A Brief Pause in the Rain ...

Good Morning!

Today I thought I would share some photo's that I managed to take yesterday afternoon when the rain stopped briefly. As much as I enjoy taking photographs of plants there's something about those photo's with raindrops still on the petals that I love that little bit more ...

This little group of plants is currently sat next to my conservatory door. 

The three plants shown work well with each other as they all have the colour purple in common. The purple foliage of the Heuchera and the Primrose bring out the purple tones in the foliage of the Leucothoe.

The next pairing wasn't planned but I think it works really well together. 

The white of the 'Thalia' Daffodils and the pink of the Azalea Japonica 'Hino Crimson' provide a great contrast.

There's also been a slight change in the layout of the back garden. As you know the property I am in is currently rented so I am unable to make any dramatic changes, resulting in a large part of it being patio'd. Across this wall we originally kept the rather unsightly waste bins but I have now moved them elsewhere and positioned these pots here instead with the patio table just out of shot. A much preferable sight to sit next to in the warmer weather.

The only thing now is that I need to add giving the fence a new lick of paint to my to do list!

A close up of the feature pot in the centre, Ribes sanguineum

Erythronium Pagoda

Whilst over in the conservatory some of the Auriculas are in flower and the Echeveria Lilacina is producing it's flower shoots.

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

A Touch of Frost ...

Good Morning!

Last week during the frosty weather I went around the garden and took a few snaps of the some of the plants which looked particularly decorative with a dusting of frost.

As you can see from my selection it was the plants with the darker coloured foliage I found most attractive ...

Two different varieties of Heuchera

A dark foliaged Primrose that has also had an unwelcome nibble

Pittosporum 'Tom Thumb'

Clematis 'Winter Beauty'

and meanwhile over in the Greenhouse which is thankfully frost - free the Iris 'George'' 

I shared with you a week or so ago has been blooming away and has now also opened a second bloom. However the Iris is actually a deep purple and not blue as this photo depicts! 

Thanks for stopping by, I will be back with the Garden Checklist this weekend!

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Absolutely No Willpower ...

Good Morning!

I took a trip to a couple of Garden Centre's on Friday and surprise surprise I couldn't walk away empty handed! So today I thought I'd share with you what I bought.

First up are the Primula's, at 60p a pot they were more than tempting. As you can see I bought 2 Primula Denticulata in White & Pale Lilac, along with 2 Cowslips in a Red /Yellow and 

Lime / Yellow colouring.

I've been tempted to buy a Ribes for a while now, another Plant that was just on the Wishlist, until now. All I need to do is find a home for it! You can also spot the Orange Dahlia I picked up at the same time sitting alongside it.

The Tomatoes for this year have been bought and paid for, along with a Cucumber & Chilli plant. I also need to sow the Tomato 'Golden Sunrise' which is a lovely yellow one that I grew last year. I've left it rather late though!

Here are the Begonia's, Fuchsia's and Diascia plants I bought to go in some Hanging Baskets along with Nepeta, Surfinia's and Trailing Fuchsia's.

Finally temptation got the better of me and I decided to build up my Pelargonium collection!

Which should go nicely in the following pots ...

As you can see I am going to be rather busy!
HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Weekly Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!

Here are just a few suggestions that you could be getting on with this week ...

1. Rhubarb - If you are growing Rhubarb you will have noticed that it's been putting on some growth recently, for tasty stems cover any long shoots with a bucket or forcer now which will be ready to harvest soon. 

2. Prick Out Seedlings - Seeds that have been sown in the past few weeks should have germinated and be ready to pot on into single cells.

 

3. Cuttings - Cuttings taken last year should also be ready to pot on. If you are unsure tap them out of their pots gently to check the root growth. If they look like they need a couple more weeks then simply pop them back into the pot. However if you are confident that they are ready then pot them on into singular pots with a mix of either potting on compost or simply some multi-purpose.

