Clematis

This is my new baby, it's been on my wanted list for a long time (the wanted list is endless if I'm honest!). I've accepted the fact that my climbing rose with the peachy coloured flowers is never going to be free of the rust problem so it has to be taken out. In its place I've chosen to put in the clematis with its large blooms, hopefully flowering from July to September. Since the all knowing internet has said that autumn is a good time to plant clematis, I hope the one I've bought will take to its new home.

Still in its pot, awaiting its new home to be vacated!

 

 

The autumn blooms

Autumn's arrived and with it brings the last shows of the garden. The drop in temperature brings a slow down in the plants but the autumn blooms have started their show. Of these, is my favourite plant of all, the Japanese anemone, with it's pretty medium sized flowers. The heather has started to bloom again and some of the summer ones are still going. The Echinacea is one of the new plants I put in this year, it's now producing lovely bright pink flowers which lasts for a long time. In bloom is also the crocosmia, this is a kind of an inherited plant, my neighbour has loads of these planted against our shared fence and some of the plants decided to cross over into my garden, a bit like the great escape!! But I love the sight of the fiery orange flowers so they have been allowed to stay and make a home on my side.

Close up Japanese Anemone

Japanese Anemone

Echinacea

Yellow flowers that came free with a magazine

Crocosmia

 

Year 3 of the garden

This is the 3rd year I've worked on the garden. When I first started a friend told me that it will take at least 3 years before I get to the point where I can see the fruits of my labours and not to be discouraged. How right he is, it's been hard graft but yes, I've now reached the point where I can see a bit of the cottage garden feel that I was aiming for. I have to say all the hard work is really worth it when I get to sit on the bench and just enjoy the garden with a cup of coffee, taking in the peace it offers from the busy everyday life that tends to get in the way.

The corner bed

The dreaded wind swept corner where most things I plant seem to die, is finally sorted and is now a much loved area of the garden.

I've also added a new bed on the other side of the garden that has taken on really well. It has given me the space to try out some new plants.

For those who know my family, you'd have thought that this interest in the garden might have come from my grandfather who grew lots of plants, particularly bougainvilleas dotted all around the house. I remember going round with him with his homemade watering cans made from recycled milk tins with holes punched into them to create a sprinkle effect.

The truth is, it's my grandmother who awed me with her little garden, hidden at the side of the house where the kitchen window looks out on. It's a tiny little space where she planted sugar canes, pandan (screw pine) and there were also a small variety of little plants planted in all manner of recycled containers like old metal basins etc. I still remember clearly the day when she took a knife and chopped off a sugarcane, cut it into two and gave me a 'stick' to eat. That was the moment when I took real notice of her little garden full of wonder and that was when a seed was planted in me to one day own a garden and look after it as she has done hers.

The new bed

 

The first courgette .. harvested

Without my noticing the courgettes are growing in size and one at the bottom has grown large enough to eat. I think if I left it, it would have grown bigger but as it was at the bottom and touching the ground, it would probably have started to rot. So the one courgette was kept company with some other vegetables from the fridge and made into a delicious soup for dinner. Will definitely be planting more next year.

More coming...

Size compared to my hand

Made into tasty soup with other veg

 

 

 

Of bees and butterflies

In recent years, there's been concern that the bees are dying in the UK. Since we've moved in, we do see some bees during the summer season but not in large numbers. This year, coincidently when I decided to sort out my garden scheme and get more flowers in, we have had quite a large number of bees turn up. I'm just happy to see them and if my growing more flowers helps them keep up their population up then I'm glad to have helped.

As for the butterflies, I get quite a lot of cabbage white, though pretty, they are not welcomed as their eggs turn into caterpillars of the variety partial to broccoli and cabbages both of which I grow. Since these veges are meant for consumption, I was not going to spray any insecticide on them and have to resort to squishing the eggs sacs and even caterpillars by hand...not a pleasant feeling! This year however, I've not seen any cabbage white (maybe because I've not grown any cabbages) but instead got another variety of butterflies which looked real pretty and best of all they only like my inedible plants and therefore they too are more than welcome to enjoy my garden.

