Anticipating the burst of colours

The plants in the garden are all busy making buds and I'm eagerly awaiting for it all to burst into colour. On the top is the clematis which is now just under 2 years but is growing well to cover the climbing frame or rather one side of the frame. Try as I might to encourage it to climb the other way, this plant has a mind of its own.

New to bloom this year are the chives, this is a £1 pot of chives which I bought 2 years ago for cooking and then I decided to plonk it into a pot outside because I saw a roundabout in town filled with chives that were blooming and I loved the look of the flowers. At least I thought they were chives! But was sorely disappointed last year when I didn't get any flowers and proceeded to chop the tops off and ate them! This year though, I'm glad I didn't yank the whole lot out, it started to grow again and I'm seeing buds ..YESSS!!

Chives, see the tiny purple buds?

Ok, I will ramble on about one more, the giant oriental poppy is also 2 this year. I have two plants, they didn't look like they were going to survive but produced one flower each. Hmmm..maybe that's what you get with the giant variety. This year though I'm seeing at least 5 buds each, growing fatter and fatter..so again YESSS!!

Giant oriental poppy

 

 

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Roses galore

My oldest rose plant is producing an abundance of flowers this year. The picture above is the second flowering of this summer. The blooms are so many that the branches are bowing over. I should really remove some of the flowers else the branches will snap especially if it rains. But it seems such a pity to cut off the buds, besides I'm already having trouble keeping up with dead heading the ones that have gone over!

The present from the plant every morning, littered all over the lawn!

 

 

The first rose

The first rose has bloomed! This is the start of the excitement in the garden. I now have 5 rose bushes and all but one has got lots of buds on them. It's all poised to burst into flowers come the next few weeks and I just can't wait. I started with two plants, one a climber and another a bush. The climber as you know was cut down and removed as it was plagued with rust. The bush has grown over the last 3 years and the tallest branch is way over my head. It was its bush that has made me fall in love with the rose! So I now I have a collection of 5, no more climbers though.

The first one, cut and in full bloom!

 

 

Clematis on bloom

The clematis was the replacement climber after I had to remove the climbing rose which was affected by rust. I wasn't sure if it will take but looks like it's doing well. The flowers are larger than I expected as when I first bought it, it had smaller flowers of a lighter colour on it, seems like the soil has done something to it!

 

Azalea in bloom

The azalea is now in full bloom. I just love it when the bush is fully covered in flowers, it's a shame that the flowers only appear once so no deadheading does help to give continuos flowers. The other bush is just catching up with some buds opening..... Just lovely!

The fuchsia one

Close up

 

 

Tulips!!

The tulips are popping up everywhere! Some new ones, some olds ones ..most of which I've forgotten I've planted! The thing is tulip bulbs goes in before hard winter sets in, this is the time where the garden is bare and there's lots of gaps in the beds, so there is a tendency to go bulb crazy and bury them all over the place. Come spring, I've forgotten where I put them till they start poking out of the ground! I will also refrain from buying mixed bulbs in the future as all I keep getting is yellow ones and the odd 'other' colour one!

New yellow ones

Yellow ones

The three year old ones

Late ones just about to bloom

More yellow ones

Some white ones mixed with daffodils

 

 

Gooseberries or no gooseberries?

The gooseberry bush is becoming more than a thorny bush, it's becoming a thorn in my side! For almost 4 years now, I've been waiting for it to fruit. Last year I had flowers and was jumping for joy... Alas, I was celebrating too early as the flowers did not set and rapidly dropped off! This year again I'm seeing flowers, this time more than last year and it's looking different as well (maybe I'm just trying to convince myself it will be different this year). I have seen bees buzzing around, hopefully helping to pollinate the flowers and maybe finally giving me some fruit? Here's to hoping!

 

 

Waiting in anticipation

This morning I woke missing my garden...it's a dull morning but there is a sense of readiness in the garden. It's still early spring so frost is still knocking on the door and it's still not time to start working in the garden. Little spots are coming to life, making the wait harder to bear and I have had enough of waiting, probably a side effect of the longer days that we are getting...patience is the gardener's virtue hence patient I must be!

Muscari bulbs

 

 

Some other bulbs!

The pink alpine one!

Names are escaping me this morning!

Not even going to try naming it

Lastly the layered flower pot...looking good!

 

On your marks, get set, go!

The first of the flowers have appeared without my noticing since I have a tendency to stay indoors out of the cold. Featured above is the Hellebore or also known as the Christmas Rose as it tends to flower at the end of winter...which by the way is way way after Christmas! This plant have lovely big flowers which have thick petals and reminds me of plants you get at home, I do wonder if they are indeed the same!

As for the others, the bulbs like crocuses, snow drops have also flowered without my constant hovering and peering. The later ones like tulips have also emerged from the ground and seem to be growing well.

Crocuses

Primrose

The purple one ... Of course there has to be one which I don't know the name of!

This year, my experiment is with the layer pot, this is an attempt to get flowers blooming for longer using various bulbs that flower at different times. The bulbs are planted in layers in the same pot, resulting in the plants flowering one after another. So far I have seen different types of shoots coming up, as to whether they are all going to bloom at the same time or at different times as is the intention, remains to be seen! Fingers crossed, at least for now I know that the cheap bulbs that I bought are actually growing and are not duds as previous cheap buys have been. I for one am excited and wish you all happy gardening for 2014!

 

 

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