 

4. Flowering Pots - There's always space for more plants, if like me you have no willpower when wandering around a garden centre, why not buy a few plants that are in flower now, or about to come into flower and plant up a pot.
Here I have used a Hellebore & Euphorbia which I purchased the other week along with a Pink Wallflower sown last year and a pink Primrose which is slowly coming into flower.

Thanks for stopping by, don't forget you can find all the previous Checklists on the page tab above.

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Frosted Flowers ...

Good Morning!

We've had a few frosty mornings where I live over the past fortnight and even though it's not ideal for us Gardeners, plants can look magical with a touch of frost!

Here's a few snaps that I have taken, I hope you like them.

The Rose 'Princess Alexandra of Kent' was still in bloom at Christmas and the frost gave the edges of the petals a sparkly outline.

The white Polyanthus are my favourite's when they've been frosted, the leaves also take on a magical look.

The buds on the Primroses also catch your eye.

The Cyclamen Coum, Hellebore, Heuchera and Azalea have all been given a frosty outline ...

Finally the one bloom on my 'Passion' Dianthus was given a sparkly transformation too.

Thanks for popping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

My Favourite Garden Photo's from 2014 ... Part 1!

Good Morning!

I'm back today with a few of my favourite photo's that I've taken over the past year. I have selected one from each month, which as you can imagine when it came to the Summer was quite tricky! I am sharing the first 6 months with you today and the rest will follow.

I hope you enjoy looking back with me!

JANUARY

My first attempt at growing an Amaryllis, I loved how big the blooms were in such a deep red colour.

FEBRUARY

How could I not include this one, not only is it the blog header but it was also featured as a Reader Photo of the month in the Garden Answers Magazine! My prize was a set of Felco Secateurs which I wouldn't be able to afford myself.

MARCH

Spring Bedding provides you with a burst of bright colour on what can be rather dreary days. It certainly livened this container up!

APRIL

Back in April I was drawn to this Primula, I love the bright petals edged in white. It's even blooming right now in my conservatory.

MAY

I had to share this photo with you all from May. These were my first attempt at growing Spring Onions, well my first attempt at growing Vegetables full stop. 

JUNE

To finish with is a Rose that me and Andy chose last year called 'Champagne Moment', which is rather fitting considering we got engaged the same year. I also entered this photo into an online competition which led me to win a David Austin Rose.

I hope you have enjoyed this first set of photographs, why not share some of your own? I'l be back with the rest next week.

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

A Shopping Trip ...

Good Morning!

Another post from me today, you are certainly being spoiled this week! lol

Last weekend I made a trip to the Garden Centre to get some more compost but I couldn't resist buying a few extra bit's once I was there, well it'd be rude not to!

The Cyclamen and Conifer were for a large pot at the front of my house and along with them I have planted some 'Primrose - Rosebud' and a Wallflower. Not forgetting a couple of Dwarf Narcissus bulbs which should make an appearance next spring!

Currently it's sat alongside my 'Pittosporum - Tom Thumb' and a Dianthus. However knowing me I shall probably end up adding and re-aranging the display in a few weeks.

The White Cyclamen has been potted up and is currently sat in the GH. I love the clean white petals and this Winter I am hoping to keep some flowering plants in the GH so that it still feels as inviting inside as the Summer!

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Getting Ready For Winter ...

Good Morning!

Okay so maybe the title is a little bit more alarming than it should be! 

Earlier this week I dug up the Dahlia's and Antirrhinum's from the front border as they were looking a bit tired and I wanted to get the Winter Bedding in whilst the ground was still warm to give them a good start.

However there was 1 or 2 Dahlia's that were still looking okay so I popped them into some pots and lined them along the front of the house.

Once all the plants had been pulled out and any debris picked up I gave the ground a quick turn over ready for the new residents!

As always I like to position the plants where they are to go before planting. 

As you can see here at the back of the border will be some Wallflowers and I also planted some dwarf Narcissus bulbs at the same time which will hopefully come up next spring.

These have been joined by a row of Bellis- 'Pomponette' in the middle and some 'Primrose - Rosebud' at the front! I then added a mulch of compost over the top to add some extra nutrients to the soil and also give a neat finishing touch!

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX