Rather than posting some pretty eye candy or waxing lyrical about the taste of the first french beans, I have been too busy on the domestic side to blog.
I got home and found another clothes moth on a roman blind. Last night I was convinced that this was no longer a coincidence and husband and I got down to business: dealing with clothes moths.
Thursday, 11 August 2011
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
Back to the grindstone (nerd alert)
.... or the sharpest tool in the shed?
If you are not into garden graft, then you may as well skip to the last paragraph.
Over the last few weeks I have spent many hours cutting new lawn edges and digging borders for autumn planting. The work has been progressively been getting harder. Blame it on the heat or my age? Boredom? Fatigue? Possibly but mainly it is a case of blunt tools.
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If you are not into garden graft, then you may as well skip to the last paragraph.
Over the last few weeks I have spent many hours cutting new lawn edges and digging borders for autumn planting. The work has been progressively been getting harder. Blame it on the heat or my age? Boredom? Fatigue? Possibly but mainly it is a case of blunt tools.
Monday, 8 August 2011
Concerto
A discussion about bargain scarves made me think about my Concerto gavroche today.
It is a lovely neutral, a buttermilk coloured background with accents of mint green and bright blue.
It is a lovely neutral, a buttermilk coloured background with accents of mint green and bright blue.
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| Concerto - worn cowboy style |
Sunday, 7 August 2011
The 'Nearly did not Happen' Garden Part 2
Design time. Let's talk about colours.
Since this was a small garden, I suggested a two colour scheme. I drew inspiration from the few shrubs that were already in situ: a Leycesteria (very dark red) and Forsythia (bright yellow). One of the roses to be moved luckily had a label, so I could identify and look up the colour, badly needed since it was April, far too early for roses to flower. It proved to be Whisky Mac, a fairly bright yellow.
With my client being advanced in years but very young at heart, I suggested purple with yellow. I set to draw up a shortlist of suitable plants and armed with good quality photographs we met up.
For me this is an essential step and a bit of a shortcut. If I find the client does not approve, not much time is wasted at this stage as no plans have been drawn, plant numbers worked out and costed up.
I was lucky and my client loved the shortlist.
I shall spare you the finer details of how hard it was to prepare the site for planting, the planting and autumn bulb planting. Let's leave it with some pictures taken at planting stage, a few months after and finally after one year.
The gaps between plants are gradually disappearing as plants are filling out to their eventual size. Work is now concentrating on cutting the lawn, trimming lawn edges, deadheading and feeding, all fun stuff in my book. Oh, and enjoying the view.
Hope you enjoy it as much as my client.
Since this was a small garden, I suggested a two colour scheme. I drew inspiration from the few shrubs that were already in situ: a Leycesteria (very dark red) and Forsythia (bright yellow). One of the roses to be moved luckily had a label, so I could identify and look up the colour, badly needed since it was April, far too early for roses to flower. It proved to be Whisky Mac, a fairly bright yellow.
With my client being advanced in years but very young at heart, I suggested purple with yellow. I set to draw up a shortlist of suitable plants and armed with good quality photographs we met up.
For me this is an essential step and a bit of a shortcut. If I find the client does not approve, not much time is wasted at this stage as no plans have been drawn, plant numbers worked out and costed up.
I was lucky and my client loved the shortlist.
I shall spare you the finer details of how hard it was to prepare the site for planting, the planting and autumn bulb planting. Let's leave it with some pictures taken at planting stage, a few months after and finally after one year.
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| June 2010 - newly planted, new turf! |
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| May 2011 Gorgeous Alliums with Iris 'St Crispin' |
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| May 2010: Turf has held up very well despite hot and dry Spring |
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| July 2011: Penstemon 'Raven' and Achillea 'Coronation Gold' |
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| July 2011: Lavendula angustifolia and Achillea |
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| July 2011: Dahlia 'Arabian Night' |
The gaps between plants are gradually disappearing as plants are filling out to their eventual size. Work is now concentrating on cutting the lawn, trimming lawn edges, deadheading and feeding, all fun stuff in my book. Oh, and enjoying the view.
Hope you enjoy it as much as my client.
Saturday, 6 August 2011
Weekend Eye Candy
No long post today, just some summery eye candy from this week.
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| Dahlia 'Bora Bora (semi cactus) |
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| Dahlia 'Red Velvet' ? (waterlily) |
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| Rosa 'Cambridgeshire' (groundcover) |
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| Sweet Peas |
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| Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle' |
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| My favourite helper |
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| Broad Bean 'Claudia' |
Have a great weekend!
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