It's been a dull but still today and I thought I'd have another attempt at getting some close up photographs with the macro lens Chris bought me for my birthday last year. I say another attempt because I'm finding this lens very challenging, particularly in selecting the area for the main focus point. Out of … Continue reading Six on Saturday – Macro
Tag: phao garden blog
Six on Saturday – Tales of the Unexpected!
On a breezy but (so far) dry morning, I'm surprised to see that five of the plants I've chosen for today are having a late floral flush - maybe this shouldn't be unexpected as it's been such a warm September, even during the rain this week. As I write, the sun's made an appearance - … Continue reading Six on Saturday – Tales of the Unexpected!
Five Reasons to Love Autumn
I've lost count of the number of times I've heard people bemoaning the end of summer over the last 12 days - almost as if the start of Autumn equates to a period of mourning! Alright, I agree that not every day is ideal for the gardening enthusiast in Winter (although there's always something to … Continue reading Five Reasons to Love Autumn
Busy in Wales!
Summer weather this year has been a heady mix for plants and trees in our garden in Wales, growth rates have been phenomenal! We hadn't been for a couple of weeks and as our most recent visits have been full of social gatherings, there's been little opportunity for garden maintenance. As a result we were … Continue reading Busy in Wales!
Coastal Wildflowers
There's only so much you can do in a greenhouse during a wet weekend and so after I'd taken our dog Ollie for a very damp walk this afternoon, I decided to try and identify the wildflowers I photographed last weekend in Wales - I think I've got most of them! Ferns, gorse and heather … Continue reading Coastal Wildflowers
Six on Saturday – Delightful Daylilies
After a sun drenched week interspersed with the odd thunderstorm, it started pouring with rain at around 9am this morning and as it seems to have set in, it'll be a greenhouse afternoon for me! My star plant this week has to be the delightful daylily - it's a hard working stalwart of the mid-summer … Continue reading Six on Saturday – Delightful Daylilies
Which Rose? Dilemma!
I've made quite a decision this week after visiting a friend's charity garden party last Saturday - the bed below is going to be filled with roses! The great bonus to visiting other gardens is that there is always at least one eureka moment when you suddenly see a solution you can apply to your … Continue reading Which Rose? Dilemma!
Creative Writing Exercise
The June edition of the RHS's 'The Garden' journal included a thought provoking essay advocating that gardeners should 'read (and write) more poetry'. The author Sarah Salway contributed this interesting piece - I'm not intending to review it here (suffice to say it's well worth reading), my purpose in referring to it is that it … Continue reading Creative Writing Exercise
Wordless Wednesday – Arboretum Wildflowers
Wallflowers – to save or not to save
Last July, amidst plans for year-round colour in the garden (as I'd just got my much hankered after greenhouse), I sowed two varieties of wallflower, 'Blood Red' and 'Ruby Gem', for my hot border. These were planted out as very small young plants at the end of September, along with some white ones I'd grown … Continue reading Wallflowers – to save or not to save