Running

I have been enjoying a horticultural fest this week. A long overdue spell of settled sunny weather has provided me with the perfect excuse to potter in the garden and at the allotment. Amongst other jobs at the allotment, I have been tidying up the strawberry beds and cutting off the surplus runners to pot up. Now exactly what I am going to do with possibly 70 odd new strawberry plants, I am not quite sure but I am planning to have a new strip of land to fill at the allotment. When I took over the plot a good part of one length of it consisted of a sparsely planted border, a ramshackle cold frame and a huge patch of comfrey. The border will remain but the comfrey and the cold frame are coming out. The cold frame is falling apart and has always been too heavy for me to open and close with ease. The comfrey is not the much desired Bocking 14 variety but alas the sort that seeds itself everywhere. I suppose I should not let it flower but it is a veritable bee magnet and I do not want to deprive the bees. I will leave one plant tucked in the corner at the far end. So what is going to fill this new patch? The plan is to fit in three apples trees and a pear tree this autumn. These will be small trees on M27 or M9 rootstock. Monty Don explains the different rootstocks here. Allotment rules forbid planting trees that might cast shadows on neighbouring plots but I think that I will get by with planting small trees. My allotment neighbours did this about three years ago and have not yet fallen foul of the allotment inspector. We are hoping to go Ornamental Tree Nurseries near Leominster in the next month,where at this time of year you are able to not only see the trees in growth but also taste the fruits. 'Katja' or 'Katy' is the only variety that I have more or less decided on so there is more research to be done. Any recommendations would be welcome. As for the strawberry runners those that take can fill in any space that is left. You can never have too many strawberries !

Ok…so how does one….

Hang plates on the wall so they look spiffy…not uniform…

probably not showing shiny brass looking hangers???

Hmmm?

Photo: Canadian House and Home

Photo: Cote de Texas/Wheat's home

I ask…because I have some plates…

Have a spot…

kismet!

Now, on another tangent…answer me this…

Don’t you think these raw B&W pics would curl at the edges?

Or do only mine do that?

Photo: Canadian House and Home

Conspiracy?

***Postscript*** we recieved INSTRUCTIONS from Canadian House and Home how to do the photo wall...I love them..Yea them!!!

Incey Wincey

H IS FOR ?



HAIRY SPIDERS!

"Incey Wincey spider
Climbed up the water spout
Down came the rain
And washed poor Incey out
Out came the sun
And dried up all the rain
And Incey Wincey spider
Climbed up the spout again!"

It seems that at this time of year spiders and their cobwebs are everywhere. Now I know that they are a gardener's friend but I usually give them a very wide berth. However this was the one exception when I went out of my way to meet a spider. Last September, almost a year to the day, we went to Liverpool to see "La Princesse". This royal lady was a huge mechanical spider who came to town as part of the Liverpool Capital of Culture year long programme of events. You can see out her for an evening stroll here.

Hurry now hop along without hesitation to ABC Wednesday, where there more posts on the letter H.

Walking around the garden on a rainy Saturday afternoon…

I’m always amazed…

looking through the glass of a camera

dreadlock croton, blanchetiana bromeliad

How amazing and perfect this outdoor world is

Bananas

Colors…that you may never think to put together

explode.

Cavendish Banana flower

In perfect symphony

Bamboo palm seeds

I

The greens vary from deep

to lime

sweet potato, pygmy date palm

The pink explosion is resplendent

Bromeliad

phenomenal perfection

blue ginger

Fibonacci in coral...

Pinecone ginger...when cut to bring in for an arrangement it smells so softly of ginger...I love it.

Who knew a rainy Saturday could hold such beauty?

who knew.

OOTS - French Style

Not exactly on my doorstep but a bit further afield, here are a few images from out on the streets in France this summer. Once again I was taken with both the imaginative planting we came across and its quality too. We encountered more marvellous roundabouts. The one that really stuck in my mind consisted of what looked like the stainless steel dolphins leaping out of a sea of grasses and blue agapanthus. Unfortunately short of causing an accident there was no opportunity to take a photo.

Firstly from the small town of Lessay in Normandy,this planting not only looked good but was scented too :







Binic, in Normandy was very much in the pink. Sunglasses were the order of the day but there were also some also some appealing plant combinations amongst the bog standard petunias and busy lizzies.









Going out to sea there was evidence of a plant that is currently causing concern in Brittany. This is ulva lactuca - more commonly known as sea lettuce - is harmless while living, but when it decays on land it forms a crust under which hydrogen sulphate occurs. You may have read or watched on the news that this seaweed is choking some of the beaches on Brittany's coastline. There has been an explosion in the growth of the algae caused by the high percentage of nitrate used in fertilisers. Although my schoolgirl French was luckily up to reading the notices advising you to steer well clear of the seaweed as it could cause health problems, I did not realise what a serious problem it was until we got home.



