In a vase on Monday: little vases

Tags

Anthriscus sylvestris ravenswing, Aquilegia vulgaris var. stellata ‘Greenapples’, Aquilegias, Californian poppy, cerinthe, Erigeron, Eschscholzia, Geum "Mrs Bradshaw", Geum Totally Tangerine, in a vase on Monday, London Pride, persicaria bistorta, riot of colour, Saxifraga x urbium, Thalictrum Black stockings

Aquilegia Greenapples, Erigeron,

Aquilegias are all over the garden in shades of purples and burgundy. A cheery marking of early summer. This is Aquilegia vulgaris var. stellata ‘Greenapples’ Her bonnet is much more considered. Significantly bigger, a warm apple tone to its white. Long elegant spurs out the back of the bonnet.

London Pride
Saxifraga x urbium

Sometimes the smallest things just do it. The tiny flowers of London pride are exquisitely marked. Flicks of pink dots adorn the tiny petals. The stems are a shade of pinky brown. Common as, but a beauty nonetheless.

Then there are the others. A riot of colours. A rainbow of blues and purples, pinks and red, juicy oranges.

In a vase on Monday

There are Aquilegia, Thalictrum, Persicaria bistorta, Anthriscus Ravenswing, Cerinthe, Geum Mrs Bradshaw, she’s the red one and Eschscholzia the orange Californian poppy.

A dazzle of colour so perhaps you can see why I separated out the small but beautiful ones first. They’d be lost in that lot.

All together now

In the sunlight I feel I need my sunglasses on looking at this bunch.

Joining Cathy and bloggers from around the globe. Pick some of your home grown flowers, place in a vessel of any sort and tell us all about it. Share with us and link to Cathy using the link above. Simple fun.

Have a great week wherever you are, thanks for reading. D.

In a vase on Monday: whether the weather

Tags

Allium Purple Sensation, Anthriscus sylvestris, Aquilegias, cerinthe major purpurascens, columbines, cow parsley, early summer flowers, Geum Totally Tangerine, Hebe hulkeana, Honeywort, in a vase on Monday, Iris Sibirica, New Zealand lilac

In a vase

How glorious the weather was on Friday and Saturday. Clear blue skies, not a breath of wind, balmy temperatures. The lanes around me are quiet and have been since lockdown. No sounds shouting over the birdsong. Bliss. Delivery drivers continuing their work dash through avoiding the numerous cyclists, the regulars in spray-on Lycra, the lockdown cyclists making the most of the quiet lanes, wobbling and weaving two or three abreast.

The chance to enjoy the weather, to sit in the sunshine, to have time to savour the pleasure of a peaceful breakfast outside. This is what summer should be like. If only it would last.

This morning is windy and cool and the forecast is for overnight temperatures falling to 1 degree. This is disappointing. Too cold for the newly emerged seedlings. Potentially burning new foliage and petals.

This vase was picked on Saturday to dress the table outside. Above is the NZ Lilac a delicate lilac colour but without the scent of real lilac. Geum Totally Tangerine is flowering profusely and hopefully it will continue throughout the summer months. A head of Allium Purple Sensation almost a common sight in gardens now but still offers much to be admired.

Iris sibirica

There is a single Iris which I am enjoying very much. The three 1L pots I planted two years ago have clumped up sufficiently for me to snip one or two for a vase. The froth of white is cow parsley. There are purple columbines, Aquilegias. I am pleased to see that this year they have taken themselves to all corners of the garden and are even in the bark chippings between the raised beds.

Cerinthe

The exotic Cerinthe, Honeywort, a rather glaucous and pleasing mix of greens to deep purple, are another favourite of mine. They too have self seeded a short distance from where I originally planted seed.

Now inside the house, these flowers I picked on Saturday are still looking perky. Close up I love the orange of the Geum outshining the yellow of the Iris.

Thank you Cathy for hosting. Have a great week, wherever you are and thanks for reading. D.

In a vase on Monday: a mixture

Tags

Borage, cerinthe, Geum Totally Tangerine, in a vase on Monday

Pick n mix

This morning I selected a little bunch of flowers that have popped up. Borage and Aquilegia, self sown from the original sowing over two years ago. Tulip, rich and dark but tiny as its bulb weakens over the years. An Allium Purple Sensation which also has self sown. Geum Totally Tangerine and Spraxis a tiny bulb which pops up each year.

I have white Borage as well as the more familiar blue. I think the seed originally came from Jekka McVicar. Perhaps not quite as striking but none the less pretty.

I nearly forgot the beautiful purple Cerinthe major. This was originally sown three years ago and now pops up where it likes.

All in a vase

So a little mix of colour and flower today for my vase on Monday. Joining our host Cathy and other bloggers from around the globe.

Have a great week. Stay home, stay safe wherever you are and thanks for reading. D.

In a vase on Monday: everything but the sink

Tags

Allium Purple Sensation, Anthriscus sylvestris ravenswing, cerinthe major, Geum "Mrs Bradshaw", Geum Totally Tangerine, in a vase on Monday, Iris Sibirica

Everything is here. Cerinthe, Geum Mrs Bradshaw, Geum Torally Tangerine, Iris sibirica, Allium Purple sensation, Anthriscus sylvestris Ravenswing. A mad mix , just like the borders.

Chosen plants but not necessarily where I planted them. Cerinthe is self sown. Anthriscus is self sown. Geums have shrunk and then popped up nearby. I love this about these plants. With this in mind I did not want to arrange them in the vase.

So this as random as they appear in the garden.

