we are moving

The website and blog are moving to a new home. The website address will stay the same but it will look very different and will be much easier for me to maintain ( unlike the previous one). It is in the process of moving to the new host, it should up up and running on Wednesday 3 July 2013

Winter is back

The warm springlike weather of last week didn't last long. We are back to cold days, freezing nights and snow.

First day in the garden

The last day of February was a sunny day, the first for a while. An ideal day to start the spring clean up.

The first job was to tackle the path to the shed and compost bin. Grasses, Knautia macedonia and Corylus had flopped over the path so I had to step over/ duck under while trying not to slip on leaves. Then I had to fight through Lonicera nitida by the shed. Not anymore; I now have a clear path and the heart on the shed is straight.


I am thinking of some big change; possibly removing some shrubs, reshaping the lawn and growing some vegetables. I'm still thinking about it.

Crocus tommasinianus 'Whitewell purple'

The front garden is tiny. I planted it with seedlings and cuttings from the back garden after it was redesigned a few years ago  These are taking now taking over. I've removed some of the Aquilegias and Linaria. I'll remove more later. 

Trees in winter

I like winter trees. Against a blue sky they look like sculptures...

..they look dramatic with the sunshine and a grey sky....

.. they look pretty with raindrops shining like beads...

...and picturesque with snow.

Hellebores

These Helleborus orientalis are the first flowers I've cut from my garden. I like them floating in this mini goldfish bowl.

As you can see through the window behind, we've had a light dusting of snow.

More snow

There has been more snow since I took this photograph on 19 January. It seems we are stuck with it until the weekend when a thaw is expected. 

This is Hydrangea quercifolia. It is one of my favourite shrubs. It has usually lost its leaves by now but the weather has been so mild that they have stayed on. They do contrast nicely with the snow.

Jasminum nudiflorum is very tough. A good plant to have near the house so that it can be admired from the window.

I made this heart from the red stems of Cornus 'Elegantissima' which grows in my garden. It has been on my shed for several months so it has now faded. I will make another in the spring.

Snow

The first snow of the season. Viburnum fragrans. Scented pink flowers on bare stems in winter, I love it.

In place of flowers

Belinda at Wildacre has left her Christmas jug of twigs on display http://t.co/Yyd2IU4e. This has made think about the birch twigs I used to display my hand sewn tiny hearts at craft fairs. I cut them down and put them in a cream metal jug. I like the contrast and it suits the room too.

I also have bottle of grasses collected from the garden in the kitchen.

For a touch of summer this bowl contains dried flowers and leaves from my garden

Looking back

2012 has been a strange year for a gardener.  Spring was very dry, summer was the second wettest on record. The wet weather has continued throughout the year. This view through my kitchen window has been a common one.

I managed to lose my bag of seeds so only had my new purchases to sow. I kept hoping I would find it but It still hasn't turned up. I really missed the sweet peas. 

Calendula 'Sherbet Fizz'

Ageratum 'Red Sea'

 I grew the Calendula and Ageratum pictured above. They were for cutting but I was disappointed with both of them. 

Scabious 'Black Night'

Scabious 'Black Night' was different. Larger flower than the other Scabious I have grown. Lasted well in a vase. I loved it and I will grow lots in 2013.

Flowers in the House

Jane is hosting Flowers in the House today.

I have picked Asters from the garden. The larger blue are Aster frikartii 'Monch'; the small flowers are Aster 'Little Carlow'. The pink were propagated from my Mums garden where they have been growing for at least 37 years.

The cutting garden 2012 - annuals

It has not been a good year for my cutting garden. Personal things have meant a lack of time; Spring was cold and wet; Summer never really got going apart from a few days here and there.I lost my bag of seeds which I still haven't found. The only seeds I sowed were the ones I ordered this year. Here's what happened.....

