Kissing Lips And Black Gold

I spent the day trying to relax at home.we went shopping to Asda before we started planting in the front garden.There were five David Austin Moliniux Rose bushes to plant,and a Himalayan Birch Tree to plant.The Betula will be vase shaped with beautiful white bark and nice dangling leaves.After all the work we did the photos do not do it justice!
We had to dig down beyond a foot of grass roots.We dug out five squares of grass to make the holes for the Rose bushes.Their year growing on meant they were full of healthy roots.They should take well in their new permanent home.The Himalayan Birch is now planted.The top leaf bud was just beginning to open so its not a moment too soon to plant it.I had to hack the grass away in a circular shape.I dug in plenty of organic compost to try and give the Tree a healthy start.I had one lot of bamboo fencing spare,so I stole a second panel from the pond to make a surrounding barrier to mark where the Trees bare soil should be.It was not perfectly circular and looks like a pair of kissing lips from the front room.The odd shape has a rustic charm.According to Bluebell Nursery's where I bought the Tree online I need to be patient.They think it will be two to three years before it shows its white bark.I had them cut off the main stem so it will grown vase shaped and not as tall as a single stemmed tree.
Cat and me worked well planting out the front garden.It looks really nice now.There are also pots by the front door with Asiatic Lily's growing again.I wander about some purple flowers trailing down where the grass drops down onto the driveway.The Moliniux Roses will flower with their brilliant Yellow Roses.
Now I have to be patient and remember to water our Tree every three days until it is well established.I cannot wait to see it grow into a mature specimen.
After we had done that I blended our Parsnip Soup and decanted it into containers for freezing.It will join the Tomato Soup,and the Carrot Soup already in the freezer.
I emptied the gardens first compost bin today.I managed to fill ten plastic bags with the black gold.These will be used to enrich the allotments raised beds once they arrive.The second compost bin is full to the top.I can now start again in the first bin.In about eight months the second bin will be ready to deposit its black gold (compost) for me.
Feeling it all soft and crumbly in my hand with no odour made me feel good.Its like gardening alchemy turning green waste into a useful garden enriching product!

Garden Revival

When we came back from New York we found these beautiful Snowdrops blooming in the front garden under the window.They lay dormant for ten months of the year,but bloom spectacularly in February.They are delicate looking with the white petals edged with the lime green smile.They herald the start of the end of winter.The winter flowering Pansy's continue to give me surprises in their colour of flowers.This one is a dark crimson colour, deeper than the purple and violet flowers of some of the others.It stands out from the other blooms. The Rose Darcy Bussell has begun to grow fresh new leaves.They emerge from the buds glowing red like fiery Ruby's before they deepen in colour.She is covered in new growth more than the other Rose bushes.I hope for lots of sumptuous scented Roses this year to bloom.The Sambucas Nigra has survived being transplanted.The dark feathery leaves are beginning to emerge from the buds.I hope its airy new position will make it more visible.Last year it had to grow out from beneath the vigorous Butterfly Bush.I love the Sambucas frothy pink flowers.The dark leaves are nice to look at as an architectural plant.Two more plants waking from their winter slumbers are the Lupins,and the Daffodils that survived the builders feet.The Daffs here are behind some of the others.They know what time of the year it is.In other places Daffodils and Narcissus flowered weeks earlier than normal.There are two Barrel planters full of Tulip bulbs.I planted them late last year so they never flowered for me.I cannot remember what types there were.It will be interesting to see which Tulips have survived the Winter.A solitary Daffodil.I will buy more this year to plant in the sunken border.The other plants I'm missing are jewel like Crocuses.They are blooming around Wakefield in grass areas under Trees.I like the Purple and Golden Yellow ones.

March 20Th is the beginning of spring,three weeks away.Its good to see plants growing here already.

