We woke up to a light covering of snow this morning and it's slightly warmer but not warm enough to be out in the garden. What better then but to be browsing through images of summer days to select one for Cathy's 'A Week Of Flowers' 2023, over at Words and Herbs. Here is the hardy perennial geranium 'Rozanne', a really long and prolific flowering plant. Later in the year she enjoyed the company of dahlias and her flowers have only just come to an end with the first hard frosts. I like her so much I now have a trio of plants.
greentapestry
~ a gardening and allotment notebook
Sunday 3 December 2023
Saturday 2 December 2023
A Week Of Flowers 2023 - Day 2
Friday 1 December 2023
A Week Of Flowers 2023 - Day 1
The plant has an interesting history. It was initially discovered as a chance seedling on the compost heap of Patricia Marrow's nursery in Somerset and then saved for posterity. Imagine if nobody had attended that compost heap for a while!
Thanks Cathy for brightening up these cold days with floral delights.
Monday 27 November 2023
IAVOM ~ Return Of The Spider
This is a tender perennial. I treated myself to one plant last year but it didn't come through the winter. I imagine that the long bitterly cold spell we had last December may have been responsible. As I liked it that much I treated myself in the spring to a trio of plug plants, which are now flowering away happily. I will be interested to see how long they last once picked as they are supposed to have a long vase life.
The vase was a purchase earlier this year from the florist's shop near my hairdresser's salon. The shop contains a myriad of glass vases and bottles in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
No gardening from me today apart from perusing the potted snowdrops in the greenhouse one or two showing some white and much promise of things to come. It is just too cold and damp out there for me and I've sustained an injury. I managed to cut through the nail of my index finger whilst slicing carrots so I am slightly sore and well plastered. Thanks to Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' for her most gently encouraging hosting. I'm really looking forward to vase hopping later today with notebook and pen by my side.
Monday 13 November 2023
In A Vase On Monday ~ 'Ten Years Gone'
Today we're celebrating the tenth anniversary in 'In A Vase On Monday' which has given me and many other bloggers much pleasure over the years! As well as picking for a vase most weeks it has has been so interesting to see what everyone else is growing. My wish list has certainly grown as a result and over the years new plants have been introduced into the garden. Not only that but Cathy and fellow participants are such an encouraging, supportive and welcoming bunch so there is always a warm glow to Mondays whatever else is going on in the world.
It's a most modest vase from me this week in the shape of a teeny tiny expresso cup, which is one of a motley crew of cups and mugs displayed on the Welsh dresser in our kitchen. If my memory serves me correctly it was a charity shop find many moons ago. It's French in origin, manufactured by a china producer by the name of Sarreguemines. Hopefully with some research I might be able to put an age to it.
Just a duo in my 'vase' :
- A spray of chrysanthemum 'Bigoudi Red' - this was bought as a cutting last year and came inside the greenhouse last winter. It has since been back out but it is now back in. The plan is to take cuttings next year and to experiment with leaving the odd one outside to see if they will overwinter. It is a darker shade of red than it appears in my photo.
- Some snippets of an unknown physocarpus although probably 'Diablo'
Monday 6 November 2023
IAVOM ~ Edited
- Some leafiness provided by pittisporum 'Silver Ball'.
- The antirhinnum 'Madam Butterfly Watermelon' - the flowers now more open than they were a week ago when they were just really showing hints of pink.
- A spring of rosa' The Fairy'- this is a low growing polyantha rose which bears clusters of small light pink flowers from late June right through to the first frosts. The foliage always seems to be glossy and untouched by any signs of black spot. It has very delicate small hips. Perhaps it's only fault is that it does not appear to have any scent.
Wednesday 1 November 2023
Monday 30 October 2023
In A Vase On Monday ~ Drip
It's soggy and grey out there this morning and either rain and/or leaves have been showering down with some gusto. The willow in the background is slowly shedding it's leaves but there is a silver lining in that some of them fall on the other side of the wall so we do not have to clear them up. The next few days promise to continue in the same vein weather wise with another named storm forecast for the middle of the week. Still a few tenacious flowers are clinging on and one or two are positively thriving including dahlias and the stalwart hardy geranium that is 'Rozanne', who so well deserves her award of winner of the RHS Plant of the Centenary at the 2013 Chelsea Flower Show.
In my vase this week are :
- A single stem of dahlia 'Molly Raven' whose praises I've sung loudly before now.
- A stem of antirrhinum 'Madame Butterfly Watermelon'. This was grown from seed back in March and has not really thrived. It seems to be producing more flowering stems now that we're reaching the end of the season than it did in the summer. However it might be more floriferous next year if it comes through the winter.
- A couple of sprigs of pittosporum 'Silver Ball'. This was new to me earlier this year and the plan is to keep it in a pot and to try to keep it in trim. Apparently it's a plant that lives up to it's name forming a ball like shape.