Friendship plants
Have dug more plants out of my friend's garden - her house is soon to be demolished. Was going to put them all in one area, but my garden is much more frost prone than hers. So I am going to scatter the so-called friendship plants all around my garden, according to their needs.
Golden Choisya
Am all keen to start planting - I have some lovely Choisyas, Hydrangeas, and Hebes. But it's raining, and I have decided to be a Non-Gardener. Just for a day. On with the rain jacket to take some photographs of winter colour.
Winter Colour - Orange Tractor
Wednesday 21st July
Today has been - ahem - interesting. Some lovely visitors are staying, and we all decided to walk the two dogs on their leads round the orchard. Two adults, two dogs - what could go wrong? Just after we dodged the ram there was a nasty scrap, and Pebbles bit the end right off Winnie's ear. We have all been to the vet, coming home with antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. I am not happy.
The new seed catalogue!
A much nicer thing about today is the seed catalogue, which my visitor brought out for me to look through. Yeay! So far, have chosen annual flowers (Orange Calendulas, apricot Cosmos, blue Linaria, a fluffy pink Hollyhock, violas, annual Salvias, and Cerinthe). Am about to sort out some vegetables. This year I must make sure I grow climbing beans (not dwarf ones) up the obelisk, hee hee.
Winter Colour - Rhododendron
Thursday morning...
Blast! It's gone very dark and drizzly outside. My visitors have gone, and I was going to plant my new shrubs. Nope. I'm going to my ballet class instead. I have slightly forgiven Pebbles, but only just. And as for Lilli-Puss - dear cat. I don't think she is completely normal. But who is? One could argue that a gardener who sleeps each winter night in a cottage-shed at the bottom of her garden isn't quite normal either.
Mid-winter colour delights - the red rhododendron Cornubia just starting to flower, a few patches of snowflakes (the flowers!), the beautiful striped Phormium hybrids like Blondie.
Friday morning...
A ray of winter gardening hope! Make that several rays, of winter sun. Just waiting for the temperature to rise from zero degrees Celcius. As one does.
Later...
A wonderful planting session : all the Choisyas and Hebes, a wee Maple, and a striped Cordyline are planted by the house. The Agapanthus are in the Allotment Garden (which gets really dry in summer). The Lavenders have been added to my scruffy Lavender Garden by the dog kennels. I've cleaned up Phormiums (am always doing this) and scooped up gum leaves. For the last hour I burnt these, along with a big load of hedge trimmings. As one does, when one's Non-Gardening Partner has raked them up, filled the trailer, and parked it right by the bonfire.