💐Flower Power 💐✌🏻🕊️

 This week's Flowers for the Table  - only using flowers from the garden allowed .

Cotinus coggygria , Pittasporum tenuifolium and Daisies ....Leucanthemum vulgare ( which I can neither say nor spell ) 

Then on to next job ....

Grubby old Rose bowl which usually holds a plant pot .

Along with a bit of elbow grease , Brasso does a good job even if it does melt my rubber gloves . I always end up with blackened fingers and a sore thumb . 

I have a few other bits to polish up while I'm in the mood .

                             Have a lovely Sunday !  💐☮️💐🕊️💐✌🏻

Rain . Jose Feliciano (original vrs 1969 - high quality)

I was only joking !

               I was only joking ! 🤣   I made a good start  .

Need to return the missing drawer and put the pictures up . . . . if I can find a hammer .

 I  need to get some large mouse , spider and waterproof boxes , in which to store all the fabric stuff . Weed membrane , windbreak mesh , winter fleece , netting ,tarpaulins , hessian sack cloth and newspapers .

Mostly to go under the bench , I think .  .  . 🤔 .  .  . or maybe down in the garage . 

                Not perfect , but a nice place to sit and listen to the rain .

                                        So , what d'you think ?

                                                    🌦️☀️🌦️🌦️☀️

😱Tidying the Garden Shed 🤣

 

No ...no... you see .. I DO actually know where everything is  !   

Try me ..go on ...

Where is the leek dibber Debbie ?  🌿Easy one ! On the end of the table , at the front , underneath a few things .🌱🌱

Where are the polystyrene sheets to stand plants on over the winter ? 🌿Easy one ! At the other end of the table on top of the seed storage box under the large grey potting tray ...under the winter outside tap covers , under the old blue mushroom crate , under the roll of insulation foil that I fix up in the greenhouse just before the winter storms .⛈️🌧️🌧️

Where is the windbreak mesh and tarpaulins Debbie ? 🌿Easy one ! Under the table and there's another big bag of netting in front of it .🌧️⛈️🌧️

Where's the drawer that goes in your old kitchen table Debbie ? 🌿Easy one ! It's upstairs in my needlework room ........🤣.... no please , don't ask ! 🤣🌻🌿

Where are the tree sapling protectors Debbie ? Easy one ! They are under the table on the floor .🌳🌲🌳🌳

Where is the box of chicken pellets Debbie ? 🌿Easy one ! On the other side under the potting bench ..it's a actually a large tub inside a black bin bag ....and looks not unlike the other big tub of perlite..but you can tell the difference because the chicken pellets have quite a distinctive fragrance ! 🐔🐤🐤

Garden string Debbie ?  🌿Easy one !...hanging up on the other side with garden wire .🪢🧵

Where are the goggles for moving Agaves and other dangerous plants Debbie ? 🌿Easy one !  Hanging up on the bamboo cane holder I fixed up overhead . 

Where are the bamboo canes Debbie ?🌿 Easy one ! They are presently being used out in the vegetable garden .🫛🫛🫛

Where are my old golf clubs Debbie ? He asks . 🌿Easy one ! ..... er....did you mean those rusty things under the potting bench . 🏌🏻‍♂️⛳🌧️⛈️

Trowel  , fork , spade , hori -hori ,hoe , garden sheers✂️, torch🔦 , secateurs , dibber, seed sprayers, propagators and their lids , hormone rooting powder ,seed trays , flower pots , watering cans , plant labels , scissors , string , wire ,  hooks , loo roll , newspapers , fleece , clippers and drip feeders , fertilisers , plant labelling pencils , powders sprays and potions , tomato feed , seeds , black board and chalk , potting compost , horticultural grit ,first aid box , little red garden note book .....

                                                            yes

                                           I is knowing where everything is !          

                                                        I is knowing !  

                                                      lol ! lol ! lol !

                                 So why should I bother tidy the shed ?

                                                     ✨ ✨⭐✨✨

So many jobs to be done ! Fun !

 

                                                   Good morning !

