In a vase on Monday: 27 July 20

Tags

Ammi majus, Astrantia major, Daucus carota, in a vase on Monday, seed pod of Nigella, seseli, Thalictrum

Greengage plums

Greengage jam

As the rain fell today I took time to make some jam with surplus plums from the garden where I work. I am surprised at how orange/ red the jam is given the colour of the fruit to start.

It is Monday so of course I also like to make time to share some pickings from the garden. This week I avoided the roses and dahlias for something more delicate looking.

Vases on a Monday

Ammi majus

Thalictrum

Seseli in centre

Seed pod of Nigella

A late entry to join Cathy our host. Have a good week wherever you are and thanks for reading. D.

In a vase on Monday: tall

Tags

allium Sphaerocphalon, Astrantia major, Dianthus carthusianorum, in a vase on Monday, Persicaria amplexcaulis Firetail, Sanguisorba officinalis ex Woottens, Verbena bonariensis

I am drawn towards tall, see-through type plants and this little grouping are the type of plants I mean.

Lined up in my old test tube style vase. For those of you who like to know these things it is Vase d’Avril by TseTse Associates.

In the tubes are Verbena bonariensis, Allium sphaerophalon, Persicaria amplexcaulis Firetail and a stem from Sanguisorba. Less tall is Astrantia which on close inspection has claret centre markings which link well with the others.

Claret centre in the Astrantia

There is a movement to these types of plants. Even static when seen from above you can see the hither and thither way they have about them.

These are my flowers this Monday joining Cathy and her friends from all over the blogosphere. Not sure if that is the correct use of the term but it sounds right.

Wishing you a good week, wherever you are and thanks for reading.D.

In a vase on Monday: All white on July 1st.

Tags

Ammi, Ammi majus, Ammi visnaga, Astrantia major, Daucus carota, in a vase on Monday, Malva moschata, musk mallow, opium poppy seed heads, Saponaria officinalis, Soapwort, white, white valerian

Good morning. Having survived the extreme heat of Saturday I am pleased to report that normal summer weather has returned here, a relief for most of us. The garden has perked up all ready.

As it is Monday I am sharing my bunch of (white) flowers with you and Cathy. I resisted using roses this week instead choosing seed grown whites.

Ammi visnaga, Ammi majus , the spectacular umbel of Daucus carota, a white Malva moschata or Musk-mallow which has appeared by magic ( birdies perhaps) white valerian, self sown Astrantia major, and seed heads of various opium poppies.

If you look carefully you may also see Soapwort, Saponaria officinalis . This is great for Hummingbird Hawk-moths but I have yet to spot one. The name is derived from the Latin word for soap and rubbing a leaf produces a slightly slippery froth which will absorb dirt particles. (Information from the wonderful book “Wild Flowers” by Sarah Raven).

Have a wonderful week, wherever you are. Be sure to take a look at some of the other vases taking part in this meme. Thanks for reading. D.

In a vase on Monday: is it really October?

Tags

Astrantia major, cornflower, David Austin Roses, in a vase on Monday, October roses, Rose 'Gertrude Jekyll', rose a shropshire lad, Rose The Pilgrim

The weather this weekend has been incredible, dry, mild, bright and crunchy, (if weather can be crunchy that is).

I have been raking up barrows full of conkers, leaves, rotting windfalls. So far so Autumn

And yet the mild weather has allowed another flush of roses. A Shropshire Lad, Gertrude Jekyll, the Pilgrim.

Surprisingly there are a few Astrantia in flower and even some Cornflowers.

These roses do not have quite the same strength of smell at this time of the year. The flower heads may droop thanks to their slightly weaker stems yet there is no doubt that these roses are a lovely sight in mid October.

I am joining Cathy and the other regulars with in a vase on Monday. Have a lovely week. D.

In a Vase on Monday: not one but two

Tags

Astrantia major, Dahlia William Morris, David Austin Roses, in a vase on Monday, persicaria affinis, Rose "Lark Ascending", rose a shropshire lad, sweet peas, Verbena bonariensis, Zinnias

I am joining Cathy today with not one but two vases of flowers. My garden has recovered itself after the heatwave and things like Astrantia and Persicaria affinis have reappeared. In addition to these flowering, roses are also having a second show. The later flowering Coreopsis, Dahlias and Zinnias are also flowering.

Front left is my favourite rose Lark Ascending next to it the petal full, pink A Shropshire Lad.

From left is an open Shropshire Lad, pink and lilac sweet peas, no idea which they are, sorry. In the middle is a soft pink Zinnia with Astrantia behind. I am not completely sure which Astrantia this is as it has self sown, to its right is this rose, so pale it is almost white, Gentle Hermione.

By way of contrast the next vase has the Dahlia William Morris, Coreopsis Moonbeam and dark coloured Zinnias.

Added to this group is Verbena bonariensis which is making a bid to take over my garden. Worse things could happen.

Have a great week and do check out Cathy’s blog. The link is above, to see other Monday vases full of flowers from all over. What a nice way to start the week. D.

In a Vase on Monday: snippets

Tags

Alchemilla mollis, Astrantia major, astrantia shaggy, David Austin Roses, Geum Totally Tangerine, in a vase on Monday, June, Rose 'Gertrude Jekyll', snippets

These are tiny short stemmed snips today as I try to preserve stems for my first NGS visitors next week.

