About my garden

Monday, 28 August 2017

Showing off In a Vase on Monday

Hello fellow gardeners,
What an amazing Bank Holiday weedend. Hot sun and no rain. That's not right!

This weekend was our local village Produce and Handicraft show. It's a pretty impressive show for a small village. Lovingly nurtured giant leeks and onions are in evidence not to mention fantastic gladioli and plenty of cakes and jam. We've been here for 3 shows and this is my first time of entering so I'm cheating a bit and showing your my entries. They are in a vase and it is Monday so I think that counts.
This class was 'Vase of cottage garden flowers and foliage':



Everything is in here which I could find which was vaguely cottagy though I stuck the pink side of the spectrum. I even found some honeysuckle flowering.

I'm not going to give you a run down of my prizes. Suffice to say that I did well and most of my entries won something but bear in mind that there were often only 2 or 3 entries in the class!

The next is Top vase. This was to be between 5 and 10 stems of 2 or more kinds of plant but NO extra foliage. 

I found that hard as I almost always add foliage. Truth is this was put together in a couple of minutes as I had run out of time and what I'd planned wasn't going to work. I found this vase hidden away and thought it went well with the colours of the flowers. I think it was very cheap and bought years ago but is a good shape and colour
These are Labyrinth and Rip City Dahilas and amaranthus. Foliage on the stems is allowed.

It was up against some giant gladiolus but I think it held it's own. I wouldn't put huge upright yellow glads with pink roses round the bottom but that's all I'm saying. 😊


Dahlia - Labyrinth
I didn't enter any of the proper floral art, I don't think it would have done my stress levels any good. Some of it was amazing and probably hours of work and, of course, bought flowers. I did try a button hole, though, just dipping my toe in the water. I'm quite pleased with it as I've only ever made two and the first one was the day before as a practice. It'a a bit droopy by the time you see it here. 

Japanese painted fern, hibiscus flower, Ammi flower, Thyme 'Silver Posie' and Achillia 'The Pearl'.
That was my fun for the weekend. Now I'm off the enjoy the sunny day.
Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for lots of fantastic ideas and fun In a Vase on Monday.

ps I'll be spending my prize money on seeds!

Tuesday, 22 August 2017

Garden Blogger's Foliage Day

A little break from all the flowering of August to look at some foliage for Garden Blogger's Foliage Day. Hosted by Christina at My Hesperides Garden. It's good to focus on foliage, shape and structure for a change. 
I went out this morning with a camera, thinking I'd take photos before the sun came out. Sadly it never did, but it is strangely warm anyway. The photos are all rather grey and dull, I'm afraid. 

 I wasn't sure how much I would find worthy of showing but there was plenty just outside the backdoor. Here is a little Alchemilla alpina, I think. So pretty with soft silver undersides to the leaves. 

 Right next to it is a little Aquilegia. It is supposed to have little brown flowers but it hasn't for several years. It's very small, the leaves are only about 3cm across. 

 Thyme Silver Posie.

 A variegated Caryopteris. It is going to flower, I think but is so dainty and pretty, I'd forgive it if it didn't. 

 Cotinus coggygria. This has really grown well this year after a slow start last year. It looks fabulous when wet, which is a bonus where  I live. 

 Sorbaria sorbifolia. This was a present from my son and always seems to look good whatever time of year. New foliage is pinky and I love the structure of the leaves. 

 In contrast some kind of Eryngium. Saved from the slugs. Don't be fooled into thinking they won't eat this! 

 Rue.
 Convuluous cneorum. I like silver foilage very much and do like all these different textures. 

 Euphorbia. My collection is growing. 

Last but not least, my fernery. This was a little patch of soil at the back of our house when we came here. It is in complete shade so perfect for ferns, though they do need some water sometimes. RH is a Japanese painted fern and something else on the left. 

