the light was fading and those last photos have a funny tint to them. the streetlamps weren't on yet but it was starting to get dark. the days are noticably longer which pleased me very much. I use a SAD lamp in the mornings to try and combat the winter blues.
I recieved this photograph in an e-mail, its an quail, an very unusual bird to have in your garden! and such a fabulous tree full of spring blossom.
picture taken at the caravan garden in 2004.May supervises my weeding
this is a small part of my friends large and neglected garden, there is beech hedge down one side and some established hostas and grasses. all the little plants are cuttings or splits from my plants so this is 'my bit' and I'll be keeping an eye on it. I've used plants that should look after themselves, its a difficult garden, exposed and windy with a very poor clay soil, and no gardener!! hopefully there will be an photo later in the year showing it all filled in.
and Abbey, my reason for neglecting my own garden.....
Iris Harmony, some more to be seen growing at Wildside
the snowdrops have come up round the purple helbore which is pleasing
and the underside of the helbore
anther hellebore, so pretty, please excus my grubby fingers. .
and I've made a start in the greenhouse with some of the seeds that arrived last week. two types of onions, Walla Walla and Red Baron. and some bunching onions to use in salads as they grow.
lots of birdfeeders, I realy like this decorative seed feeder, there is one wee bird in the bottom if you look
attracting lots of birds
more waiting, sparrows look left, chaffinches look down
this corner was an old pond/rockery, grown over with nothing in it. love the paving stones with differet colour stones and plants, very pretty
same corner from a different angle, nice planting with lovely colours
these two photographs show gardens planted by my friend May, the first is just 10 years old the lower one over 35 years. she is obvioulsy an informed and inspired plantswoman, many of the plants in my garden have been gifts from her, cuttings and offshoots from her beautiful and varied plants. occasionally I do some weeding or planting for her and come away with priceless knowledge and armfulls of stuff to plant. and she insists I am doing her a favour?
unfortuately this old garden is gone now, a few of these beautiful mature plants have made their way into my and other lucky peoples gardens.
and if you are looking at a large space for 'conversion' into a fabulous space, remember one plant will grow, and fill a larger area than you imagined! its worth waiting for!!
spring crocus, delicate and beautiful
so pretty, luminous
purple edge hellebore
Sally lives near the sea and this photograh shows the mulch of seaweed on the left, she will cover as much of the garden as she can with it, good growing!!!
my gardening friend Billy died yesterday. he always likes things done the right way, which is the way his dad did it. at the end of season his greenhouse was always "rededd oot", meaning a good clean. and he would frown at, but still forgive, my ornaments in my greenhouse, his wife says he called it a "girls greenhouse". a marvellous tall man for putting in the glass. he'll be sorely missed.
typical scottish summer weather!
I was invited to stay with friends on Saturday night near Oban.
this is their veg plot, which I am really impressed with as they constructed it all this year, it is raised 'lazy beds' as their garden soil is little more than a 'raised beach' of compacted earth and more stones than mine!!
all laid out to allow acces all along the plot,
also this year they dug out this pond and grew frogs from tadpoles, hopefully to control the slug population
and waiting for this lily to flower soon
practising life skills , lighting fire in the wet, for when we run out of oil.
always handy to have a friend to fetch sticks .
sitting outside at Betty's house, her cat free garden allowing birds to come close for crumbs.
I had a lovely lunch today at Betty's house, home made broccoli soup and garlic bread, yum. A good gardening friend, Betty is very knowlegable and good garden 'do-er'; by which I mean if she sees something in her minds eye she goes out and does it, where I would have another cup of tea and look at it in my minds eye some more. . . .
She has this marvellous chinese style house next to her pond. The pond is in the middle of having its sides made level so it wasn't very photogenic today as it had a large aluminium ladder slap-bang over it.
After our lunch it started with hailstones outside, when they landed in the trough I thought it looked as if she had scattered white stones on the soil.
