Busy Bee: Jostaberry

Busy Bee: Jostaberry: image credit: growyourown Yesterday evening I picked up jostaberries. The jostaberry is a hybrid fruit, a cross between the black currant a...

Kathryn's Kitchen: Josta Berry Jam

Kathryn's Kitchen: Josta Berry Jam: A couple years ago I was looking through a local nursery at the end of a season and noticed a group of berry plants that were on clearance...

Fruit on the vine....a bountiful harvest.

This is a fantastic year for fruit....our apple trees will produce for the first time this year since we moved in...the raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and jostaberries are looking great...I planted an aronia bush and wild strawberries for next year... and the veg is doing good too!

But of all of these things...nothing is as exciting as our new adventure!  Who knows what my garden will look like at the end of the summer, let alone next year!  I dont think I will change, but I do think the garden will not be my focal point!  I hope to share gardening with our little boy too!




I have potatoes ready to dig, and when he arrives he will have berries and fruit galore to pick!  I am sure a few flowers may be picked too!  We've got a sandbox (to put together) also for him to dig in...so hopefully that will keep his interest for awhile until he is old enough for gardening!

Anyway, I am bursting at the seams with excitement, just a few more days until our whole life changes!!

June in bloom!

Royal wedding Oriental Poppy

Raspberries

Blueberry

Peonies in full color!

Bleached Peonies

Late May Garden

Sorry havent posted in awhile!  The garden is thriving....and my veggies are coming!  Tomatoes are ok, but greens are great!  Will show pictures soon.... 

I've been growing the garden, and been busy with much, much more.....more details soon!

Glorious Peonies!

Where is greenbean?

Cardoons and broke the bulb rule..after Keukenhof!

So....I couldnt resist...I got some...stuff :)  I broke the rules on bulbs and bought some now rather than in autumn! But while at Keukenhof, who could resist?

I purchased a bare root cardoon.....Love the headline on the daily mail

" Inject a bit of personality into your garden"

Link to daily mail

If Monte likes it, so do I  (ROFL)

I also got some turkish species tulips (as it is mentioned they are much more prolific and last longer)

And, I also got some pink large hyacinths to balance out the few I had in the garden...

I also got some crosmia lucifer, as  I love my yellow crocosmia and I have the tall red ones have been on my list for awhile!

Ok, so I went a little overboard...and I got some seeds and didnt know what they were...now I found out they are Queen's Anne's Lace! (See below more information on the appropriate company----Seedaholic!!

Seedaholic info

Goodnight....a planting I must go tomorrow!

Keukenhof Gardens! April 21st 2013

FAB Pictures! Click on the link!!

Sorry Guys..using an ipad originally so kept it simple...beyond the fab pics on the link (thanks to my hubby Lars, here is a panorama pic).  Our 360 pics did not turn out as well...but it was a great trip!!!!

wisley by winter.....360!

Happy Easter weekend! The weather won't get us down!

Yes my seeds are floppy and sad indoors...may have to start over....but am I letting it get to me...no!

Instead we've been using Lars camera for some 360 shots near our area...albeit winter pics! We look forward to taking them when spring arrives too! Enjoy one of the shots at wisely.....more to follow!

Take care and enjoy the short week and pray for sun next weekend (and warmth!)

http://www.360cities.net/image/pagoda-rhs-wisley-garden

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all...and a special one for my wonderful Mom, who I will be thinking about all day...and will have some chocolate just for you!  I hope to celebrate it next year for both of us!

From Mom's Favourite Place...Ajijic, Mexico

Mom's 80th Birthday 2009

Saints and Seeders.....

As I am no saint, I must be a seeder.  In fact, one of my seed packages comes from seedaholic!  Ok, I had my next bolt of energy and I planted the following in the new Super Seven heated bed (see previous article)

Near the Summerhouse in Sweden

• more Swedish chives
• Tithonia from Seedaholic
• Wild Rocket from Franchi
• More Candulas (only one came up from last batch?)
• Purpler Basile (Franchi)
• Purple Cow Parsley www.plant-world-seeds.com
• Lettuce Leaf Basil (pelleted unwins gro-sure)
• Dill

I never have luck with Dill!  I cant give up...because I love dill potatoes, Swedish style!  You noticed there are 8? I accidentally combined the basil!!  So I will have green and purple coming up....good thing the tubs are large!

Now, the more painful part...starting to pot on....determining what needs to go in little pots and what goes outside!  This weekend I will get my raised beds ready, and cover them and put out some of the more hardy seedlings (kale, etc) underneath them...if they die, I shall learn!!! Some I will put in the mini-green houses...this is where I have to keep my labeling and relabelling in check before it becomes a big mess! I did get some tidy potting on containers half price so we shall see if it keeps me organized!!!

Ok, time to put the plants to bed and sleep!  Sweet dreams to the wicked....sowing the seeds of success! LOL!

Too busy or refreshing? New web site look....

Please let me know how you like the new template.....its a bit busy....but I wanted something off the standard, and dont know how to design my own these days...(although I used to!).  Be honest!!

Thanks,
Debbie

Things are getting woolly! Part 2

It doesn't look like much...perhaps a bit peculiar, but this is what the dark wool looks like in baskets...it was unwashed wool, and I didn't need to use as much as I thought I would need!  I did 7

 baskets---yes 7!  I emptied all of the soil out of them clogged with roots and will use them to fill the potato bags, and used the potato bag dirt for the hanging baskets!