I will have to add to this post when I get home or do a postcript, as I have just accidentally deleted the remaining photos I wanted to include. Drat! One of the perils of using an unfamiliar keyboard and computer. I know that we are now into October but I hope that I am not too late for VP's "September Out On The Streets" . I am looking forward to reading some other of the other contributions over there at leisure when I get home.

Heucheraholics Beware - The Conclusion!

Earlier this week I wrote about our last garden club meeting,when Vicky and Richard Fox from Jubilee Cottage Nursery kept us enthralled with news and views on the subject of heucheras. Now where was I ? About to describe the new heucheras coming to a nursery near you soon! Depending on your whereabouts in the universe, some of these heucheras may have already landed. Vicky and Richard do quite a bit of trialling plants in the UK for Dan Heims, the well known plantsman and breeder. I must admit that my notes became more sparse as the evening went on because the room we were in became overwhelmingly hot. More information including photos of these new heucheras can be seen at www.plantagogo.uk or at www.terranovanurseries.com

These new plants include :

'Berry Smoothie' - a shade lover
'Fire Chief' - fantastic red foliage. The bicoloured pink and white flowers start coming in spring and keep on right till autumn.
'Electra' -more veining as she matures. An improvement on 'Tiramisu' Compared to ‘Tiramisu' and more vigorous.
'Miracle' - new in 2009. Starts with green leaves but the foliage completely changes as the year progresses.
'Lime Marmalade' - a limey coloured sport of ‘Marmalade'. A bigger, chunkier and more vigorous version of ‘Lime Rickey'. Frilly foliage opening limey green which retains its colour as the foliage matures, eventually taking on yellow tones. Will cope with summer heat.
'Autumn Leaves' - nice big white flowers with a pink flush. Likes full sun.
'Havana' - grown for its flowers. Will flower all summer long and can take some sun. Vicky advised that all the Dan Heims heucheras which are named after cities are bred specifically for their flowers. They are also usually long flowering.
'Midas Touch'- a shade loving stunner. This has gone down on my wish list.
'Mint Julep' - Vicky's favourite newcomer.
'Milan' - will take full sun. Flowers set on unusually short stems.

Vicky intimated that there is some exciting breeding work taking place, especially with regard to heucherellas and tiarellas but she is sworn to secrecy. What a shame. For anybody who might like to visit the nursery it opens by appointment only - the phone number is on the website. The nursery currently holds a national collection of heucherellas. They have applied for national collection status of heucheras - they currently have about 230 varieties. Vicky mentioned that they also hope to have a national tiarella collection in the future.


The final part of the evening's proceedings was the opportunity to buy from a well stocked and groaning sales table. For once I dazzled myself with my organisation by ordering plants online to be bought to the meeting. Sadly the first batch of 'Berry Smoothie' had been all snaffled up but my name is down for one of the next batch. I did go home though with heucherella 'Sweet Tea' (above photos) and heuchera 'Venus'. I also came home with a catalogue. Web browsing is satisfactory but nothing beats a good catalogue for bedtime reading ! A catalogue is also useful in the self restraint department as you can't add to that virtual shopping basket there and then.

Stairways of hope…

In Rio de Janeiro…in an area called Santa Teresa…in a hidden alley

is a masterpiece of sorts

Artist Jorge Selaron worked tirelessly

hands bleeding, penniless.

…In the beginning, everyone laughed at me I covered the steps in green, blue and yellow tiles – the colors of the Brazilian flag. As I worked, my profession changed from painter to sculptor, my hands covered in blood, calluses, irritating and in pain. Even though the work was difficult, I was passionate about it.

The rent was late, the phone was cut but every time I succeeded in finding some money, I bought materials and continued, obsessed and possessed. I worked without rest and I stopped when I had no more material left. When that happened, I painted paintings to earn some money so that I would be able to continue my work. I have put much of my life into my masterpiece. I have invented a fantastic unique technique which consists of constantly changing the tiles. This gives a unique energy, and makes it a living, mutating work of art with over 2000 different tiles, collected in over 60 different countries.”

Meanwhile…On the other side of the world in Wuppertal, Germany

artist , Horst Glasker. Painted a work on public stairs called Scala.

The german words on the stairs

are describing the emotional connections

between human beings.

Love. Passion. To pine...

I dunno...Ya gotta love the tenacity...the where-with-all...the passion...the pain.

Embrace public art.

Climb the stairs.

MaybeThink as you do.

I know I will.

find more sources of inspiration...and perspiration at Julia's