovely sunday.Roast Lamb Dinner,watching Countryfile,and the Antiques Roadshow.Im working tomorrow.
The garden needs tidying up.I have new plants growing for the baskets and the sunken border for the winter period.At some point I will remove the debris from the summer party.I am enjoying the last bursts of colour.
I know its late in the season because Autumn Watch started on Friday night..

Garden Bounty

2011-09-27T22:24:00.004+01:00

As September nearly ends the garden and allotment have become really productive.I went to the plot today and harvested a Unicorn Cabbage,and more Italian Carrots.I picked more Tomatoes from the garden and greenhouse.The Cheyenne Chilli's continue to go yellow.There are smaller purple Tiger ones growing on still but not on the plate.Also on the plate is a Maris Piper Potato from the plot,and Pink Fir Potato's from the garden grow bags.I made Carrot Soup, and Tomato soup with the bounty from the garden/plot. A surprise outside was this scented Abyssinian Gladiolus.It was blooming in the Moliniux Roses,hidden away.It has a drooping flower,with purple colours in the centre of the white petals.I planted about ten of these but only the one has bloomed so far.A volunteer plant is this Blue Lobelia that has grown between the paving slabs near the decked area.They are so bright and cheery.I planted them along the edge of the sunken border before.It has obviously self seeded.
Surprise plants in new places always bring a smile to your face.The weather has been hot and sunny.A late Indian summer?It brings the gardens colours out.
I have already started to visualise the work i need to do on the allotment over the winter.I have Runner beans,Parsnips,Swedes,Brussels Sprouts,Carrots,and Cabbages still growing.There are empty beds that can be dug over now.
I have to work tomorrrow before I can get to spend time outdoors.

Changing Seasons And Hot Chocolate

2011-09-24T13:06:00.004+01:00

This flower represents a triumph for me this year.I bought some Chocolate Cosmos tubers which I have grown on.They were so slow to start with that I worried that they would rot in the pot.Just as I was giving up all hope when it sprouted leaves.I have the pot on the outdoor table so I can smell the sweet smelling flower.It is a Mexican Perennial and one of my favourite Autumn flowers.Its dark looks and chocolate scent make it a winner.I replanted two pots with the Petunia plug plants that had survived being left in the trays.I love the vibrant colours.The first pot has a Scabiosa in the middle.The second pot has a Japanese Painted Fern.
Interestingly I read that there are more rare Japanese plants growing in the UK than there are growing wild in Japan.The plant hunters of the 19Th century took a lot out to feed peoples love of new and exotic plants.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15019834

People now still love buying new plants,and exotic new species.At least there are examples here of Japanese plants that could be returned to the wild,or cultivated en Mass then returned.

I love these Simple Pansy's.They have a myriad of paintbox colours, and combinations.They seem to grow well in Yorkshire,and have a long flowering time.

It is officially Autumn now according to the calender.I'm enjoying the colours of the garden that remain,dotted between the newly formed seed heads.There are more replacement plug plants growing on for the baskets and the sunken border.I have to work this weekend before more days off.

I hope Autumn Watch will be back on our screens soon.Chris Packham will be reunited with Michaela Strachan.Like the Really Wild Show that I watched when i was younger.

http://bbc.co.uk/blogs/natureuk/2011/09/announcing-autumnwatch-live-20.shtml

I saw the Hedgehog in our garden last night snuffling around the bird feeding station eating the bits the birds dropped.He must be fattening up ready for the winter hibernation.I heard our resident Owls last night,and I think Foxes for the first time.Nature is bountiful at this time of year so everything is eating well before winter.I am trying to enjoy the gardens in this time of changes.

Pink Ballet Dancers

2011-09-21T22:54:00.003+01:00

As the nights get longer,and the daytime temperature dips the time to blog lessens.I have been working lots,and the cold wet weather makes inside a more comfortable option.
I have been harvesting Tomatoes and Chili's over the past week.I need to get to the allotment to harvest the Cabbages,Pumpkins,and Carrots.
There are more plug plants growing on in trays ready for winter baskets.They are all hardy i hope.
The Fuchsias photographed (that look like ballet dancers in tutu's) need to be taken out of the summer baskets and grown on in pots over the winter in the shelter of the greenhouse.I will warm it with a paraffin lamp this year on below freezing nights.
I want to get out into the garden tomorrow to take more photos.The garden looks well lived in now,with many ornamental seed heads forming for the birds.
The leaves are slowly beginning to turn from green to oranges and browns.The leaves have not begun to fall properly yet.The calender says it is Autumn on Friday.

Harlequin Blue 2011

2011-09-15T15:25:00.008+01:00

This first photo shows a plant that has been growing for two growing seasons before it has finally bloomed, the Streptocarpus Harlequin Blue.I saw this plant first at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2010 where it won new plant of the year 2010.It was the first Streptocarpus with bi colour flowers.Blue on top, and pale yellow below.I had to wait until the Autumn Flower Show to buy plant.It has taken all last year,and nine months of this year for it to bloom.I love the colours.All my Streptocarpus were killed last year as i left them in an unheated greenhouse.Trying to make room for Cat in the kitchen.The severe freeze killed them all.All that has survived is the Streptocarpus Charlotte but she is a bit sickly.The sun has been shining today.Cat has cut the front and back garden grass.It looks invigorated now.She topped up the birds food too.I was listening to the birds singing today in bed (in the loft bedroom).The grass is now beautifully cut,now the path needs cleaning up.It has debris on it,and soil left from the mole hills.This sunshine has given some of the plants a new lease of life.The Lady Emma Hamilton Rose has got more rose buds on it.She is growing between the grasses, and the Asters.The two Buxus are growing away nicely.I want to clip them into a ball shape but want them to grow a bit bigger first.Once they have decent size I can trim them to a round ball.It is cheaper to buy smaller plants and try to grow them on.The sickly Rose Wisley has a dainty little bloom on it.It has perfect flowers but has been looking poorly for most of this year.The little pink Rose made me smile when I saw it.Despite adversity it is still trying to flower.This wildflower clump is growing on the edge of the greenhouse.I love these sunshine flowers.these are loved by Hoverflys and late season bees.Another late blooming surprise is this Ceanothus.It has the most fragrant blue flowers that smell of honey.These attract the Bee's from miles.It bloomed much earlier in the season,so it was a surprise to find two flower spikes growing away.
It is the Autumn Flower Show from Friday to Sunday.I am working the next four nights so I will have to miss it this year.I will try to book it off next year.
The weekend is forecast to be wet.There was some greenhouse damage from the strong winds.The garden is quite densely planted so the plants just bobbed around but not too much damage was sustained.
The garden is looking a bit raggedy around the edges,but it still suprises me.

Wind & Blooms

2011-09-12T21:12:00.004+01:00

I finished my weekend at work and have been resting today.The Hurricane Katia has made its way across the Atlantic Ocean.The winds are now buffeting the west coast of Britain.Its amazing how a Hurricane that was in New York had enough steam to cross the big pond.The garden has been battered today by gusting winds.The bird table has blown over,and other debris has been thrown around the garden.These Butterfly flowers have been flowering away.I love the flowers facial markings.The Duchess Asters continue to attract Bees to gain some late nectar.The colour they add makes up for their slow growing.These originated in a packet of seeds my Mum sent me a few Xmas's ago.Their colours remind me of coloured Jelly beans.I will grow more of these next year.An addition this year was this Red Dianthus.It has more pink markings than the plant label photo showed!Maybe they used a red camera filter.This plant goes well with my container grown Dianthus Jazz ,that has been growing year after year.I love the colours and the smell of cloves from the flowers.
Cats Mum brought us some plug plants today.They need growing on in the greenhouse and will make some Winter Baskets.Normally the hanging baskets bloom until the first frosts.I would empty the baskets then stack them in the greenhouse.I hope that hardy winter plants can survive a Yorkshire winter.
I will try to keep the Fuchsia's to see if i can over winter them.I have six in baskets,and a climbing Fuchsia from Cromer that cats parents bought us this year.
I hope that the winds do not do too much damage to the garden.I can hear the wind gusting and objects being moved around.
It is a time to reflect on whats grown well,what has not,and what I can grow next year.The seasons keep turning slowly changing how the garden and surrounding Trees looks.

2011-09-08T21:31:00.004+01:00

As the summer draws to a close the colours left in the garden become more vivid.The unsettled grey Sky's cast everything in a bright light.The Bronze Fennel has become beautiful in its yellow flowers.This photo captures the ethereal light of the yellow and green.It has taken really well in the ground by the dogwood.Not to be outdone the Dahlia Bishop Of Llanduff glows like a Mongolian tent on the steppes.The light shone through the petals like a stained glass window.These have been a spectacular success and have bloomed really well throughout the summer.I am wandering about buying more Dahlias in the Autumn that will compliment the Scarlett red flowers and dark foliage of the Bishops?The baskets have gone over a bit,and some of the plants are a bit leggy.These Petunias have been a success.I love their sweet scent and their flowering potential all summer long.As long as they are regularly deadheaded these will flower deep into the Autumn.The birds have started to return into the garden too.This Baby Goldfinch looked so cute standing on the Teasel pecking at the seed head.They keep landing on the plants.They are so light they hardly move a stem.I will see if they feed on these seed heads over the winter?
The days seem to be getting shorter too.The sun rises later and sets sooner.We are heading into Autumn.Autumn watch will soon be back on our TV screens.I hope that the garden continues to draw wildlife.We are still under mole attack along the path.Bottles and Cat poo have deterred him a bit but not stopped him.He is providing me with lots of top soil free of weeds and pests..
The grass outside needs its final cut of the year.The birds are disappearing into it when they hop across the grass.
I made a batch of Tomato soup with my Tomatoes.There are still lots to be picked on the Outdoor Girls,and the Red Cherry's.
The Chili plants took a battering when the wind blew them off the greenhouse shelf.The strong winds wreaked havoc on them.I hope that I will get at least one Scotch Bonnet,and one Habanero Chili by the end of Autumn.The Cheyennes have fruited beautifully but not turned orange yet.I have a good ten purple Tiger Chili fruits forming too.They will keep me warm during the winter if i cook with them.
The garden is being left to form seed heads and to see what wildlife comes into it.There is still harvesting to do at the allotment and in the garden.Autumn will be a spectacular season to photograph and to write about.

Ice And Roses

2011-09-06T19:43:00.004+01:00

I cannot believe it is September already.The year has flown by.As i'm writing this the wind is blowing hard outside shaking all the plants and flowers.It has rained for the past few days,and the trees leaves have started to change colour.It has an Autumnal feel to the day.The garden still has flowers blooming.This first one is the Ice Plant or Sedum.It is very attractive to bees and was brought from Fishponds drive.I love the succulent leaves and the small white flowers.These turn into brown seedheads which will stay over the winter.The plant regrows from the base in the spring.I look forward to seeing it as a sign that winter is nearly over.The Rose Wisley has one more Rose bud on it.Despite a poor start the rose has flowered,and the blooms are beautiful.It has an old rose smell,and the petals are so delicate.I love my Roses.I still would like to buy more in the winter.As the summer garden comes to an end I am already imagining the new growing season.It will be time soon to recieve the seed company catalogues,and gardening books for inspiration.The most outstanding Rose of this year has been the Harlow Carr.It has bloomed magnificently for months and stills smells lovely.The branches flop all over and needed supporting to show the pink cupped flowers off.
I have the next few days off to garden,and to go to the allotment.I hope it stays dry for some of my time off.

