Garden Post - July 2011

[endlessrarities]

And now, here are the photos of the garden I was threatening to post a while back.

The front garden, first of all:

 

The poppies are just about finished now, but the paeonies are still blooming and the roses are just coming into their own.  The summer bedding's not quite established yet, though the osteospermum are doing really well, and there's still a few primula, too.  Will the gladioli flower this year?  The jury's still out on that one, but I'm quite hopeful...

A view of my garden assistant, aka Squinty, who is currently eating me out of home.  I've decided that she is not a baby, she's a girlie, and she must be raising a brood somewhere, as she packs enough food into her beak to feed an entire thicket of blackbirds and still comes back for more.  She comes up onto the kitchen windowledge to scrounge now, and you have to watch your step when leaving the back door in case she's lurking there, too...

The back garden's progressing slowly.  I've at last finished weeding the Accidental Flowerbed which means that the raised beds next to the patio will be next on the list.  And I'll soon be able to start planting out the nasturtium plants.  Yippee!!


 

The patio pots are just about done, and the smell out there is delicious, all thanks to the nemesia.

And now, here's another shameless plug for the Vernon Geranium Co.  Some views of the osteospermum plants - I find the orange-red one particularly stunning, while the pale white/lilac is a bit more run of the mill:-

 

And lastly, the regal pelargonium which is currently gracing one of my patio pots:-

 

It's a beauty, and I'm really hoping I can get it to overwinter...

Comments

[gghost.livejournal.com]

Everything is lovely -- beautiful colors!

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping it'll look even nicer once the summer bedding really gets going. You can't beat a good snapdragon!!

[roaming.livejournal.com]

oooh, lovely lovely. Wish I were there. Instead, today, I'm running about like proverbial chicken without head getting ready for just a few guests for BBQ and then a bluray viewing of LoTR extended director's cut just out on our 60" HD screen. Now I know why I never invite people: it's too stressful! My inner Martha Stewart takes over and she carries a thorned whip! Easier to just go to a restaurant.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, I start sneezing every time I loiter there just now...

I can sympathise about the BBQ. Look on the bright side! You wouldn't get anything as culturally or spiritually enlightened as LOTR director's cut on a 60" screen in a communal eaterie. It would be sport, sport and more sport.

Which reminds me... The Tour de France will be on soon. Mustn't miss it...

[dark-phoenix54.livejournal.com]

Beautiful! Be interested to see how the pelargonium does- I overwinter stellars, zonals and scenteds just fine, but I've been told that type is much more difficult. Which means I've held off buying a gorgeous dark raspberry one...

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

I had no luck with them last year, but last year's winter was (supposedly) extraordinarily cold. I lost everything, bar one chrysanthemum which seems to be indestructible, the begonias, which were dried off and boxed, and the penstemmons, which were kept inside as cuttings. Everything else - osteospermum, geraniums, chrysanths, fuschia etc. died, even though they were in a nice cosy porch. Even inside, temperatures must have dropped to minus four, which probably explains the catastrophic survival rate.

[bellakara.livejournal.com]

Your garden is looking absolutely lovely, and I especially like the last photo and the one of the bird!

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

There's still a wee bit to go yet before it's at its peak. The bird's an utter caution - she just misjudged her landing on the dustbin and fell off...

[writeonq.livejournal.com]

What a beautiful spread, complete with feathered friends :~) I also plant aromatics by the patio, for a multi-sensorary garden experience (though I imagine the sneezing part is no fun).

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

It's not been too bad this year. Today was a 'very high' pollen count day, and yet, considering I've been outside for about four hours today, I don't feel too bad at all.

This year, I've been very good and taking a spoonful of local honey every day since April - I really think it's doing the trick.

[aulus-poliutos.livejournal.com]

Now there's an idea. I wonder if I could get birch honey. :)

Lovely, lovely garden. I only have a balcony - not the same space, but I try to grow enough geraniums, marguerites and begonias to make it look pretty. I'd love to have fuchsias, too, but it's a south balcony and they don't really like that.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

Some of our local honeys have sycamore in them, so birch may be included. I'd give it a go, anyway - you usually have to start taking it a month or so before the season starts.

I took honey faithfully two years ago, and noticed a marked improvement. I wasn't so strict in my honey intake last year, and my hayfever was bad. And this year I've taken the honey, and it's a lot better!

[clairehawthorn.livejournal.com]

That regal pelargonium is absolutely stunning so fingers crossed this incoming winter is a lot milder so you can overwinter it safely.
Nothing "run of the mill" about those lilac osteospermums, in fact you seem to have a lot of gems in your garden - it's looking lovely and I particularly love your back garden, it looks so peaceful.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

The back garden will soon be transformed into a mass of flowering plants...

I'm a big fan of osteospermums... I also have another regal pelargonium in bud, and I don't quite know how it's going to turn out. Watch this space!!!

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Looks as if you too had a nice day for it!

That blackie looks well fed and healthy :o)

We have a pair of jays in our garden after food this year- colourful doesn't begin to do them justice.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

She's a scruffy little thing. She keeps scrapping with all the other blackbirds.

Jays... Wow... That would be something to see. They're absolutely magnificent. I quite often see them at the munitions factory, but they're few and far between elsewhere in the area.

[goddessofchaos.livejournal.com]

Lovely pictures! You have a nice mix of different colours. The orange-red osteospermum is gorgeous!

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

I had a lovely surprise when that came into flower. I'll buy twenty of the things next year!!