Rose Gertrude Jekyll

Rose GJ hanging about at head height so I catch her heavenly rose scent.

A small pot of colour thanks to Geum Totally Tangerine, Astrantia major and Astrantia Shaggy and chartreuse froth courtesy of Alchemilla mollis.

Short and sweet. Get thee over to Monday Cathy to see other vases of flowers picked from gardens all over the place and not just the UK. Should you fancy joining in, all you have to do is pick some flowers, insert them in a vessel, photograph and tell us about it, adding a link back to Cathy mentioned above.

Astrantia Shaggy

Have a good week. D.

Silent Sunday: Astrantia

Tags

Astrantia 'Roma', Astrantia major, Astrantia major alba, Masterwort, pincushions, Silent Sunday, star

Tuesday View 28 June 16

Tags

Astrantia major, astrantia shaggy, Digitalis purpurea, Eupatorium purpureum, foxgloves, Geum "Mrs Bradshaw", Joe pie weed, molinia Transparent, Rose "Lark Ascending", Thalictrum Elin, Tuesday View

I am linking with Cathy of https://wordsandherbs.wordpress.com to share my view of the the garden as it develops and changes through the seasons.  This Tuesday is a beautiful Summers morning and yet still rain is forecast for later in the day.

The giant Thalictrum Elin

Against a rare blue sky this morning

Thalictrum Elin is a fabulous addition to my border, reaching up to 2.3meters.  The top of the flowers can be seen clearly above the fence line on the roadside.  That may not seem very interesting but to me, where there previously has been no garden at all, this is exciting. I actually prefer the plant at this bud stage before the flowers pop open as its colour changes to a creamy yellow.

The Joe-pie weed Eupatorium purpureum is the large leaf perennial in the foreground of the first picture.  It too will grow tall, up to 2.5m generating pink fluffly flowers on stout stems.  I chose it for its height and its suitability for a wildlife friendly garden.

Even the common old fox gloves  Digitalis purpurea are tall this year.

Behind the tall outer plants, Astrantia Shaggy and Astrantia major are flowering their socks off and have been for about a month.  The grasses are looking ethereal, this is ‘Transparent’ mixing in with the Astrantias creating a haze through which you can see the wonderful rose ‘Lark Ascending.’

The stronger orange on the corner of the bed is the so called ‘rascally’ Geum ‘Mrs Bradshaw’ (so called by Cathy at ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com after seeing it yesterday in my vase on Monday).

The garden is full and some of the plants are reaching their peak.  Roses, grasses, foxgloves, astrantia are wonderful right now.  What is looking great in your garden? If you would like to join in with sharing your Tuesday view, do join Cathy at wordsandherbs.wordpress.com and be sure to make a link back to her page.

Happy gardening

In a Vase on Monday, sorry it’s packed…

Tags

Astrantia major, geranium, in a vase on Monday, johnsons blue, rose Gerrude jekyll

Today has been all about packing, packing and packing. The removal men arrived at 9am and after a disheartening start when they realised that the van was too big to park on the drive, the realisation dawned that everything to come out of the house would have to come down the drive and along the track . They soon set to it and by 2 pm the house was looking empty, and the men a little sweaty.

Rooms were left with blue dust shadows, hinting at the location of a former cupboard or some such. The clean up began until our kindly French neighbour arrived with a basket of home cooked food. How marvellous! Work stopped, wine opened and I offered her a rather amateur bunch of flowers to accompany her wine as a token thank you.

The posy contained Astrantia major, the blue geranium (Johnson’s blue?) rose Gertrude Jekyll and an unnamed dark pink rose. This is a little snap shot of the garden I am about to leave behind. Sixteen years during which time so much has happened and the garden has evolved into something rather pretty and comfortable. Here are a few snaps to say goodbye.

As is usual for the Monday vase I am joining Cathy and the others to share our vase images and ideas. Take a look or even better, join in. The link is http:// ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com

In a vase on Monday

Tags

Astrantia major, David Austin Roses, Echinops bannaticus, In a vase on Monday, Rose 'Gertrude Jekyll', Rose 'Madame Alfred Carriere'

Morning! It is Monday again, and this week I have collected a few sprigs of Astrantia major, a couple of the newly formed globes from Echinops bannaticus and, for a gentle injection of scent,  I have added the pink rose ‘Gertrude jekyll’ and the soft white rose ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’.  Both roses are gently scernted calling you in for a closer inspection and are from David Austin Roses.  These are a mini snap shot of what is happening in my garden which is not getting much attention from me at the moment as all my time is going into packing.

This little collection of flowers is a reminder of all the lovely things out there and is sat in the middle of the kitchen table presently marooned amongst big, brown, cardboard boxes.

I am pleased to join Cathy who started this lovely meme. It has encouraged me to collect what is outside and enjoy it at close quarters inside; there is no way I would have thought of a floral display on the kitchen table in the middle of packing the house up! If you enjoy this and I certainly do, take a look at Cathy’s page  http://rambinginthegarden.wordpress.com to see what other people have to share.  Have a good day. D.