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06.01.2024 - 22:21 / ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com / Cathy
I have no idea what has caused this ‘flame’ in the garden, but perhaps it really does symbolise the heart of it. I was not aware of the flame while I was working in the garden today, removing and cleaning the bricks from the low retaining wall at the back of one of the bold borders, and it only became evident when I looked at the photos later. Looking at the wider picture, when there was about a third of the wall left to remove and clean, you can see that there is a glass sculpture in the border but, at the time the picture was taken, the sun (and it was a sunny day) was behind me and to my right, so it wasn’t shining through the glass. Curiously, as I perched on my makeshift stool, chipping away at the bricks with my lump hammer and chisel, I found myself thinking of earlier civilisations, chipping away with bones and stones to make their artefacts – so could I perhaps have been joined by ghosts from the distant past, huddled round their fire for warmth…?
By the end of the afternoon, the bricks were all cleaned and stacked, the piles of spent mortar bagged up and the border ready to be re-levelled and replanted where necessary – a good day’s work!
The Golfer had been working equally diligently, replacing the rest of the staging in the greenhouse, remaking parts where necessary. During the week I re-bubblewrapped the greenhouse and began to replace the contents where they wouldn’t interfere with the work still being done.
Once his work inside the greenhouse is done, the Golfer will make the raised bed for the relocated cutting bed before tackling the paths around the greenhouse, some of which need modifying. In the meantime, I emptied the contents of the three water butts connected so that I could move them to their new
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I’m Maria Nieuwenhof from Quebec, Canada (Zone 5). I was going through my pictures over the last few days and trying to figure out what annuals I will start from seeds this year for my bouquets. When I go to see friends, or when I visit my father in Montreal, or when I have an event to go to I bring one or more bouquets. I started in late April with my first bouquet that had daffodils and ended in early November with achillea.
I am not quite sure where the thoughts of the Orient came from, although the witch hazel at least has oriental ancestry – it may simply be that the yellow, cream and yellow-green contents brought this little perfume bottle to mind, thus bringing thoughts of the Orient to me even if no-one else…
If there is a lesson to be learned about the rose above, ‘Phyllis Bide’, it is not to overlook what is in front of your face. Planted outside the front door a few years ago to replace, on a whim, the bright pink ‘Pink Perpetue’, the bud that this bloom opened from must have been in evidence before I noticed the fully open flower on Thursday, but I hadn’t seen it. Not that I was expecting to see any roses in bloom halfway through January, although it does sometimes happen – and admittedly it tells me that this is a rose I had forgotten to prune when I did my climbers back in the late autumn! The front of the house is in full sun for most of the morning, so the sunshine that accompanied some bitterly cold days this last week has clearly given Phyllis a boost. Overall, however, she has still been outperformed by her predecessor, and needs to pull her socks up to justify her front-of-house position.
I spent the morning putting the guttering round the newly covered chicken run, and also fixing some of the guttering at the back of the chicken house.
I did pop out in the garden first thing on the Saturday morning but that was just for Mark to take a quick photo of me and my Rhubarb. The first Saturday in May is Naked Gardening Day, yes it’s a thing, and the only thing you’re supposed to wear is a smile, so here’s my contribution.
At this time of year a couple of my client’s only need me for a half day tidying their garden, where as most still need me to be in their garden for a whole day. When I get half days I take the opportunity to get bits done in my garden and this afternoon was no exception.
Being British we love to talk about the weather, it’s just one of those things we do. Many of us are never happy whatever the weather brings. It’s either too cold (but it’s the winter so what do you expect, put a few extra layers on), or too hot (again it’s the summer and that’s what happens, drink something cold and buy a fan). It rains when people don’t want it to (I must admit sometimes when it pours and I’m working I do get cross but I can’t do anything about it), and then sometimes it gets very windy (we live on a small island that is right next to the Atlantic ocean so it’s gonna happen). Stop complaining about the weather all the time and just live your life and enjoy your life. You only get one life so make the most of it and stop moaning about something that really doesn’t effect you that much. Yes you might get wet when it rains or sweaty when it’s hot, but there is always someone worse off that you. Ok so moan over, here’s what I got up to today and how the weather has effected my plants.
Now this hasn’t happened for ages, but nothing was going on this weekend. No cinema, no bell ringing, no seeing family. It was just me in the garden for the entire weekend. Obviously there was the usual shopping and household chores to do, but most of those were done on Saturday morning. It was then just me and my plants….it was beautiful.
Winter brings with it a unique charm, transforming our surroundings into a serene winter wonderland. While the traditional notion of barbecues may seem reserved for warmer months, the prospect of a winter BBQ adds a delightful twist to the culinary experience. Picture this: a snowy landscape, the crisp winter air, and the enticing aroma of grilling delicacies. Winter BBQs not only defy the norms but elevate the outdoor dining experience to new heights.
From the traditional bunch of classic red roses, to a theatrical spectacle of fern fronds and striking blooms, a bouquet of flowers can be a timeless or show stopping gesture of friendship, celebration, or romance. Yet, not all bouquets are created equal. Sustainability credentials, community impact, artistic craft and founder vision may be paramount considerations when choosing where to source your flowers, but we’ve taken the thorn out of the task by rounding up a list of pioneering florists around the country who are creatively inventive, sustainability-minded and will deliver a bouquet worthy of any special occasion.