 

 

 

 

 

How many bees and butterflies can you see here?

 

Scabiosa .. Year 3 and going strong

This is one of the first plants to go into the garden when the beds were dug and lawn laid. Who would have guessed that it would turn out to be one of the best flowering plant I have. It just goes on and on and on. While it does require a bit of TLC during the winter months, I have to put a fleece over it when the weather gets cold, it generally looks after itself. The bonus to having it in my garden is that it attracts bees, as bees are on the decline, it feels good to be helping them!

Closeup look

 

 

Courgettes

After all the flowers, it's time to talk vegetables. I started way back in February/march carefully cultivating the little courgettes indoors and then moving them into the shed as they grew, I had about 6 plants. Out of the 6 only 3 survived the erratic weather we had leading to summer. In the last month, with the unseasonably warm, I should say hot weather, the courgette has finally come to its own. Flowers have appeared and little courgettes are starting to form. I think this will be another one that I will continue growing in the years to come.

Lovely large yellow flowers

 

 

The little courgette forming

 

Ranunculus

Today's highlight is the Ranunculus! Dainty medium sized flowers, I expected it to have more petal layers as shown on the package it came in, that's what I get for buying bulbs from cheap supermarket! Must be a lesser variety that I got, nevertheless it's looking good and hopefully more will follow!

Only one had the multi layer petals I was expecting

 

The lone pine

During Christmas time, there is always a tree buying frenzy and once the twelve days of Christmas have gone, most people just discard their trees. A friend of a friend of mine (honest!) bought one such tree for Christmas and decided to palm it off on my friend saying that she was going home to Holland for the holidays and didn't want to waste the tree sitting by itself in an empty house. So my friend took it off her friend, after Christmas my friend found out that she was moving away to Norway so it was to the tip or a new home. To cut a long story short, I decided to rescue this poor pine tree and give it a permanent home. For a while, sitting in my garden it continued to act like the ornamental tree it was sold for i.e. it didn't grow and neither did it wilt...just like a plastic tree! Then suddenly after all these months since December, it woke and started to act like a proper real tree...haha...if you look at the picture, the lighter green parts are new growth. So little pine tree may you live long and prosper!!

New growth-light green

 

 

 

When it first arrived in the snowy weather

 

Take time to smell the roses!

For a while now the rose bushes have had lots of buds on them. Finally, they are starting to burst into blooms, I have two old plants, one being a climber and another a normal bush. This year I have three new addition, but they have yet to start flowering though buds have appeared on them too. My climber unfortunately is suffering from rust and though I tried to remove as much of the affected areas it is looking like I will have to get rid of it which is such shame as it has really grown well in size. That's gardening for you, you win some and you lose some!

 

 

Pincushion

Every time I sew something I find myself sticking pins on anything I can find and keep thinking to myself that I really need a pin cushion. Having just made a casserole cosy which gave me two little circles of offcut, it couldn't be easier! Now I just have to remember that I do have a pin cushion and use it next time I'm sewing.

 

Casserole cosy

It's been a long while since I did serious sewing as my toddler loves to get stuck in whatever I'm doing so scissors, pins and a sewing machine are nos nos. I chanced to have a few days off work this week and so it was time to break out the sewing machine. So many projects to choose from, I was contemplating circle skirts and even a dress (being overly ambitious there) then I settled on this casserole cosy, whenever I attend a pot luck, some of the ladies will bring their casseroles in these lovely and yet practical cosies. Easy to carry, insulated to keep the food warm (important in this climate) and most importantly pleasing to the eyes! I found a pattern a while back so out it came and after some planning (done in my head, yes, I'm one of those gungho sewers) I put scissors to fabric. After some unpicking due to gungho attitude and an almost missed hair appointment due to being too engrossed in trying to complete it before little one comes home from nursery, I managed to complete a decent looking casserole cosy....now when is the next potluck so I can show off? Haha....

Machine quilt with thermal insulation

Empty cosy, showing the contrasting lining

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