Friday, June 30, 2006

Night Owl post

Its half past one in the morning.Thought i'd add a mini post to the earlier pics.I moved some busy lizzies today to the square border, including my pot grown kitchen lizzie.It adds some colour to the negative space.I like the effect, i just need to water daily to keep it lush as the soil drys out so deep!!
Maybe garden borders are like empires, growing, building up untill they are spectacular.But from there they fall into rack and ruin.
My case in point is the front window border.Six weeks ago it was a beautiful collage of colours, foliages, and flowers.Today the cottage pink has flowered, all the Aubretia is dead, and the snapdragons look skinny compared to the back garden ones.I guess thats the soil being more dry at the front.The morning sun cooked those plants several times over.
The Oxalis Deppei look dull, like an army camoflage jacket.Dull brown and khaki green, and worse the flowers hang downwards!
I think they may be better in a pot, whereas in the ground they blend into the dirt.The summer bulbs are a few months from flowering which leaves the japenese maples.I'm considering clearing the debris and just putting bark chippings around the maples.Just have those two and the summer bulbs.
The square border looks okay with mixes of red, yellow, orange, and greens.The arched border is developing with three rose bushes, three sunflowers, and three little leo sunflowers.The morning glory slowly climbs up the arch with garden twine help.The pansys add colour whilst we wait for the main flower shows to start.
The long border looks good as there are over twenty varieties of plants and shrubs, with lots of flower interest.The grass is green and lush, but needs a cut.
I guess as long as one area looks super, you can ignore the others untill new plants or new arrangements lifts them up.
Am i a perfectionist?Maybe yes but thats what drives us to garden daily, and to peruse magasines and blogs for inspiration.Its never fully done, its always a work in progress.
Back to work today for eight day stretch so expect slimmer posts.Keep on growing world.

Thursday, June 29, 2006


Long border through lavender spikes (they remind me of pikemen from the English Civil war for those of you who know english history.) Posted by Picasa

Tia, is it time for dinner yet my tin opener??? Posted by Picasa

Zzzzz Cara in her fav position,chilling after her tin opener fed her Posted by Picasa

New square border additions Posted by Picasa

Backdoor step coffe table view Posted by Picasa

Liatris I think nearly in bloom Posted by Picasa

Indoor violas for Sallyanne, magnifico and a yellow viola Posted by Picasa

Crazy colour collage effect Posted by Picasa

Dahlia i have been told (Thanks keen eyed bloggers) Posted by Picasa

Doorstep colours Posted by Picasa

White pink and red snap pallett Posted by Picasa

Newly opened Red snapdragons Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Day off from work (one)

I was off today from work, it was payday, and there was actually money in the bank.I went out to get some plants but felt too poorly to buy any.I got drenched in a heavy rain shower too on the way back.
I just did not feel motivated to buy any, and my fav plant section was closed for fork lift truck movement or something.
I had been debating how to add to the borders that are incomplete, due to cat damage, drought, plants dying down, and errors in my gardening.
The only parts i like today are the long border (except for a small section), and the arched border.
The other two have negative space, where there should be something.I thought maybe i could buy some fillers.My cold symptoms dampened my enthusiasm.
I moved a geranium from the front window border to the long border near the corner.The mon lam, and that will hopefully fill up the space.The violas are lower than the log roll, so the effect of the flowers is not apparent yet.
I put two viola magnifico seedlings in a pot for Sallyanne.They are purple with yellow/white eyes at the centre.
It was a rain effected day, so i cooked for Sallyanne.Chicken and vegetable korma, with small home made chapati's, a chicken stock, and for the first time in years some homemade scones.
I last made them for Mrs England (from Wales of all places) in Home Ec, which bar english was my straight A subject.
I dont cook often as Sallyanne loves doing the family meals.The exception being Xmas which i love to do...
What i need is more homegrown ingredients.I have four surviving tomato plant seedlings from the fourteen!!
I read about homegrown carrots todayhttp://alamedagarden.blogspot.com/2006/06/my-first-carrot.html)
Go Claire.I love the joy of seeing homegrown veg, esp if it is cooked then displayed.
Honourable mention to Steven who astounds me with his variety of crops and the ingenuity in using them as ingredients in predominantly italian style food.
http://dirtsunrain.blogspot.com/2006/06/by-popular-demand-roasted-beets-with.html
Its interesting how garden blogs can cross over to other subjects, and get comments too.I love reading about peoples lives, and interests different from mine.
Stuart is a garden writer from Australia with a knack for riling people up.He has started several heated debates.The last one i commented on was about the lack of debate amongst garden blogs.I felt the replies i read actually villified him slightly.
I like his posts, and weekly polls. We disagreed about garden gnomes, but he acknowledges that each to their own.
Here is his latest post: http://www.gardening4dummies.com/2006/06/building_an_outdoor_bird_aviary.html
Keep it up Stuart, even Amy Stewart replied to you so you know you sent waves from your original post.Not many posts stir debate like yours.Long may you do so, the blogosphere is richer for your posts.
Brit Arnhild posted a lovely rose pic, above her married for 26 years post.I wish her another 26 years of happiness: http://brittarnhildshouseinthewoods.typepad.com/brittarnhilds_house_in_th/2006/06/married_for_26_.html
Hanna made me laugh with her attempts to photograph a raindrop splashing during a rain storm.As someone who crawls along the garden, and has a camera with me daily i appreciate her madness for a perfect shot
http://www.thisgardenisillegal.com/2006/06/another-failed-attempt-to-freeze.html
A beautiful pic of the Royal wedding poppy with white petals, and black insides.Its good to see Daisy posting after her recent sadness: http://catsinthekitchenflorainthegarden.blogspot.com/2006/06/where-spirit-doesnot-work-with-hand.html
Thats a few posts i looked at.I have fourty odd blogs which i peruse daily.Like a compact garden magasine made by normal gardeners of their own patches of Eden.
May all your gardens grow, and help relax you through good times and bad times.

