Oh! Silly Silly Me ~~~

Gentle Reader~have you missed me?  I am nursing an injured back (again!) and everything is either impossible or painful.  Some of you know I suffer with this from time to time, and about ten days ago I had a warning shot.  Instead of listening and taking things easy, I decided that I, maybe, wasn't feeling that bad after all and was fully capable of transplanting my lettuces.  At this point, strike out 'capable' and insert 'incapable'~~~the rest is history!  Needless to say, I was anything but capable, and after 30 minutes on hands and knees weeding the spot and transplaning the lettuces, complete with mini cloches (aka those large plastic beer glasses you get at functions and parties) for protection from slugs I struggled to get to my feet and hobbled home.  Since then, I have had no choice but to listen to my back as it recovers very slowly and I hobble around on two sticks~~oh! dear!

The weather has changed, our heatwave gone, and temperatures are now in the mid~60's, so much more bearable.  The last few days are more a return to normal with brisk breezes and rain!  In one way I am deeply grateful because the rain is doing the watering for me, for there is no way I could lug a watering can for at least the next few days again as I recover.  As even siting here is not comfortable, I am going to cheat a little and copy and paste some of what I shared on Facebook last week~~~

On August 1st, I wrote~~

 

the day dawned much the same as yesterday, but as Fog seems to be a new, primary feature in today's weather, I will tell you how deeply I miss the sound of the fog horn that used to boom out from the South Bishop's rocks. Technology is a wonderful thing, and I am deeply grateful for much of it, but when GPS and other new~fangled devices replaced the fog horn, some things, in my opinion, are a step too far. There was something deeply comforting with that sound, booming out from the sea fog, letting us know that seafaring men on their ships and their boats had warning of the reef and rocks, which in an instant could bring tragedy. Men manned the Trinity House building, perched precariously upon the rock in the middle of the ocean, and men took responsibility for the safety of other men. It was a part of childhood, of growing up, just as much as my love of gardening took root in my being as I played in safety in the garden that in decades long past was tended by my Great Grandfather~~~fog without a foghorn is like a garden without a gardener.
The only jobs for this gardener today will be a little tidying up, some dead heading, and clearing leaves that have fallen. Fallen not because it is Blissful Autumn, but because they are dried and shrivelled from lack of rain which came too late, so they just gave themselves up to the wind. Now, they litter my lawn and patio, a coverlet of brown, and must be swept up soon into bags to make rich leaf mould for future years.

 

and this is how the sky looked, late one evening, after the fog had lifted

 

 

and on July 30th I wrote~~

 

ah! the wonders of technology, as my laptop languishes in the land of the lost, I found my ancient, trusty Dell which, with a few gentle persuasions, is now functioning and allowing me to be connected to the 21st century while I find someone to attend to the sickly laptop.
The next challenge I face is to attempt to bring the photographs I downloaded yesterday here, for they are of big, wonderful skies that rolled across a wide blue sky, behind distant hills, and away beyond the far horizon. The skies were spectacular, and I do hope to bring them to you soon. I will not give up.
This afternoon, reading ahead on the forecast, I have picked yet more raspberries, an urgent task, for heavy rain is forecast and I do not want to leave ripe berries on the cane. The joy of picking such fragrant, ripe, and delicious jewels from the garden is without compare, and later there will be jam for tea~~~a gentle reminder of the warmth of summer days in the depths of darkest winter. Of course, a few get greedily devoured while the picking happens~~~it wouldn't be fruit picking otherwise!
This evening, the salad was supplemented with two of my favourite garden ingredients~handfuls of fresh, vitamin rich parsley and some peppery nasturtium flowers that add colour as well as flavour. Pudding, as you may have seen on an earlier post, was a dish of home grown, home made gooseberry crumble. Oh! I have waited three years for a decent crop, and this year the reward for patience came at last! I am full and satisified tonight!

 

Here, Gentle Reader, is a photo of a big bowl of that delicious crumble~~~

 

I am afraid dead heading must wait, and the grass is growing on the lawn but that will have to wait too for a mow.  For now, I must be happy that the much hoped for pink Oriental lilies have bloomed.  I do wish they had bloomed before the rain came, or waited until after it had passed, but somethings we cannot manage.  Here they are, I do so love them, and they are well worth waiting for~~~

