This week is was a case of picking flowers yesterday morning as we are in the grip of a heatwave today and tomorrow - dire and record breaking temperatures are forecast for most of the U.K. and we are been advised to stay in during the heat of the day with blinds or curtains closed. Even though I was out early yesterday to snip and take pictures my photos till looked bleached, so I was out even earlier this morning wield a watering can followed by a case of take two. I have a couple of vases this week. In the first are:
- Achillea 'Summer Berries' - these perennials were sown in September 2020, produced a few flowers last summer but have made substantial growth this year. They seem quite easy going although probably need some help not to flop ungainly. I had hoped for some of the other colours suggested in the mix so will sow some more this September to see what transpires.
- A few sweet pea flowers - these were sown at the start of March.
- A couple of sprays of daucus carrota - sown last September and now an annual sowing.
- My first picking of consolida ajacis or larkspur 'Misty Grey'. I sowed some seed at the end of September to overwinter in the greenhouse but they completely failed to germinate. A second sowing was made in March after firstly confining the seed packet in our freezer for a fortnight's holiday. After somewhat erratic germination I eventually ended up with well over a dozen plants. I was able to give some to a friend who had been drooling over them in a catalogue but didn't order seeds. I hope that the plants will stand up to being frazzled for a couple of days as I do have a soft spot for them.
My second vase this week is a jug of sweet peas. We were away last week for a few well timed as it turns out days in Shropshire, when the sun was shining most of the time but most pleasantly so. Before leaving I stripped off all the flowers from the sweet pea wigwam and have been rewarded by being able to snip industrial quantities of them since returning home.
Thanks to Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' for her impeccable hosting each Monday. There will be no gardening activities today but a gentle flurry of domestics followed perhaps by a leisurely read this afternoon with a glass of something cool to hand and then a spot of vase visiting. Cooking is also off the agenda - himself has been informed.
Ooh! Well done with the larkspur Anna. And your jug of sweet peas--what more could one need? Just lovely.
ReplyDeleteIf I could only grow one annual flower it would be sweet peas Suzie and I would have the biggest jug ever 😂
DeleteThe colour combination is lovely
ReplyDeleteThanks Sue 😃
DeleteIt was certainly worth your effort reshowing the Larkspur Anna. It is stunning, at first I thought they were clematis flowers. All in all a lovely collection of very delicate flowers.
ReplyDeleteYes they could indeed be clematis flowers at a quick glance Noelle but then larkspur and clematis are part of the same plant family 😂
DeleteOh that larkspur is so pretty - it's such a shame we have such a struggle to get them to germinate. Mine tend to go in and out of the freezer a few times. Perhaps I will open-mindedly try an autumn sowing myself. The jury is out on achillea here - and no-one wanted to buy my spares! Good thinking on your sweet peas - I read in my garden diary that I cut all mine down at this time last year...they are still going OK here despite the heat but I am definitely not picking them enough.. Thanks for generously sharing TWO vases today Anna. I hope you enjoyed your Shropshire foray and are now able to chill (literally) for a few days
ReplyDeleteThe germination is certainly a challenge Cathy. I don't think that I've cracked it yet but a good results this time around. ! will be sowing them again as they are quite beautiful. My sweet peas are now showing signs of mildew 😢
DeleteWhat a gorgeously unusual shade of larkspur. I have found larkspur to hold up to heat a lot better than expected here in Australia, so hopefully yours will be ok during your heatwave. Hope you and your garden get some relief soon.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words. The larkspur are fine and we've now had copious amounts of rain 😂
DeleteTwo lovely vases Anna. I know how much you enjoy your sweet peas, but those larkspur are equally delightful. I do like the Achillea too. My red one hasn't flowered well this year, so perhaps I will try sowing some different ones too. Hope it has cooled down for you. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Cathy. I think that the larkspur are most lovely indeed. If only they were scented and they might rival the sweet pea in my affections. They certainly have more attractive foliage 😂 I'm on the look out for more achillea and yes it has definitely cooled down now much to my relief.
ReplyDeleteThat jug is a magnificent green - a perfect foil to a lush bunch.
ReplyDelete