The birds have been in the garden today feeding up.Their songs fill the garden up with a delicious noise.I have seen a little Wren today,and three Chaffinches,along with all the usual suspects of House Sparrows,Blackbirds,Wood Pigeons,Collared Doves,Goldfinches,and Blue Tits.
They are getting more excitable as the days warm up,and the light lasts longer.I topped up their food and drinking water.

Great Expectations

The Rose Gertrude Jekyll is making me wait for the first Rose Bloom of the year.The Rose buds are swollen and the petals beginning to open slightly.Everyday I look and every day the Roses are not in bloom.I always am impatient for her beautiful scented blooms.

The Oriental Poppy Pizzicatto is nearly in flower.It will probably open tonight or tomorrow when i am working. The plant has some beautiful new growth on it, and should flower for years to come.It is a perennial rather than the annuals of common Poppies.

The Flag Iris flower has been exposed but remains stubbornly shut.I love the rich yellow colour and the striped pattern on the flowers.I am impressed that my small pot bound Flag Iris will flower for a second time.This is the first year it has had its roots in real water.Last year it was sat in a container filled with water to mimic a pond.I saw a Newt today trying to burrow through the Aquarium stones.He hit a brick wall and had to dive into the deeper water instead.

The garden has been hit by strong winds today and pots have been rolling about.I love the Flowers that are blooming.The primary colours are contrasting.Purple Lupins,Violas and Pansy's.Red Geums.White and purple Aliums.Yellow Buttercups.Pink and White Aquilegias.Dark Purple and White Aquilegias.

Ever since Cat said she saw a Woodpecker in our garden I have watched obsessively.I have not seen feather or beak of any Woodpeckers.Does anyone know how to attract them?

We hear them hammering away against the Trees in the deciduous woodland (where the Bluebells are)across the road.

The expectation of flowers and scents makes me go out everyday to look around the garden.We went shopping today to buy trays for the Plug Plants.450 need re potting when I'm off again.

Tonight is the Eurovision Song Contest.I will watch it with Cat, and hope that Blue (our entry) can do better than last place.I always watch it and hope for better results.

I will do a post tomorrow about the RHS Chelsea Flower Show which starts in ten days time.I wait expectantly for Chelsea every year in May.I dream of going to see it one day in person.

The flowers of my Rose,Flag Iris, and the Oriental Poppy always excite me as much as the greatest flower show on Earth.I hope they surpass my expectations this year.

Sunshine And Roses

There is a second type of Daffodil in flower now. These one have pale petals, and the frilly yellow trumpet. The borders are illuminated by these happy yellow flowers. The sun was shining today, despite the cold wind. It felt like a perfect spring Sunday.

The sunshine shone on my Roses. I finally stopped procrastinating and dug up the Roses ready to be moved. They were placed into pots filled with bought compost, and the magic ingredient of the garden grown compost. As i took it from the green bin (Its called the compost machine on it) loads of worms, woodlice, and centipedes scattered around into the mixture. Natures decomposers have made it their home and turned it into black magic over a period of 9 months.
The large pot on the left has re homed the Lady Emma Hamilton. She has grown beautifully over the three years I have had her. Every part of the branches are festooned in the red/green new growth of leaves and buds. The smaller pot on the right hand side has the Gertrude Jekyll rose. I watered them in with a rain water/rose food mixture. I brought my Xmas present Rose the RHS Wisley and watered it also. My three David Austin Roses ready for moving.
It will take a good few hours to pot up all my plants from the Borders. Cat wants all our plants to come with us. We are getting closer to a completion date now...
The birds are singing outside. The Sun is finally going down. The house smells of Chocolate Chip Muffins that I have baked just, and Roast Chicken for our Sunday dinner.
It has been the perfect end to my week off work. A day of Sunshine, and Roses.