Kitchen Garden Update

2011-08-30T15:09:00.005+01:00

Apart from the Apple on the mini tree there are two other crops ripening away.The first two are the Chilli plants in the greenhouse.These are Purple Tiger Chillis,grown from seed this year.I think they are going to be very hot.I ended up with six of these plants so there may be a bumper crop of Chillis once they have finished growing.The Chili Cheyenne are the most impressive.They are a good two inches long,and apparently will ripen to an orange colour.I got this plant from the plant stall.It is producing about eight of the long tapered fruit.I will end up using these in cooking, or slicing them to eat in cheese and ham sandwiches.I love tasting the fire on my tongue!I have a weakness for buying new varieties of Chili seeds and trying to grow them to fruiting.Also being grown but not developed enough for a photo is the Habanero,and Scotch Bonnet plants.They have not done as well as the first two.My Jalapeno seeds did not germinate so I will have to wait for next year to start them off again from new seeds.My other weakness is growing Tomatoes.They are so easy to grow from seed,and once they ripen the fruits are lovely to eat directly off the plant.I have tried two varieties.One in the greenhouse, and one outside in grow bags.The Outdoor Girl are big solid Tomatoes and taste lovely with cheese in a sandwich.I hope they ripen before any frost comes to kill the plants off.Each day a new fruit has a slightly red tinge.Growing well in the greenhouse are the Red Cherry Tomatoes.These are so sweet to eat and very juicy.I will have a glut of these as there were twelve plants growing in grow bags on the greenhouse floor.The plants have grown to nearly six feet tall and are festooned in little cherry tomatoes.
The garden has been quite productive this year.We had Strawberries,Gooseberries, and some lovely Charlotte New Potatoes.There is still one grow bag with main crop Potatoes growing in it yet to be harvested.
We also started growing Herbs from seeds this year.The Chives,Parsley,and Coriander grew really well.The Garden Mint is also thriving in its pot.Its amazing what you can grow in a small urban garden.If you are selective and grow what you like to eat then a kitchen garden can supply you with some of your food.The pleasure you get eating your produce is amazing.

Late Summer Displays

2011-08-29T20:36:00.003+01:00

The garden continues to surprise and delight me despite the changing weather.It rained heavily for the past few days.The Scabiosa looked beautiful and phantom like in the overcast light.The flower looks like a lightning conductor in a science experiment.It attracts lots of flying insects and moths with its ghostly white flowers.The late flowering Asters remind me of sweets in an old fashioned sweet shop,where you go and buy a half pound of sweets out of plastic containers.I love the Duchess mix of colours.The hover flies love these nectar rich blooms.At the corner of the sunken border the aniseed smelling Bronze Fennel has made these delicate yellow flowers.They float above the green leaves below.They look like little yellow fireworks exploding over the borders plants in an August display.Our Apple Tree has three mini Apples on it.I will plant the Apple Tree in the winter into the ground by the fence.I hope that this will encourage it to have more flowers and more Apples.As Autumn draws near the Apples should be ready to eat.This plant surprised me.I thought a moth had landed on the pink phlox.When I looked closer it is the first flowering Toad Lily.This is such a beautiful and exotic flower.I thought it was one of the Freesias.They must have rotted in the pot.There are about five of these plants so I'm hoping for more flowers.I have wanted to grow these for years before I finally bought the bulbs from Hampsons.They are gorgeous colours.The burgundy spots,yellow centre,and almost squid like tendril's in the centre. These are unique flowers growing on top of thin woody stems with dark thin leaves.I will wait to see if any more colours grow.
Walking around the garden daily always brings new things to look at.I have not done much tidying.I am trying to keep the flower heads on to make attractive seedheads.When winter comes these should add some structure when it is frosty or snowing.I want to see which birds come to feed on which seed heads.
An August garden is full of colour,but also the remnants of flowers that have bloomed and gone over.

Charming Visitors

2011-08-24T08:37:00.003+01:00

This is one of the first of the Monet Sunflowers to bloom.It is growing in the pot by the backdoor.Cats mum brought back some Sunflower seeds from the garden at Giverny in France.I sowed them this year then planted them out around the garden.They have a golden colour to the petals,not like the large Sunflowers that are growing at the allotment. After I finished a night shift I like to watch the birds as I check my emails.I love the colourful Goldfinches.They love the sunflower hearts that are in the hexagonal feeder.They have such pretty songs and are quite gregarious.A group of them is called a charm of Goldfinches.I think they are charming garden visitors.
Two more nights to work before I can do some more gardening and get to the allotment.

Lazy Days

2011-08-22T15:26:00.008+01:00

I have enjoyed my single day off yesterday.I spent a lazy day in the garden.The sun was shining and I went outside into the garden to take some photos.The Asters have started to bloom en Mass now,in lots of soft colours.I love the pink of this flower contrasting to the lilac one behind it.The squirrels continue to raid the bird food on occasions.I love the way they use their tails like a flag bearer.They seem to be swishing secret messages to the trees as they eat the sunflower hearts or peanuts.They eat the birds food,dig my pots up,but generally are quite benign.The mole has been back causing chaos on the grass with his earthworks.The battle continues to find an organic solution to driving him into the neighbouring houses.Today's trick is to use pop bottles in the ground with their tops off.The wind blows across them making a woo-ing noise that penetrates the ground and hopefully stops the mole from venturing out.This Butterfly was flitting from my Everlasting flowers before stopping on the Parsley leaves in our herb planter.I got a good close up photo with him chilling in the sunlight.I have not seen as many butterflies this year in our garden.I think I need to revamp my butterfly attracting plants to draw them in.The allotment was full of hundreds of butterflies.Is not all about the pretty Butterflies.These Hover flys and normal flys love the sweet nectar of the Everlasting Flowers.These have offered quite fiery colours into the planters.I have two bunches drying in the greenhouse ready to be put into a vase over the winter.A surprise to me was this Gladiolus blooming in the corner of the sunken border.I planted the bulbs under the Dogwood,and near to the Bronze Fennel.I love the pastel effect of the pink and yellow colours.It looks like an artist has used two colours and rubbed the two together where they meet,smudging the colours for a seem less change.I picked all these Tomatoes and Strawberries yesterday.The Strawberries have nearly finished now.I want to decant the herb planter strawberries and plant them in our raised bed.It gave us lots of Strawberries this year.The soil just needs more compost adding to enrich it.The Tomatoes are starting to turn red now.The small Cherry Reds are delicious eaten fresh off the plant.They are a good mixture of sweet and sour.The large one is the second Outdoor Girl Tomato plant.These seem to be growing really well on the garden path.They will all start ripening together so I think we will give some away.I love growing Tomato's and Chillis every year.I will look for new or heirloom varieties to grow next year.The final photo shows the Teasel seed heads in shadows against the white sky.These are magnificent plants and most have been covered in flying insects.The seed heads are ripening slowly.I will leave these for their architecture and presence.The three plants are like three giants in the garden.Nothing else can match them for height.The Goldfinch's keep landing on them.I want to see if they will eat the seeds in the winter.
Summer is drawing to its end,and the leaves are starting to change colours slowly.the garden flowers are blooming for a last hurrah before the Autumn starts.I'm back on nights again so the posts will be short but sweet untill Friday.

Summer Stars

2011-08-18T20:03:00.000+01:00

The Water Lily flower bud has opened at last.It looked like a floating balloon sitting on top of the pond water anchored by the stem from the sunken basket.The water Lily has made about a dozen leaves in our small pond.It is sunken now in the deepest part of the water.I read the leaves adjust to the depth of the water automatically.The Fuchsias in the baskets look magnificent now with their pendulous drop flowers.These plants are perfect for the centre of baskets.The flowers cascade over the sides of the baskets.I just have to remember to keep watering them on hot days.There are eight hanging baskets around the garden fence on both sides.The plant labels are buried beneath the masses of Petunias,Busy Lizzie's,and Pansy's.I love the purple colour on these Fuchsias.The Asters have started to bloom in earnest.They have a mixture of Lilac,Pink,and Purple colours so far.They are beautiful to look at with their pastel shades.It has been worth waiting for.These have been grown from seed this year.A wide shot of our pond showing the bricks,pond plants,and floating on the water the Water Lily flower.The frogs love our pond.I keep seeing them peering at me from the edges of the lily leaves.The water should be deep enough not to freeze over in the winter protecting our resident frogs.The water is still very clear to look down into.Some plants need splitting and new baskets bought for sinking the plants onto the shelving.The Water Lily flower is reflexive.It closes at night and opens slowly throughout the day if there is six hours of sunshine.The first photo shows it just opening.Two hours later this was the flower from above.I love the delicate beauty of this first Water Lily flower.The stamen attracted a hover fly as soon as it opened.you need to be in the garden during the day to see this flower open.By the evening it is closed again.I love the colours.Water is very calming to look at.One of the Monet Sunflower plants has finally flowered.I saw a program about the secret wildlife that lives in the lost gardens of Heligan.Flocks of Goldfinches were landing on Spent Sunflower heads extracting the sunflower seeds.I always wandered why the Goldfinches were mad for my Sunflower hearts in the garden.It must be a natural resource that they like to feed on.
This is a small flower compared to the ones at the allotment.I think Sunflowers just make people happy with their brightness,and cheery face.They also move around following the path of sun across the sky.

Candlelight Post

2011-08-15T21:36:00.009+01:00

I had a day off to relax and take a few photos.The first picture is our water lily bloom almost opening.It has grown a dozen leaves and this is the first flower bud which has pleased me a lot.I did not know if it would flower this year in the pond.The frogs love the water Lily's to sit on,or underneath them.I wander if this plant will die back in the winter or does it need lifting and drying out until the spring?I love the many colours of the Violas.They have such vibrant colours and patterns.They were the plug plants that Cat ordered.Each flower has unique face and is a little work of art. This lovely royal blue Lobelia self seeded from Fishponds drive in one of the long planters.There are a few plants but I love the colours.Blue stands out really well as a flower colour,especially in fading light.These pretty weeds are growing by the greenhouse concrete base.They are such a cheery yellow colour.The Hoverflys love them.I love the colours in this photo.The Rose Harlow Carr,hanging basket, and the salmon coloured Gladiolus in the barrel planter.This is a view from the backdoor looking up the garden path.The August sunshine makes the colours stand out against the green.I love the Globe Thistles.They float above the dark green foliage and attract pollinators into the garden.I'm pleased how much they have grown on this year.The last photo shows the Aster duchess.This is the first flower that has bloomed.There are maybe two dozen plants that I have grown from seeds that my Mum sent me for Xmas before.They will be in a variety of pastel shades.I love the yellow centre with the swirling spiral.
I have just been writing this post by candlelight as the electricity got switched off along our road.Happily power has now been restored.
I am back to work tomorrow.It rained earlier on and I was tired from my two long days at work.The delights of the garden and watching the birds always helps me recharge my batteries ready for another shift at the hospital.
I hope to get to the plot on Wednesday or Thursday to see whats been growing.

Rain Music

2011-08-11T21:47:00.005+01:00

I bought the fuchsia's from wilkos.The Six small plug plants were growing in jelly in a mini plastic greenhouse for a few pounds.The half dozen plants are now growing in the centre of six of the hanging baskets.This is a blue tinged one called La Campanella.I love fuchsias but end up killing them in the winter every year.Their flowers are pretty like some natural teardrop pendent jewellery.It rained today, heavily at times.All gardening ceased apart from these few photos taken between rain showers.The Pelagonium continues to flower on the outside table.I love how dark and crimson like these flowers are.The lemon scented one looks dog eared,but this plant keeps on blooming week after week.I bought this at the Spring Flower show at Harrogate.
It has been a baking day because of the inclement weather.I have baked fruit scones,Eccles cakes,and lastly chocolate chip muffins.I hope its drier tomorrow.
I have been reading the Monty Don book the sensuous garden.I love his very poetic prose about individual colours,sounds,tastes, and textures inn a garden.The photos beautifully illustrate the prose.He makes you want to go out into the garden to see which of the qualities he is describing is present in your garden.The only one I did not have is running water,but today mother nature provided my own raindrops symphony as it fell onto the plants,and grass.The dripping noise adds to the watery symphony.I do like listening to the raindrops hit our skylight covers.
Imagining how much rain will be collected in the water butts by the shed.I love the fact the book was a bargain at fifty pence but so readable.It will be a book to peruse during wet days where you cannot get out into the garden.

