25 Wednesday Nov 2020
Posted in a week of flowers, Uncategorized
Tags
Cathy of Words and Herbs has presented a challenge to cheer us all up:
From Sunday the 22nd through to Saturday the 28th let’s share a photo a day (or more than one if you like) of our flowers and gardens and brighten up this dreary time.”
Day 5 flowers with butterflies and bees. A super cheerful sight.
Click the link above to see more cheerful floral photos. 🌞D.
25 Wednesday Nov 2020
Posted in a week of flowers, Uncategorized
Tags
a week of flowers, aconite, Coreopsis moonbeam, courgette flower, Eschscholzia, marigolds, Rudbeckia, squashes, tulips
Cathy of Words and Herbs has presented a challenge to cheer us all up:
From Sunday the 22nd through to Saturday the 28th let’s share a photo a day (or more than one if you like) of our flowers and gardens and brighten up this dreary time.”
The garlands of marigolds were at the entrance to a hotel where a wedding was underway. Aren’t they fabulous.
Click the link above to see more cheerful floral photos. 🌞D.
24 Tuesday Nov 2020
Posted in a week of flowers, Uncategorized
Cathy of Words and Herbs has presented a challenge to cheer us all up:
“From Sunday the 22nd through to Saturday the 28th let’s share a photo a day (or more than one if you like) of our flowers and gardens and brighten up this dreary time.”
Today, day three I am sharing the strongest pinks I could find in my back catalogue of snaps.
Click the link above to see more cheerful floral photos. 🌞D.
08 Sunday Nov 2020
Posted in six on saturday, Uncategorized
Tags
Aster, aster lateriflorus Lady in Black, Autumn, Cercis canadensis, David Austin Roses, Forest pansy, frost, penstemon garnet, rose Brother Cadfael, six on saturday, tree work
Here we are, blogging from the confines of the second Lockdown, sharing our six from our gardens with you and our host The Propagator
We have had a couple of proper frosts this week and the garden has dropped leaves, the dahlias have blackened. Last week I shared Harlow Carr with you, this week I am back in my own garden, observing the last gasps of Autumn.
Penstemon are borderline hardy in my heavy clay soil. These are growing in a raised bed to aid drainage and here they thrive. The richness of the jewel like colour is a tonic on grey days of Autumn. I do not dead head these, or tidy them up for winter. I leave all the top growth, no matter how unsightly they become, only cutting back once new growth is emerging and the frost risk has passed. As extra security I take a few cuttings which usually strike very easily.
I planted a row of these asters to form an informal edge to the path. By midsummer the foliage is dark, almost black and looks strikingly handsome, repeating the darker foliage of Cercis canadensis and Sambucus Black Lace nearby. By Late Autumn they open zillions of tiny daisy like asters , creating a haze of flowers. A real sight when everything else is bowing out.
I mention the Forest Pansy so often I realise and that is because it gives such beauty. Here it is again.
Gardens are beginning to take on their winter scene and it is a good time to asses the parts you might want to change.
There are leaves to clear, roses to prune to protect against wind rock which is a big concern on my exposed garden. There are still roses but now the frost has touched them I shall prune them hard.
Lastly I will share some Autumn images taken at the garden where I work. Tree work has begun and on milder days mulching is order of the day.
I hope you can have a great weekend in your garden wherever you are and thanks for reading. D.
31 Saturday Oct 2020
Posted in six on saturday, Uncategorized
Tags
Autumn, exotic garden, Garden Visits, Japanese maples, North Yorkshire, RHS Harlow Carr, six on saturday
I managed to visit Harlow Carr for the first time this week. The weather was chilly and there were some short sharp showers, but as you know, us gardeners are undeterred by weather.
The place was reasonably busy thanks to half term holidays but as it is spread over a significant site it did not feel crowded a key concern at this time.
The six I am sharing this week with lovely you and our host The Propagator are my highlights from the garden at RHS Harlow Carr.
I love this image, the ruby red of the fallen maple leaf looks so vivid against the emerald rich green of the Bergenia.
2. The trees at Harlow Carr are exceptionally beautiful at this time of the year thanks to Japanese Maples and Liquidambar. The variation in colour and texture is incredible. I don’t think I have ever seen so many varieties at this the peak of their Autumn season.
Planted at key points around the garden the foliage literally sings out.
3. Outside the booth for Bettys’s Tearooms there was a fun cage for leaf collecting.
4. There is a vegetable garden area which is as you would expect is an arrangement of raised beds and veg but the part I really liked was a bobbly hedge of Malus Evereste. This looked very attractive.