Rainy Day Baking And Xmas Suprise

Xmas came early today in the shape of a cardboard box by the back door. It was from Crocus, a mail order gardening company. I had not ordered anything from them. Cat said she had not either. I opened the box to find this gift wrapped bare root David Austin Rose. Wisley, a pink Rose. It was from my Mum (Thanks Mum!).
I love David Austin Roses. It will look beautiful flowering in the summer next to Gertrude Jekyll, and Lady Emma Hamilton.

It has been raining for a few days now. I keep looking out and hope it will get cold enough for snow. Maybe tomorrow a few flakes will fall..
I planted the Rose into a large David Austin pot, and moved it to the backdoor so I can look at it.
I decided as I got soaked in the rain, to do some Xmas baking. I made Chocolate chip muffins, and some Mince Pies.
I enjoy making the pastry, filling it with the spice mincemeat, and putting the tops on. The final stage not shown is dusting the mince pies with icing sugar.
Christmas for me tastes like a home made mince pie. Its therapeutic to use your hands when you cannot get into the garden because of the rain. The taste reminds me of childhood.
The house smells of home baking, as the rain falls outside.

Sunday Labour

This is the first Rose I photographed at the David Austin Rose gardens and plant centre. Its called Generous Gardener, and I love the soft pastel pink colour.
I walked to the allotment today to keep on doing the clearing. Two feet by twenty feet took me about three hours.
I have some nice calluses on my hands now, and a more tanned colour.
It has been slow progress as the plot was left wild for a few years. My plot was not topped off, but left overgrown.
As others are planting things, putting sheds up, I'm trying to clear the top growth off.
As slowly as im clearing it the annual weeds are germinating behind me. My few plants look a bit scraggly. Cabbages, Leeks, Courgettes, Squashes, and a Pumpkin..
The Rhubarb we cut has been cooked and frozen ready to make Rhubarb crumbles for Sunday dinner. We collected Blackberrys and Apples from the garden and made Apple and Blackberry pies, and an Apple pie.
I'll take the camera to the plot to mark my progress of clearing it. I am thinking of four foot wide beds with paths running between them.
The Shed base needs laying down once I have cleared a place for it. The pallets have been turned into a three sided compost bin. I think I need some big black compost bins for transferring between the open one to finish composting in the Black ones.
The shed will be used to store the tools, netting, pots, etc. The roof can channel water into water buts to save a trip to the open water hole halfway across the allotment.
I hope its dry for the next few days so I can continue clearing the plot. I will sleep well tonight after my days exertions.

In Bloom Today

Its Sunday afternoon and the sky is overcast, with thick rain laden clouds. I went outside to take photos of some of the flowers in bloom today. Starting with the quintessentially cottage garden favourite, Foxgloves. These have had bee's buzzing into the spotted cup like flowers already. Hopefully these will self seed freely! I want lots more Foxgloves.

A Bee's eye view looking up the Foxglove flower. I have four plants growing, in both light and dark pink. I bought four baby Foxgloves from the plant stall. They are growing on in pots, but will not flower untill next year. Most Foxgloves are biennial, in that they grow for the first year, before flowering in the second year. They will set seed then die back.

The Gertrude Jekyll Rose in bloom. These Roses smell of sweet rose scent. They are pretty pink colours. The scent is old english Rose, crossed with more prolific flowering modern Roses.
It is healthy and got more Rose Buds than all the other shrub Roses. It was voted the UK's most popular Rose for its looks, scent, and free flowering Habit.

Another cottage garden favourite is this Aquilegia. I have them in White, this Purple and White, a pink and white, and the Blue and White. The flowers are huge and the spurs trailing behind are very long. These self seed freely too in the garden. I like the variety of colours that letting self seeded ones flower. You need to buy new ones if you want to keep the original flower colours.

Across the side of the garage I have these five window box planters full of Verbenas, Mimulus, Sea Hollys, St James Wort, Busy Lizzies, and a Heuchera. The Eryngiums are finally forming their spiky flower bracts. This year after they have finished Flowering I will put them in the garden borders. with a label saying this is a plant not a weed!