I am sorry there are no more photographs or words today, but remember that ~~~   

~~~A Gardener's Work Is Never Done~~~

An Image~heavy Day~

Gentle Reader, before I begin, I just want to say Croeso! Welcome, to those of you who follow me here, on my Facebook page, and on Twitter.  I am new to Twitter, and it is all a bit beyond me, but I am giving it a go!

At the moment, the garden is bobbing along as I get through the summer months, but very shortly I hope that some serious moving of plants and organisation or the future of the Garden In The Shire will begin! For now though, I am enjoying looking at all the wonderful blooms I have in my borders and pots. 

The heatwave has ended and the weather returns to comfortable, warm days.  We had rain overnight and some short, sharp showers today.  Some of the more delicate blooms suffered, but I think most will recover in a few days, benefiting from the cleansing, refreshing rain.  The lawn already looks much happier and I am amazed at how quickly the parched ground is sprouting green shoots!  I think the mower will be out for a trip very soon.

Now, as I promised, very few words and an image heavy update.

First, a little corner as it was in Spring~

and then it grew some~

And here is a little video of how it is now~

Frothy Alchemilla Mollis~the alchemist's favourite dew catcher~and an all together useful plant for filling in the borders, smothering weeds, and making a pretty addition to any posy or flower arrangement~

The firework~explosion of an allium Christophii gone to seed~ 

Audrey II ~ or a large, oriental lily bud, depending on your sense of humour~

Bramble flowers, soon there will be blackberries for pies and jelly~

 Three cultivated foxgloves in peachy pink, purple pink and creamy white~

 

Ladybirds are few and far between this year, but here is one on my white lavender angustifolia~

I love the spikes of this white lavender, how it sways in the breeze, a perfect summer plant~

Brightly bold, the oriental lilies make a vibrant splash of colour~

I love the centre, all those tiny grains of pollen giving texture, and fragrance calling to the bees~

A tiny hover fly pecks at pollen fallen on the leaves~

a macro shot makes me think of the work of a favourite artist, Georgia O'Keeffe~

Early morning dew drops~

Bright orange lily, purple stamens, and pink rose~such contrast, such colour~

Early one morning, I was up before the moon had gone to bed~

Considered by many as a weed, but a beautiful weed indeed~Morning Glories in the border~

A favourite of mine, a pair of Mullein thapsus {Great Mullein}

Pretty pansies, everyone's favourite garden bloom~

Look at those little pirate faces~who can resist?

A pink rose grown from a cutting~

and a lovely, fragrant Whetman pink I bought last year~

a small posy of Whetman pinks, with lavender, Alchemilla Mollis, oregano, and a Ruby Wedding rose~

the rosa rugosa is filling out at last~

Ruby Wedding rose  with Alchemilla Mollis~

A late rosebud on the Frances E Lester rambler~

Ruby Wedding rose (taken indoors without a flash)~

Pink roses against a twilight evening sky~

The flowers of Verbena bonariensis are a certain draw for butterflies and bees, and loved by goldfinches for the seeds in winter months~

Gentle Reader~as promised, many images, few words~until next time when I shall tell you of the soft fruits I am cropping~

~~~A Gardener's Work Is Never Done~~~

Oh! Has It Really Been A Week?

Gentle Reader~I can scarce believe a week has slipped by since my last entry!  It has been blisteringly hot, over most of the UK, as the arrival of summer I reported in my last entry continues!  The Jet Stream drifted over us and is now sitting to the north of the country allowing the hot southern air to bathe us with some long overdue heat.  Indeed, much of Britain has been hotter than the Mediterranean! 

Here is a pretty posy of flowers picked from the garden, I am no flower arranger, I just gathered as I went along some oregano, Alchemilla mollis, sweetly scented pinks and lavenders, and more~

While this warmth is welcomed by many, it does bring it's own set of problems.  It is too hot to do anything other than sit in the garden by day ~ it is very uncomfortable working in your own personal sauna ~ and by evening I am generally too tired from the often oppressive heat, which is exhausting in itself, even if doing very little of anything.  I seem to have done little else other than water and pick fruit!  Why, those two jobs are enough anyway. 

The lack of rain means that the lawn is turning very brown indeed, for I will not use precious water on that, and as it is not growing it does not need cutting either.  The advice from Gardener's World is not to cut your lawns in these conditions.  I am concerned, so this evening I will throw the grey water from the house, which I save as much as I can, over the lawn in an attempt to give it some much needed moisture.  I do not want it to die completely as I do not relish the thought of re~seeding.

First, I must share with you some upsetting news.  For the first time ever, my blackcurrant crop has failed.  I had no reason to suspect anything was wrong.  The spring, although cold, saw good, healthy leaf growth which was quickly followed by plenty of flowers that in turn set fruit.  I truly believed I would harvest a bumper crop.  We have had a prolonged dry spell, so I watered the plants every few days, and then, at the beginning of this week they were looking plump and juicy, little jewels of deepest purple~black waiting to be turned into jams and pies.  I picked a bowl, but when I tasted them they are horrible.  There is no Delicious blackcurrant taste, they leave a bitter aftertaste in the mouth, and they are quite mealy in texture.  I cannot begin to tell you my disappointment.  I have been on the RHS website, and it seems I am not alone.  No one knows the reason, we can only assume the colder than normal winter and non arrival of spring is behind it all.  One person put it succinctly, saying the sugar:acid ratio is wrong.  I still have about 4lbs of fruit left over from last year, so this is now highly prized!  Such a sad waste of a good and nutritious food crop.

Happily, I can tell you, gentle reader, that the raspberry crop remains unaffected by the weather, and I am now picking a small bowlful of this delightful fruit (probably my favourite after blueberries) daily.  Some I am freezing, some I am eating fresh for breakfast.  I feel richer than a Queen!

While some parts of the garden, like the poppies, native foxgloves, and borage, are going over and setting their seed~the harvesting of which is a high priority job this week, other parts are coming in to their own.  Do you remember the few images, last week, of the oriental lilies?  They were teasing and taunting me with big, fat buds that just did not want to burst open?  Well, they have begun!  Oh! What a treat they are~a display of fireworks colour and brightness, in colours to rival the heat of the sun by day and the cool of the moon by night~

Here is the first one, a bright and vibrant yellow~

which was quickly followed by the Hot Hot Hot of this incredible orange~

I think it looks mighty fine along side that pretty pink rose?  A lovely contrast of colours ~ then, just this very morning, the cool, creamy~white, a perfect foil against the scorching vibrant orange~

There are still two more types of these lilies yet to open and delight~I wonder what their colours will be?  I hope for pink, and maybe even one with those delightful stripes and spots that lilies sometimes have~
Quite unintentionally, as the lilies have declared, my garden has taken a little side~step from it's usual cooler shades of purples, pinks, and blues with hints of white into brightly hot and vibrant hues, and the Crocosmia Lucifer, which I bought a few years back, is no exception~

For now I must leave you, Gentle Reader, until another day ~~ but I promise to return quite soon with a photo~heavy blog to catch you up with all the flowers in my Shire Garden~

~~~A Gardener's Work Is Never Done~~~