Tuesday view: 30/5/17

Tags

Allium Purple Sensation, Astrantia 'Roma', cement mixer, David Austin Roses, Geum Totally Tangerine, Tuesday View

Sorry but today the view is this:

I suppose it does coordinate with the geums? Anyway, I must just ask how on earth can it be almost the end of May? Perhaps it is because I am fast approaching old duffer status or perhaps it is just that this time of year is so busy in the garden.

Heavy rain followed by bursts of warm sunshine and everything is growing like crazy.  The grass needs cutting, hedges need trimming, topiary needs clipping and the weeds need pulling out before they take over. ‘Boring’, I hear you cry, boring indeed but essential if I am to stop the garden reverting to a field.

thistles and buttercups

As I walk around I feel like shouting ‘hold on’ let me just look a minute.

Everything is looking healthy, granted, but there is a lot of upheaval as Rian and his team are putting in a path and patio for me.  The final section of the plan is coming together which is exciting however there is that feeling that the garden is not mine whilst sand, cement mixers and shovels dominate the space.

stuff

Yet things are happening in a pretty way too.  The Alliums are coming to their end yet it seems only a few weeks ago since I placed the bulbs carefully in the soil.

Allium Purple Sensation

Roses are beginning to open their soft delicate petals and I am looking forward to working in their midst to breathe in their wonderful perfume.

Rose Gertrude Jekyll

The pincushion like flowers of Astrantia are open and should be flowering now for most of the Summer.

Astrantia Roma and visiting bee

That is it for today’s view,  a blocked view thanks to the builders essential stuff. Not for long and it will be lovely to have the work completed.  For a more tranquil view today take a look at the view belonging to cathy the host of this meme.

Totally Not forgetting Geum Totally Tangerine

 

Friday flowers

Tags

David Austin Roses, delft blue vase, friday flowers, Gertrude Jekyll, Lark Ascending, shropshire lad

In a vase on Monday: seeking shade

Tags

Achillea, Alchemilla mollis, Cosmos, Dahlia mignon.mixed, Dahlias, David Austin Roses, in a vase on Monday, poppy seed heads, Rose The Pilgrim, turquoise milk glass

 

 

All sorts

The heat is building up over the next couple of days and already the dog is flaked out on the cool flagstone floor.

I grabbed a few of the last roses, this one is The Pilgrim from David Austin. A buttery yellow old style rose with a strong rose fragrance I do like it but find that the weight of the blooms cause it to flop over. A chop to shorten the stem ensures the heads are supported by the sides of the glass. To the rose I have added yellow/ lime coloured Alchemilla mollis and Achillea which fades from dark to pale pink. 

In a turquoise glass jug I have put the strong pink coloured Cosmos with more of the Alchemilla mollis and Achillea.  I have also added the seed heads of a few poppies.

More Alchemilla has been added to the small Dahlia mignon.  This overwintered in the cutting bed which I am very pleased about.  Finally I have a few of the tiniest Dahlia which I chose because I do love the look of a daisy.

 

So there you have it folks my vases for Monday.  Do take a look at Cathys lovely blog https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com to see some more Monday vases, certainly more cheerful than world news.

Thank goodness it’s Friday

Tags

David Austin Roses, Lark Ascending, Nigel Slater, old bottles, Thank goodness it's Friday

For most, Friday brings a spring in our step that a Monday rarely does, or is that just me?
Have a good day.

In a vase on Monday: a touch of orange

Tags

Dahlia mignon, David Austin Roses, Echinacea purpurea, Geum "Mrs Bradshaw", in a vase on Monday, Rose "A Shropsire Lad", Rose "Lark Ascending"

Morning, can you see me out there?
Fog, thick fog here.

Today I am joining Cathy and fellow bloggers with a Monday vase. I have picked pink Echinacea and A Shropshire Lad, rose. Lark Ascending rose mixed with Mrs Bradshaw Geum and small head dahlias labelled merely as “Mignon”. These offer shades of soft peach through to strong orange. By contarst to my weekend post entitled Boo!

The biggest difference now is that the flowers have a tendancy to drop petals much more quickly when they come inside, yet I can hardly grumble, it is November after all.