There are Two clumps of Snapdragons growing in the raised borders. These beautiful White flowers with a hint of yelllow in the centre. They smell like candy sticks, yum yum. I have a greenhouse full of Snapdragons grown from seeds my mum sent me.
They will grow away this year, for flowering next year. They need to gain in Size, and sturdiness.

Growing up the right side of the pergola was the sickly looking Clematis. After I cleared the weeds around it its regained vigour. The furry flower bud has opened to reveal this Purple/Lilac coloured flower..

The Clematis has two climbing Roses growing now alongside it on the right side of the Pergola. The left hand side and top is covered in Honeysuckle. The pink Rose is so sweet smelling, Zephrine Drouhain. I love stopping to smell the Roses. Especially when it is as strongly fragrant as this one.

The final photo on my whirlwind flower tour is the Butterfly Flower. I saved the seeds from last year and sowed them in a pot. Schizostylis I think there latin name is. There appear to be a variety of colours and faces on these Orchid like flowers. I think they are called poor mans orchid too.
I have them in Lilac, Purple, and White. The spotted colouring is different on every flower. Like an organic Rorsasch test!
Sundays are perfect for walking around your garden and seeing whats flowering, and whats growing.

Two Flowers

Nearly opening is the first Anemone of the year.It has been growing quietly without me noticing.They have such gorgeous looking flowers..

The second flower is the Fred Loads Rose, which suprised me.The cold weather has distorted the Rose bud but as it has warmed up it has unfurled and is in flower.All the other Roses are only just growing leaves and swelling buds.This one is either very early or very late!
There will be masses of flowers soon.The garden is a sea of green spears all over the soil.

Peach Bloom And Burrow

The Rose Fred Loads still in flower despite the freezing night time temperatures. The garden was full of birds today enjoying the bird food. House Sparrows, Blue Tits, and a Robin.
Amazon was back today in the afternoon suprisingly running around the left border in daylight instead of twighlight.
A hole I left with a defunct solar light has turned into Amazons house door.
He has burrowed into the soil under the Viburnum, because we watched him run and dissapear into the hole.
When i looked at it the hole was tunnelled, and goes deeper down further than i can see. I left some nuts nearbly for him to eat along with the water bowls. I love how he has his burrow about twenty feet from the kitchen door.
Gardens are great for observing wildlife within the reach of your own house. I heard today that all the combined gardens in the UK make more area than all the nature reserves put together.
More about that in another post...

Rose

A Rose in November is a lovely sight.The rest of the garden is starting to go into the winter slumber.Only the Viburnum Tinus continues with its mixture of flower buds, flowers, and blue/black berrys.
As usual I am late planting the spring bulbs.Its always too enticing to stay indoors and look outside when its bitterly cold.
The dying back garden has a rugged wild charm, and I am loathe to cut it all back just yet.
The seed heads have formed on some plants and they will look stunning when covered with icy frosts or snow.
This Fred Loads has a few more buds on it yet, so this may not be the last Rose of 2008.

Autumn Torch

A late Rose bud in the garden. The Fred Loads Rose got squashed by the African grow bag when it collapsed.
It has grown back with more vigour and has a pair of buds on that will flower in November.
I bought Camera batterys today with Cat, so the Camera will be in use again soon.
I will enjoy photographing the garden, and then revamping it ready for the winter.
Hopefully the birds will start to visit again so i can photograph them.
I will have more photos to post soon, to keep my readers entertained during the dark winter months.
This Rose has a torch like appearance to it, with the orange and copper colours.

Pats Rose

A quick Sunday night post. I have been away from the garden and the computer for a few days.The Beautiful pink Rose was from Pats garden on Saturday.
The weather was cold, and it was windy.We were in Wakefield town centre earlier for a civil partnership ceremony, before going back to Pat and Celias...
The Rose is a symbol of love, and these are beautiful fragrant pink ones flushed with white and yellow.
I went to Silkstone Golf Club in the evening for a dinner which was yummy.
Its a new week tomorrow for blogging, gardening, and doing the allotment.

