We are back to grey and gloomy here, but at least it is not raining. Got a lot of gardening done today. I wasn't going to post today, I thought there would not be much to interest you, but I managed to find some plants that I think you will enjoy. The scabious above is such a lovely pink. It produces an abundance of flowers during the summer months provided that you keep dead heading. Give it a nice sunny spot and it will romp away.
The bee and catnip I know is a bit of a repeat but this plant is a god send for bees, it really is.
Aaaaahh one of my favourites....Nigella or as I prefer 'love-in-a-mist'. Look at the lovely ruff of thread like leaves around the little bloom....so charming.....
And this is the blue version.....
The cardoons are showing buds, it will be a long time yet before they bloom. I love this architectural plant and so do the bees. I can't wait to get some photographs to show you.
Bronze fennel.....adore this herb. Beautiful feathery foliage....flat yellow flowerheads, and they will grow to around 4 feet tall.
Sneaked this one in, purely because I love the combination....mother nature threw the foxglove in...she did quite well.
Love this pelargonium, the colours are so striking.
As you know I try not to use non native trees in the garden but there are exceptions and this is one of them. Eucalyptus.......I love the trunk of the tree, it is so tactile, if I walk by I just have to touch it. I use the leaves in my drawers where my jumpers are kept to keep moths out. The leaves are also useful if you have a cold. I take one from the tree, crush it, and inhale. I find it really clears the airways. Gosh I am turning into a doctor.....back to gardening.
And the grapes are looking good. Two years ago we did very well for grapes, last year was hopeless. I am hoping the weather will warm up, and I will be picking them in September.
Little chaffinch looks down at her mate......what a sweet expression.
And here is the handsome chap. This is one of our most common birds. But did you know, the actual detail of their song varies greatly from bird to bird, and there are even distinct regional 'dialects' in different parts of Britain. Amazing.
The little blue damselflies are still about despite the lack of sunshine today. He is resting on a cardoon leaf.
And finally the star of the show, for me anyway, Clematis florida Sieboldii. Looks very similar to the passionflower. When fully open its flowers are purple and creamy white. This particular clematis will flower for most of the summer, if it is in a warm sheltered spot. It can easily be grown in a large container and you don't have to prune. Mine grows over the arches, along with the wisteria and honeysuckle. You like?????Have a fun weekend and happy gardening....with particular best wishes to Rose and Beckie who have had unexpected rainfalls in the wrong place!!! Hope they are sorted.
22 comments:
Cheryl, I am so glad you decided to post! The Nigella is wonderful. Haven't seen those before or the cardoons or the striking pelargonium. Wow! I also didn't know eucalyptus was a tree. We get small plants here. That clematis is so like a passion flower, I love it. Your grapes look full and hopefully will produce.
Oooooooh I love the smell of eucalyptus! Can you overwinter it? And yes, your clematis really is the star of the show.
I especially like the "love in a mist". It's an exquisite looking flower - I will look it up to see if we grow it here in Canada.
Your Header is really really beautiful. I looked at it and thought "cheryl doesn't need to add anything more - the header says it all". But I was so glad you did.
Have a wonderful weekend.
I just love those foxglove . . . they grow wild in my backyard and i go wild for them!
Hi Beckie.....the eucalyptus grows to enormous heights....every so often I pollard mine. It regenerates....so this is good.
Nigella seed is something I can send you at the end of the season, if you want some. Don't be afraid to ask.
Hi Wendy....Eucalyptus is an evergreen, so whenever I have a cold the leaves are always available.
Nigella is an annual. I have never seen them in packets here. A friend gave me a handful of seeds and I scattered them around the garden. They reseed everywhere now and are so pretty.
Your so kind re header, thank you.
Hi Becky, they grow wild here to, great aren't they.
The nigella is so unusual! I've never seen anything like it. All your photos are beautiful.
Aiyana
Tku Aiyana.........for your nice comments.
Your pictures of the Chaffinch male is so good. It really makes the bird come alive in my mind. I looked at my field guide and thepicture in the field guide doesn't give the chaffinch the rich colors that it actually is. I love the clematis too. It is an unusual color. I am so glad you decided to post. These are all lovely pictures. I like the fuzzy stem of the scabosia and that pelogonium is stunning.