Frogs And Flowers

2011-08-10T21:08:00.027+01:00

With all the civil unrest going on around the UK the garden has turned into my little sanctuary from watching the rolling news coverage.The flowers are blooming away nicely now.There are all the colours of the rainbow dotted around the garden.I take pleasure in walking around and taking in the flowers and plants.I share the garden with all the wildlife that seems to be attracted to it.It is a little oasis,in a sea of turmoil. The Bees and hoverflys are oblivious to trouble in the other world.Their life is flying around feeding on the abundant nectar that the august garden offers.I have tended to each and every plant within the garden.This tending makes you proud of the garden,and makes you enjoy being in it.A lot of the trouble has come from disaffected people who have nothing to lose.There is so much good and beauty in the world if you can just see it.The Globe Thistle continues to draw the Bees in from miles.They must be attractive to them. I have noticed more juvenile birds or fledglings feeding in the garden.They have learnt from their parents where to feed,when to fly away from danger.This baby Goldfinch intrigued me because his beak seems huge compared to his size.He has the black and yellow wing bars.I love having a charm of Goldfinches.The sunflower hearts are nestled between two Teasels and they alight on the spiny stems.Goldfinches and Teasel go together like fish and chips.
Another of the adults was feeding on the hearts too.They show a communal spirit too like the clean up groups appearing in the city's after the riots.One bird watches all the time whilst the group feeds below.
The fence is a popular starting point for all the fledgling House Sparrows.They sit chirping away,and wing flapping like mad to get their parents to feed them.I had groups of about ten or twelve today on each fence top.They feel brave and fly down to the bird feeding station,or the bird table. The rain came today,and the wind has started to blow hard.The Margaret Merrill looks beautiful in the evening light soaked by the fresh rain drops.The scent is amazing on these flowers.A rose/citrus combination,good enough to eat!
Darcey Bussell continues to flower amazingly well.These Roses are part of the second flush.The dry hot weather meant all my roses flowered early and then stopped.The Roses with vigour have started to bloom again.These look jewel like in the late evening before the sun sets. The Bishop Of Llanduff still looks amazing.The red and gold coloured flower are like a priests robes.they contrast to the dark foliage below.These will need lifting before the first frosts and will over winter in the shed.I am happy I bought four plants at the Spring Flower Show. I watered the Tomatoes in the greenhouse tonight and saw a suprise guest on the concrete base near the opening.He had obviously hopped from the pond looking for some tasty slugs and insects to eat.He obliged in me taking his photo before he disappeared again.I love this photo of a Bee on the Echinops.His wing is like a stained glass window,with the lead lining.This was taken a few days ago when it was gloriously hot and sunny.This photo shows the globes floating above the sunken border.The flowers are electric blue and seem to stand out against the predominately green leaves below.Two Bees and a Fly are on the flowers. I found this big Frog sunbathing on the rocks.He was oblivious to me and quite content to be photographed.The water Lily leaves are below him floating on the pond surface.I have high hopes that we will get at least one Water Lily flower.The flower bud is floating in the middle of the pond.It has grown a dozen leaves and it is only supposed to be a small Pond Lily!The large number of Frogs and Newts means the water balance is right with fresh water and pond plants oxygenating it.I thought I would show the gardens Lily's.The Oriental Stargazer has nearly finished flowering.I love the gaudiness of this flower.The pink,red,and white, and the strong scent.This plant has bloomed for the past three years now.It dies back,but always grows new leaves in the spring.The virginal Lily Casa Blanca is like pure driven snow.The petals have slight bumps on them.This is one of the most fragrant Lily's.I can see why this is used in Bridal Bouquets.It has also bloomed for the past three years.Not to be outdone the newest Lily in the garden is two pots of Tiger Lily's.They look amazing with their tiger orange and burgundy spots.These do not appear to have a scent.They also had lots of black seed pods on the stem branches?I have never know a Lily to grow seeds on its branches before it flowers.They look like little black coffee beans but have been dropping onto the concrete path as it flowered.If anyone knows what they are I'd love to know.The Rose Wisley has three Roses blooming on it now.After a terrible start when the leaves went brown and it appeared to be diseased.These three pink Blooms have the most amazing scent.I love how delicate the flowers appear,in a light pink flush.This was an Xmas present from Mum a few years back.I hope that it regrows next year with more beautiful blooms like these.The Bishop Of Llanduff Dahlia in sunshine glows red hot in the heat.I love the Scarlet and gold colours.The Everlasting Flowers are blooming away nicely.I have two bunches in the greenhouse drying out ready to decorate the house in the winter.They are amazing flowers though.I would like more colours though so I will peruse catalogues for new seeds. The Barrel planters look good still with the combination of Asiatic Lily's and Gladiolus.I have ended up tying them together to keep their shape.It reminds me of the florist displays at the flower shows we visited. The Butterfly Flowers always impress me with how different the colours and shapes are expressed year on year.I let them set seed then at the end of summer collect the seeds for next years.The pollination creates new colours and combinations.The flowers are very reminiscent of Orchids.The Poor Mans Orchids is a good epitaph.These Purple ones remind me of Kiss,and they almost have their tongue poking out.The Purple and White is a new combination.Apart from all the flowers the two things I love to grow from seed are Tomatoes and Chili Peppers.These are Tomato Outdoor Girl.I have one ripening on the windowsill which I will photograph.These are growing in grow bags on the concrete path.They have grown big fruits and seem to be coping with the Yorkshire weather.The greenhouse ones are Red Cherry's and were free seeds from Hils.Amazingly they all germinated.The Cherry Tomatoes are productive but not all the same size.I hope they will grow more over the next few weeks.The Chili Cheyenne from the plant stall has been amazing and has ten fruits growing on the one plant.The Purple Tiger have one fruit growing,but lots of purple flowers.The Scotch Bonnett and Habanero have not flowered yet,so I'm worried they will run out of time before fruiting.I like buying new varieties of both each year,and then trying to grow them.I love cooking and eating with both!Another star performer in the garden has been the Rose Harlow Carr.This has the most old fashioned rose scent,and dainty pink flowers.It is flowering away madly,and has made even more Rose buds.This will flower for weeks more.The only decision is whether to get a cage to support the rose as the branches keep flopping over.It is very sharp too on the stems. The Rose Harlow Carr is so pretty.I would love these Roses pictured on plates and cups.I think the heavenly pink contrasts to the nice green leaves.It appears to be disease resistant and flowers freely across the summer.These masses of blooms are the second flush.
Gardening can help people reengage with life,with the seasons,and with the earth.I believe it can help with depression,and take people out of dark places.Gardening has the power to heal and make you aware of the beauty of life.some parts of the UK could do with some of that healing.

Tiger Lily

2011-08-07T20:05:00.004+01:00

The first Tiger Lily has finally bloomed.I bought two bulbs from the Spring Flower Show and planted them at the end of March.They are orange with dark spots.The Americans call these Ditch Lily's as they grow well by water.
My two weeks off are up and I'm back to work tomorrow.The rain did not fall today,as they predicted.I think the rain missed us.I bought a good book by Monty Don from the charity shop.It is called the "Sensuous Garden".I love the photos that illustrate the texts.I saw it in the window halfway down a stack of books.I went inside and paid fifty pence for it!What a bargain.
The Tiger Lily would look good in the orange colour section.I love the dark spots on the Lily petals.

Wild Weather & Life

2011-08-06T20:41:00.003+01:00

The rain fell very heavily the other day.So much fell that there was flash flooding in places.My Frog water gauge showed nearly two inches of rain fell when the photo was taken.It has been raining intermittently today but nothing as severe as the deluge the other day.We needed the rain though as it has been a relatively dry Summer.Our front lawn grass is yellow and brown from the dry season.Rain is the one substance that plants need to survive and thrive.Gardeners always have one eye on the weather forecast. This is one of a pair of Juvenile Squirrels who have been raiding the garden on occasions.They have dug up a few of my pots and feasted on the peanuts and sunflower hearts.They are cheeky but quite cute looking.There was so much bird food on offer he seems lost for choice.Like being in a sweet shop with shelf upon shelf of goodies to eat,decisions,decisions.Some people do not like them,but i think they are quite fun to watch as they leap between the fence and the bird feeding pole.They are like furry acrobats.He is just dining on a regular food resource.Its in his genes.

This juvenile Chaffinch was feeding on the floor picking up the scraps dropped by the messy Starlings and House Sparrows.He has a lovely red breast and grey/blue coloured head.I love taking photos then trying to identify the bird later.

The blog has made me more inquisitive into what things are.Being able to name what something is keeps me reading books,taking photos,and trying to learn more.

Knowledge used to passed down orally between generations.I am trying to keep that tradition going through the media of a blog.

The world is full of so much that is good to look at if you go outside your door with open eyes.

Pictures From The Plot

2011-08-04T22:21:00.016+01:00

Apart from the garden my other passion has been working on the allotment.I have been up there a few times over the past few weeks on my annual leave.The plants are growing well with my extra attention.
I like the quietness of the plot.The wind blows through the trees.The birds sing and chatter at me if they are disturbed.The bees buzz in the air.Butterflies perform aerial ballets above the plants.I usually take my camera and sometimes when I'm not weeding or watering I will be photographing.I planted some summer flowering bulbs to add some colour.My Gladiolus have flowered up in front of the shed between my Asiatic Lily's. I found an old packet of Sunflower seeds.I sowed about a dozen seeds between my Carrot rows in the raised bed.It is made from recycled wood that I got when I first got the plot.I have tasted the Italian Carrots from the plot and they were delicious.They were so sweet when cooked,unlike the usual supermarket ones.They get uniformity of size and colour,but lose the flavour.My Carrots will not win any beauty competitions but they taste good.This Sunflower is the first one in flower.It will provide the birds with some extra food in the winter when it gets tougher.

The Sunflower growing between the Carrots, and the Borage.I find the idea of growing edible plants and flowers appealing.It reminds me of traditional Cottage gardening which used to be grow your own food near your door.You grew what you liked to supplement your diet with. I have picked a few Blackberry's too from the hedgerow that runs along the allotment lane.I love these in pies with Apples.Apple and Blackberry pie with custard is heavenly.Very few people seem to forage now for wild fruit.August is a prime time to get to hedgerows where the brambles grow and collect some.Eating them as you pick them and getting stained fingers is a memory from childhood. The pollinating insects are out in force too at the allotment.They love the idea of beautiful flowers growing besides vegetables.This is the salmon coloured Gladiolus at close range. My Hexagonal planter by the shed has the fiery coloured Gallardia flowers growing in it, and a brown leaved plant.I need to get some watercrystals to try to keep moisture in the pot as it drys out.I water it and these Blanket flowers seem to revive. One of my favourite photos was this Bee hanging upside down to get to the Borage.I planted this to attract pollinators.The Blue flowers are nice in ice cubes for summer drinks.For me part of the summer is the buzzing noise you get around a Borage plant from all the Bees. A Butterfly alights on one of my compost bags.I bought these 220 litre green refuse sacks for starting compost off.I will need to cover the tops to exclude light and then keep turning it.I'm hoping for some usable compost to dig back into the allotment soil.The winter plan will be to get loads of manure from a local stables and to dig it into the soil.Some parts have nice soil like chocolate brownie mix.Other parts are solid clay and dust.Home made compost and the manure will improve the soil year on year.Digging it over has already improved it over the past three growing seasons.Another beautiful flower belongs to my Scarlett Emperor Runner Beans.They have had a slow start to growing but now have entwined themselves up along the wigwam supports.I think these plants were grown just for their scarlet flowers before.I think the flowers look beautiful. My first year if growing Sweetcorn has not been as successfull as I would have liked.I grew the plants from seeds in the Greenhouse and had healthy vigorous plants.Putting them in the ground shocked them, and the hot dry weather has stopped them growing as they should.However a few of the plants have the corns on them.Fingers crossed we get to eat a few Sweet corns.They need plenty of manure, and water.Next year we may try growing these in the garden in large grow bags.I could control the watering then.As I work full time its not always possible to get to the plot to water thirsty plants. Some of the plants that are thriving are the Courgettes (not pictured),and the Pumpkins Atlantic Giant.I have never grown Pumpkins before.I want to grow them for two reasons.One is to have a Pumpkin to carve for Halloween,and the other is to make Pumpkin soup.I made Pumpkin soup first in Australia where it is readily available most of the year.In the UK the Pumpkins appear around middle of October for a few weeks.This Pumpkin is about the size of a bowling ball.There are five smaller Pumpkins growing steadily. The Unicorn Cabbages seem to be thriving under the netting.The metal supports came from the Spring Flower show.They have been excellent in keeping the cage intact.Butterfly and Pigeon damage has been minimal.These are growing nice hearts in the centre of the leaves.The French Marigolds look nice but do not appear to stop White fly infesting the plot.I have been trying organic pest control.My allotment plot is surrounded by wild areas on two sides.I have used no sprays,chemicals,or any slug pellets.There were hundreds of Ladybirds,Spiders,Hover flys, Butterflys,flys,and wasps.I think that the healthy insect life reflects my organic approach to the plot. This was the plot yesterday with all the plants growing nicely in the allotted beds.I kept imaging a green quilt with different beds having different plant shapes and textures.There have been successes,but also failures.