Red Devil

The Rose Red Devil in flower from a few days ago. All the Roses have repeat flowered again, even Fred Loads who was squashed under a collapsed African grow bag.
The rain is pouring down outside, and its windy. A usual British weather combination is wet and windy.
The centre of the Rose glows surrounded by the red petals.It has a slight fragrance to it.
Hopefully next years Roses will be even more spectacular.

Music For A Rose

A sunday morning post with a You Tube video embedded below this lovely Rose.
The Rose is the climber Iceberg, and is a beautiful pink blush colour at the moment.The plant is healthy with green leaves and no blackspot. This is the healthiest Rose in the garden by a mile...
Now from my lateral thinking Iceberg makes me think of the Titanic. The two are linked in my mind after seeing "A Night To Remember" and of course "Titanic".
An unanswered question was what music did the band play just before the Titanic sank?
Even Snopes could not confirm it, as all the band members perished in the North Atlantic.
http://www.snopes.com/history/titanic/lastsong.asp
I like to think they performed the hymn "Nearer My God To Thee" so thats the lateral thinking music video im posting with the Rose. Enjoy your Sunday wherever you are and hope you enjoy the orchestral music as much as I do.

Rose Bloom Saturday

The Rose Fred Loads in flower.This Rose only has the one flower bud so i have to photograph it. Next year my Roses might be more productive with the amount of flowers.
After Iceberg, Margaret Merrill, Red Devil, and Lady Emma Hamilton this Fred Loads is the fifth Rose to flower.
Two more need to bloom yet.The Pink fragrant climber Zephrine Drouhain, and another Rose called Miss Harp!
the Roses have given me a lot of pleasure this year.Cat says I need a bigger garden with a Rose border.She may be right..

Photos From Bradford

Six images from Hils friends garden yesterday.I took a handful of photos of what appealed to me that was flowering.The pond had thisWater Lilly almost in flower.The only thing I want for my garden is water, either a water garden container or a small fountain.Still water reflects the surrounding plants and sky, and attracts wildlife.I can dream of a bigger garden with enough room for a pond.

Two Roses by the pond. Hils and Cat ponder water snails and foot tapping to make them come to the surface of the water.

A beautiful Blue Iris flowering in one of the curved island beds.The garden was massive, long and even had a field attached to it before.Holly bushes formed some of the boundarys with the cows next door in an adjoining field.Birds were singing and flying around.Its hard to believe a motorway was nearby, and the built up city of Bradford was somewhere near.

A pink Rose, which smelled lovely.Whenever you see a Rose you always cup it, and see if it has a lovely scent.Cat brought me the David Austin catalogue.Roses of all kinds with beautiful names and colours, the descriptions are artfully done.A bigger garden could have masses of DA Roses.

A Honeysuckle growing up the fence that seperated the island bed and pond from a vegetable patch. The colours of the flowers matched the scent.I love Honeysuckle.

The last photo is from Hilarys garden, the beautiful Passiflora Caerulia, or Passion Flower.this totally covers her garage (and maybe hold the garage up).I love these Blue flowers for the complexity of the design.Perfection in a flower.

A Garden Torch

As I worked yesterday the Rose bud fully opened, revealing the Red Devil Floribunda Rose.It really is as bright as the photo.It looks like an olympic torch glowing in the right border near the Monkshood, Hollyhock, and Nepeta.
I watered the garden yesterday and overnight it rained with more forecast for today.There are flower buds all over the garden.Its starting to fizz ready for summer.
I have Sweet Peas as a posy in a glass of water.They are delicate pastel colours and smell lovely.The trick I read is to keep on cutting them to induce them to flower even more.
It will be a fragrant summer with all the Roses and Sweet Pea's giving their scents.

