As a gardener, especially in Scotland I always feel I have to mention the weather, I try not too, but it slips out, and I'm be-moaning the cold, wet summer AGAIN before I know it. You can tell the kids are on summer holidays, can't you? The weather turns bad the very next day after they have finished for those long seven weeks. Though mine are well past the stage of needing entertained, they are self sufficient in that respect as long as they are kept fed. They say there's a heat wave on it's way, will make it to our lovely bit of Scotland, I hope so, it will bring the flowers out, but then I'll have to be constantly watering, us gardeners are never happy. Here's a nice picture of some of my Pelargonium collection, it certainly cheers me up.
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| It was well worth spending the time re-potting and giving all my greenhouse plants a good hair cut in spring, it's paid back with an abundance of glorious colour and healthy growth |
I decided to pick some flowers from my own garden for the cafe flowers this week, a nice change to the wild flowers from the bankings, with added mint for scent and oats I was really pleased with them.
Cafe flowers this week
If you follow the nursery Facebook page (please like us if you don't already), you'll know I post photos of our wild life neighbours in the nursery and farm. This week I saw a yellowhammer in the sales area, I was really pleased to see it and then remembered for some obscure reason and very unusually I didn't have my camera with me, hence the ridiculously small photo from my phone. Yellowhammers are startling coloured birds, if you've never seen one before you'd be forgiven for thinking it was a canary!
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| Can you spot the yellowhammer? |
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| This is the yellowhammer in our garden at home last year |
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| Also in bird news this week, the latest batch of swallows have fledged from the potting area, I've enjoyed watching them learn to fly over the past two days |
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| Quirky Birds can be found in varying habitats including streams, where they are quite at home paddling in their wellies weeding the bankings. They also like popping up under the bridge in a Troll Billy goat Gruff like manner and startling passers by. If fed chocolate and wine they can be reasonable tame and companionable |
The gardens are full of colour now, especially the borders on either side of the track up into the nursery. On the shade side Digitalis in purples, whites and Apricot send their dreamy spires up to meet the overhanging trees. Valerian officinalis and Astilbes provide flower colour above the foliage of Hostas and Brunnera. I've added in a lot more plants along the track edge to add interest, get more plants for stock in the ground and soften the edge of the track.
On the sunnier side Sanguisorbas are coming into flower along with Ox-eye daisies, grasses, herbaceous Potentilla, Iris and Geraniums. I've given this border a good weed this week and have filled in all the gaps with plants not already in the ground. These vary from Stachys byzantium along the track edge to Phlox, Molinias, Lythrum in the wet area, kirengashoma and Polemoniums for height.
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| Sanguisorba menziesii |
The past couple of weeks have been spent weeding the stock beds (amongst everything else needing done), and now it's time to weed the borders. Last weekend I got the stream planting and native plants garden done and on Friday and Saturday I worked on the long border up the left side of the drive. There are still a lot of perennial weeds coming through but they are gradually decreasing over time. I have filled in a lot of the gaps as mentioned above. Next on the list will be the new borders in the stock beds, then I can hopefully get on with creating some new borders, yeh!
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| Lots of colour in the sales area this week |
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| The nursery dog was with us this weekend |
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| Yes it's a dog rose! David's sense of humour escapes again |
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There was much celebrating in the wildlife garden this weekend as David finished putting in the bottle edge to the path. He has over the past few months planted 950 bottles! I'm really pleased with it and can't wait to get the wood chips in to finish the path. We'd like to thank customers, visitors, Whitmuir and the Edinburgh Larder who left their bottles for us to recycle in a quirky way so we could add another interesting feature to the gardens here in the nursery.
Now onto our next project ......
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| Eryngium 'Jos Eijkling' |
Monday was a day off to try and clear the back log of tasks and chores piling up at home, after a better night's sleep and feeling motivated, I got though most of my job list, yeh!
Mission 1 - bin bags of stuff to harity shop, petrol in car and chicken food bought check
Mission 2 - manky hoose cleaned check
Mission 3 - attack the paperwork mountain on my desk check
Mission 4 - tidy patio and water plants check
Mission 5 - relax, chocolate and book check
Tuesday and wow was it hot! Clear blue skies, no escape 30C, yes you read that right, in Scotland for one day only! Unfortunately it was also the day we were moving eldest into his new flat before he starts his new job in a couple weeks time. Three car loads later and a trip to the supermarket for some food for him we were all melted puddles on the floor, but it's great to see him moving on with his life and fingers crossed the new job will go ok too. Meanwhile middle son celebrated his 20th birthday somewhere in England where he is on a course over the summer. They are all so grown up.
Home to tea outside, where it was marginally cooler than the stuffy house then a relaxing evening recovering!
Hope you are all having a great week, catch up soon.
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Your nursery is looking gorgeous, and the planting is really pretty. I like the picture of you in your wellies and that dog rose. My youngsters are all very grown up now too, and it's lovely to see them making their way in the world. Hope your son enjoys his new home and job. Cathy x
ReplyDeleteThanks Cathy, it's full of scent and colour at the moment, which is lovely. It's good to have a bit of fun too in the nursery. Eldest son will be fine I'm sure, he's 22 and needs to be finding his feet now :)
DeleteThe bottle edging in inspiring Rona and well done David for the effort put in. That's a great shot of you in the stream Rona. We Scots sure do know how to moan about the weather don't we? Great to read all your news and I hope all goes well for your son.
ReplyDeleteHi Angie, the bottles are getting so much attention and feed back which is great, one frien has already done their own version at home. David was passing by as I was weeding in the stream, hence the photo, good to have an updated photo of the Quirky bird lol. I'm sure Ben will be fine, tho it's strange not having him at home, I miss them as they go.
DeleteYou don't you don't look old enough to have sons in their 20s, the outdoor life obviously suits you xxx
ReplyDeleteThanks Fran, you've made my day :) I think it's the preservative properties of chocolate and wine to be honest :) x
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