A Week Of Flowers 2025 ~ Day 7

Sadly it's the very last day of Cathy's Week Of Flowers 2025. I'm rounding the week of with two later flowering perennials complete with visiting pollinators in Cathy's honour. Above you can see helenium 'Sahin's Early Flowerer' which is a hardy perennial and what could be called a good do'er. It did struggle a bit in this year's hot and dry summer and was the only well established perennial in the borders that I watered as it was positively flagging at times. The photo was taken in the first week of July but the plant was still sporting flowers well into September.

Secondly my favourite autumnal hardy perennial in the shape of aster 'Little Carlow' which relished this year's weather and looked as if it was on steroids. Here it is above in September and then still pumping away flowers in the first week of October.

A final photo and perhaps cheating just a little as this was taken on Christmas Day last year 

the cheering presence of a hamamelis with snowdrops nearby. It is already colouring up so the race is on to see when it will open - in 2025 or 2026. I think that it will be the former but whatever the outcome it isn't far away from doing so which is most exciting.

A big thanks and virtual bouquet must go to Cathy over at 'Words and Herbs' for her sterling effort of getting us together every day for the last week to enjoy some much appreciated floral fun and fond photographic memories 💐 ❤️

A Week Of Flowers 2025 ~ Day 6

Moving further into the year today as I join in with Cathy's 'A Week Of Flowers' 2025. Firstly allium 'Purple Sensation' on a mid-May day and my favourite time of year.

Then some three weeks later in the first week of June it's the turn of allium 'Christophii', geranium 'Rozanne' and astrantia probably 'Gill Richardson' or possibly 'Burgundy Manor'. I can distinguish them when in flower but not when looking back at photos. There is a clematis budding in the background but it doesn't join in until later.

A big vote of thanks must go to Cathy who blogs over at 'Words and Herbs' for her hosting. It has been a damp and dreary week with no sight in end so this has really brightened up my days. 

A Week Of Flowers Days 3,4 & 5 ~ 2025

 

I'm moving later into the year today as I join in Cathy's celebration of 'A Week Of Flowers - 2025'. This bowl of hyacinths with violas gave me great pleasure in the spring. I had never planted hyacinths outdoors in containers before and was thrilled by both the pop of colour as well as the aroma which I sometimes find overwhelming indoors, but oh so delightful out outdoors. The bowl was situated near the greenhouse so whenever I nipped in there to sow seeds etc. I caught the scent. I planted up two bowls. The hyacinth in this one was either 'Miss Saigon' or 'Woodstock' but I can't remember which. This year I've planted more bowls like this and the violas are of the same colour although I don't think it matters as the hyacinths bowls were one of my gardening highlights of 2025.

A new to me bulb in the shape of the little species tulipa batalini 'Bronze Charm' which was a lovely soft yellow and is supposedly perennial. I planted them with muscari but I won't repeat the combination because as you can see the muscari had already come and gone. I've planted more this autumn just on own their own. Unlike their bigger relatives the leaves are much smaller and less floppy.

Finally for today a spring blossom in the shape of malus 'Red Sentinel' which thoroughly enjoyed this years' weather conditions. A big thank you to our lovely host Cathy over at 'Words and Herbs'. It's a pleasure to be looking back as to what there was out there and will be again before too long.

A Week Of Flowers 2025 ~ Day 2

 

It's day 2 of Cathy's 'A Week Of Flowers' annual meme and it's fast forward to late February in the garden. Another snowdrop' Blonde Inge' with cardamine quinquefolia, an early flowering perennial. Into March the cardamine makes for a pool of colour on a sunny day pictured with other snowdrops this time.

A big thank you to Cathy who blogs at 'Words and Herbs' for hosting this annual celebration of colour.Do visit her blog if you haven't already!

A Week Of Flowers 2025 ~ Day 1

 

I'm joining in with Cathy from 'Words And Herbs' who kindly invites us every year about this time to share some photos of flowers that have given us pleasure over the year. This is a lovely way to brighten up what can be dull and dark days in the northern hemisphere. Today is such a day - damp and drear albeit very mild.

When looking at the photos I've taken in my garden this year I soon came to the conclusion that I took very few photos after June - plenty in gardens we visited over the summer but barely any in my own! I must try to remedy that next year. So my contributions this week are going to be winter/spring top heavy and no apologies for starting with possibly one of my favourite flowers which is galanthus 'Trumps' taken at the end of January. It's a great snowdrop for clumping up quickly and making an impact in the border.

Thank you Cathy for providing us with both fun and a pop of colour this week. Its' a special day today as it's our wedding anniversary so there's a meal to be cooked and a glass of celebratory wine ahead. I'll be back later this evening to visit other bloggers.

IAVOM ~ 'Little Things'

 

A teeny- tiny sprig from me today in what must be a candidate for the world's smallest vase. On Wednesday afternoon there was a faint knock on the door and by the time I got there I saw the back of a man retreating to a van. However in the porch was a large box which I bought inside. I wasn't expecting any deliveries but the label had my name and address on it, so I opened it which was easier said than done. Nestled inside was a beautiful orchid complete with a note informing me that the sender was my sister. What a lovely surprise!

Sadly during either packaging it up or in transit a tiny flowering spring had broken off so I decided to put it in a vase. A big thank you to Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' who gets us together each and every Monday to share our Monday vases.