Hanging basket june 28th Posted by Picasa

Slow progress up the garden arch Posted by Picasa

Lilac tree baby, wait untill next year for flowers i hope Posted by Picasa

New Rose bush buds Posted by Picasa

June is the season for: WHITE CLOVER (there is loads of it over the front and side grass) Posted by Picasa

Dahlia or begonia?Cant remember which of Tasha's bulbs i planted in which pot.. Posted by Picasa

Evening primroses in my pot Posted by Picasa

Nasturtium still not eaten yet  Posted by Picasa

Sea of petunias around the fuschias.Hope the fuschias will rise volcano like from the drooping white flowers Posted by Picasa

Flower buds on Hebe Pascal Posted by Picasa

Foxglove sideflowers, below the main upright stem Posted by Picasa

Midnight post

Its half past twelve at night. I stood outside earlier in the dark looking at the plants silhouettes and ghostly solar lights casting their faint lights. The wind was gently blowing across the garden, my white beech tree was making its relaxing noise. Totally calm, and still. My eyes only seeing darks and the glow of the petunia's white flowers.
All the work stress (It was horrendous for three out of four days) melted away. Its payday and i hope i can buy some plants. Retail therapy with flowers, plants, pots, trellis, etc. Frugal spending but i need to tidy up some loose borders.
Two days off. One violin lesson booked. A lot of grass to cut and trim. The garden is full of growth, and joy. I know why religeous orginisations use gardens as aids to meditation, healing etc.
I read some counter arguments about Why Bloggers post about their gardens without feeling the need for big issues and debates
(http://www.thisgardenisillegal.com/2006/06/me-myself-and-my-little-garden-hands.html)
Hannah was annoyed at the presumption, and reading through seventeen comments I think she was a voice of reason.
The internet is full of political soapboxes and websites. Most people garden and blog as a hobby and enjoy the community sharing it.
You have hundreds of gardens to marvel at. The successes, and the failures. Which you reflect to your own garden situation.
I have enough conflict at work, enough life and death, enough politics, and self serving people in upper positions. The garden is my escape route to a simpler, more rewarding time.
I love working, but i love the gardening too. Life is too short, let the political minded debate big issues. Let the gardeners blog what they want to.
So many photos, words, and ways of expressing yourself. Its the joy of the specialist blog that you reach kindred spirits through the internet.
Expect many photo's and posts over the next two days.Good night world.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

rocket post..

As in the speed i am writing it.Im between shifts, late (finished at 9pm) and early (start at 7am, up at 5am).This is a brief post.
I got five comments today on my email so thanks to you all.Steven I think my planter cost £5 but it had geraniums in it (see last years posts.Think they all died over winter).
I am going to try nasturtium in salad soon, someone else suggested a sandwich!
The pic is of a plant i acquired from the grass verge where i walk up a hill.It is happily growing along the larger shrubs.The pink flowers with white star are gorgeous.I want someone to identify what it might be!
Its a ground cover, with tendril like stems that have heart shaped veiny leafs and buds.My cutting has been put into water where the two flowers opened up.Im guessing it usually puts roots down where the stems lay.
It might grow vertically.I will try to pot it up when roots have developed.My tomato plants are reduced to eight now.They are wilting plant by plant.Must be my unsterile soil killing them off.
Days off soon to redesign my square border and hopefully buy a few plants, and some bark chippings for weed suppression and moisture retention.
More posts tomorrow.Will comment then on any new comments, and share my fav blogs with you that have inspired me!

what am i? pink flowers with white star on a green stems that grow along the floor, heart shaped leafs Posted by Picasa

Flowers closer up Posted by Picasa