Fair weather gardener that I am, sunshine means gardening time. We've had a great deal of rain this month, but not much sun. The garden is looking very lush and green, but not much has flowered yet.
The foxgloves are flourishing. I planted them behind the apple tree last summer, in a place that was very hard for the kids to get too.
My sweet peas have taken well and grown almost to the top of their little frame, but no flowers yet (hurry up, hurry up!).
The annuals I planted back in April are starting to bloom.
I spotted some very cheap plants outside the local greengrocers for £1.50 each, so bought a few things for some instant colour in the garden.
Angus helped me. I am finally learning that if I just accept he will make a huge mess and sweep up all the compost afterwards, then we are all happy.
And now some pretty new flowers sit outside the kid's playhouse. It has a little window box which needs some attention, but I want to plant that with Bella, as I know she will get a real kick out of choosing and planting the plants.*
We had a really beautiful sunset a couple of nights ago. It's still light until so late in the evening, it's lovely. The night before last, I was woken at 3.30am by Angus muttering in his sleep. Thinking he might wake, I got out of bed and went and listened on the landing. The bathroom door was wide open and, in my bleary eyed state, I noticed the beginnings of a dawn sky through the bathroom window. But I did not run downstairs for the camera, sorry, I went back to bed like any sane person would!
*I just asked Bella what she'd like to plant in the window box and she said "Pink...yellow...and purple...and red. Some sunflowers. And white ones." Ok then.
Gorgeous sunset and pretty flowers ... but it that the base of a little summerhouse or garden shed that I see? Pretty paint colour, duck egg blue.
ReplyDeleteIt is the kid's play house, a cheap one we bought online then painted with paint leftover from the garage doors. Farrow & Ball green blue, if I remember correctly!
DeleteLovely garden photos, I like you little pot collection, very pretty.
ReplyDeleteLush and green here too, like a jungle/rain forest/swamp...
Yes, very jungle like. It's amazing how quickly everything grows when we have a lot of rain. I don't know why that always takes me by surprise, but it does!
DeleteLovely pics Gillian! Your garden looks delightful. I know what you mean about having to make peace with the mess that erupts with small people "helping" in the garden (or the kitchen for that matter!) but I used to say to myself, still do actually!, "It can all be cleared up easily in a few minutes!" I had/ have to repeat this several times on occasion but it helped! Your pic of Angus helping is SO sweet! E x
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame it took me five years to come to terms with their mess! I still get twitchy when they help me cook though, especially as Angus thinks stirring involves flicking the contents of a bowl from a wooden spoon all over the kitchen ceiling.
DeleteWe've still got a playhouse in the garden even though my youngest is nearly fourteen, and I still plant up the little window boxes every year. What a gorgeous sunset, I somehow missed that.
ReplyDeleteI hope we keep ours for as long. How lovely to still have that in your garden with all the memories attached to it.
DeleteLovely photos! I love the pots and special too when the kids are involved. How nice to capture the sunrise. I could have done that this morning when Sam woke but I jumped into his bed and told him to go to sleep :)
ReplyDeleteThank you. It was the sunset, I couldn't be bothered to go downstairs for the camera in the wee small hours...sleep is just too precious these days!
Deleteooh, those peas are looking good, and the foxgloves are particularly lovely.
ReplyDeleteyes, we do need a bit of sun for the garden. got a smattering today....
Not just for the garden but for me as well! I love the feel of the sun on my face, it's good for the soul.
DeleteLovely photo's Gillian. Isn't it nice to get out into the garden with the little ones? Bring on the summer holidays I say!
ReplyDeleteEssie x
Not long now, only a few weeks to go. I can't believe this school year is almost over, where has it gone??
DeleteSuch pretty photos. I love the foxgloves against that lovely stone wall.
ReplyDeleteHow lucky for your children that they have a playhouse. I always wished my daughters had one when they were smaller. Mostly I think I just wanted to fix it up - although I'm sure they would have enjoyed it too. :)
So far I have resisted the urge to prettify the play house. Painting it and attaching a window box was my limit, otherwise I could get carried away with curtains and furniture and goodness knows what! Angus has already broken one of the (plastic, phew!) window panes, the monkey.
Deletegorgeous! I have been waiting for the right time to start sowing for next year but our "new garden" is mature and I am so suprised when I see little flowers popping up here and there! The foxgloves are gorgeous and the sweet peas rambling up their posts are fab! Well done you x
ReplyDeleteHow lovely to move into a house and not know what flowers lie in wait for you! It must be nice to watch things bloom that you didn't know were there. x
DeleteI am especially excited to see your sweetpeas climbing away! So far I have not succeeded in coaxing my sweetpea seeds to sprout, but someone just told me to soak the seeds in milk overnight before planting them.
ReplyDeleteDo you do anything special to get your sweetpeas to grow, Gillian?
Bella's plans for the window box sound spectacular :)
Gracie <3
I have to confess i didn't grow them from seed but bought six little seedlings (are they sometimes called "plugs"?) from the garden centre back in April or May. I also have to scatter slug pellets as I have found that slugs and snails seem to find sweet peas extra tasty - it's a real problem in our garden, so much gets eaten by them!
DeleteYour garden looks amazing! I love potted plants outside the play house! x
ReplyDeleteThank you. It is edited, see how i always show the pretty dry stone wall but never the patio furniture of doom?? One day I will have to confess to how boring our garden really is! x
DeleteLovely garden photos! I love all the pretty pots and watering can clustered together!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I was sad when that yellow metal watering can started to leak, but when I realised I could use it as a plant pot I was quite happy!
DeleteHow lovely to see Angus helping you. The plants look lovely - what a bargain!! I look forward to seeing Bella's planting and hope the sun continues to shine so that we can all get out and feel the sun on our skin xx
ReplyDeleteRain today...but hopefully we can go back to the greengrocers on Saturday and make a start on some child friendly planting!
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