💐Flowers for the Table 💐

 You may have noticedthat I didn't do my usual "flowers for the table"post last week .

This is because there are hardly any flowers in the garden to pick , due to the long drought .

I managed to find a few today ; enough to cobble together what turned out to be a rather extravagant arrangement !

Two very small blue hydrangea sprays , one small spary of Rosa "Bonica", a very small spray of red Pelargoniums . The rest is Bay , Pittasporum and Miscanthus sinensis .

                   What do you think ? 😀 lol ! 

Followed by a stroll along the beach .....

   

                                   Peace and Love 🕊️🤍

                                           Debbie 💐x

A little bit cooler today 🌤️

               A tad cooler today .

 I decided to tackle the Acanthus mollis /Bear's breeches .

              It is a very handsome plant with very stately flower spires .

Very elegant until it begins to form these fat green spiny seed pods .

 This is the time to cut it down . Get rid of those seed pods , which if left become dry , crisp and even more spiny . 

 Acanthus from the Greek word meaning thorn ...mollis from Latin meaning smooth and soft . I really don't understand why as it is not soft or smooth .

 Bear's breeches ..... ? No idea ....and why would it be spelt breeches and not britches . Maybe it's an American/English thing .  🐻🧸

I allow it to grow here on this north facing area of the garden , but it is at this stage every year , that I cut it all down and clear it away , every last seed pod of it .

Some years I dig out some of the roots . mainly because I don't want it spreading it's roots underground and coming up in the drive .

   So I climbed up and allowed myself no more than fifteen minutes to slash it all down and a bit later on I raked it all down into the wheelbarrow .

 

         It's not perfect but I will come back and do a bit more tomorrow .

              

Meanwhile Ricardo - Lord Protector of the Spud Tubs is feeling pleased with himself once again ! We still have another tub to tip out and he's planted more to have in December .

 In the greenhouse , I had thought that the Cucumbers were just about finished . but I found two more hiding ! 

                         Very pleased !

So I had harvested all of the remaining Sweet Peppers and I had thought to throw the plants out , but changed my mind and thought it might just be worth a try to cut them down  and see if I can encourage them to produce a few more .

 I cut them all down by a goodly half and intend to give them a bit of tomato feed .

I can see new shoots coming at every point where a leaf is beginning to yellow and drop . It's worth a try , nothing to lose !

Flowers for the table -

 There really isn't much  choice right now , everything is so dry .

                 I didn't want to take too much , but found a few things .

 Hydrangeas  , Pittosporum , Cotinus coggygria" Royal Purple" , Agapanthus and a small piece of Buddleia " Black Knight " and I think it is called Euonymus , a pretty variegated one to fill in the gaps .

            

                                       Looking pretty on the table .

Last but not least .... There's going to be an eclipse next week  ☀️🌑Wednesday 12th August starting at 6.15 pm - 7.10pm 

                        Get ready with your eclipse goggles !

                                    Hope you're having a great weekend !

                We're off on a picnic now ...... bye  !

                      Peace and  Love 🤍🕊️

                                Debbie 💐x

🌿Various jobs in the garden today 🌿🐒

 

Pittosporum , Crocosmia "Lucifer" also known as Montbretia -seed pod sprays , Cotinus coggygria "Royal Purple" , one little Dahlia flower, Agapanthus -seed pod spray .

  Aha ! Found the Grape-vine snips !  🍇🌿

                                Decided to leave out the Dahlia flower .

        I like the simplicity of just the seed pod sprays .

Flowers for the table done , got on and thinned out the grapes .

...and while I was there , I made a very tiny start on clearing around my little Monkey Puzzle Tree .

It's doing well . Seems to be developing two leader shoots . Should I remove one of these ? 

I need to have a think about that 🤔🐒 Anyone got any ideas on this ? 

Then I made a start on clearing these brambles, which are blocking my pathway .

It has to be clear so that I can get up there ,and yes , it is on a slope , and do maintenance work , pruning and such like on all the shrubs and trees .

 There are no bird's nesting in these brambles and I'm not pruning any bushes just yet .

I decided to clear about two feet of brambles into this thicket .

I told my brother that if he hasn't heard from me in a couple of days , to let people know I'm somewhere under the Bramble thicket .

I achieved clearing two feet of the horrid spikey things .

I could have cleared a bit more but I'd filled the wheelbarrow and it was time for elevenses .

I put everything away and maybe I'll do a bit more this afternoon .

             Maybe 

                Maybe not 

                                            🌧️🌦️🌧️🌧️🌧️

Yesterday evening 's walk along the cliffs . 

    Darkening sky with rain coming in....the fields looking so dry . 

I hope that some of this rain will head up north to put out the fires on the beautiful North York Moors .

                         Thinking of you -  love Debbie  x

Sunday Flower Power

 

                 6.05 am Sunrise this morning and I just knew it was going to be a fiercely hot day .

I did another good clear out of any yellowing leaves on the tomato plants . 

I picked another good bowlful and I can see a few more blushing up ....I'll let these swell a bit more .

                    I took these to finish off on the kitchen windowsill .

                      Some hiding under the bench .

But it's getting to the stage where I hang them up in odd places to finish ripening .

The last couple of nights have been cool . The Swallows have been gathering on the telegraph wires . 

Next ....

I got to work on pruning and smartening up the Chamaerops humilis in the vegetable garden .

There we go ! Much better ! Just need to sharpen up the edges , give it some chicken pellets and a nice thick mulch of  wood chips .

At some stage I may remove one or two of the lower shoots . . . .think I'll let them get a bit bigger before I decide .

 I have another Chamaerops humilis in the ornamental garden , I may do that one tomorrow . It is too hot for me to complete this today . 

             💐Sunday Flower Power 💐   With lovely Rosie Red Crab Apples  💐

                               💐Now looking lovely on the table !💐

Other exciting news ........

My Turmeric tuber !  After almost a whole year , has put up a shoot !  🌿😃

Anyone else would have given up .....  

Tomorrow ...I will begin smartening up the other Chamaerops  humilis . 

After a month of doing the dishes / washing up with my bare hands and of forgetting to buy rubber gloves while doing our main big shop , we finally made a special visit to our local Co-Op store to get them and guess what ? ....the space where they should've been on the shelf ...was empty ! 

"Don't worry " the shop assistant said " I'll just take a photo with my mobile phone and we'll see if we have some out the back !"

There were none out the back . 🙄

Am I the last woman to do the washing up in the sink ?

Finally bought them in B&Q  !  

                                                 I'm such a lucky girl !

                    I hope you have made magic happen and had a great weekend  . 

                                            Love and hugs Debbie  x