Storm Claudia arrived on Saturday - we were fortunate to escape the devastation that hit some of the country as a result of heavy and prolonged rain accompanied by strong winds. Here we had 29mm of rain in a 24 hour period. Since then the temperature had dropped significantly and we woke up to a light air frost this morning. It has been a glorious sparkling day today albeit chilly. The week ahead looks progressively colder. Yesterday all the plants that need some winter protection were bought into the greenhouse. I'm undecided yet as to what to do with my potted snowdrops and may just bring a smaller collection of my favourites under cover for the winter. The last of bulb planting will hopefully be done at the weekend when it should be warm enough for my fingers 😂 Have you had your first frost of the autumn yet? 

Wordless Wednesday ~ Norton Priory Walled Garden, Cheshire, November 2025

 

IAVOM ~ Nestled

Today I'm joining in a most special celebration of the twelfth anniversary of 'In A Vase On Monday' where bloggers get together to greet the new week with a vase of pickings from their own gardens. Participants were challenged to include a prop and a pun in today's post. In my vase today are :

• A flower of a chrysanthemum - although the label reads 'Avignon Pink' I have some doubts but whatever the identity it's a welcome pop of colour on a damp November day.
• A couple of sprigs of symphoricarpus or snowberry bush which bears the little pink tinged berries that you see in the above photo. This year it has produced more berries than ever. The plant came to me from my parents otherwise it would have not been planted as it's a thug and should carry a government health warning. It slightly redeems itself at the time of year but only very slightly.
• Tucked into the vase are flowers of erigeron karvinskianus which must be the longest flowering plant in my garden. It bears teeny tiny white daisy flowers some of which take on a pink shade with age. 
• Some foliage from pittisporum 'Bannow Bay' now wearing its autumnal/winter colours.

My prop is a small ancient and slightly skewhiff Russian doll who resides on a shelf of my Welsh dresser in the kitchen. I have a soft spot for her even though she is rather full of herself. The vase is one of two I have that was hand painted by my mum.

With special thanks to the lovely Cathy who resides over at 'Rambling In The Garden' for providing us with so many years of shared fun, knowledge, friendship and floral inspiration 👏🏻 💐🤗  Do visit if you haven't already done so.

IAVOM ~ Fall Back

 

With the clocks falling back an hour this weekend there's no denying that autumn is well and truly here and that the nights are lengthening. It's not my favourite time of the year and I'm already counting down towards the winter solstice. The weather was suitably dire this weekend with strong cold winds and intermittent rain some of it heavy. I picked the contents of my vase on Saturday to photograph not knowing what today would bring. As it's turned out it has been much drier and although still windy the direction of that wind is changing becoming milder.

In my vase this week are :

• Rudbeckia 'Enchanted Flame' - a new to me this year plant which were purchased as my usual sowing of Rudbeckia 'Sahara' was a complete and utter flop. This is a tender perennial which I shall be bringing into the greenhouse soon along with the dahlias. 
• The red foliage is chard' Bright Lights' which produces a mix of edible leaves with stems that produce a rainbow of colours. I use them in salads and sow them most years. I didn't this year but bought some plug plants from a local garden centre in late summer.
• Finally for the scent factor a couple of sprigs of mint. I've lost track of which this one is but think it may be pineapple mint. 

Thanks as always to Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' who gently encourages us to collect something from our gardens to show in a vase every Monday. Do pay her a visit if you haven't already.

This week's garden tasks include more bulb planting and leaf sweeping. A confession to make - a second albeit smaller bulb order arrived last week on the heels of the first delivery. We are also making our way through deciding what to do with our bumper apple crop apart from eat them and give them away. There's a supply of stewed apples in the freezer and we will be making a batch of spiced apple chutney later this week. The remaining necessary were bought this morning so we're all set to go. Any other suggestions as to how to use up surplus apples are welcome although preferably not anything involving cake 😂  Wishing everyone a good week both in and out of the garden.

In A Vase On Monday ~ The Late Show

 My vase today is a hotch potch of late blooming flowers namely :

• A trio of very pink and frilly cosmos flowers - these emerged from a packet of the annual cosmos bipannatus 'Double Click Cranberries' which they are most definitely not. At least this colourway was only to be found on one plant - the others being true to their name but to my surprise I've become quite fond of this errant imposter.
• A single flower of the lovely perennial that is aster frikartii 'Mönch' - with larger flowers than aster 'Little Carlow' but a very similar colour.
• A couple of geranium 'Azure Rush' flowers. I've bought a couple of plants to replace two hardy geranium 'Rozanne' plants which have been occupying space in a border for about five years or so. I love 'Rozanne' but she sprawls and rudely elbows her neighbours out of the way. 'Azure Rush' is very similar in colour, flowers just as late on into autumn but fingers crossed has a more compact habit. I plan to pass a 'Rozanne' on to a friend if she's amenable to providing her with a good home and use the other in a pot.

Thanks Cathy for your excellent hosting skills. 'In A Vase On Monday' can be found weekly over at Cathy's blog 'Rambling in The Garden' when bloggers from all over share their weekly pickings. 

It's been a dry and settled week with pleasant temperatures ideal for getting on with gardening jobs including bulb planting and the serious leg of seemingly never ending task of leaf sweeping and bagging up. Fortunately for me himself does more than his fair share of this as there are a number of large trees in the vicinity. Serious rain stopped play yesterday though and it looks as if we're in for a mainly wet week ahead so I'll be retreating to the greenhouse to do some more bulb planting in pots. I've also got one or two September sown hardy annuals that I'm going to risk pricking out into small pots before it gets much colder. I wonder what everybody else is up to in their gardens this coming week 🤔