Tree Fern - Storm damage and Ivy

 Here is my gorgeous Tree Fern ,last year , looking it's absolute fabulous best , above and below with it's magnificent full skirt .

                 🌴     This is how I love to see them .  🌴

Unfortunately it was badly damaged during Storm Goretti . The silly thing had already started to push up it's new croziers . Also Ivy had crept in and started to smother the trunk .

 So I had to go in quite hard with it this time . I especially did not want the ivy to smother the crown .  

   So I spent pretty much a whole day ,  just carefully working away on it .

We'd had a lot of rain over the winter months and the Ivy was loving it ! 

In this picture , you can see how the severe gales had ripped off the tips of the fern fronds ...... very sad  😔🌿

Anyway it's "all tidied up" now 😔I hate "all tidied up " tree ferns and cordylines !

  It should start to look better next year , if we don't have such a harsh winter .

Good news  😄

Amorphophallus atroviridis  - update  💛

        I am nearly bursting with excitement to see these lovely new leaves !

                                                   🌿 🤗 🌿 

In the greenhouse , the Cucumbers are slowing down now . We have had a great harvest of cucumbers , very happy with them , but I think these two might be the last of them . I was very mean with the compost  ....so damned expensive !

              The tomatoes are still coming and ripening up . 

The peppers are really looking quite sad now . We had a fabulous harvest , they all came at once and all now sliced up , open frozen , bagged up in the freezer .

  I pulled off the last five this morning and I'm thinking of having a big clear out now in the greenhouse . So that I can now enjoy all my other plants .

                            Still waiting for rain !

                                            Peace and Love 🕊️

                                            Debbie 💐x

Waiting for the Rain

 The front lawn .....bone dry . I got outside early and went about spiking it in readiness for maybe a passing shower .

 I'm not obsessed with having an immaculate front lawn ....I don't mind a few pretty Daisies , Clover and I love the blue Self Heal .... but the bigger things like dandelions and Hawkweed , I try to keep them out .

                               Not a bad job done !

Meanwhile in the shed .....

               Pelargonium sidoides  / Umckaloabo / African Geranium

     I have been taking cuttings from a plant I actually bought for my botanical brother , who can do clever things like crossing them ....the more rare varieties .

                                       It is a very pretty one .

   All done and now upstairs on my bedroom windowsill , where I shall be watching them like a hawk !

            I love it's South African name - Umckaloabo !   

Weather update - we just had a two minute mizzle event .

      We need more ....not so much there's flooding mind.....but to refresh everything and refill the water barrels and  more seriously to extinguish the fires that are breaking out here and across Europe .

                                    Peace and Love 🕊️

                                                Debbie 💐x

Swallows 🌿

                                                click twice to view

     We were delighted to see a mother Swallow feeding her babies while out on our walk yesterday .

Sorry about the camera wobbling . Look how dry the fields are in the background .

       We have some clouds again this morning , but still no rain .

   I guess the swallows will soon be off on their long journey back to South Africa . I wonder which place they prefer . 

                 Maybe it's about the journey and not the destination .

                                                   🌿☀️🌿