5. In a corner there is a lovely Exotic garden full of luscious leaves and bright shining dahlias.
6. Around a beautiful tree is a circle of hedges of yew and an exquisite bench.
I love how the hedges enclose the area around the tree. The beautiful bench around the mighty trunk, the views enclosing and opening the surrounding garden, as if protecting the tree.
My six from Harlow Carr. I hope liked this snap shot. Have a great weekend wherever you are and thanks for reading. D.
21 Wednesday Oct 2020
Posted in Uncategorized
18 Sunday Oct 2020
Posted in Silent Sunday, Uncategorized
11 Sunday Oct 2020
Posted in in a vase on Monday, Uncategorized
Tags
aster lateriflorus Lady in Black, Calamagrostis brachytricha, Dahlia Bishop of Auckland, dahlia Downham Royal, in a vase on Monday, penstemon garnet
Hello Cathy and good morning reader. It is a while since I got myself organised enough to put a vase together for this delightful Monday meme and here it is.
There are dahlias and grasses and the prettiest Aster.
This is Aster lateriflorus Lady in Black. Plum coloured aster type foliage on to which, in the middle of October, burst thousands of tiny daisies. A great display very late in the garden year.
These dahlias, Downham Royal, Bishop of Auckland, and penstemon Garnet are flowering happily and will continue to do so until the first frost arrives. I hope that frosty days will not be here for a while yet but who knows, the weather this year has been extremely different.
Grasses are glorious this time of year and this is a favourite of mine.
This is Calamagrostis brachytricha and it looks splendid at this time of the year. The seed heads are a pink tone which catches and holds any moisture, dew or rain, making a delightful sight.
What else can I tell you? It is definitely Autumn out there and the nights are drawing in rapidly. The virus might be driving us all to distraction but a really good distraction is outside and in our gardens. Let’s celebrate our gardens and rather than lamenting summers passing we should try to enjoy the changing seasons, picking flowers, fruits, vegetables and foliage while we can. Taking part in this Monday vase meme is a good way to do this. Join in, make a link back to our host Cathy and share your vase with bloggers around the globe.
Have a great week wherever you are and thanks for reading. D.
02 Friday Oct 2020
Posted in six on saturday, Uncategorized
Tags
Aeoniums, amelanchier, Helianthus salicifolius, Leucanthemella, Rudbeckia, six on saturday, Succulents, Verbena bonariensis
Into October and how the weather has changed. Deluge from Friday and for days to follow. Ghastly gardening conditions but thankfully mild overnight. Flowers will continue although most of us are unlikely to want to venture out to see them. My six were taken on Thursday, a dry day which already seems a distant memory.
Joining our host The Propagator
These are such good flowers, I cannot recommend them highly enough. Tall daisies, late flowering and fresh as, well, as a daisy. No staking needed. The funny thing is that they are facing towards the light and are looking away from the garden towards the fence!
This is Amelanchier turning-to Autumn colour. A good reason to find space for one, that and the early spring blossom.
These bright yellow daisy types are great for autumn interest. Vivid yellow petals but these do need staking on my rich soil. A good back of border perennial, shown here against the backdrop of the woven willow fence.
Now is a good time to put all succulents in the dry. Actually with this weather they should already be under cover, a sunny garden room, window cill or a greenhouse is ideal. They dislike our winter wet and will not survive a frost. Mine are now in the cold frame until it gets very cold when I shall bring them indoors. Mollycoddling very necessary.
I grow the willow leaf sunflower this for its bonkers foliage and height. I do not like the flowers and generally dead head them however next week, I have a National Garden Scheme, by appointment, visit. I shall allow them to beam. I’m all heart.
Verbena bonariensis. You know it. You grow it. It’s everywhere.
At this time of year it’s an invaluable blast of colour.
That’s it. Have a good weekend wherever you are and thanks for reading. D.
19 Saturday Sep 2020
Posted in six on saturday, Uncategorized
Tags
Aeoniums, Catalpa bignoides pulverulentum, crimson glory vine, Leucanthemella, penstemon, sanguisorba canadensis, six on saturday, Stipa Calamagrostis, Verbena bonariensis, Vitis coignetiae
There has been some beautiful weather here this week but noticeably the evening light is dropping sharply by about 1900hrs. Consequently the temperature has dropped sharply overnight. As a result the mornings are dewy and the light is just plain lovely.
My six to share with you lovely readers and our host The Propagator are snapshots of the garden in the autumnal light.
More than six this week but I’ve kept the narrative to a minimum, hoping that’s allowed.
Have a great weekend wherever you are and thanks for reading. D.
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