Silent Sunday: first, second, third

Tags

Borage, favourites, in the garden right now, June, Rose "Lark Ascending", rose a shropshire lad, Silent Sunday

Wordless Wednesday: Chelsea Flower Show (sights which caught my eye)

Tags

blue, camassia, Chelsea Flower Show 2018, David Austin Roses, favourite sights, Iris Sibirica, lupins, shadows, Tottering by Gently, vases, wordless wednesday

Auricula theatre

David Austin Rose ‘Tottering by Gently’

Lupins everywhere

Blues

Blue sky over London plane trees

Shadows

Hanging vase

Tiny vases

Blue vase

Sarah Raven trade stand vases.

Delightful poppies

Camassia and Iris

Moss and Japan

In a vase on Monday: last of the tulips

Tags

in a vase on Monday, May in my garden, parrot tulip, Spring flowers, tulip Angelique, Tulip Apricot Beauty, Tulip Ballerina, Tulip Queen of the Night, tulips

I picked these yesterday morning before the day warmed up to its predicted 22 degrees.  Can you believe how the weather has become Summer almost overnight? Every where you look people seem to be enjoying this long weekend of weather and making the most of the long awaited sunlight.  Anyway the tulip flowers are open and a day out in the heat would have finished them off.

I popped the tulips in the large blue glass vase brother Dorris gave as a gift many years ago.  It always works well with tulips as it hides the somewhat messy leaf and stalk set up that tulips do have. 

From above the black table sets off the striking colours of Ballerina and Angelique while the dark near black of Queen of the Night seems properly black, she does seem regal.

So these may be the last of my tulips but I have been pleased with them as they all flowered in pots last year and were lifted and repotted in a raised bed this year. I think they may have done better this year than last.

I hope as it is a bank holiday Monday you will have a few minutes to spare and to pop over to see Cathy.  There will be lots of other vases full of wonderful flowers, maybe some foliage and some will have accessories to look at.  It is a lovely way to start the week, go on, take a quick look, it will not disappoint.

Now if you will excuse me, I am hoping to get some garden work done before it gets too warm for an English gal like me.

Enjoy your day, wherever you are. D.

Silent Sunday: from this, to this

Tags

April, from this to this, Narcissus 'Tete a Tete', Silent Sunday, what to do with s broken barrow, wheelbarrow planter

Wordless Wednesday: up against it

Tags

clay soil, great weather for ducks, rain rain go away, standing water, wordless wednesday

This is what I am faced with, standing water. Less of a garden, more of a pond.

In a Vase on Monday: cock-a-doodle-do

Tags

April, daffodils, Easter Monday, frog, in a vase on Monday, Muscari, Narcissus 'Tete a Tete', Narcissus ‘Rip-van-winkle’, Narcissus Lemon sailboat, pulmonaria, Spring flowers

It is Easter, it is Monday and therefore I was on the look out for flowers and eggs to share with you and readers of Cathy’s blog.

No eggs, this cockerel has sat looking out of the window for about twenty years.

Now he is on my desk with these tiny flowers from the garden. Muscari, pulmonaria and various daffodils.

The two small daffodils are Tête-à-tête on the left and lemon sailboat on the right. Rip van Winkle is the scruff at the back and the large Daffodil is just a regular garden daff.

Held in place on a florists frog, no amphibians were hurt in the process.

I hope you have had an enjoyable long weekend and I am sure you will join me in chanting “rain, rain, go away” D.

Saturday smile: blushing.

Tags

blushing, camellia, Easter, March, pink buds, Saturday smile, white flowers

You may possibly remember me showing you a fat pink bud from my camellia? in a vase? No? oh do please pay attention.

I should love to be able to tell you that the bud has opened to reveal its white centre. Alas not. After two weeks the bud had fattened up, then almost over night it just gave up and browned on the edges. Disappointing.

Outside however, despite the onslaught of the Beast from the east and incessant rain, this has revealed itself:

Somehow the pink buds have begun to open revealing this, a white flower, blushing.

Happy Easter to you, wherever you may be. D.

Saturday smile: six bishops

Tags

bishop of llandaff, bishop of Oxford, bishop of York, Dahlias, March, Saturday smile, Woottens of Wenhaston

It is not often that you get six bishops under one roof at the same time, well certainly not in my house. There is perhaps a joke in there somewhere. Anyway.

These are my bishops: bishop of Llandaff, bishop of Oxford and bishop of York. Purchased from Woottens.

The bishops arrived safe and sound in net bags, sadly plastic but I shall reuse them in the winter when I lift the dahlias for safe store.

They were provided with clearly labelled plastic labels, useful whilst in pots but unlikely to be refused.

Each tuber resembles a weird bunch of desiccated brown bananas. Dry and firm they are ready for immediate planting.

I have gently placed the tubers in some fresh compost in plastic pots, making sure the stalk from last season is just poking above the compost. A little water and that’s it. Pop them under glass and wait.

Hey presto.

Well actually a bit more is needed to be done but it is simple. Keep them frost free, that’s essential.

Keep them warm and damp, not sopping wet.

Once the risk of frost has gone, plant them out in good garden compost, in a sunny spot. Stake them, feed them with a general garden fertiliser and Bob’s your uncle.

Lots of fab flowers until the end of Autumn.

Worth waiting for. Do give them a go if you have never grown them before. D.

Friday: news flash💛

Tags

gardens open for charity, news flash, NGS, Thank goodness it's Friday, yellow book scheme

The National Garden Scheme have announced that in 2017 they raised a record £3.1million for charity. Crikey. 💛

Beneficiaries include Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK, Carer’s Trust, Queens Nursing Institution, Parkinson’s UK, Perennial and MS society.

As someone who is opening her garden for the first time I feel proud to be part of this extraordinarily brilliant fund raiser.

By heck £3.1million that’s a lot of people looking at gardens, quaffing coffee and cake.

I hope any local readers will join me on August 12th. Those of you who are further afield, do try to visit at least one garden in your local area.

Look for the Yellow Book. D.

Wordless Wednesday: catkins and seed sewing, my day

Tags

catkins, March, my day, seed sowing, wordless wednesday