The biggest problem has been Onions,and Garlic.I checked yesterday and found signs of White Rot on the bottom of the Onions I dug up. This has inhibited the growth of the roots below,and the leaves above.On Gardeners World Monty Don said if you had White rot in the soil you could not grow onions there ever again.The strange thing is some people have grown big onions.My plot neighbour burnt all his because the white rot set in.I wander if the soil is infected but not across the whole allotment?I wander if the the white rot has effected the Garlic,and why they have only grown slightly from when I planted the cloves in March. The rainclouds were gathering at the plot as i watered and weeded.A thunder storm raged behind the Sunflowers.This was the end of the day at the allotment.I had taken a few photos of what was happening on Wednesday.

The allotment is much wilder than the garden.If you leave it too long the weeds return and nature exerts her will on you.Growing your own Vegetables from seeds is one of the most satisfying things you can do.It connects you to the earth and the rhythm of the seasons.Going up there is always a pleasure in the summer.

Flowers And Friends

2011-08-04T12:01:00.019+01:00

The BBC reported on a nationwide survey of insects within Citys .The study is being run in 12 citys across the UK,12 farmland areas,and 12 nature reserves.The scientists count the number of pollinating insects across an area called a transect.They record what flowers are in the area, and what insects are feeding from which flowers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14309007

Our garden is overflowing with flying beasties and there are hundreds of flowers blooming across the garden.The garden is a vast resource for hungry insects to top up their sugar levels.The first photo shows the Globe Thistle.The Bee's are mad for this plant.There is always at least one, and at most five Bee's.The Blue Iridescent flowers must stand out for a bees compound eyes.They are drawn to this like moths to a light.

The Butterfly Flowers are blooming lovely.These are also called Poor Mans Orchids.Each flower has a unique character.The Rorsasch type splashes are unique on each flower.I kept the dried flower heads in a pot over the winter, then sowed the seeds in late March.The blooms are Purple,White,and Lilac with a variety of petal splashes.

Growing by the shed is the most impressive Thistle.It has these lovely purple flower heads.I have left this wild flower growing so the insects can dine on its nectar.It has just randomly appeared where the grass had been disturbed to put the greenhouses concrete base.A weed can be described as a plant growing in the wrong place.I love the serendipity of plants germinating in unexpected places.A walk around the garden can reveal these volunteer plants or wildflowers.

Another flower that has been grown from seeds was this Everlasting flower.It is also called a Strawflower.I have about twenty of these flower heads drying in the greenhouse.In the winter these will be trimmed and made into an arrangement for the house.The flowers look and feel like plastic.Cats girlfriends thought they were plastic!The soft nature means these flowers can be dried and retain their colour for years.I got the original flower heads from Cheltenham.Mum grew them and I took three flower heads and planted the seeds.These are third generation of Everlasting flowers.I would look to buy more seeds to get more colours.These are in primary colours of red.yellow,orange,and mauve.This flower is one of the darkest ones.

The Butterfly Flowers were grown originally from a Matchbook seed box.I was given a packet of about ten match books with seeds stuck to the matches.These have grown with me now for four years in a row.Their flowers are like individual art works.You can spend time just admiring each one.

The Sweet Peas continue to flower on the balustrade outside the backdoor.I have been cutting these and displaying the flowers in a small metal vase.I want to grow many more next year.We have been growing Spencer Sweetpeas in a variety of pastel colours.They smell divine!We bought bamboo wigwams for the sweet Peas, but they are too wide for my biggest pots.I need to either grow them in the ground or find a wide pot that can hold the wigwam and the plants.

Another plant beloved by Bee's and other insects are the Verbena Bonarensis.Clumps of this plant can make the air shimmer as the tall flower stems dissapear.The small Lilac coloured stars seem to hover.These are lovely perenniel plants.They should return year after year,and provide a rich nectar source for our insect visitors. The Margaret Merrill Rose has had a second wind.She has the most wanderful scent.It intoxicates me as well as the Hoverflys.Our garden is packed full of Roses.These are always the highlight of the gardening year when they bloom. The Barrell planters have now got the first Gladiolus in flower between the Lilys.I tied them together with string yesterday to stop them falling over.The Asiatic Lilys have been amazing with their strong vibrant colours.They are not scented so Cat can tolerate them.These have been a success I think this year.The City garden has a longer flowering season, as it starts in Febuary, and continues right untill the first Frosts.The English Summer will be the height of the flowering season with the most blooms in peoples gardens.I love to photograph the small things in the garden that most people will not see.The flowers attract the insects.The Insects attract eight legged predators.This garden Spider has been hung on the water butt all summer.She hangs there untill I go near.She then runs up to a peeling label and hides.About a dozen times the rain has come and wrecked her carefully spun web.She just waits for it to dry and starts to make it again.She is hung between aChocolate mint plant and the first water butt.Her abdomen is very jeweled.The queen of the garden? There have been a few Butterfly visitors.I try to have a wide selection of plants that will entice these winged spirits to come into the garden.This one alighted on the Strawberry bed cane.They are very skittish and fly away at the slightest movement.They are quite difficult to photograph.

The last photo shows a White Butterfly alighting on my Teasel Leaf.This plant has grown magnificently this year and towers eight feet high.The birds have taken to landing on it, and I have seen Sparrows pecking at the drying flowerheads for the seeds.This Butterfly looks like its wearing white Ermine fur.

Our Garden is definitely one that attracts wildlife, and pollinators.The air is always alive with frenetic activity.I like it that way.

Summer Glory

2011-07-31T21:52:00.000+01:00

It's the end of my first week of annual leave.I have shopped lots,been to the allotment a few times.Visited York,and Nostell Priory.We had a Sunday BBQ today.The sun was shining, the insects flying.I took photos of the summer blooming flowers.This White Scabiosa was from the plant stall.It is very angelic looking.The petals look like silk and lace.

My favourite Lily Casa Blanca has flowered today.Its heavy scent drew in the Hover flys from miles.The white petals contrast to the orange stamen.The scent travels on the warm summer breeze.This is about the third year I think that these bulbs have flowered in the pot.

Also flowering in the garden today was my Oriental Stargazer Lily.These are some of the most fragrant Lily's ever introduced to the world.Leslie Woodriff created it in the 1970's.I love the pink and white petals, with the strawberry jam splatter and the heavy scent.These have to be sited away from where Cat sits due to her asthma.I think the scent is very heady, and the colours remind me of Arabian nights. The Rose Wisley has finally bloomed.After I snipped the dead branches away it has grown on and developed a few flower buds.The Blooms are small and dainty,with a lovely old rose smell.I'm pleased it has flowered.I was worried it would not bloom this year, as it has looked quite sickly.

The last photo is of the Rose Margaret Merill.She has grown a second flush of Rose flower buds.The scent is very strong.This is the best seasons flowers I have had off her.She is about four years old now.I love the sunlight illuminating the Roses petals.

Sunlight can make flowers glow like stained glass windows.The garden today had washing hung in it in the morning, and hosted the BBQ in the evening.The birds and insects enjoyed the garden when we were not there in between.A garden can be functional,and beautiful in the same turn.

I have a further week away from work.I plan on doing more gardening,more blog posts,and spending time on the allotment.The late summer garden only needs the odd tidy,and watering.Lots of time to entertain,to photograph,and to enjoy the garden in all its summer glory.

Carrots And 2 Cats

2011-07-28T21:36:00.005+01:00

Cat had a girls dinner today on the patio.I had watered the garden last night,and spent this morning tidying up the debris and rearranging the pots to show off all the flowers.The table was moved to the centre, and the Pelagoniums neatly arranged on place mats.I left them to it and went to the allotment.The Asiatic Lily's looked like Jewels.

The black Kitten (who is still nameless) came into the garden during the dinner, and went to sleep under the Butterfly Bush.He also correctly sat on the grass near to where the Mole burrowed up.He must have either smelt or heard the tunnelling mole.There was a small pile of dirt on the grass when I came back.The jury is still out on various organic,non lethal methods of controlling Moles.

It is the 28th of July now,so we are nearly three quarters of the way into the growing season.The allotment has produced a mixture of highs and lows.

The Borage is growing away happily with its cucumber scented flowers.The Bee's and flying insects are drawn to this flowering herb.The flower is nice frozen in an ice cube,to flavour a summer drink.I have grown both Vegetable plants and flowers at the allotment side by side.I liked the idea of a French Pottager.

The Poppy is growing besides my raised bed.The reclaimed timbers hold the soil in just,and the Carrots,Borage, and Sunflowers are growing in harmony.I harvested a half dozen Carrots today which is brilliant.Picking Vegetables grown from seed is the most amazing high.A sense of pride, and completing the cycle.From seed,to seedling,to planting,tending and watering,to harvesting,and finally to eating the produce.Our supermarkets have driven us away from this process.School Kids can think Carrots come in plastic bags from the Supermarket.That they are uniform in size,colour, and shape.I do love the wonkiness of my allotment grown Carrots.Their uniqueness,scent,& great taste are what matters to me, not the aesthetics of how long they look.

The Sweetcorn has not grown very well.There are a few ears forming but my plants are not as big and upright as some of the others at the allotment.The Onions and Garlic have not grown as well as I would have liked.My Cauliflowers have been decimated by pests.I do not know if it is slugs,snails,rabbits,or pigeons.Most of my Brassicas looked like green net curtains earlier.Some of them have revived a bit,so they might produce edible Veg at the end of the season.

The Pea's I picked eaten from the pod have been amazingly sweet, even in the raw state.I love eating them at the plant.You need to grow double what you want so you can have one for you,one for the pot.

The Courgettes have been very productive.The Pumpkins are growing steadily.I have about six at the moment.I want one to turn into a Jack O Lantern at Halloween.

Having an allotment,or even just growing your own veg in pots makes you want to find ways of cooking and eating your produce.I have lots of cookery books to give me ideas.

A day of brilliant sunshine,flying Butterfly's,Carrots,and Cats.We are going to York tomorrow my fave City after London.

Garden Jewels

2011-07-27T20:03:00.000+01:00

The garden is still full of colour.More than enough colour to photograph.I love this Echinops Ritro, the Blue Flowers look like sparks flying off the manga like Globe Thistle.The Bee's love these blue flowers and were walking all over it.I love the spiky leaves, and the angular nature of the Thistle heads.These catch the sunlight and glow an ethereal blue.

The wildflower area has been trashed in one corner by the Mole, but otherwise is flowering beautifully.I want the whole area to self seed so it regrows year after year.I will only remove large weeds as it is only a small area.The Pink Snapdragons smell like candy.These are the second generation.These have self seeded from last years plants.I saw these Daisy flowers today at Nostell Priory and they were inundated by small orange/brown Butterfly's.

My favourite grass is my Stipa Tenuissima, or Pony Tails.As the breeze catches the airy grasses they sway.They are extremely soft to touch.I want more of these grasses to punctuate the border.I love their movement,and height.They add dynamism to the garden.I think grasses can work well in a mixed border.

The Frogs continue to bask in the pond.We went to Nostell Priory today, and I came back with two more porcelain Frogs for the garden collection.I am a Pisces, so i have a natural affinity to water creatures.I think Frogs chilling on my Lily pads is brilliant.The water Lily has actually produced a torpedo shaped flower bud.I will watch it over the next few days and have the camera ready to photograph it.

The last job tonight was to water all the baskets,feed the container bound Roses, and water the rest of the garden.The Rose Darcey Bussell is flowering for a second time.My poorly flowering Wisley has some flower buds at last.The Lady Emma Hamilton looks very poorly with yellowing leaves and hardly any Roses this year.Maybe Rose have off years?Margaret Merrill, and Harlow Carr are about to burst into a second bloom.

The garden has a lovely vibrancy to it with all the insects,birds,and flowers.The green seems to shine through in the late July garden.The flower blooms look like jewels glinting in an emerald crown.

Summer Holidays

2011-07-25T20:30:00.002+01:00

I am finally off on annual leave from work.Two weeks to enjoy the garden, and the allotment.I took this photo of a Blackbird on Friday.We took Mum to the RHS flower show at Tatton Park,in Cheshire on Saturday.

I took 265 photos at the RHS most northerly flower show.It was gloriously hot weather, and the deer park was packed out.I need to select my highlights then blog the best 24 or so photos..

