Jell-O
03.05.2024 - 14:25 / ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com / Cathy
Averting my eyes from the tulips which were shouting “Pick me! Pick me!” as I walked past, I headed towards the bottom end of the garden to pick some of the marauding Spanish bluebells that have sneaked their way in under/over/round the fence. The impact of bluebells in the garden has really registered in recent days, with the uninvited guests and the more local residents joining forces to provide by far and away the biggest splash of blue in the garden out of all the seasons. There may be little patches of blue from spring bulbs and isolated spots in the summer months, but bluebell season is something else and the splashes will only get larger and more widespread as time goes on, with even the English bluebells popping up in other parts of the garden than the woodland. By picking the Spanish bluebells, however, I can at least try and restrict their desire for dominance!
Joining the bluebells and chosen for the same spring freshness that their companions display are three fern fronds, their croziers unfurling beautifully in the way that only fern croziers can. I was intrigued to see that each of the individual pinnae on the frond are also curled – who knew? Joining the ferns and bluebells in my favourite 1980s blue-grey ribbed vase is a curl of Elder Daughter’s hair, not baby hair as she was all but hairless for her first three years, but from her first haircut. In truth though, it is only a curl because it has been curled up in this teeny box (which has a lid with a peacock design), made from coloured straw and lined with red silk, for nearly 40 years!
If you have material to pick from your garden or forage nearby, whatever its colour, please consider sharing it with us today on IAVOM by leaving the usual links to and
If you love something, make it flat—that’s how the saying goes, right? When it comes to flat croissants, at least, that’s definitely the case. We all know (and love) the classic flaky croissant, but bakeries and home chefs have taken the pastry to new heights (or lows?) by flattening it and frying it to make it even crispier.
Cucurbit downy mildew was found in the state this past week on cucumbers in Charleston. All commercial cucurbit growers need to be on the lookout and start preventative fungicide applications, if not already started.
Having decided to spare a few allium (probably A hollandicum) for today’s vase, I sought other material on the purple spectrum, cutting Geranium phaeum ‘Raven’, a deep purply-blue aquilegia and foliage from Persicaria ‘Red Dragon’ – but the combination just didn’t seem to work. Glancing up at the wisteria W floribunda ‘Multijuga’ in all its glory, it occurred to me that the purple hints in the racemes were on the same spectrum as the allium – would they last in a vase? I have no idea, but I decided to give them a try.
There are certain points of contention in interior design: maximalist or minimalist, vintage or new, carpet or hardwood floors? Another question that seems to garner polarizing opinions: if headboards are really needed in the bedroom.
How to Plant and Grow Parris Island Cos Lettuce Lactuca sativa ‘Parris Island Cos’
How to Plant and Grow Scarlet Runner Beans Phaseolus coccineus
Having cut spent flowering stems from all the hellebores over the weekend, amassing a large trugful of them, rather than compost them all I decided to use several stems in today’s vase. Not only was it the last opportunity this year to use hellebores in a vase, but this time I could also be sure, with seedpods well-swollen, that the stems will remain upstanding, unlike vases when the blooms were fresher. I wish I could tell you what colour the original blooms were, but I can’t; now, they are a very pale green with dark speckled centres, giving them a kind of vintage appearance.
Hebes are popular evergreen shrubs, mostly native to New Zealand although some are native to Australia and South America. They come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and are suitable for growing in a range of sites and planting schemes. Hebes are excellent in shrub borders, used as ground cover or low-growing hedging, and are relatively low-maintenance.
April has been a mixed and breezy month, with April showers and sunny periods, and although it has been pleasant in the sun we have not really felt much warmth from it, with temperatures rarely rising above the mid teens (centigrade). Today has seen a change, however, with a mild night and blue skies from daybreak onwards, and our weather monitor recording temperatures over 19°C – but we still have the breeze! We are forecast more days like this, and I feel confident of beginning to plant up the cutting beds.
If you want to repurpose your old glass kitchenware, just Grow these Purple Plants in jars, bottles, and vases. Now, you may wonder that why “Purple”? Purple, the color of royalty and luxury will vibe up your space to the next level. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, it will infuse your space with positive energy and a calming aura.