Sun On My Face

I got a book through the post called The Brother Gardeners, from an American publishing company. I read the first few chapters before bed.
It tells the story of the amateur Botanists who exchanged ideas and plants through letters from either side of the Atlantic.
I have read that the English garden benefited from American plants and Tree's.
I have read that wherever the British went, that trade routes opened up. Plants and flowers followed the traders back to Britain.
I will review the book after I have finished it. I love how the publishers had noticed my small blog and felt i was worth an Email.
My weakness after gardening is books. I have a small but ever growing Horticultural library. I buy some, am given more, and now even have them posted to me!
I'm going today to help Hils at her allotment to fill her new raised beds, and then prick out hundreds of seedlings in her greenhouses.
Gardening is good for friendships, for sharing plants and ideas. For working out horticultural problems, or making a labour intensive task easier.
I get a roast beef dinner too, and get to feel the sun on my face! A perfect Sunday.

Sunday Dew Drops

Some Frosted plants this morning. The Strawberry plants seem to hold the frozen droplets like diamonds on the leaf.
The Polyanthus is nearly flowering, and the frozen dew droplets cling to the tightly curled buds.It is still cold outside too.
I am watching Countryfile, so I know its Sunday morning.I have seen about Dutch greenhouses becoming greener using the Sun to warm the water that heats it. They were growing for the Dutch flower auctions. Thousands of Phalaenopsis flowering all year around in the greenhouse.

A Garden With Birds

A Hellebore Niger is nearly in flower finally on this mild Sunday. I spent a few hours just watching the garden and the birds flying in and out of the bird table, whilst drinking Kenco coffee which almost has a chocolate taste to it.
The Sky was blue and the Sun actually came out for a while.
My neighbours two doors up took a hedge cutter last night, and decimated the hedge along the alley.
I thought the birds would be stressed but they hopped through the bare branches!
What a relaxing way to spend a quiet Sunday before the stresses of work on monday and tuesday.
I like the Quote "Poor Indeed is the garden in which birds find no home" (Abram L Urban).

Strawberry Sunday

Sunday morning.I never posted yesterday as I was exhausted from work.Even the snappy gardener misses a days post sometimes.

Six night shifts down one to go.I needed a photo to blog today....

Its my Strawberrys cup.So sweet I can almost smell them. With the Serrated leaves and White flowers with yellow centres..

The new garden will have strawberry plants too, to eat freshly picked from the plants.

I hope the new week coming brings good news.I can continue my RHS course, after reading the first unit book. It has been hard going though so far.

They would be nice with sugar and fresh cream...yum. I will have to dream of them instead at the moment. More blog posts soon :)

Sunday Rest

From a Garden in Prestbury village. The flowers were growing high above the wall.I love the Hollyhocks Maroon petals contrasting to the Blue sky and clouds.
You can get these flowers almost black too. One more night shift left then hopefully back to longer Blog posts. Sunday is a day of rest, and the day to get into the garden to see whats growing, and to tackle the weeds. To smell the flowers, and read the paper whilst looking out over the garden.

Nicotiana Domino

Sunday morning.Time for me to go to work long day today and tomorrow.Enjoy all your sundays, and your gardens.More posts soon :)

Sunday red and green

The Candy pink Fuschia rescued from wilkos bargain (half dead) plant shelf, with the Peperomia.

Love the contrest between the foliage and the pots..

Time to leave for work.Hope all your sundays are restful, and your gardens are growing well.

Sunday Best

I usually buy plastic pots for growing seedlings on, and flowers. Yesterday I broke from my usual habit and bought three ceramic pots. Two traditional round ones, and a square shaped one. I wanted the planting of the Orchid bulbs to be auspicious. Traditionally the best clothes were worn on a Sunday, so my orchids are in their Sunday best...

There is a LOT of advice on the web about Orchids, their care, and needs. I read some then switched off and did my own thing.

Learning by your own actions works for me. I read about Bletilla Striata being a terrestial orchid (ie it lives in the ground not in the tree's). It is grown in south east Asia and China on alkaline, sandy soils, often with other plants that give it some protection from strong sunlight. It likes damp but not soggy soil.

I have tried to recreate that in the pots, and this morning the green tips look healthier, so i guess the watering yesterday has roused the bulbs from their winter dormancy.

The Amaryllis i grew before, started growing in the dark of the coal shed, with no soil or water surrounding it. That tells me the Bletilla's pointing growing tips were itching to get going, like runners at the start line of a long race.

I think the pots are gorgeous. There is a dark blue one, a light tan coloured one, and a grey/white one. My only other pot was from Nan's house, a living memorial of an easter cactus. It is a Wedgewood China pot, with an oriental design of a Kutani crane, tree's and flowers.

Its Sunday, the last day of my week off work.Alas, back tomorrow but i am fully charged now, and have many plants growing on.

The Nicotiana have germinated in the seed tray in the bedroom windowsill. They miraculously sprang up overnight. No sign of any Heuchera yet. I might buy some from the garden centre if they fail to germinate. I need to be patient though. Im bad at that. Willing everything to grow faster, but they dont. They each have their own time, and speed of growth.

Spring has truly sprung now, although it still feels cold to me. I am waiting on that Allotment still. Fingers, toes, and trowels crossed as Old Roses said to me.

It is the best feeling in the world to be blogging again. The process of writing, taking photos, and taking a gardeners view of the world fills me with the joys of spring. The cycle of the seasons is back in my blood. It connects us back to the earth, and our past. Our passion brings out the best in people, and plants.

As the birds return after the winter so I have return from an unexpected winter layoff. I will try to stay online and posting as often as work allows.