Back in our garden the Mole has scaled down his digging attacks.Only one hole seems to have more dirt piled up it.For a small creature he has caused an inordinate amount of damage to our small grass lawn.

The birds have been feeding undeterred.They are eating all the fat balls like they are going out of fashion.I try to stock up the food and water daily.

The summer holidays have brought with them cloudy sky's, and rain showers.The baskets are blooming magnificently.There are explosions of colour all around the garden.The Bee's are very busy with all the nectar available in our small garden.

I harvested our first new Potatoes of the year yesterday.Three and a half pounds of Charlotte New Potatoes grown in a grow bag on the concrete path.I will go to the plot tomorrow where the early Potatoes should be ready to harvest.

Pink Phlox And Mole

2011-07-21T09:10:00.004+01:00

I am working nights and every time I come back home I find more mole hills.He is digging along the edge of the path but is wrecking our grass!The human hair in the holes does not seemed to have stopped his destructive digging.

The Pink Phlox is in flower now.This was brought back from Hils plant stall in June.

Does anyone have any ideas how to discourage our garden mole organically and humanely?

I have one more night to do.We are going to RHS Tatton Park flower show on Saturday.I cant wait..

Wild Gardening

2011-07-18T14:20:00.006+01:00

The Lilys in the pot on the decking have started to bloom beautifully.The colours are bright,bold, and vibrant.The hanging baskets have started to bloom as well en masse.There is colour all around the garden.These flowers are all full of nectar for the Bee's,insects,and Butterflys to drink.It is like an flying insect buffet for topping up their energy levels.

The pond has drawn Frogs into it, and some common Newts.The mosquitos larvae have joined the water fleas, and smaller beasties in the clear water.The birds love to hop next to the surface to drink, or to bath on the rocks surrounding the pond.The surrounding wildflowers shade the ponds water, and provide neat hiding places away from hungry predators.Near to the pond there is a rotting wood pile, and a small rockery.Both are providing habitats away from the pond.

This Butterfly was resting on the Cucumber plant in the greenhouse.He is protected from the wind,rain, and predators.He was accomodating in letting me photograph him.I provide food and water for the birds and they visit every day.They give me immense pleasure watching their daily lives outside through the patio doors.Not all visitors to gardens are as welcome.

Over the past few days we have had an unexpected visitor.I found a big hole a few weeks ago under the giant Teasels.I thought a mouse had been digging and that the soil had collapsed.Then the corner of the sunken border wwas disturbed and soil heaped up.I did not know what had dug it up.I thought maybe a Fox or Badger had been digging?

The next few days revealed two heaps of freshly dug earth.It had no insects in it,just stones and unfertile soil.I realised we had our first ecounter with a Mole.The European Mole,Talpa Europoea.This little Six inch Mammal is like a mini-me digger, excavating huge tunnels beneath the ground.This fellow is coming to the surface to deposit his earth heaps.They are small, virtually blind, and have hands like shovels.They are secretive and seldom seen above the ground.Their long tunnels form worm traps for worms to fall into.These provide our secretive visitor with his meals.

I just went outside with Cat to show her the third molehill photographed above.I had raked it off the grass.I looked outside an hour later and there was more soil heaped up.I watched and saw the soil mound growing as the Mole pushed it up.I cleared it from the soil and felt the ground.I found the soil collapsed to reveal a neat little tunnel running to the left.

I love Wildlife in the garden.Some are welcomed such as the small garden birds.Some are not as welcome but they still make themselves at home.

Magpies.Starlings,and Squirrels are not as beloved as some of the other garden visitors.You need to try to live all the creatures that share the earth with you.

Our garden is designed to be aesthetically pleasing,but also wildlife friendly.I love the diversity of creatures that a small semi detached garden can attract.It makes going outside educational, as well as to enjoy the flowers and plants.

Butterflys And Bee's

2011-07-13T20:45:00.015+01:00

It has been a day of two halves.I went to the allotment this morning to do some weeding and watering.Everything has been growing on well with the recent rainy weather.The sunflowers have grown on in the carrot bed.The only poor performers are the Red Onions,and the Cauliflower plants.The failed crop beds are going to be filled with my Leeks.I wish I had more time to go up to water plants, but work gets in the way.This growing year has been challenging with the effects of a prolonged drought, then heavy rains,and hot temperatures.The slugs,snails,& caterpillars have decimated my Brassicas.I will not use any chemicals even slug pellets, so i have to grin and bear it.Some have survived and may even give us a crop at the end.I harvested Raspberries and my first half dozen Italian Courgettes today.

I finally got a photo of one of the White Butterflies landing to power drink some nectar from a wild flower.They are so flitting and perform mad aerial acrobatics.They dance with each other too in the air.I saw a variety of Butterflies species at the plot.

The local Bee's have gone mad with the wilder side of the plot.The grass path has lots of these Thistle flowers.He was accommodating in letting me photograph him many times.I watered and weeded until around Midday.I walked back home then to photograph the garden.

This is the first flower from the Bishop Of Llandaff.I bought four corms at the Spring Flower show.I wanted this Dahlia since I saw it growing years ago.It is a perennial favourite of many gardeners.I have four pots growing beautiful dark foliage, reminiscent of my Sambuca.I always think of Aztecs when I see Dahlias.It is a great colour red with golden yellow stamen.

The Butterfly bush is in full bloom now.I love how dark the colours are contrasting to the two toned leaves.It is scented strongly of honey.It intoxicates the Bee's that fly up to it.I want one of these up at the allotment.This plant always reminds me of railway lines,as i used to see them travveling up and down the country.The Black Knight is a more refined cousin of the common Railway siding Buddleja.

The Echinops is developing a blue streak to its Thistle.It is very Manga in design I think.The globes seem to float above the garden.They are dwarfed by the Butterfly Bush, and the Teasels.I hope that over time I can split this plant so I have lots of these Globe Thistles around the garden.

The Everlasting Flowers are doing well.These stems and flowers will be dried out,and used to decorate the house in winter as a dried flower.The flowers are very long lasting, and feel like plastic.I have these burgundy flowers, and others in red and orange.I want to find more Straw Flowers in other colours.They should keep for years.

I don't know what this flower is.The foliage is very fine and airy.It has these five petaled flowers with a central lip like a Sweet Pea.These have been growing in the pot by the kitchen door.I don't remember planting any seeds.If you recognise the flower please tell me!

The Asiatic Lily's are blooming magnificently.Like Row up row of different coloured sweets they glow in the evening light.A few rogue Tomato plants have started growing between the Lily's.

These should be called Banana splits.The Yellow Lily's have delicious orange streaking to the middle of the petals.They contrast brilliantly to the dark green leaves behind.

The Pink Lily's have a hint of lemon sherbet near the centre of the flowers.I have never planted so many Lily's in a single pot.Next year I will repeat the experiment but buy the individual colours myself.I want them to match in some pots, but to contrast in others.

The day has been about plants, and insects.Tomorrow we are going to the Great Yorkshire Show.The biggest agricultural fair in England.It is forecast to be sunny, and dry.I have the camera batteries on charge.I cant wait.I will blog my favourite bits here.It is one of the highlights of the summer.

Black Knight Meets A Comma

2011-07-11T22:06:00.000+01:00

The first Butterfly of the year that I have managed to photograph landed today on the Black Knight Buddleja.Its common name is the Butterfly Bush.I think it is a Comma butterfly.

I saw it fly around before it alighted on the honey scented flowers.This plant has driven the Bee's mad.They get chilled out drinking the nectar.It is always surrounded by flying insects.

I watered the pots tonight, and gave the Tomato plants some liquid feed.These Tomato's have grown really well this year, so im hoping for a bumper crop.

I went to Hampsons today and bought some poetic plaque signs for the garden,three bags of compost for potting up plants,and a little stone Buddha for the outside table.

The Great Yorkshire Show starts tomorrow at the Yorkshire Show Grounds in Harrogate.I will be there on Thursday with Cat.I love the farm animals and the horses you can see around the grounds.It is the biggest agricultural show in England and a fabulous day out.

I hope that I will take more Butterfly photos.They are lovely insects to tempt into our wildlife friendly garden.

Edible Garden

2011-07-08T12:56:00.007+01:00

The first photo is really like Fire and Ice.The Cool white Marguerite's contrast to the fiery French Marigolds in the tub planter.Some planting combinations can work with opposite colours.I like the frothy olive green leaves behind both strong flowering colours.

The garden is not all flowers.There are textured plants with coloured leaves.These are the Hosta Great Expectations.This year it has exceeded my expectations by almost doubling in size. The Hosta Fire And Ice has grown much more slowly, and has had more weather damage to its green/white leaves.

I have a Laurel in a small pot,two Buxus Balls, and lots of grasses.These are the backbone of a garden giving colour,shape,and form all year round.

The second generation Straw Flower seeds that I grew from Mums original plants have started to flower.These make great Cut flowers as they dry out and last for ages.The petals almost feel like a plastic or a very thin shell.I'm hoping for a variety of colours.I have three trays of these still to get planted!I may cut the flowering ones and replant the spares for a massive end of season Bouquet of the Ever Lasting Flowers.

Cats Sweet Pea Spencer have started to flower at last.These Sweet Peas were bought at Tatton Park last year.They are sweetly scented, and have flowers in a range of pastel colours. These are growing up the netting on the balustrade on the decking.I hope that the flowers will cover the netting and supply the house with plenty of Cut flowers to sit in small vases.They are one of the most fragrant flowers you can cut for indoors.To bring some of the magic of the garden indoors.

The Asiatic Lily's I was given have also started to Bloom.They have such jewel like quality in their bright coloured flowers.So far the two colours of the Lily flowers are Red, and Orange.Their are Pinks,Yellows, and a Red/Pink Lily's yet to bloom.

The Asiatic Lily's were meant to bloom for the Big Lunch on June 5Th, but they had different ideas.I received them quite late, and did not plant them straight away.I love how the pots outside the house are blazing away full of colour.The back garden has two Barrel planters,and two large green pots full of more Lily's.

Orange is such a serene colour.I love the solidness of these Flowers.The petals are strong and not frail.The only thing they lack is a scent!

I went shopping yesterday for bird food, and canes for my Tomatoes.The Outdoor Girls were falling over in their grow bag.The Greenhouse ones have the frame and the cover to lean against.They are much more pampered.I tied all the stems to the canes and trimmed the excess leaves growing around the base.The Tomato plants energy can now be turned to growing the fruit.

The first proper Tomato of the year that i have seen is being formed.It is the size of a Marble now.

I read about the Edible Food Show in March next year.It is a show devoted entirely to growing your own fruit and vegetables, and cooking them.James Wong (the Grow Your Own Drugs plant man)will be there at Stoneleigh House in Warwickshire and doing regular updates before the show

http://www.theediblegardenshow.co.uk/

Our Garden has growing Strawberry's,Apples,Gooseberry's,Parsley,Coriander,Chives,Black Basil,Potatoes,Broccoli Garnet,Chili peppers (Scotch Bonnett,Habanero,Purple Tiger,& Cayenne),Tomato's(Outdoor Girl,and Red Cherry)and lastly in pots Courgettes.The Edible plants are growing alongside the flowering ones.I enjoy growing both kinds of plants.

Garden Colours

2011-07-06T20:00:00.001+01:00

The wet weather and hot sunshine has made the garden flower magnificently.I have become a plant collector over time.Each trip to a flower show, or garden centre brings new additions back to the garden.Many Hundreds of plants nestling together.I love walking around the garden in the early morning or evening and looking at all the plants and flowers.Rain and sunshine seems to sharpen the colours, and makes the green leaves glow.
The first photo is of the David Austin Molineux Rose.The colour is pure liquid sunshine.I love the strewn petals on the floor beneath the plants.These will be moved into the front garden once its winter.

These cheeky flowers are annual Lavatera.They were sown by me in Fishponds Drive.They self seeded into the Hosta pot.The colours work so well with the Pink and red flush flowers contrasting against the variegated Hosta leaves.I want to collect the seed heads from these volunteer Lavatera to grow next year.

The second flower of the Spider Lily has bloomed as well.These are such striking flowers growing over the Marguerite Daisy's.The lime scent is amazing.There are two further bulbs planted but they have only made strappy leaves so far.I must remember to dig them up to over winter in a frost free dry environment.I might buy a lot more of these from the flower shows if I can find them.

