Monday, May 22, 2006

A morning in the garden

Monday, 22 May 2006

I spent the morning in the garden weeding – whilst the golfer was out doing what golfers do!

I was lovely being on my hands and knees and seeing what little plants had come through. And sitting on the raised beds weeding is so easy – and not many weeds but plants in the wrong places which had to be dug up.

Here are some photos of the area that I was working in.

A large proportion of my plants int my garden have a 'story' of memory attached to them.

Here are Alfies Alliums - little and large - dark and light.

Six years ago when my husband had a spell in hospital, in the next bed was a real character called Alf - or Alfie as I called him. We became friends with him after he left hospital. He had had a very colourful life and I loved hearing all his 'tales'.

He used to have a plant stall, and when he was in hospital recovering from a heart attack he was well enough to manage to sell me some alliums - and they are a wonderful reminder of him.

He used to be a heavy drinker and smoker and not eat healthy food, so he had to completely change his lifestyle which was pretty hard - but he did it. He used to always have a matchstick in his mouth to replace the roll ups he used to smoke.

In his garden he had an old gypsy caravan - it was wonderful. We used to visit him when he was back home and I bought lots of plants and shrubs off him. Sadly he passed a couple of years later - as it transpired he had terminal illness. So I am really glad that when I look around the garden, I have nice memories of him and the stories he used to tell.


This corner always makes me think of Neopolitan ice cream for some reason - the combinations of the white snow is summer and the pretty pink flowers and the frothy sea of forget me nots!

In early spring the flowers mainly seem to be blue and yellow and now in the early summer the pinks and purples come into flower.


My first summer clematis opened today in the sunshine. I do have Montanas out in flower too in the front garden - both the pink and white varieties.

My first delphinium this year to bloom - in the raised bed. It was supposed to be 'Black Night' but as you can see it is clearly blue!

I managed to do a few hours in the garden and it was a real treat. I had a horrendous weed to dig out of 'Maxine's Garden'. I think it must have come from the bird seed. It was so bad that I think I will have to completely do her bed again. It had fibrous roots that got under and among all the plants and went down deep. I got under to coping stoned on the back of the wall behind her garden and they are now loose. There is still more of it in the flower bed behind. It looked like a tall dainty plant with leaves that looked a bit like a native geranium leaf, and the flowers were tiny dainty yellow ones. I must try and look it up to see what it is!

I have a number of gravel paths so spent ages hoeing and pulling the weeds out of those too.

After lunch and a rest, I re-potted 35 tomatoe plants - Alicante and Yellow Pear. I also potted up some Asters too - which should make a nice display.

This evening I dried four trays of seedless white grapes and two trays of red, yellow and green peppers - and they smell lovely.

Everything I have dried so far has been a great success and it is so nice to be able to have dried peppers, onions, mushrooms etc to had to use in cooking. I am looking forward to drying lots more things over the summer.

6 comments:

  1. I hope the rogue plant in Maxine's bed wasn't some kind of hemp LOL!

    I saw a film a few years ago with Brenda Blethyn as the main character, she got duped into growing cannabis in her orchid greenhouse, it was a very silly comedy, but I'd love to see it again, can't remember the title of it off hand.

    I'm going to have to buy in some tomato plants, a bit late now to set the seed!

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  2. Hmm Hemp - if it is in bird seed???

    Wish you lived nearer I could have let you have some plants - don't think they would travel well in the post do you?

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  3. A true 'pot' plant eh? Glad to read you are fully operational now and your garden is looking soooo colourful - a wonderful time of year - so full of promise. Will try your ginger and rhubarb jam - have oodles of rhubarb. Friends go by and help themselves and I think this only encourages it to grow more!!

    Take it easy - its just as easy to fall back as move forward you know! Jooles

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  4. Anonymous10:49 pm

    Lovely photos Lottie, the clematis is gorgeous and seeing the alliums reminds me that I really must get some planted for extra colour this time next year.

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  5. Thanks for your kind comments Jooles and Jesse.

    Been resting this afternoon - had acupuncture.

    Glad you like the pictures.

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  6. Just looking at your blog again and the pictures, is the clematis called, 'Minuette'?(sp?)It's lovely!
    I've got a thing for clematis,hardy geraniums,salvias,foxgloves,hardy outdoor cyclamens,snowdrops, endless list really LOL!
    I've got a clematis that doesn't seem to grow above 8or more foot high, called, Niobe', at first I thought it was a spelling mistake, thinking it should have been Niome, but it is the correct name. It has the most wonderful, velvety, chocolatey-almost mahogany coloured flowers. It is in bud now, will flower in the next 7-10 days, but if it gets warm, the flowers wilt and die. Last year, I learnt my lesson from the year before, sprayed it with tepid water and moved the umbrella over it to shade it from the late afternoon/evening sun. The reward was beautiful teacup-sized flowers. they don't last quite as long as some of the clematis flowers and don't seem to fade.
    What make you think I like clematis??! LOL!
    I am fond of roses too, could spout for evermore about gardening in general, not that I'm an expert though!My sister and I love to go to David Austen Roses, it's a lovely day outfor us,even if like last year, all I bought was a rose catalogue....you get the roses without the aphids and unfortunately the perfume! aaahh but what dreams....
    I don't know about you, but whenever I've done something creative or had such creative stimulus (like the trip to Malvern quilt show), I always dream of whatever activity of that day, often creating quilts, flower beds and cards or whatever in my dreams, it's wonderful!
    With that, I'd better get some shut eye!

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