Calendula 'Sherbet Fizz'

Calendula 'Sherbet Fizz'

Calendula 'Sherbet Fizz' is a hardy annual. The colour is more orange than red and clashed with the pinks and purples of my garden. Lasts 5 days or more in water. I won't grow it again.

Scabious 'Black Night'

 Scabious 'Black Night' is also a hardy annual. I have grown mixed colour scabious for the past couple of years. They always do well and last well in water. Last year a seedling in the brickwork came up as a similar colour to this. I loved it so searched for a single colour seed and came across this one. It has a bigger flower than the previous scabious I've grown. I love it and will grow lots next year.

Ammi majus

Ammi majus is a hardy annual and is very pretty. Prone to flopping down and has to be protected from slugs so I use copper rings.

I also grew Ageratum 'Red Sea'. This is a half hardy annual. The description in the plant catalogue described it as 'dark red buds open to reveal purple red blooms.' This is correct but they are tiny and I haven't been able to photograph them. They haven't grown to the 24-28in. (60-70cm.) either but that's probably because of the the low temperatures. I won't be growing these again.

I'll talk about perennials in my next post.

Flowers in the House

Jane is hosting the first anniversary of Flowers in the House.

I have a jug of Rhodanthe manglesii 'Timeless Rose' grown from seed last summer.

 
They were easy to grow and the slugs weren't interested. Even in the garden the flowers feel papery. I grew them next to the path and cut far more than I expected. I think I had about 8 plants.

I dried them in the garage along with Alchemilla mollis, Poppy and Nigella seed heads and Mint.

Happy Christmas

These are little hearts I made with some Christmas fabric from my stash. The tree is a cheap one I bought for a display a couple of years ago. I came across it again while looking for something else. The pot is from the shed (I gave it a good clean), the ribbons are also from my stash.

I hope you all have a happy Christmas and New Year. I'll see you in 2012.

Flowers in the Holiday House - part 2

I wrote about this arrangement in my last post. I only had time to take a couple of photographs before the clouds gathered and the light became too poor for photography. I took advantage of some bright conditions at the weekend to take some close-ups.

I didn't know what effect the glycerine I used as a preservative would have on the berries and hips.

I very pleased with the Rowan berries which kept their colour.

Some of the rose hips turned this dark red while other hips stayed a bright red. The poppy appeared in my garden one year. I leave them to self seed so that I can have these lovely seed heads.

Flowers in the Holiday House

I'm visiting Jane at smallbutcharming for Flowers in the  Holiday House.

Except I don't have any flowers. But I do have these.

This pot contains the glycerined rowan leaves and berries I did in September; dried poppy heads and rose hips (also preserved in glycerine), all from my garden. I have also added cones I've collected elsewhere. The berries, hips and cones have all been wired.

Both the charity shop bottles below contain grasses from my garden.

 This is Calamagrostis brachytricha

 This is Molinia caerulea subsp. arundincea 'Transparent'.

Christmas tree and decorations not up yet, I'll be putting them up on Wednesday. 

A bowl of cones

I have these cones in a cream bowl during the autumn and winter months. I collected them on a favourite walk whilst on holiday in the Lake District two years ago. Every time I look at them I remember that walk.

We left the car and walked through the Hope Park...

... we paused to admire the trees outside the theatre....

...before continuing along the shore of Derwentwater...

...passing Derwent Isle in the centre of the lake..

....before reaching Friar's Crag...

 ...to sit and admire the view before turning back.

The garden in November

The weather has been several degrees higher than it should be at this time of year, making the plants in the garden a bit confused.

I planted this Rowan in 1995, 4 months after we moved in. The leaves normally go a nasty grey-brown colour and fall off. This year they have turned this lovely golden colour. A result of the weather? The blackbird has been finishing the last of the berries.

I love the shape and colours of this Hydrangea quercifolia.

Schizostylis coccinea, a plant given to me several years ago. It always flowers in November. 

Euporatium rugosa 'Chocolate' loves its new home although its going over now.

Verbena boniarensis is still flowering.