The Roses have been in three categories this year.The first category is early bloomers.These have stopped blooming now (Gertude Jekyll,Harlow Carr,Lady Emma Hamilton,Arthur Bell,& Margaret Merrill).The second category is Late Bloomers.These are still going strong Roses Molineux, Darcey Bussell, and the photographed Dark Lady.

The third category is the non flowering Rose.The mystery is why the Wisley Rose has not flowered this year.One branch looks dead, and the black spot has ravaged the small dainty leaves.Maybe the wet cold winter has diseased the Rose bush?I will wait and see if it flowers this year.

The Echinops Ritro has grown astonishingly this year.Last year was its second growing season.It grew one round blue ball flower.This year it is four feet high and covered in these amazing spiky flower buds.They will eventually turn blue.The leaves are thick and spiny.These will look spectacular in the late summer when other plants have done flowering.The Blue Thistle flowers are supposed to attract Bee's,flying insects,and Butterflies.

My Butterfly Bush has started to flower.The Buddleja Dark Knight has deep purple flowers with the traditional honey scent.I am hoping this will draw in the local butterflies.It has been too wet though for the past few days.I'm hopeful I can get some Butterfly photos in the garden this growing season.

Another Wildflower I have grown from seed is the Teasel.This is the first flower that is blooming.The local bees have gone mad for it.I have two in the sunken border and one by the wildflower area.The first was so large that I trimmed excessive side shoots.It is very vigorous, but has continued to grow upwards.They are about nine feet tall now.The dry seed heads are the favoured food of Goldfinches and other Finches.

I saw a Goldfinch today alighting on the spiky stems.It is such an architectural plant.I have five plants growing in pots that were self seeded from last years plants.These plants are the third generation from the parent plants I bought at Harlow Carr a few years ago.

Each day brings more colour in different flowers.I enjoy spending time in the garden every day.It is therapeutic with the birds singing and the movement of the plants and flowers in the wind.

Mystery Lily

2011-07-03T17:24:00.003+01:00

The mystery bulbs that I bought and could not remember the name of are Spider Lilys.I sudden noticed it flowering yesterday.It looks like a summer flower daffodil, with the petals hanging around the trumpet.The stamen are dangled in front of the Trumpet.I read a blog yesterday from a Vietnamese writer who stated these were roadside weeds in South East Asia.

They have a lime green colouration inside the trumpet.They smelt of nothing in the morning, but in the early evening they have a sweet lime scent.

The sun is blazing hot outside.I have to work for the next two nights.I have just watered the Tomatoes in the greenhouse.

We picked our first Raspberrys of the year yesterday at the allotment.I watered all the crops up there too.I have just watched the mens singles final at Wimbledon.

The weekend flys when you are having fun.

The Love Of Plants

2011-06-30T11:55:00.010+01:00

These are some of the flowers in bloom in our garden now.This is the yellow daisy flower that is growing in the wildflower area around the pond.It likes to stand out from the crowd of White Daises.I love the Fibonacci inspired spiral within the centre of the flower.the Hover flys and Bees love this flower and keep landing on it.

A plant I rescued from wilting at the plant stall is this Achillea.I took it home and stood it in water.The whole plant was drooped.It took the water up and the ferny leaves started to revive.It has bloomed quietly at the back of the pond near to the fence.This is a perennial so it should grow back even stronger next year.The flowers have an ethereal quality to them with their red/salmon coloured dainty flowers.

I do not know what these flowers are called.They are part of the Wildflower mix.six or eight Little Star like flowers growing at the top of long green stems in an umbrella fashion.They are reminiscent of Gypsophila.The tiny individual flowers form a white bubbling cascade, like freshly popped Champagne.They smell faintly like melted butter.

I have tried this year to grow flowering and edible plants side by side.This is my Borage growing in the wildflower area.This blue flowered plant attracts pollinators for miles.A fully blooming Borage plant will have the buzzing sound of Bee's all summer long.

Growing in pots along the greenhouse is are two Courgette plants.They are spares that did not get planted at the allotment.My reserve vegetables include two Leeks, Four Broccoli Garnet,the Courgettes,Borage, and Eight Sage plants.I quite enjoy the craziness of planting vegetables amongst flowers.Some of the plants are very decorative.

There are not just flowers in the garden.There are ornamental grasses, and Heucheras. They have red bronzed foliage and little pink flowers.They look impressive grown together.The plantsmen have been trying to grow Heucheras in Oranges,Greens,Patterned Leaves,reds,and purples.When they are planted together they give a lovely patchwork quilt effect..My Heucheras are growing alongside Lupins,Geum Mrs Bradshaw, and a Bronzed Fennel.

This is a Geranium Grandifolium Alpinum.This is its first flower in the garden.After i planted it the plant looked quite sickly and wilted.The heavy rains revived it and it has grown impressive amounts of green leaves. These blue flowers are very cool coloured with the dark purple veins, and white centre.Blue is a very calming colour in the garden pallette.

The Foxglove is visible from the door.I love this plant.A garden needs foxgloves for their stature,the pretty throats of the flowers, and the buzzing Bee's.I saw a spider hiding in one of the flower cups today.He will give a small pollinator a surprise if they visit.

These are called Dalmatian Purple.I want to have more Foxgloves next year, in a variety of shades.Foxgloves always remind me of Mums garden in Cheltenham.

I looked at the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show today.It is the 22nd annual flower show,and is running from the 5th to 10th July. There will be televised highlights on the BBC, so I can watch the programs.

I was reading about a garden designer called Fiona Stephenson who has designed the World Wildlife Funds(WWF)garden for their 50th anniversary.It is based around a Chalk Stream.She walked along a Hampshire Chalk stream to get inspiration.She built a small prototype in her own garden to get ready for the show.Its good that the WWF is doing work in Britain as well as far away places.The link is here:

http://www.rhs.org.uk/Shows-Events/Hampton-Court-Palace-Flower-Show/2011/News-features/Gardens/WWF-chalk-stream

The Copella plant and protect garden by Sadie May Stowell is at Hampton Court too.Doctor David Bellamy will be at their garden promoting plant and protect.He is one of my earliest memories of a TV presenter in exotic places.His love of plants must have impressed me.I have the love of the plants now.

http://www.rhs.org.uk/Shows-Events/Hampton-Court-Palace-Flower-Show/2011/Gardens/A-to-Z/The-Copella-Plant-And-Protect-Garden

At Hampton Court this year there is the Rose of the year 2011 competition,English Poet Gardens,Show Gardens,Small Gardens,Conceptual gardens,and the RHS Edible Garden.The last one will be the largest garden at Hampton court at 1850 square metres.The artists impressions make it look very impressive.

You can visit these shows and be impressed by the gardens, or the floral marquee displays.You take a little bit away with you.Ideas for your own small patch of earth.I love the way these flower shows have woven their way into the British summer, and become an annual event that you look forward to.The memories of these days out can help you get through the cold dark winters, when you sit reading seed catalogues making lists out for the next growing season.

Our garden has taken inspiration,plants,decorations,or bulbs from these wanderful creative,colourful summer flower shows.

Wednesday Post

2011-06-29T22:23:00.011+01:00

The garden is so full of flowers in bloom it is hard to photograph them all.It is only a small garden but densely packed.The Monkshood has flowered with this electric blue flowers.They contrast magnificently with the green leaves of the surrounding plants and the black ferny leaves of the Sambuca.It survived being dug up and transplanted.This is the biggest it has ever grown with the most flowers on it.

These are pretty but deadly.All parts of the plant are toxic to touch or taste.The old fashioned name is Wolfs bane.They thought the plant could kill wild Wolves.The flowers are reminiscent of the old monks cowls, as they walk silently to prayer.

The hanging baskets are growing on now, and the soil is holding onto the moisture.My gel crystals and plant food mix have done a good job.This Pansy has a face and seems to be smiling at me.The purple and violet patterns give the face its structure.

The Rose Dark Lady has one branch that was leaning over the path.The burgundy Rose smells lovely, and it looks sumptuous.I could put this Rose on cups,plates, or tea towels!The Roses are loving the sunshine, with occasional showers.The House Sparrows seem to be eating most of the Aphids.There is not too much black spot on the Roses.The only one I am worried about is the Rose RHS Wisley which is all leaves but not a Rose bud yet.Every other Rose has bloomed.The Wisley was great last year,so i don't know why its having an off year.

Blooming at last three weeks after the Big Lunch is one of my Asiatic Lily's.I have three large pots growing outside the front door.The Red Lily is the first to flower.There are three blooms at the moment.I think there were five different varieties I won registering with The Big Bulb Plant.

This is the Red Asiatic Lily in all its glory.The three pots should provide colour in abundance for the summer.I have Casa Blanca Lily, Tiger Lily's, and Oriental Stargazer Lily's growing in the back garden pots.

I like this photo showing the Potatoes growing on the left, next to the Harlow Carr Rose,Hostas, and Dianthus.The greens and colours show the energy of a garden in late June.Everything has got glossy green leaves, fresh looking flowers, and no signs of ageing.Almost everyday something new has flowered.The late bloomers include my Bishop of Llanduff Dahlias,Blue Echinops,the two Honeysuckles,Sweetpeas Spencer, and the Buddleja Butterfly Bush.I am glad that flowering is staggered across the summer.

The view from the backdoor.I write most of the posts from the dining room table and this is what I look out on.I love watching the Birds.I have observed my plants growing, and flowering over the growing season with my nurturing and watering.

I have looked at the RHS Tatton Park flower show web page today.Cat and me are taking my Mum to the show this year.She is having a mini break traveling to us, and going on the 23rd July to see the show.The Chelsea of the north has show gardens,and much more beside.

Tomorrow is an allotment day.Some weeding and watering.The garden is so tempting to spend time in it.The photos show why it is drawing me in.

June Garden

2011-06-25T22:16:00.006+01:00

I finally had a day off to chill out after three days at the hospital.I went shopping with Cat and bought some bird food.The birds have been eating the peanuts, and the seed feeder because I have had no more fat balls to hang up.They had to eat the remaining food.
The Clematis Angelique is flowering beautifully but it appears to be vertically challenged.The Honeysuckles have climbed six feet up their trellis already entwining themselves around it.I hope they flower as well as Angelique.I wander if this Clematis needs a deeper pot to encourage more vertical growth?The plant dies back to the ground over the winter so at the end of the growing season it will be cut back.

The Pelagonium on the table outside the Backdoor is still flowering away.It has deep burgundy flowers and seems set to flower all summer long.It does not have scented leaves like its sherbet scented pot mate.I bought both of these from the Harrogate Spring Flower show.

The pot bound Molineux continues to flower with the most exquisite yellow cup flowers.These need planting in the winter in the front garden.I have left them in the deep pots that David Austin sells them in.They look lovely together and will form a low three feet hedge with masses of yellow blooms.

The pond continues to look better.The water has now cleared so I can see down into the water. There are still Newts swimming about.At least two varieties of Newts that i can see.The Water Lily has now been moved into the deepest part of the pond.The wild flowers growing around the pond cover the edges and provide perfect shelter for the wild inhabitants.I love the reflective qualitys of the water reflecting the sky.

This frog was sat in the corner looking up at his pond mate, a much bigger frog who was sat under the covering daisy flowers.He blended into the soil and sat sun bathing.I can sit and just watch the still waters which are teeming with life.Small pond beasties,fly's, and the dragon like Black Newts with their spotted orange bellys, and around four Frogs at least.

The hanging baskets have been watered.I watered the Strawberry bed as well.I picked one pound of fresh Strawberries today which we had for pudding (with cold single cream).I love the freshness of picking them from the garden, washing, and eating them.They are delicious.

Its forecast to be really hot tomorrow but I'm working all day.There is so much going on in the June garden to enjoy.

Gardening And Blues

2011-06-22T22:00:00.000+01:00

I read the other day that an NHS trust in Southampton is using gardening as a treatment for people with mental health problems, or depression.They are doing eight week courses in aspects of gardening like types of plants,soil, and growing things.I love gardening, and growing things from seed.Nurturing plants is a good way of getting in contact with the earth.My favourite flowers to grow include Roses, like this Arthur Bell.A scented Yellow Rose.

I loved watching the Rose regrow from bare stems to being covered in glossy green leaves, and developing its flower buds.I watched patiently as they swell before finally opening into the fragrant blooms.There are only two at the moment but there opening up is exquisite.It is two years old now, so it should only get better with age with some tender loving care.