Later I will add gel and fertilzer, and add the pansies I will receive...

Viola x wittrockiana (perennial pansies) that will trail out of these nice baskets around the house, garage, and gameroom! 

I decided to use perennials, to make it simpler and not worry about planting twice a year....will see how they look! If nothing else grows, these will!  the dark wool blends well, don't you think?

The bane of my existence! Lionsbane :)

Ok, I couldnt resist.... I went to a plant store...only to go to the farmer's market.....and innocently enough I got a couple of plants I hadnt seen before....

I am always looking for shade tolerant plants....and found one.  In the UK, it may be considered a little weedy (in fact I believe the it is recently known as a weed)...but I see flowers in shady places!!!  It is also good for fillers with bulbs....and that sounded like a plus.

I tried using a share link to blogger from a site that describes it better.....first time for that!

I am happy....I  have seen some descriptions that it blooms spring to summer....we shall see...I have heard April to June...and quite hardy! 


Hope you have a little sunshine in your weekend!  On my sunshine list is also St. John's Wort (Hypericum)...its shade hardy too....very tempted....common, but so many varieties, and so nice when in bloom!

Ok, more seeds to plant this weekend, some to transplant....getting my raised beds covered so I can plant hardy lettuces...and snail proofem...oh, and get the hanging baskets ready using the wool I just got!

Love this flower! Doronicum ‘Little Leo’. Love this website!

Love this flower! Doronicum ‘Little Leo’. Love this website!

Things are getting wooly!

If any of you need raw wool for hanging baskets, birds, snails....I found a great organization with reasonable prices!

I am so thrilled....I got my nice black wool! 

 

Email: info@thesheepshedleominster.co.uk 

Website:   http://www.fleecesandpieces.co.uk/

Here's a nice link about wool and snails...

http://www.garden.org/ediblelandscaping/?page=201103-how-to

It's funny how little things can be fun! I feel like I'm helping the "local" industry! 

I got bags of beautiful black wool, unwashed, for my black self-watering hanging baskets!  I will then use it for birds for their nests and for snails...(uggh!)

LOL!

 

Somerset wool ideas

 

Spring has sprung! Seeding for success!

Hiya!

I know that it doesnt look like much....but it sure feels like things are moving along!  And, I got the Super Seven in the mail after a delay!  That's for planting seeds this evening...  So, here's what I am growing so far...  Gotta get my broadbeans in soon!  Where am I going to put these!! One more month and hopefully I can pot them on into containers in my minigreenhouses!! 

Tomatoes  

Gardener's Delight (GD)

Money Maker

Golden Sunrise

Tigerella

Herbs

Chives (Swedish)

Chervil

Parsley (flat, Italian)

Spring Onion

Lettuces

Lolla Rossa (red)

Ghiaccioli  (Italian)

Cut and come again

Tastsoi

Other Greens

Tatsoi

Mustard Greens (Southern USA)

Collard Greens (Southern USA)

Mizuna

Tuscan Black Kale

Red Kale

Flowers

Hollyhock (alcea rosa)

Tithonia  (1st year!)

Candula

Matricaria (German Chamomile)

Cerinthe

Other

Lambs  Tail (succulent)

Chives.

More to come!!

Stupendous Stipa

Stupendous stipa (we called it pony tail:) ....its one of those plant I've had for years....through San Diego to the UK, but I dont talk about it much.  You know one of those things that is such a part of you, that you tend to ignore it, it becomes part of the fabric of your life, but you cannot live without it?  Sometimes that is just like friends and family....like my Stipa!  I just remembered that I did not discover it alone....it came from a dear neighbour, Joan, who gave me a start after I saw it slowly blowing in the wind....a friend that I shared the beautiful views of our canyon in Mira Mesa (in San Diego).

Potty Men---Wisely Gardens

It looks great year round....so soft...I like to run my fingers through its "hair" and collect the seeds each year....but I forget to promote it as much as I should!!  It is so hardy, so forgiving, and so wonderful....and great in pots.  I was reminded of this after I saw the Wisely picture on facebook with the "potty" men....I love those too...just havent mae them yet....and say the stipa!

Anyone that is interested in trying some yourself, let me know, and I am glad to share my slice of heaven! :)

Here's a little more information on them as I've not got scientific on it...yet! Perhaps that's the key to all good relationships...dont think too much! LOL!

http://www.laughingswanfarm.com/stipa.php

Reminiscing ...living in San Diego..Sunny Pics!

I know its a bit much to take in at one time...but I didnt have the patience to save the pictures for multiple blogs...I have been looking for my pics of my little garden in the canyons of San Diego...and I found them!  Although I have loved gardening in the UK and have been here for five years..these pictures did stir my memories and love for succulents!!  I hope you enjoy too!

My little side shady garden...my little garden room :)

My little sitting area..heaven :)

My jasmine

My succulents and brugmansia

A view into the canyon

xeriscaping :)

Glorious Salvias!

Glorious South African Pelargoniums

Ivy leaf perlargoniums (geraniums) on the top deck

allium

Perlargonium cordiflorum

Rose Scented

I love Plectranthus (like Wisely!)...this one however, smells exactly like skunk!

Butterfly weed... Asc. Tuberosa

Morning glory

Wonderful Aeoniums

Poppy

Buttercup

Salvia!

Sweet Pea

Our Parrot Greenbean!

Sunset!

My wonderful Smokey!

California Poppies!!

The end!