I've been very lazy about looking up proper names today but if you'd like to know anything you can always ask. I have a book and a box of labels. 😊

I've actually been out gardening today and starting on some of my plans for improvements. All summer it seems as though I have been fighting fire. Watering in the hot spell, bailing out in the wet spell and generally trying to manage plants, vegetables and seedlings. 
Now things are slowing down. I hate to admit it but there is sometimes a feel of Autumn in the mornings. There is still the joy of harvesting vegetables and flower but also the joy of  a late summer clear out and planning for next year which will, of course, be bigger and better!
x

Monday, 21 August 2017

Bold and beautiful - In a vase on Monday

I have so much to choose from in the garden just now, sometimes I come in which a basket of things without much thought of what I will do with them. 
Today I was focused. 
I wanted to set off these Acidanthera so I chose the Cotinus foliage to go with them. They are growing together in my pink, white, silver and dark red bed. Newly created this year. I hadn't planned initially to restrict the colours but it's working well. It will need some tweaking, of course!


This really didn't want to be photographed. It looks better than this in real life. I chose the Cotinus to match the centres of the Acidanthera.



In the vase:
Acidanthera murielae (syn. Gladiolus) I'm thrilled as I've never got them to flower before. They smell of the seaside. 
Scabioius
Ammi majus
Cotinus coggygria foliage
Stachys byzantina 

I also wanted some of these Dahlias. They are Mignon series. I have them to survey the bees. Blooms for Bees are trying to acertain which colours they bees prefer. However there are plenty for everyone so I've borrowed a few. I have white, red and purple in the garden and the bees seem happy to visit all of them. There is some variation in the shades within the colour groups but they are lovely plants with velvety blooms.





In this vase:
Dahlia Mignon Red
Dill flowers wcich I only seem to be able to grow by accident
Wigelia foliage
Knautia macedonica
Then it looked rather tame so I popped in a few crocosmia flowers. 

For inventive and inspiring vases visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden - In a Vase on Monday

 

Monday, 14 August 2017

Snow White and Rose Red In a Vase on Monday

A bit of a mixed weekend here. A tissue got into the dark wash  sprinkling everything with white flecks but then I made soup with my own garlic, onion, courgettes and spinach. It says something that I was making soup at all in August but then Sunday was a beautiful day with the potential for getting sunburnt. It's back to the drizzle now but I have my flowers inside already.  

I used to love all those old fairy tales but I suppose they are all out of favour and not at all PC. Anyway, I've borrowed the title only here and mean no political comment:


In the vase:
Dahlia - Karma Naomi
White cosmos and foliage
Atriplex
I usually like thigs which tone but I like the contrast here. 

Then I had trouble finding a vase to show of these lilies. The bulbs have been neglected and not watered or fed properly but have produced anyway. Albeit on spindly stems. Not my best effort but they have been in three vases this morning so I must stop now. 
Shown with:
Ammi - I found a later flowering plant, most of them have gone over. 
Nicotiana - Lime green.

Last time I cut lilies I got into trouble as they dripped on the table so I have cut out the Stigma (?) which is one of the bits that drips. Perhaps I'd better not have them on the table anyway. 
For colourful and creative vases from around the world visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden - In a vase on Monday. 

Monday, 7 August 2017

In a vase on Monday

Don't Mondays come around quickly? There is plenty to do in the garden. Mainly I seem to be battling grass and weeds. There is so much to look at and wandering round to see what is flowering is a real pleasure.
One think I need to do is make a list of things to move before next spring. And then actually move them! Many things are being smothered, I always forget how big things will grow by this time of year. I did take pictures last year but I need to find them and look at them...

Here are some flowers I gave to my sister in law for her birthday at the weekend.

My asters have got going beautifully now and I was able to cut enough newly opened flowers to make a decent bunch. I added some Atriplex, Wigelia foliage, feverfew and scabious. 
The feverfew is back for a second flowering after I cut the first spent stems off. I love the little scabious buds and am so glad I spent that half hour in the rain one day moving them. They nearly died but a lucky rainy day saved them. I must sow more for next year. 

Everything is slightly blurred this week.

I enjoyed the asters for a few hours before I gave them away but I have these cosmos to keep - and, of course, more asters coming.
With more atriplex and cosmos foliage. I still have lots of lush greenery and not as many flowers as I would like. The plants were very spindly when I planted them out so I thought that would mean they would send up flowers rather than lush leaves. Perhaps the ground is too rich. 
 This white flower caught my eye one evening, so pretty. The seeds were Cosmos Allsorts Mixed. 
All very pink here today. I look forward to seeing what everyone else has found to put In a Vase on Monday. 
Thanks Cathy for inspiring and encouraging us. x