That’s it. A collection of flowers from the garden to share with you and Our host, Cathy. Hoping you had an enjoyable Monday. 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.

In a Vase on Monday: the latest arrivals

Tags

anthriscus Ravenswing, Astrantia 'Roma', Geum Totally Tangerine, in a vase on Monday, May, persicaria affinis, Sweet cicely, trollius cheddar

I am feeling that spring is passing by far too quickly as lots of the early flowers are finished. Now the first of the Astrantia and Geum Totally Tangerine have appeared.

There are Persicaria affinis and bisorta. I love the little sprays of Trillium and the umbellifers Anthriscus Ravenswing and Sweet Cicely.

The latest addition is the pale yellow flower Trollius Cheddar a favourite of mine from Chelsea last year. Sorry but the colours in the pictures are not quite right as they are under electric light.

If you haven’t done so already please pop over to Cathy to see the vases today.

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

 

In a vase on Monday: jewels

Tags

anthriscus, anthriscus Ravenswing, Geum "Mrs Bradshaw", Geum Totally Tangerine, in a vase on Monday, jewels

• A swift skip around the borders before work gave me this little group of flowers. Picked  for my vase and of course to join Cathy and the rest of you who take part in her weekly meme. 

The colours are jewel like, especially thanks to the orange and red/orange  Geums. These were so successful last year that I would urge anyone with a space to fill to pop some in. Easy to look after, no staking or spraying required, on my heavy clay soil they reward me with flowers from now until October. 

Shorter lived is Persicaria bistorta. Candy pink, fluffy blooms appear in Spring lasting until early Summer,  lifting the look of what, it has to be said, otherwise resembles a dock leaf. 

A single smaller tulip is included, sorry I cannot recall which one this is but its rich orange shade caught my eye. Geranium phaeum is included as well as the Anthriscus. A cultivated form of cow parsley, Anthriscus has a doilie like divided leaf accompanying the white froth of flowers. Anthriscus Ravenswing the purple leaf variety favoured at Chelsea, was purchased on sale for £1.50 about two years ago. I do love a cheaply priced plant, and although short lived, it seeds around the border providing plants for elsewhere. 

I hope you have a good week.

In a vase Monday: Bank Holiday chaos

Tags

Aquilegia vulgaris, bank holiday monday, chaos, Geum Totally Tangerine, hellebore hybrid, in a vase on Monday, persicaria bistorta, scented tulips, Tulip Queen of the Night

Bank holidays always seem a bit chaotic to me: engineering works, early closing, late opening, feels like a Sunday but it’s a Monday. Today, so too, my vase is a bit chaotic. 

There are tulips and geums, hellebores and geraniums, persicarias and aquilegias. Flowers of early Spring mixed with early Summer perennials. 

The colours are a mixed up bunch, lime with purple, pinks and reds with shades of orange.

The living room is in chaos thanks to newspapers and revision folders, half done filing and stacks of garden cushions waiting to be aired. With no where suitable to photograph the vase, I resorted to a rather precarious hand held bunch of snaps.

The vase is an Irn-bru shade of glass, a bit weird but somehow in keeping with this motley crew. 

If you have a few minutes, pop over to Cathy to see her vase for today and enjoy looking at vases from around the world thanks to the immense popularity of this meme. Should you fancy joining in, do so and be sure to link back to Cathy. 

I hope you had a good weekend and enjoy the rest of your week.

Tuesday view: 18 April 2017

Tags

apple blossom, Betula albosinensis Fascination, Epimedium rubrum, euphorbia griffithii Dixter, Geum Totally Tangerine, Lily flowered tulips, Tuesday View, Tulip Apricot Beauty, Tulip Ballerina

 

Look up to the sky and see

This beautiful Spring day, I am joining Cathy with her meme to share a view on  Tuesday.  I did do this last year and found it a good way to record just how my new garden is developing. The apple tree is one of the few trees that survived living in a paddock full of goats.  Despite the abuse and notwitstanding having had chicken wire nailed into its trunk, the tree survived.  Following three careful prunings in as many Winters, it is now in pretty good shape and rewarding me with masses of blossom this year.  I had a pretty good crop of apples last year and this one tree generated enough juice for 27 bottles.  I just hope we do not get a sharp frost to knock back the blossom, a possibility as it is still only mid April.

Apple tree with early blush of blossom

Against the backdrop of Horse chestnut trees, the apple tree is coming into its own and follows the earlier blossom of the Victoria Plum.  This year I will look at a view on the opposite side of the garden to that which I shared last year.  We have not had much rain and the clay flinty ground is looking grey and hard.  I have resisted watering but the wind is drying and if we do not have a heavy shower this week I will have to give it all a good soaking.

Ground cover in the form of Tiarella and Epimediums

The border includes a multi stemmed birch, Euphorbia griffithii Dixter, and daylilies.  As the birch has an orange bark, I have used variations on this colour

Euphorbia grffithii Dixter

throughout the season.  A poor photo thanks to the strong sunshine, no grumbling please.

the first flower of Geum Totally Tangerine

The geums seem to do well on the heavy soil and Mrs Bradshaw is in bud having flowered from about April to October last year.

The Tuesday view 2017

So much is happening in the garden at this time of year as the ground has warmed a little and the light is stronger so the weeds are on the march.  The grass had its first early trim in March and cutting is now in full flow. The daffodils are beginning to fade whilst snowdrops and crocus are long gone.  They tulips however are having their moment.   I purchased some half price bulbs from Sarah Raven including Apricot beauty below and Ballerina.

Do you have a view to share? If you do be sure to add your link to Cathy