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5 Perennial Plants for late colour in the garden – Part 1
I’m really pleased this year with the amount of late colour my perennial plants are still giving. I remember distinctly in the first garden I created, getting to August with just one plant still in flower and thinking, “where’s all the colour gone”? I set about learning which plants gave late summer colour and started incorporated them into my borders. When we arrived here and started to create a wildlife friendly garden from scratch, I was determined to have flowers for as much of the year as possible. This wasn’t just for my benefit but for the insects needing fuel, especially later in the year before going into winter. I’m…
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Cosmos – Lost and Found
I say lost and found, as when I first started gardening a long time ago… I always grew cosmos, but then I discovered perennials and gave up growing annuals for years. Last year though I rediscovered what wonderful plants annuals are and particularly. 2021 – Cosmos came back to the garden It came about as I created a small wildflower border last year, I bought a few packets of annual seeds including cosmos. Coincidentally a friend had also grown cosmos last year and gave me some of her seedlings – it was meant to be! Gosh I really had forgotten how lovely they are; how big they grow; how prolifically…
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Produce coming out of my ears!
It really is hard work trying to keep up with all the harvesting at this time of year, I feel like I have produce coming out of my ears! So as not to waste any I am cooking at least as much as gardening – which doesn’t always make me happy if the sun is shining outside. The freezers (yes two) are filling up fast! Luckily we had an old one of my mum a couple of years ago and honestly I don’t know how we ever managed without it! It’s true though that you don’t miss what you haven’t had, but once you’ve had it you would really miss…
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Dierama Plants – Fussy, but worth the trouble!
Dierama plants are fussy, but once they are happy in your garden, they will reward you with multiple, unusual flowers, that dangle delicately on a tall, impossibly thin arching stem 5ft in the air. Then you will understand their common names of ‘Angels fishing rods’ and ‘Dancing Ladies’. When the wind catches their flowers, they literally do dance around. Dieramas are classed as a perennial plant but their leaves are evergreen. They’re thin and resemble a type of grass, with tufts around 2ft or 60cm high. They originate from mountainous grasslands in South Africa. So they are looking for a sunny, south facing position with well drained soil. Anything less than these…
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The First Week of July
Well, to say that it’s been a busy week is the understatement of the century. Hasten to add that there hasn’t been much chance to write about the garden. The building work on the house is in full swing and as is so often the case it hasn’t all been going smoothly! So this week I’m just leaving you to your own devices to have a little look at what’s growing in the garden in this, the first week of July. Keeping the bees happy It’s getting fruity Eat up your greens The colours of summer A lesson in relaxing And of course whilst we’ve been running around like two…
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The Kitchen Garden Produce is Ramping up!
Since early in the year we’ve been eating a few things out of the kitchen garden, but this is when production seriously ramps up. We had some cavolo nero kale back in winter and we’ve managed to keep the purple sprouting broccoli limping along. It’s desperately trying to go to seed now, but I just keep chopping it down. We’ve had salad leaves for quite a while and rhubarb for breakfast for a good few weeks. The asparagus season is now at an end, we have to stop harvesting it this weekend. You should only cut it for six weeks, before letting it go to seed. Broad Beans Those beautiful,…
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Sentimental Plants – Plants that remind you of others
By sentimental plants, I mean plants with connections to others. For me the nicest plants in the garden are those that have an association with people I’m fond of, or have been fond of. Whether it’s plants passed down the generations; or plants with memories and associations; or all those plants given to you by other gardeners; maybe it’s memories of plants bought on days out with special people; or cuttings taken from friends gardens; there’re plants with meaningful names; and plants you’ve bought with vouchers, gifted to you by loved ones. All of these plants mean that bit more to you. I think most of us can walk around…
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Gardening for your mental health
In this week of mental health awareness, I’d like to shout from the rooftops, that gardening is good for your general health but especially for your mental health. I’m a person that doesn’t find it easy to relax, not my body or my mind, but in the garden I am truly zen. It’s actually quite difficult to describe quite how it makes me feel, but mainly calm, happy and that nothing else really matters. I’m not sure if it’s being outside in the fresh air; or the process of tending living things; or the company of wildlife that a garden brings; or the constant planning and looking forward to what’s…
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Happy Easter from Walnut Kitchen Garden
Happy Easter everyone on this beautiful Easter Sunday. Can you believe the weather? Three bright sunny days on a bank holiday, unheard of! I hope you’ve all managed to get out and about enjoying the marvellous spring flowers that are appearing everywhere. I heard a rumour that it’s going to rain tomorrow, but we’ll think about that tomorrow! Today we’re just going to soak up all the sunny joys that an April Easter bank holiday brings. For the last few weeks there’s been a real blue and yellow theme here in the garden, which always makes me think of Easter. No more so than in my new little planting patch,…
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It’s all go in the garden – Spring has Sprung!
Gosh it’s all go at this time of year! I’ve been sowing seeds on and off since the end of January now, when I started with the chillies. It’s been a continuous cycle of sowing, then potting the seedlings on once they’re big enough to be handled. I actually risked putting them out into the greenhouse a couple of weeks ago. Thank goodness it had finally turned milder as I was totally running out of space on the windowsills! Anyway I’m glad to report that they’re all doing well, streaking ahead now they have so much more light. It’s just a case of keeping a close eye on the watering…
