September 2010

I cant believe the summer has gone already, all that waiting for it to happen and then it has gone. I suppose it was lovely during the beginning of the season and I was very pleased with the show of flowers I had but then it seemed to rain forever. One minute frantically trying to save every drop of water for the garden and next plodding about in a waterlogged garden.

I decided this year to have a water meter installed. As I live on my own and go to the Spa three times a week I was not using much water. Well I only wash up once a day and use the washing machine once or maybe twice a week so I thought I would save a lot of money. Well I have and am mighty pleased with myself . I have two water butts - mind you , one of them is leaking and I have to find a way of repairing the leak , but never mind. I also bought a compost maker after Sue persuaded me that I ought to have one. I think it has filled up already, only hope the compost will sink down later to enable me to add more.

I attempted to grow a few vegetables in large tubs this year and had a bit of success with runner beans with a few helpings from it, the carrots, beetroot and chinese cabbage not so good. The strawberry plants that Sue sent me produced fruit and they were lovely. I have planted all the runners in a big strawberry tub so will have lots more next year.

The biggest thrill I had from the garden was five apricots from my new apricot tree, they were absolutely delicious and much better than the ones bought from the shops. Really there is no comparison. I have now planted the tree in the ground.


I did pick a few mulberries and hope next year to have a better crop. The figs are doing well as usual and are beginning to ripen. There is nothing like a fresh fig picked and eaten straight from the tree. I also had a good crop of Victoria plums but I should have thinned them out to get bigger plums, you live and learn. I have a few tubs of plums in the freezer.




I am now into citrus trees and have one lemon, one valencia orange and one lime tree. My garden room which used to be the tool shed is now the orangery and I have purchased a heater to keep it frost free in the winter. I have my Bourgainvillia in there as well. The real beauty that I had growing in my greenhouse succumbed to the bad winter and died. However I make sure I take a cutting every year to replace it and this is the cutting in the orangery on the table.







And this is a close up of the Bourgainvillia.












This is the crab apple tree. Last year I made some crab apple gin and it was gorgeous. Will definitely do it again this year.

2nd July 2010

At long last we had a good downpoor of rain and the the water butts are now filled to overflowing. However the rain was so heavy that it made one stem of my Delphiniums bend over with the weight of the water so I cut it off and have it in my sitting room where I can enjoy it. I have been so pleased this year with my efforts at growing Delphiniums, it has spurred me on to do even better next year.

This is my orchid that Fiona bought me a couple of years ago now and is getting better each year. I just love white flowers and this one is a beauty.

Just about getting the hang of this blogging business, after losing my draft the other day I have now discovered it again so forgive me if I have repeated myself.

I have been pricking out foxgloves for next year, the variety called Mertonensis which is a dark raspberry colour and should be interesting.

Also this year I have many plants of californian poppy which have seeded themselves all over the gravel and are an absolute delight on a sunny day.

/p>

June in the garden

Saturday 26th June

Yesterday I spent a few hours collecting and downloading the photos I had taken of my garden, arranging and rearranging them with text to my satisfaction and saving my work every few minutes. Today I opened up my blog only to find that it had all disappeared. Now clearly there is something I am not doing right. I felt like abandoning the whole thing but I dont like to be beaten so I am having another go.

No doubt when I have finished this the previous one will turn up. Anyway, summer is here at last and everything is coming up roses, literally. My theme for this year is foxgloves and aquilegias which I have grown from seed and am fairly pleased with the result. Gardeners are never 100% satisfied with what they have grown because next year is going to be better and however poorly you feel (which we all feel some time or other) you cannot possibly die this year because you have to see your garden next year.




















The above photo is one of my apricot coloured foxgloves. I had seen them growing at Kingston Maurward in Dorchester our local horticulture and agriculture college and thought they were lovely. I have also grown some excelsior mixed foxgloves (above right) which grow the flowers all round the stem instead of just one side like the native foxglove.

I have grown some aquilegies from seed and particularly like the Origima strain which I shall endeavour to find some pics and place them in the appropriate place
.

My other passion at the moment is Delphiniums and I desperately want to grow some like I have seen at Chelsea. During the winter I liberally threw handfuls of chicken pellets around the garden hoping to achieve the same result. I think I am getting there gradually, give me a few more years.

I am going to publish this now in case I lose it all again. Will be back later.

June is busting out all over

My Calamondin Tree that Sue rescued from the garden centre for me

Wednesday 9th June

Well after a cold winter, and a wet spring we have been thrust into a blazing June with very high temperatures. I had a lovely visit from my daughter Sue and we indulged ourselves in a couple of days visiting gardens etc.

On our first day out we visited a Citrus Nursery. Actually, the nursery was closed but Sue rang the number and the very kind owner opened up the gates and let us in for a view. The owner a 70 year old lady is cruising towards retirement and is running the place down. She now only has huge citrus trees of every sort so we couldnt actually purchase any. However, she gave us a lesson on growing citrus trees and their care which we found invaluable. Sue and I are both a bit passionate about citrus trees and we are going through our "citrus phase"

Montissfont Gardens

These gardens hold the National Rose Collection and they are truly beautiful. It is what I imagine heaven (if there is one) to be like. The scent of the roses hits you as soon as you enter the garden and is intoxicating. You immediately want every rose that is there in your garden.

This is Sue, she could not stop snapping all the wonderful roses

Thursday 10th June

Today I took Sue to my Ocean Spa for a swim and lunch. In the afternoon we visited Value House the local garden centre where Sue did a rescue mission on the Calomondin Trees. She feels a need every so often to carry out these operations, for which I as a recipient am very grateful, as I said we are both a bit nutty at the moment about citrus trees. Some years back I had a Calamondin tree laden with small oranges which I made into marmalade and it was the most delicious marmalade I have ever taken. I am hoping to do the same with my new tree but at the moment I am enjoying just looking at them.

Friday 11th June

Today we went to Kingston Maurward, the horticultural and agriculture college in Dorchester. They keep animals for the enjoyment mostly of children and have many school visits there. We go mainly for the gardens and walks which are lovely. We spend many happy times gathering seeds from the flowers according to the season. It was here that I got my idea of a border which consists mainly of aquilegias and foxgloves. Last year they had some beautiful apricot coloured foxgloves and I have since grown some from seed for my garden.

Saturday 12th June>

This day we went to Abbottsbury Gardens which is always beautiful. There is a new viewing point which I hadnt seen before. The view takes in the sweep of Chesil Beach with Portland in the distance.

This is the view of Portland and the other picture is a carved tree trunk which has only been carved this year from a tree that grew from 1810 and was cut down in 2010.

Garden in April 2010

Victoria Plum Tree


Spring is really here and the plum is in bloom. What a fantastic display it is giving this year with, I hope, the promise of a plentiful supply of fruit. That is if the birds dont eat all the blossoms, I have noticed quite a few birds attacking the flowers. I dont mind really, there should be plenty for all.


Camelias

The Camelias are doing so much better this year since I uprooted them and planted them in pots with ericacious compost.







Aeonium
This Aeonium is from a cutting brought back from the Scilly Isles a few years ago and gives a wonderful display, turning really black in the summer. This is the first time it has flowered and I think once it flowers it dies, but I am hoping it is just that branch that will die. We shall see.