Today was my first day back at work for almost a month. It was such a tonic to see the garden looking lovely in the sunshine. The dahlias have really picked up a pace and Cosmos cupcake, grown from seed, was covered in flowers.
White dahlia with CosmosHere are a few of them in my vase
Other dahlias picked are these
Dahlia Cafe au LaitLuminous red dahlia
These are all supermarket dahlias which I have multiplied over the years through cuttings. They make a colourful display on the perimeter of the vegetable garden. As they are growing on thin soil over chalk they are left in the ground over winter, under a deep mulch.
These flowers are to share with you and Cathy. Thanks Ali for letting me enjoy your flowers.
Have a good week wherever you are and thanks for reading. D.
Did the earth move? How was it for you? Double entendres, you know the sort: nudge nudge, wink, wink. Well on Tuesday the earth did move.
We had an earthquake which measured 3.6 minor magnitude. The only casualty here was Gertie the goat who toppled off the beam on which she was placed. Poor Gertie.
Goat down.
Joking aside, it has been a strange week but the weather has been improving and people are mentioning an Indian summer. My six on Saturday to share with you and The Propagator are some of the prettier sights of the week.
Drifts of self sown Verbena
I realise, as I stroll around, that Verbena bonariensis is one of my must have plants. I love its vibrant purple colour and its tall swaying stems which bring butterflies into the garden.
Californian poppies
This is a second flush of Eschscholzia. A packet of seeds are such good value. I love their warming orange colour against green and purple of the verbena and nepeta.
Dahlia Bishop of Auckland
Dahlias are super at this time of year. They might be a bit of a faff, all the lifting, storing, mollycoddling but catching the rays like this, they are unbeatable.
Dahlia Downham RoyalClipped hedge and topiary
This is a good time for clipping hedges to get them neat and tidy for the winter months. When everything else is bare and brown the structure of these are the backbone of the garden. It is a busy time of year and this trimming is worth the effort.
Hedges
I am enjoying the combination of Hydrangea arborescens Annabelle below the mega growing Vitis coignetiae.
Vitis and Hydrangea
Finally, before the clock strikes midnight and is no longer Saturday my last fave from this week is Sanguisorba canadensis.
Sanguisorba
I hope you’re having a lovely weekend, wherever you are and thanks for reading. D.
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.
We had a cold night earlier this week, and a sharp frost took all my dahlias. Although disappointing it was inevitable for this time of year. Without further ado I chopped back the evil looking, black foliage and mulched over the crowns. Three are to be relocated and those were dug up and placed under a fleece blanket in the garage in order that they can dry out and be saved for next year.
Yesterday I visited the very attractive Petersham Nursery. London weather is milder than in my garden and so Petersham Nursery was untouched and their dahlias were still looking beautiful. Here are a few pretty snaps from the day.
One for the cat lovers:
And for the foodies, how about this for presentation:
Bangers and mash don’t quite cut this in this looks department, do they.
Have a good day.
We had a cold night earlier this week, and a sharp frost took all my dahlias. Although disappointing it was inevitable for this time of year. Without further ado I chopped back the evil looking, black foliage and mulched over the crowns. Three are to be relocated and those were dug up and placed under a fleece blanket in the garage in order that they can dry out and be saved for next year.
Yesterday I visited the very attractive Petersham Nursery. London weather is milder than in my garden and so Petersham Nursery was untouched and their dahlias were still looking beautiful. Here are a few pretty snaps from the day.
One for the cat lovers:
And for the foodies, how about this for presentation:
Bangers and mash don’t quite cut this in this looks department, do they.
Have a good day.
The wind is getting up as predicted. I suspect like many of you I spent a large part of the day yesterday in the garden. I picked these precious last few flowers.
How delicate petals seem at this time of year. Too soft and gentle to withstand rough weather. Too colourful, too pretty, against other plants which are drying out and brown. On my kitchen window sill sits a pot of Burts Bees almond and milk hand cream, it brought to mind an old TV advert for a certain cream where a brown dried out leaf sprang back to life. Now imagine if that were possible.
Other petals are these Cosmos dahlias and roses.
So colourful.
So delicate.
Pretty
This is Dahlia Labyrinth.
Let’s hope the weather is not too drastic. Pop over to Cathy to see what other vases are around this week. There are sure to be plenty of lovely flowers to see.
I hope you have had a good long weekend, the weather has certainly been lovely. I almost forgot it was Monday.
As I write this post at 8pm the colours of the flowers I picked are a bit like the sky this evening.
Red sky at night….
Shepherds delight. Well Doris’s delight with these colours. Now if you haven’t done so already, pop over to Cathy. You know the drill. I suspect tomorrow I am going to be feeling Monday -ish for a Tuesday.
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