I am looking at plants in your garden , and see lots of the ones I have. Yesterday I put nigella plant in my garden and would love to have a big patch of it.
I trimmed my nepeta because was hanging over the path and my cats rolled in it.
The one flower I am missing this year is lupin. I grew few of them from seeds bought from Chelsea Flower Show years ago,but as years progressed they started suffering from aphid problem, big giant whiteish aphids. I was sad to see them go. I'll give it a rest for few years and maybe try my luck one more time.
Finally we had some sunshine this morning!
Hi Lisa.....it is amzing what you can find in your garden if you just stroll around....I love the chaffinch to, he is a fine looking bird.
Hi Zvrk....Yes at last some sunshine.
Did you know if you feed your plants with organic liquid seaweed they don't usually suffer with aphids. I garden organically and never use sprays or anything.
I find if I do get aphids on a plant the blue tits feed them to their babies.
Tku for dropping by and hope your nigella look well in their new home. They are very good self seeders.
lovely pink scabious photo! love scabious.
thinking of growing some catnip, meant to do it this year for Elsie but now I know the bees like it too I'll definitely get some going next year.
beautiful bronze fennel.. I treated myself to one from Herbal Haven this year, just because they are so attractive .. on Monday this week it rained all day and the droplets caught in the foliage were magical! at the moment some new fronds are coming through and they're such a deep rusty brown colour, unlike anything else in the garden.
I adore scabious....I prefer the common name pin cushion flower, so appropriate.
Bronze fennel is fabulous. I first grew it around five years ago and it has self seeded around the garden. Look for hoverflies when it is in flower, they will love it and eat all your aphids to.
Lovely lovely pictures Cheryl - all stunning. I keep meaning to ask you, how do you treat slugs? We have pellets but I am never comfortable putting them down and just wondered if there was a more natural way to deal with them. The little blighters have ruined most of my marigolds!!! I was not too pleased!!!
I too love the smell of eucalyptus - it reminds me of my grandad and is one of those smells that tales me back to my childhood. Hope you are having a wonderful weekend xxx
Hi Dawny....oh dear, please don't be offended but I would never use pellets. If a songbird or hedgehog eats the dead slugs, it can be fatal.
I never worry about them because I have thrushes and hedgehogs in the garden and they eat most of them without any damage.
In my last garden I used grit around the plants and beer traps. The beer traps were very successful, used to hate emptying them though...yuk
If the plants are in tubs there are copper rings you can use. These are excellent but very expensive.
I suppose it is all a question of getting a balance.....I know many friends who use slug pellets, its just not my choice. The wildlife comes before my plants, but that is just me Dawny.
Next year you could always plant things that slugs don't particularly like.
I must tell you though my lupins have had a slight attack, I left it for a few days to see if the thrush would sort the problem out. She didn't, so at ten o'clock,armed with a torch, I went out and collected the little beasties. I kept them in a tub overnight and fed them to the birds in the morning.
Lucky the neighbours aren't too close I think they would worry about my mental health. lol
Eucalyptus is lovely....smells so fresh.
Its lovely that it evoked a memory that was special for you.
Have fun gardening......and go get those beastly little slugs.
Nice blog you have here. The damselfly is an Azure...quite tricky to tell from the Common Blue. Nice one. Steve
Cheryl, It always amazes me all the different plants you have, some of which I have never heard of! The clematis is very unusual; you're right, it does look like a passion flower.
No more water in the basement, though I keep running fans and dehumidifier to keep the dampness out. More rain yesterday, but only 2 inches. But more is forecast for this week...my roadside garden has turned into a bog!
Hope you are having a good weekend.
Welcome fellow wildlife watcher....tku for the info re damselfly......
Thanks Rose......hope things will soon brighten up....we seem to have your sunshine now.....
I love all the pictures of your garden, makes me really want to visit my aunt and cousins in Folkestone and my godson and his family who live in the Stafford area.
God's blessings to you.
Helloe annette and welcome....tku for your lovely comment. Perhaps one day soon you will be able to visit family. It is a small world now, is it not??
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