Archive | flowers

April garden

Video. Comfrey is in flower and attracting the bees.

Grass Continue Reading →

It is late March but the garden is growing quick due to relatively warm spring.

Snake’s Head Fritillary – they like damp soil – may need watering! Continue Reading →

Garden October

Garden in October lenghtening shadows and late colour.

More white Cosmos

Lettuce and leeks have been star performers in Veg plots. Continue Reading →

Cosmos flowers and leaves

Colour flowers

Veg from garden, after two weeks away. Continue Reading →

Mid August

Border mid August.

Rudbeckia Goldstrum – a very well behaved perennial.

Phlox – sweet scent.

A dry border – mostly silvers and lavenders.

Grass blowing in the wind gives a new dimension.

Grass.

More Rudbeckia

Red flowers

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EP  Evening Primrose

Garden in the sun.

Courgette plant

There are some kinds of orchids that can ‘flower themselves to death.’ – they put all their energy into producing flowers, then eventually they run out of energy and die.

The leaves of this orchid indicate neglect – lack of water, food, humidity and proper conditions. Yet, there is a profusion of beautiful blooms.

I bought this from a market stall in Leeds 18 months ago. It has been flowering almost continuously ever since. Despite my parents not looking after it properly in my absence, it keeps going. It’s actually doing better than some of the orchids I properly look after in Oxford.

Some plants are very different – unless they are given exactly the conditions they require, they won’t flower.

But, an orchid will survive just about everything except over-watering.

I have had this lotus plant in my pond for over a year. This is the first lotus bloom – but it is well worth the wait. It is a near perfect flower, with great dignity.

The pond only gets an hour or two of sun in the height of summer because of the shade from trees. Lotus plants really need full sun, so I was pleased to get at least one. It only opens from around 11.30 to 1pm when the sun hits the pond. Continue Reading →

It has been very hot in England.

Lettuce and peas have done very well.

Cucumber have done really well. The plant is loaded with big cucumbers and they are tasty. Continue Reading →

It’s nearly the longest day of the year and the vegetable patch is in full flow.

I’m really happy with the cucumber plant on the right. I bought a small seedling four weeks ago, and it has grown really quick. The one on left came mailorder a week ago, but doesn’t look as healthy as the one I grew. It is a bit of a suntrap in this veg planter. I planted the odd lettuce as gap fillers, but the broccoli has soon smoothered. I think I made beginner’s mistake of planting too closely – I think everyone does first time.

I have bought some nets for upcoming butterfy season.

Let’s see if the cucumber start to grow! Continue Reading →

Some spring photos – kind of in reverse order to calender.

Early May in spring border.

Tulips and comfrey Continue Reading →