                          The Keyhole Bed / Pumpkins and Butternuts 

It was mizzling again earlier . There are a few clouds around , but I think the sun is trying to come out .

I can see a couple of nice Pumpkins in there !

 The Butternuts are not still not doing very well . Yellowing leaves 😞   I'm hoping that now we,ve had some rain they may pick up .   Actually the new leaves coming in the crown , are looking a bit greener .

    I need to get in there and weed again 🌿🍀🌿

Courgettes are flourishing , but so far only producing male flowers .

   Very annoying but it is a very common problem .

So I will snip off most of the male flowers ( but not all of them ! ) and that usually makes them start producing the female blooms with the immature fruit below them . 

 I'm thinking of planting some more flowers in there to encourage the bees to come along and pollinate them .  🐝🐝🐝

The Courgettes are growing around the Runner bean frame . The Runner beans got blasted by the cruel wind that was blowing during the recent heat wave . They are not doing well at all . Only a couple of plants survived .  It's funny , I always think of Runner beans being tough guys , but they are not .

 I am glad the French Beans are doing o.k. to eat fresh and also to freeze away .

In the shed the lettuces are doing really well and lots of kale for planting out later on .

When we had the old workshop taken down , I had to put everything from there into here . Chaos !

 I am in the process of taking stuff back down to the new workshop and reorganising all the gardening things , table and shelving in here .  So much to do ! 

                                              Spiders !  🕷️

I have also made a good start on the Herb Garden  . Weeding out the usual culprits .  

I had to take off a couple of the palm leaves . I don't like being so cruel to such a lovely plant but they were bashing the greenhouse roof in the wind . Really whacking it !  Sometimes I think to myself " Why did I plant it there ?" 

 Well in the beginning , it looked cute ! And the herbs around it were lovely , until I snitched a little teeny tiny piece of a very pretty variegated Artemisia vulgaris from someone's front garden ! I should have realised ! They had more than plenty of it ! It was coming through their fence ! Well I'm being punished sure enough for snitching now !   Absolute Karma coming back at me !  😂🤣😆

 I am going to try and do a really good job of this area and this is where my new tiny pond will be . 

 My grand daughter is going to help me  .

☀️ They break up for their school summer holibobs today !  Hooray !  🏖️🍧🍨

Not too many people down on the beach yet , but soon it will be packed with happy families !

 

                       I,ve got to go now and get on with tidying that shed !  🕷️

                                 Hey ! You ! .... Make it a great day !  ☀️

                                      Cheerio fer now !  love Debbie x

 

Drizzly morning 🌧️🌧️

 Another drizzly morning and I'm in the greenhouse tidying tomatoes . Very selectively removing any yellowing leaves .  Letting in more light and air .  Checking for blight .....we seem to be o.k. at the moment .

From the greenhouse , looking across the vegetable garden . I'm wondering how much bigger the Giant Echium ( the one that Jess gave me ) is going to get .

                                             It's gonna be a whopper ! 

                                                           🌿😃🌿

Some you win 😃 Some you lose 😞

 Some you win !  

 Sweet Pepper "Corno di Toro Rosso " are huge this year and starting to ripen up nicely . 

They are very beautiful but I can't eat Sweet Peppers or Chilli Peppers ...they just don't like me .

             Husband is VERY happy though . These are huge !

.....more French Beans . Some to have fresh , some to freeze away .

Some you lose !  

These were supposed to be Giant Sunflowers . It said so on the seed packet ...they seemed to be doing so well and I planted them in a row at the back of the bed because they were meant to be enormous . These are definitely not Giant Sunflowers . Very disappointed  .

I'll finish with some good news ..we have had a couple of nice proper rain showers . The water barrels are filling up again ....and there is more rain on the way for tonight . Hooray ! 

                                                   🌦️🌧️🌦️🌧️🌧️

                       No thunder and lightning yet - but is a possibility ⛈️

                            Stay positive !

               Have a great week , pull on your wellies and enjoy your gardening .