Growing flowers or vegetables from seeds you have sown is like magic.The pleasure you get makes you immeasurably happy.This Pansy has the most vivid Purple Face like a smiling,mischievous face grinning at you.It was grown from Cats mail order plug plants.

I bought this Bug House from the Gardeners World Live show.I hope that eventually insects will make their home in it.It is hung onto a nail on the fence.There are definitely lots of pollen rich flowers for the insects to feed on.I will watch with interest as to whether any bugs move into their green home.

Growing for wildlife means you can focus on looking after another sentient living thing whether it is a bee,butterfly,hedgehog,frog or garden birds.When they come to your garden you are always excited and pleased.You then start to look to see what your gardening has attracted.

The garden is always a rich place for plants and flowers.I bought this metal frog too from the GWL show.He is hung up on the willow wigwams.I have a lot of ornaments in the garden including Frogs and Gnomes.These ornaments make a garden whimsical, and are nice to look at between masses of flowers or plants.This year I have also bought a metal Peacock ornament, which sits by the greenhouse looking down to the back door.

The garden is a natural tonic to the stresses of working long hours, and a gentle place to unwind and to lose yourself.Once you get hooked into looking everyday at the garden you soon forget the problems.It can be a social activity as well once you meet people with the same passion as you have.

I can see how it could be used to help people with all manner of mental or physical problems. Green fingers can definitely help beat the blues.

Crimson Cavemen And New Blooms

2011-06-21T10:41:00.006+01:00

Where does time go?It has been five days since I last did a blog post.I went to Gardeners World Live/BBC Good Food Show last Thursday/Friday.I had to work nights over the weekend and finished on Monday morning.I was exhausted by yesterday.
I potted up this Petunias plug plants in a pot on the outside table before we went to Birmingham.They are flowering in pastel colours, and smell fragrant.Of all the plug plants we grew on these Petunias were the most vigorous.

The Red Dianthus I bought from Hampsons have started to flower.The red colouration is in the inner part of the petals.the plant label showed a bright Crimson red colour, so I will wait to see if these change colour.They are growing besides my Dianthus Jazz in pink and electric purple.I hope that this is a perennial like the Dianthus Jazz.

One of my new favourite flowers is the humble Corn Flower Blue.It is growing besides the pond in the wild flower area.It is a vivid blue colour.The flower buds always remind me of little hand grenades.I hope this self seeds as I would like lots more of the them.

The Marguerite in the planter box continues to bloom impressively.These large Daisy's are beautiful grown over ferny green foliage.I have planted some summer bulbs behind these but I cant remember what they were.I bought three of the bulbs at the Autumn Flower Show.It will be good once they flower so I can remember their name!

It is the Summer Solstice today.The Druids of Britain have descended on Stonehenge this morning to celebrate it.I have my Geum Mrs Bradshaw to marvel over.The red flowers seem to float over the garden, blowing in the breeze.They give a red haze above the green leaves of the other plants.

The Seed heads look like crimson Cavemen.They are like red conkers.I like the green of the garden behind the Geum flowers.

It rained extremely heavily last night.I found one of my baskets up ended and all the plants on the path this morning.I have done some running repairs on it.Luckily The plug plants have grown on even in the few days that they have been planted.

I need to go to the allotment.I have Runner Bean Scarlet Emperor to plant, and to see what has been growing well in my absence.It is forecast for light rain so I may have to dodge the showers.

I have to decide which photos (there were 200) to blog for the Gardeners World Live Show.I will do maybe a two part post to recap the best bits.

Apart from the new flowers in the photos Wimbledon also started yesterday.It is the 125Th year that it has been played.

I am a massive tennis fan, and was pleased to see wins for Andy Murray, and my favourite player Raphael Nadal.I have Strawberries in the raised sleeper bed ready to pick too.It is British Summer at its best.Two weeks of Tennis,Strawberrys n cream, lots of flowers in bloom,and hopefully sunshine.

Plant and Protect

2011-06-16T11:58:00.006+01:00

The Braeburn Apple Tree growing in a pot has three Apples growing on it.I love the red and green colouration of the fruit.This is the third year I think that I have had the Tree.This winter I will plant it into the garden, as it is growing in a pot.It started off as a mail order tree that looked like a stick.I wander if the cold winter froze all the fruiting spurs off the tree?It was covered in Blossom last year but we still only ended up with three Apples.

This is the Apple Tree today growing in the pot by the raised Strawberry bed.Apples have been a traditional British Fruit grown for centurys.We have many varieties, but unfortunately commercial growers only concentrate on a few select varieties.

The Autumn Flower Show at Harrogate has an Apple competition and showcases many rare varieties.

At Hampton Court RHS flower show this July garden designer Sadie May Stowell will enter the Copella"Plant And Protect"garden, with support from Doctor David Bellamy, a botanical legend.

It will celebrate the diversity of British Apples, and encourage people to plant their own Apple Trees.The traditional Apple orchard is part of the British countryside, but these have been declined greatly over the past few years, and need preserving if future generations are going to be able to see them.

Copella is a family run farm that produces Apple Juices from hand picked locally grown Apples, and has done for forty years.I have bought a bottle of their Apple Juice today for the train down to Birmingham.

The weblink is: http://www.copellafruitjuices.co.uk/plant-and-protect/take-action/

I hope it does well, and that the campaign continues to prevent the decline of traditional British Apple varieties.It is a campaign close to my heart.I hope that my apple tree will produce more fruit in future years.I will enjoy the three Apples we will have.

New Foxglove

2011-06-15T22:49:00.002+01:00

One of the new plants that I have bought is this purple Foxglove.I love these plants dearly, they are as archetypal of an English summer as Strawberries and Cream, and cricket.These Cottage garden plants have entranced Bees and gardeners alike.I could only find one type at Hampsons. The Purple Dalmations?

The speckled flowers draw Bee's into the Foxes Glove.I want to see if there are some more varieties of different Foxgloves at the Birmingham NEC on Fridays BBC gardeners world show.

I worked today and watched the heavy rain falling this afternoon.After a dry spell I welcome the rain for the allotment and garden.

I have tomorrow morning to do some gardening before we get an afternoon train to Birmingham New Street.It will be gardening/food heaven on Friday.

Blooms And Baskets

2011-06-14T21:57:00.000+01:00

I spent the whole day today in the garden tidying up,cleaning the greenhouse up,planting my baskets, and taking photos.It was twenty degrees centigrade in the shade.The mystery Poppy in the planter box finally opened its crimson and black petals.It is very silky on the outside,and only opened in the sunshine.When it got cooler the flower was shut back up again.

There are about six smaller Poppy's with single flowers.This is a double flower, and is twice the size of the others.Is it a genetic cross between two Poppies?This is what they bred, but the other flowers are smaller and less showy.Maybe they lose vigour as they self seed and revert back to their parent plants.

The Lady Emma Hamilton is not blooming spectacularly like Harlow Carr, or Darcey Bussell. The LEH blooms are perfectly formed and scented so sweetly.The Apricot flowers seemed to glow today in the bright sunshine.She may not be performing as well as usual, but her blooms are perfection.

The pond has its edges softened now by planting around the pond liner.The pond plants have established themselves in the water, and have started to oxygenate the pond.The water is finally clearing after it became a green watery mess.It has now only been topped up by rainwater.My Norfolk Reed is also acting as a water filter.The pond is bordered by my Wildflower mix.This is a draw for many flying insects.Its busy air space around the pond.I have not seen any Dragonfly's yet this year.

This is a rare daytime photo of one of the Newts that is living in the pond.Tonight by torchlight I counted three frogs and two newts.Earlier I saw some lightning fast dark coloured Newts.They were extremely jumpy.This olive coloured Newt moves slowly through the water and between the oxygenating pond plants.I wander if the Black crested Newts are males looking to mate? They were so quick darting to the surface, before diving back into the deep water of the pond.It is so nice to sit by the side of the pond and look to see whats swimming, or chilling.My water Lily has made itself at home and is widely spreading its kidney shaped leaves.I saw a big frog tonight resting against the edge of a leaf.

Injecting some colour in the sun is the Armeria.It is a small clump of grass, that looks like Chives.It has these lovely pink football type flowers hoisted aloft over the grasses.I put this plant with my other Grasses for contrast to the airy light grasses.

The Rose Margaret Merrill has finally opened a bloom.It is the purest white with a lovely old rose scent.I watered all the Roses tonight with some Rose food.I want to try to keep feeding the Roses so they bloom all summer long.The Rose Flowers are for the eyes, and the scents for memorys and dreams.

The Starlings continue to brawl over the fat balls.There are three fat ball feeders around the garden.The Starlings shriek loudly and fly up to each other in aerial combat.They intimidate each other and eventually one retreats for a while.These are all fledglings I think that are arguing all the time.They are like the Keystone Cops waddling around the garden and pecking each other over the food.

I made the hanging baskets up today.Eight baskets and one wall mounted box.I used up five trays of plants but that did not even dent all the plants I have been growing on Petunia's, Pansy's,and Busy Lizzie's.I planted the Fuchsias and some French Marigolds as the centre plant in some of the baskets, and used different combinations of the three types of plu plants that were growing in the greenhouse.I added the granule food and water crystal mix.My baskets always end up drying out and dying.I hope the water is held in the jelly.

The pathway is lined with pots and planters.I added two brackets onto the old fence,I never realised that I had put these brackets one way, and on the opposite fence fixed the brackets on the other way.Cat told me before she went to work.

Two of the new Baskets are cone shaped.I love the rustic feel off the woven Rattan and black cord that makes the basket up.This was put up near to the Clematis Angelique.

I spent all of my day off in the garden.I have to work tomorrow before going to Birmingham on Thursday night.We have passes for Gardeners World Live/BBC Good Food Show on Friday.I have sorted my camera out.I just need to charge the battery's up ready for the NEC show.

I may well buy a few things to bring back.

The garden is looking lovely now.I just need to try to learn how to sit still.But there is always something to deadhead/trim/water/re pot.A garden is best when its not fully done.

I loved working outside in the sun with the sound of birds singing (and fighting), and the wind blowing through the tree tops.It was a blissful day off.

Night Garden Post

2011-06-13T22:00:00.000+01:00

I have had a productive day in the garden today.I went to see Hils this morning and her new puppy called George.I walked back and started to tidy and reorganise the garden.I took this photo today.The Rose is called The Dark Lady and is one of my new David Austin Roses bought this year.It fits well with my night garden theme.Dark Crimson Roses with a slight scent.

The moon looks full tonight.It was shining brightly behind some trees.I have read that some people actually plant Vegetables according to the Lunar cycle.I love how mysterious and mystical the moon looks behind the trees.Does anyone do Lunar Planting?

My solar light is of the moon too beaming down onto a blue/green glass globe.At night the LEDs change colour and illuminate the silvery moon face.

The camera picked out the white of the Hosta flowers and the classical Statue.They are ghost like in the darkness.Green and white.

Earlier I planted the remaining Tomato's into the two greenhouse grow bags, and tied the established ones to sticks.I planted my two Barrell containers,one big pot, and three planter boxes with a mixture of Asters,Sunflowers,Pansy's, and Straw Flowers.

I trimmed the Teasel back in the sunken border and planted three Verbena Bonarensis.I potted up my two Milk Thistles and placed them on either side of my metal peacock by the greenhouse.I planted a Hellebore by the mystery Poppy, and a Pink Phlox in a big pot by the backdoor.

As the light faded and night was arriving I saw Bats flying over the house high in the air.I used my torch for looking into the pond.Tonight I saw two Frogs, and two Newts.One Newt was plain olive coloured, the second was much more speckled like leopard skin.

The solar lights add some magic into the garden, and make it fun to look at at night.I have sowed some Scented Night Stock for evening scents.I love the idea of plants that smell in the evening.A perfect time to sit in the garden and just relax with a drink.

Sunday Photos 2

2011-06-12T21:20:00.013+01:00

I went to the allotment today to do a little weeding and watering.I should not have worried about the watering as when I was walking back it started to rain!It has poured down non stop since.The Rose Darcey Bussell (showing the raindrops) was the only photo of the garden I took today.