A Tale of Two Flowers

Cultivated and Wild flowers are blooming in my small but densely planted garden.
The third Rosebush nearly in flower. This Red Floribunda is called Red Devil. I hope it will flower fully soon.The tightly packed petals glowed in sundays sunshine.It has a healthy five flower buds on the single growing stem.The colour is so bright, its torch like against the green foliage of the right border.

Margaret Merrill, A beautiful Tea Rose with sumptuous White flowers with a peach flush.Alas this plant has been ravaged by blackspot and is the strongest fragrance so far.Its so sweet and citrusy the scent.I will try to grow it again next year and try to preempt the blackspot.It was stored stacked up in a plastic bag outsideHampsons,along with hundreds of other bare root roses.The stems were not cut at the correct angle so its suffered from poor health. I need to give it tender loving care to make it flower more prolifically and with good vigour.

Climbing Rose Iceberg, in flower with no blackspot or leaf problems. It is perfectly happy in the shade of the out house wall growing in the pot. A few aphids have been the only problem. Niels tells me this grows really well and is famed for its masses of white blousy flowers! A star performer for this funny sunny and wet June.

The Fireweed is famed in Canada for predicting winter.The flowers grow up a pink minuet from the base upwards.When the final flower is done it is said that winter hits Canada within a month.
This is a perennial plant that is spread by the underground Rhizomes and by the feather like seed head after it has flowered.
I cut it down as it had outgrown the small garden and was taking over the left border. I have it as a cutflower in my glass with some freshly cut Sweet Peas.The plant is still blooming too so i can admire the delicate pink and purple flowers.
It grows massively along the long causeway that i walk to work along. I thought it was a gift from the ghostly gardener, It is just a well established perennial wildflower.
I wander if it has been cultivated as the flowers are beautiful?

The Fireweed flower close up.It is called Fireweed because as Canada has wild fires this plant colonises first in the burnt ground.The stems were as thick as tree branches.
Flowers both cultivated and wild growing in my garden side by side..

White Rose Wednesday

Its been a good day off today. I spent three hours on the allotment with Cat earlier, then another three hours this afternoon in the garden. The sun was shining most of the day.
The photo is a damp rose from Tuesday when it rained all day. I only briefly got outside to take photos, but the long days had taken their toll on my energy levels. I was too tired to do a post..
I'm energetic today and have taken lots of photos.I will do a slide show I think of the beautys from the folder marked to blog yet...
I checked my blog for the colours of the Roses I planted in December. Red, white, peach, and orange..No yellow so that will be on my wish list tomorrow when I go back to Harlow Carr.
Butterflies, Bee's, and Birds all came into the garden today, and the same wildlife up at the allotment. I took some photos of the communal garden so they can use them to illustrate what they are doing. I can do a blog post of the prints that I will give the committee.
I forked over the untended Mr Saddiq's beds and planted Cabbages, Brussel Sprouts, Borage, and my Courgettes. I have one more bed to clear of grass and weeds. I think I will plant some Spinach and Leeks there.
I have cleared nine beds now, both my plot and his. He can sit and watch but it looks better already. The paths need trampling between the beds as the grass keeps growing. The rain seem to encourage everything to spurt in growth.
Back at home I repotted the last of the hanging basket plants. Trailing Fuschias,Double flowered Petunias, and Lobelia Fountain mix. I repotted Gem Squash to grow on ready to be moved to the allotment. A tray of French Marigolds is waiting to be taken to the allotment.
One Poppy Bactreum, and four Evening Primrose were moved into bigger pots.The greenhouse has Tomato plants (I finally have some grown by me from seed), a Venus Fly Trap, Garden Mint, and ten repotted Geraniums.
My homeless plants include a Chocolate Cosmos, two Heleniums, and three Blue flowered Ageratum.
The garden is nearly completed now.It just needs weeding, watering, and tending.In the sunshine I realised I was nearly done.Time to sit back and watch the garden grow!