                                                   🌿💚🌿

Sunshine ☀️

 

 In anticipation  of overnight rain I put out some of my "house plants " . The beautiful Calathea especially needs to have only rain water .

The Boston Fern has not been doing very well  .....it's one plant that I don't seem to get along with !

It just doesn't like me !

It is a lovely sparkly morning , the sun has returned and the forecast says it will be a very warm day with maybe the odd little sprinkle of rain thrown in hither and thither .

I have brought the Calathea back indoors now , because it prefers to be in the shade . 

                            Me too ! 

       Be kind always🤍 Be gentle on yourself today 🕊️ I'm thinking of you . x   

☁️☁️Still Gloomy ☁️☁️

 

I  hung the washing out anyway !

  Keeping my fingers crossed .

 Hoping the Sun will eventually come out  ☁️☁️🌥️ or even do a good heavy rain and get it over with !

We do need the rain for our gardens 🌧️🌦️🌧️

ANYWAY ....

                   All's well in the greenhouse !  😃

                                Happiness ! 

☁️Gloom☁️☁️

 

                                             Gloomy foggy morning .

We had some rain .... not much ....enough to remind me that the greenhouse roof is still leaking .

Husband says he will work out a way to fix it before the big storms start .. October .

                             🌩️🌧️⛈️🌧️🌧️🌧️⛈️🌧️🌧️🌧️

                                              Sigh !  😞

Being positive ....

The water barrels are now just over a third full , for which I am very ,very grateful .

I'm going to do some patchwork to cheer myself up  .

                                                  ☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️

🌿💐Flowers for the Table 💐🌿

This week's "Flowers for the Table " - Aucuba japonica / Japanese variegated Laurel / the lovely yellow spotted one .... purple and pink Hydrangea blooms ...Miscanthus sinensis strictus/Porcupine Ornamental Grass /the lovely stripy one .....and Agapanthus / The Blue Lily of the Nile .

I crushed the stems of the Laurel to help them take up water from the oasis .

 Might not last very long in this hot weather , but it  doesn't matter , I have plenty of Laurel in the garden , so I can replace them  .

Flowers and the greenery always make the room feel fresh , uplifting and welcoming .

                                                         🌿🤍🌿

Heat wave - ish day 5 ☀️

 A cooler morning with a little sprinkling of rain . Water-barrels remaining at only an eighth full .

It quickly passed over and the hot sun returned .  ☀️ Not sure if it still counts as a heat wave now ?

But while it was a little bit cooler I thought I'd go pick and tidy up the tomatoes in the greenhouse .

The crazy thing on the trellis is a Bowiea volubilis .  

I managed to knock it over while I was scrabbling about on the floor . Hope it'll be o.k.  🤪🌿

                 Very happy with this little lot !

                                                                    ☀️

The postman handed over to me this little package .......

                   ......... 🤔  

I had ordered six Pelargonium Amy Amethyst plug plants . 

Bear in mind , these have travelled from the other side of the country on what turned out to be the hottest days of the year ...... 🤔

It was with great trepidation that I snipped off all that sellotape and opened it up .

Well I'll be blowed ! 🤩 ( an old fashioned expression of surprise or astonishment  🤣 )

                        💜   Just look at this !   💜

So I must highly recommend Bill , the great guy, that I bought these from  on Ebay uk .   The name of their shop being "RAYBOULD PLANTS AND MAGIC TRICKS" .

Lovely large and healthy looking plants with good root system . 

 

I unpacked and potted them all up straight away  .....and there was an extra one !

I don't know how Bill got them all into that little packet !   Very clever ! 

Very happy !  I am going to bring them on in the greenhouse for a while , just let them get their roots down before I plant them outside . 

These are going to replace the sweetpeas  which are going over now .( I did my Sweetpeas way back last November )

These Pelargoniums should give a cheerful display .

I will return them to the greenhouse in the Autumn and plant them out again next year .

Now I must go and pick more beans !  Cheerio my lovelies .

Where ever you are, please take care not to get sun burnt . You are very precious !  

        ........and whatever you do ... make it a great day ! 

                                         🌿☀️🌿