Perhaps you have flowers to bring inside, perhaps you do not. Either way take a look at other Monday vases at https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2015/11/02/in-a-vase-on-monday-forever-autumn
Wishing you all a good week.

In a vase on Monday: Summertime

Tags

a shropshire Lad, Alchemilla mollis, David Austin Roses, Gertrude Jekyll, in a vase on Monday, madd in france, made in france, roses, vase Churolles

Greetings, to you this Monday.
I am joining Cathy at Ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2015/10/12/in-a-vase-on-monday-
The weather forecast I heard is for colder, dry weather, with a risk of frost overnight. As I looked at the flowers in my garden I decided to pick some of my roses. Once the frost touches them, their soft delicate petals will turn brown as if bruised and they will fail to open. Not wishing to waste them, I decided to bring them indoors.

Once cut and arranged I realised quite how brilliant it is to have roses, right here, right now, in mid October.

The colours of the roses, unashamedly pink, mixed with a sprig of fresh lime Alchemilla mollis is so summery. They smell of summer too.

So whilst the shops and magazines are full of tweeds, woollens and long boots, the garden is holding on to Summer. Bonkers, not conkers.

In a vase on Monday: progress is rather pink

Tags

Astrantia 'Roma', Dahlia Arabian Night, David Austin Roses, in a vase on Monday, Persicaria amplexicaulis Firetail, Rose 'Gertrude Jekyll', rose a shropshire lad, Verbena bonariensis

Monday is here again and I am sharing a seasonal mix of what I think of as an early summer bloom, Astrantia Roma, summer roses and autumnal dahlias. Such is our weather

These were all planted this year and I am very pleased with progress. The astrantias were slow to pull away but once they did they have more than tripled their size. Such a charming cushion of a bloom, perfect for a vase and an essential for a garden border to my mind.

The roses are A Shropshire Lad and Gertrude Jekyll . Both are David Austin roses, both are pink and both smell divine. This is their second show of flowers.

The Dahlia Arabian Night is a stunner, dark velvet perfection.

Added to this little group is Percy. This Percy is Firetail, Persicaria amplexus Firetail and Verbena bonariensis. I am happy with this little group and hope you like them too. Have a great week and be sure to check out the Monday vases with Cathy at https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2015/

Gunnera

Tags

A Shropshire Lad rose, david austin rose Gertrude Jekyll, David Austin Roses, EBay, Fragrant English Rose The Lark Ascending, Gunnera manicata, The Beth Chatto Gardens

I have never been terribly interested in on-line shopping. I could never imagine how you could choose anything without first seeing or feeling it; how would I know if it will fit, how would I know if it’s the real thing. I do of course make use of that website which shall remain nameless here, for books and music and I do feel almost ashamed of that as I know too well that it is putting bookshops and record shops out of business.  Oh and I find that family retailer/ department store, you know the one where all staff are partners, provides a great service in that I can order and they will deliver free of charge almost next day. Well reader I have changed my mind, I can now see the merits of on-line shopping, for PLANTS!

I took delivery of three David Austin Roses, The Lark Ascending which were sent as a gift from my now Canadian resident chum. They were packaged really well and looked good strong specimens.  They were planted a few weeks ago and they are going so well that I have ordered some more: 6 x Gertrude Jekyll and 3 A Shropshire Lad as bare root plants direct from David Austin. This was so much better than trawling round garden centres to see if they are in stock and then paying a full price for the fact that they are in shop which has a cafe and ornaments for sale.

Then I decided I wanted to have a Gunnera manicata for planting by the ditch. Having never seen one for sale, although that is probably because I was not looking, however, none the less, I decided to look on-line.
This little beauty was from EBay!

It arrived this morning in a self made cardboard box and wrapped in newspaper. It is fresh and healthy and I hope it will like its new home enough to grow and grow and grow into one of those enormous prehistoric beauties I once saw at the wonderful and inspiring damp garden of The Beth Chatto gardens, http://www.bethchatto.co.uk  If you have never been to visit the garden at Elmstead Market near Colchester, I recommend it as a ‘must-see’.

I will keep you posted on progress of the Gunn. Any tips, do let me know.  I would also really like to hear if you have had any great on-line garden/ plant purchases.

Dorris

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.