This was from the allotment today.I have sowed three rows of Carrots in the raised bed.I thought it would be interesting to plant some old Sunflower seeds between the rows.I had visions of a cottage garden, like an old french cottage with flowers and vegetables planted together.There are about six Sunflowers that have germinated in my raised bed.I cant wait to see these flower.There is already Asiatic Lilys and Abysinnian Gladiolous planted next to the Rhubarb.I have planted my French Marigolds too to try to deter white fly from the Brassica crops.I have some Sage plants to go up to the plot soon.They are very pungent and deter flying pests I have read.

Does anyone know what kind of Thistle this is?It is growing along the path behind the neighbours shed.It is extremely sharp and has jagged spiky leaves.I need to strim the plots pathways, but I will leave this plant intact so i can watch it flower.It is unusual as I have not seen it in two years.I have seen lots of weeds growing over that period of time.

Doing the blog over the past seven years (scary) has made me look at things differently.This arty photo is of a common Bindweed flower growing in my compost heap up at the allotment.It is a pain as it gets every where and winds its tendrils tight.Its flower is very attractive though for a weed.

I think sometimes the common things are often overlooked.When you see something so often you eventually do not register that it is there.I have increased my visual skills by photographing extensively for the blog posts.It is also leaving a record that I can look back at, and other people can use as a resource.I looked back today and was amazed at some of my photos.I forget after I post them.

I lifted my Compost bin lid up and found this Snail dozing against the edge of the lid.It was perfect cover for him away from predators, and the drying action of the sun.I think snail shells can be very beautiful.This was a young snail with a pristine shell.I also found an older snail with the most battle scarred shell.Maybe he had been ambushed by birds sharp beaks and escaped to tell the tale.

Back in the garden the Birds continue to entertain me.These Starlings have started to come down from the Conifers to feed on the round fat balls.They are very territorial and fights break out.The one in the centre is defending his fat balls and pecked the other Starling up.They may even be brothers, like Cane and Abel?There is no love lost between them when food is involved.

If they only flew twenty feet away there were fat balls in a container that had no fights breaking out of them.The doughnut shaped feeder seems to draw the birds in.

House Sparrows,Starlings,Blue Tits,Great Tits, and even the Woodpecker love to feed on them, pure saturated fats.To begin with in this garden the Birds were not interested in the fat balls.They just sat getting rotten.Now they have discovered the taste they are flocking to them and i keep needing to buy more tubs of fifty.

I bought a new Moon Solar light and let it charge in the sun for three days.It was switched on and amazingly one night I looked and saw it changes colour.The LED cycles between red,blue,purple, and green.It contrasts to the other white solar lights I have.I placed it in the sunken border behind the Hebe, and the Peony.The Salvia is visible to the right hand side.

One mystery plant that is growing in the gardens planter boxes is this Poppy.I am waiting for it to open so the flower colour revealed,may jog my memory about where it came from.It has olive coloured leaves, much paler than the darker Oriental Poppy's.It is a true volunteer plant.There are two plants in one planter box, and three smaller ones in another.

Another surprise flower for me is this orange Calendula.I sowed some Everlasting Flowers(also called Straw Flowers) from some stored flower heads.There must have been Pot Marigold seeds also as they have flowered in the big Straw Flower pot.The Straw Flowers have not flowered yet.I love how bright the orange colour this is.The seeds are like little wizened crab claws, and can last for years in soil.Mum hated these as they self seeded and grew every year in her garden.I always tried to use them in her garden.The foliage is also very strongly scented.

Another mystery is why my Lupins all reverted back to purple coloured flowers?This white one is the glorious exception.I think I bought Lupin Gallery Mixed, but they are all purple flowers.I love the flower spikes and these drive the Bees mad.I will get more different coloured Lupins for next year.There colourful flower spikes make me smile.

That's twenty four photos I wanted to share.Each one tells a tale about the garden, allotment, or nature.

Sunday Photos 1

2011-06-12T20:46:00.015+01:00

After a few days without a post I have decided to try to post some of the photos I have taken over the past few days.The blog has made me see everything through a camera lens.the first photo is of a almost black ladybird on a rhubarb leaf up at the allotment.The sunlight was streaming through the leaf like a green chapel window.He sat quite happily as i used the camera up close to him.

When I go to the allotment I walk along a footpath that is surrounded by hedgerows and farmers fields.The Poppies have started flowering earlier.these are the standard fields of Flanders poppies, and every year they flower massively in the farmers field.I love the bright ribbons of red that stains the greens.I find them very beautiful, but also very moving.After the first world war tore up the earth the first flower to regrow in profusion was this Poppy.

I love this photo looking up the hillside to the sky.The two Poppies are just waving beneath a field of some grassy crop.I love the fields that have tall stalked grasses,that wave in the wind.The whole field looks like it was being conducted by the breeze.

These Poppies are a beautiful blood red.I guess they are a weed growing in turned ground but I still love to try to photograph them.Many people drive along the road do not ever stop to admire the wildflowers along the hedgerow verge.

Another delicate flower is the common Brambles.It will be pollinated, and turn into a delicious Blackberry by late summer.They smell faintly sweet.My plot is bordered by a mass of Brambles that runs along the allotment.Cat and me picked lots of Blackberries last year.Not many people seem to go out with buckets to collect them.they make lovely jam and wine, and go wonderfully with Bramley Apples in a pie.

The plant I thought was a Chrysanthemum in the wildflower area is a big daisy.These are big Daisy's though with brilliant egg yolk centres, surrounded by snow white petals.

Also growing in the Wildflower area is the common Red Clover.I love how ornate these pretty flowers are.The white clover in our grass is always a hive of activity for Bees and Hoverflys.They are nectar rich flowers, growing above pretty three lobed leaves.

The House Sparrows continue to land on anything vertical in the garden to attack the Aphids.The dry hot weather has caused a lot of them to grow, but the birds have been regularly cleaning my plants for me.It is organic pest control, encouraged by my food and water that I put out daily.

The old cottage garden plant Delphinium is flowering again.I have tied it onto a stick this time to keep the virginal white flowers upright.I want to grow more of these.The Pacific Blue Delphinium has died over the winter.This white one is made of sterner stuff and has regrown with vigour this year.

The flowers are so pure in colour.Unblemished and white.

Growing alongside the Delphinium is this Purple Salvia.The leaves looked like Sage but developed purple flower buds.These have shot up into the air and grown sweet pea type flowers. This plant has over wintered and come back with a vengeance.

The leaves that have the flower buds are this lovely lilac colour.They contrast beautifully to the green leaves that are all around the flower spikes.The Bees are drawn to these.I hope that the Butterflies are too.

This is part one of my sunday posts..

Soft Fruit And Flowers

2011-06-09T22:21:00.006+01:00

I have been enjoying the allotment and garden on my days off.I took photos in the garden over the past two days.This is the Kniphofia today.It looks like its name the red hot poker.It starts red hot, then cools down to paler colours beneath the red hot part of the torch.I am excited because this is the first year i have had it flower.It has produced four flower spikes so far.

This Rose is called Margaret Merrill.She has been with me for about four growing seasons.She is yet to bloom this year.This fragrant white Rose smells divine, and looks sumptuous.I cannot wait for the first Rose from this plant.

The other Rose that is nearly flowering is The David Austin Dark Lady.The blooms are going to be a dark Crimson with an old rose scent.They look mysterious, like a Bronte sister novel.

The other thing I have done on my days off is harvest my gardens Gooseberry bush.It ripped me to shreds with its spiny branches, giving up two pounds worth of Goose-gogs for my scratches and blood.I want to turn these green beauty's into jam.

The Strawberries in the grow bag, and in the raised bed have started to be ready to pick now.I picked the small box over the past few days.These will be sliced, and have single cold cream poured over them.Strawberries and Cream is part of the British summer.A week and a half before Wimbledon too!

I love the Lady Emma Hamilton.I have decided that the scent is like a Sherbet Dipper, sweet and lemony.I love her scented Apricot/Copper Rose blooms.The rusty foliage sets off the golden Roses perfectly.

Next week it is Gardeners World Live at the Birmingham NEC.Cat and I are going over night, to see the show gardens, the gardeners, the plants, and the added attraction of the BBC Good Food Show.I will take lots of photos and blog the highlights.I booked a hotel, and train tickets down to Birmingham.

I will hopefully bring some ideas and plants back to our garden.It has been a lovely few days off.

Walton Plant Stall 2011

2011-06-08T17:15:00.005+01:00

Last Sunday I was outside Walton Village hall to help Hils out for her annual plant stall.The local community and passing people came out to buy a selection of plants grown by Hils, or her friends.

All the proceeds of the plant sale go to a committee that splits the money between local groups, including the brownies,rainbows,tots group,and elderly meals at Xmas.The trees have sheltered our tables and us for the past few years against the elements.This year it was cool, and cloudy.The sun only came out after 1pm.

Due to the unseasonable hot weather a few weeks ago this years plant stall was not as busy as previous years.The people came but very slowly.I took these photos between selling or packing up plants.This beauty was a striking Mimulus.I loved the colours of this flower.

We had about eight tables set up, which were covered in Vegetables,Tomato plants,Herbs, houseplants,perennials, and bedding plants.The excess plants were stored under the tables and moved up once there was space above.I brought my favourite RHS book which shows pictures of many flowers and shrubs to help show what plants looked like when they were in flower.

The two tone Petunias caught my eyes in the photo above.We finished with a mad flurry about 2.15pm.The plant sale raised £430 for the local village groups.There is a produce show,vegetable show, and auction in August which will also raise more money.

Next year is The Olympics, the Queens Golden Jubilee, and there are two bank holidays in June.The plant stall will not return until 2013.I love how growing plants can benefit communitys and bring people closer together for a day.

Water And Weeds

2011-06-04T18:48:00.004+01:00

I spent three hours up at the allotment weeding and watering.The plants have been battered since I planted them up there.The sweetcorn seems to have revived a little after the initial shock of being planted out.The Cabbages are the healthiest looking plant under the protective black netted cage.The Cauliflower,Brussels Sprouts,Swede,and Broccoli seem to have been munched. This Snail was hiding in some weeds.I love the colour of his shell.I loved the contrast between his shell and the lid of the water butt where i photographed him.

I have a hexagonal container planted with some brown foliage plant and these Gallardia or blanket flowers.These must be quite tough as the pot regularly gets dried out when I'm not there to water it.I love the fiery petals and ornate centre.

This was the allotment at the end of today.It has been watered and a lot of weeds removed.I planted the Leek bed, and put my four Borage plants into various beds.I have a little flower bed too growing Asiatic Lilys and Abysinnian Gladiolus.There are Sunflowers growing between my Carrot rows in the raised bed (on the left hand side).

It is the Walton Plant Stall tomorrow.I will take the smaller Camera to photograph it.It has been a sunny day.The day was so quiet except for the sound of the Blackbirds singing around me and the sound of the tall Trees rustling in the wind.

The three hours I spent up at the plot passed imperceptibly.

Roses Today

2011-06-02T21:15:00.005+01:00

I was on a day off today.We went out to the new Wakefield Art gallery called the Hepworth, which has just opened recently.I came back and decided to photograph all the Roses that are blooming.
I have a daily walk going up and down the path.I stop at each Rose and try to smell the fragrance to think of how to describe it.The first photo is the delicious Gertrude Jekyll rose.It smells very sweet like candy.

The second and third photo show my namesake Rose,Lady Emma Hamilton.Her Roses are Apricot coloured and have the most divine scent.Like Oranges and Lemons.

I highly recommend you try to find this Rose to sample the fragrance.This is one of my favourite Roses, and this is the fourth year of her growing.I love the blooms and the dark leaves contrasting to the apricot coloured flowers.The smell makes me want to eat the Rose.

This Rose bush is Harlow Carr, and the fragrance is very old Rose.Like your grandmothers perfume or soap.This is a fragrance from a lost age.The Roses seem to explode out of the buds and look lovely against the green leaves.This is the first year I have grown it.

The last Rose photo is of the Molineux.It is named after a football stadium I think where Wolverhampton Wanderers play.These Roses will form a low hedge in our front garden.They are sat in their pots still.The blooms are a beautiful bright yellow and they have a slight Fragrance.

The Roses left that have not bloomed are Dark Lady,Margaret Merrill,Arthur Bell, and Wisley.

Darcey Bussell is also blooming with her Crimson Roses that smell like tea .

The highlight of the year is my Roses blooming.The flowers please the eyes.The scents send signals from the nose to the brain.Memories are evoked by the Rose bloom/scent.

The photos and memories will keep me going in December when there are no Roses growing.