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Garden Diary – Craving rain in a British summer!
The week started off dull but still very warm, finally though we had showers forecast for later in the week. Who’d have thought we’d be craving rain in a British summer! The days turned cooler and it was much more pleasant catching up with the gardening chores, by which I mean weeding. I don’t mind weeding when I’m on top of things, which I always used to be, but after a long bout of sciatica a few years ago, I don’t feel I’ve ever truly got back to grips with the weeds. It wasn’t helped by us spreading our own compost all around the garden, that unfortunately turned out to…
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Garden Diary – A week of two halves!
I have a smile on my face using the title ‘a week of two halves’ as every time I hear that expression, it makes laugh. What else would it be? Three halves! Anyway, back to the weather… last weeks weather reminded me of a blog I wrote in May, ‘Golidilocks weather didn’t last’ as it was exactly the same pattern. The first half of the week was perfect, warm enough to be out and about with an odd small shower to help the garden, but then… oh it got hot! Too hot for most of us. Of course everything in the greenhouse was loving it, especially the chillies which I…
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Garden Diary – The longest day had us & the garden wilting!
I hope everyone’s cooled down after last week’s heatwave? I really don’t do well in that sort of heat, it completely zaps my energy. I always feel so sorry for anyone that has to work outside in it. I was dashing to water the greenhouse before the sun got onto it in a morning and sometimes having to water again in an evening. It was perfect weather though for drying my red winter onions, harvested last week. I managed to get them plaited, in a fashion! To think of the different weather they’ve been through since I planted them as sets last autumn. After initially putting on a bit of…
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Garden Diary – Memories that flowers bring
A week of hot sun and heavy downpours, superstitions and mystical creatures, harvesting and Al-fresco eating, flowers with happy memories and flowers that make you itch. Our amazing weather year continued last week with some seriously sunny days, and the warmth now carrying through into the evening. Which of course means eating outside whenever possible. I harvested the red onions that were planted last autumn and have grown over winter. They are now drying on the raised bed covers (cat toilet prevention), but we couldn’t resist frying one to have with our outdoor cooked sausage batches. Yum yum yum! Of course when our weather gets a bit too hot, we…
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Garden Diary – Bees, Cats, Frogs, Friends & Flowers
The first week of June has brought, Busy bees and sleepy cats, berries for breakfast and raindrop covered flowers. New plants and old ones and some spread accidentally between friends. I’m over the moon with the first peony in the garden, although it’s not strictly the first. I bought one a couple of years ago but as it resembled a stick, I accidentally trod on it and that was the end of that! So I made sure I bought this one at the right time of year. I was very impressed with this one from Crocus, both the size and the fact that it already had two buds on. Good…
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Garden Diary – Roses, Rescues & Wildlife
Last week saw more roses blooming, me rescuing a plant and a bee, and lots of wildlife viewings. Two more roses opened up their beautiful flowers after their buds have been promising loveliness for some time. One is a newish bush planted in a pot so that I can enjoy it on the patio, whilst the other is getting on a bit now, but still looking very healthy despite being bought when we were at our last house and so dug up to move here. Roses are resilient shrubs. Talking of resilient plants, I accidentally bought a new one. I popped into a shop and there was this pathetic looking…
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Garden Diary – Do you love anyone enough to share your first Strawberry?
The strawberries started to turn this week, which is always a sign that summer is arriving. There’s usually just one that ripens first and we always share it, so how appropriate that this year it was in the shape of a heart 🫶❤️ Ah… My blue Dutch Iris in the border came out earlier in the week, I planted the bulbs years ago and they just come up reliably every year. The yellow flag iris in the pond also started to bloom and the bees couldn’t get enough of either variety, I love how they disappear right inside. I get such enormous pleasure watching them and all the other pollinators…
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Garden Diary – Wake up & smell the roses
I do wake up & smell the coffee first, but then watering has become a daily necessity and so smelling the roses comes a close second. The roses are now in full swing and I feel there are more blooms than usual, which I guess is down to all this marvellous sunshine. Isn’t the weather extraordinary, and not just for the time of year, we would be over the moon with this in mid summer! Although… I’m not keen on watering, firstly it’s quite time consuming and secondly, my primary school did a good, brain washing job on us about not wasting water. We do have water butts, but it’s…
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Sciatica Makes For A Frustrated Gardener!
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Garden Diary – Goldilocks weather didn’t last
Last week started with perfect Goldilocks gardening weather, sunny but not too hot, it meant I could get some well needed greenhouse jobs done. Mainly potting plants on into bigger pots. Because we’ve had such an amazing spring everything’s been growing like mad, and it’s hard to get the timing of potting on just right, even a week too late and the plants can suffer. Understandably so, as being in the greenhouse on a hot day makes me suffer too! As the week progressed it gradually got hotter and I tried my hardest (in vain) not to moan. I do struggle in the heat, it just zaps my energy. And…
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Garden Diary – I thought the tulips were over, then 2 princess’s came along
It’s been an amazing tulip year, thanks to the weather playing ball for a change. But all good things come to an end, at least I thought. Just as I was feeling a bit sad the season was nearly over I found a pot hidden behind some larger pots and it was full of little orange tulips called ‘Little Princess’, what a lovely surprise! Then in the woodland border I found a couple of ‘Princess Irene’ tulips had popped up. So the princess’s were making a fashionably late arrival. The garden continues to produce sentimental blooms, coming from the dicentra which I took a cutting from an elderly friend donkeys…
