I can't believe we are into July already, where does the time go? They do say the busier you are the quicker it goes, or the older you are .......... hmmmm maybe both, and I think that has to be true. The nursery is ticking along nicely, if I can keep on top of the weeds. The tunnel has reached that point where the spring potting madness has passed and every thing is growing well, potted, watered and fed. Every so often a batch of plants makes it way to the stock beds and sale and I have another space to fill with potted seedlings and cuttings. The bedding and annuals are all out now and I've been doing a lot of cuttings and herbaceous propagation to bulk up numbers and for next years stock.
Some seed batches haven't done too well and others have produced A LOT of plants, yeh! I was really pleased to get a batch of Eucomis autumnalis seeds from my own plant at home to germinate with 100% success. It is interesting to see what does or doesn't do well, especially out of the old seed that came with the nursery, very mixed results.
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| A vase of flowers on the potting bench |
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| The tunnel, finally under control ..... for now |
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| Wild flower and mint cafe flowers from the nursery terraces |
The borders in the nursery are filling up well this year with flower and foliage colour schemes knitting together and at their best at this time of year. Iris 'Silver Edge' has been very impressive this month, bulking out into fine plants covered in flowers. We have them for sale in the nursery as young plants and next year they should be flowering. It's definitely one I would recommend as well as Iris 'Mandarin Purple' which we also stock. I have teamed Iris 'Manderine Purple' with Chaerophyllum hirsutum 'Roseaum' and Aquilegia 'Green Apples, these are working wel against the back drop of Corylus avellana 'Purpurea'.
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| Iris 'Silver edge' |
I always think it's fun to pop a few vegetable plants into flower beds as this maximises production in the garden and can help fill a few gaps in the border. I planted some Kale 'Cavalero de Nero' and Rainbow Chard in the stock bed borders to do exactly that while the newly planted perennials bulk out. Sometimes you end up with accidental colour schemes that work very well. The chard compliments the Primula vialli and the dark leaves of the kale work well with the fluffy purple flowers of the Thalictrums.
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| Combining veg and perennials in a flower bed can be very successful |
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| Borage and Astrantia work well together in the stock bed borders |
Another way of filling out borders until perennials and shrubs have established is to plant some complimentary annuals. I have used Nigella (Love in a Mist), Borage, Poppies (Shirley, black and somnifera), cosmos and Cerinthe and Ammi. All fit in well with perennials and add interest throughout summer into autumn. We sowed and potted a lot of annuals and bedding to sell this year, including some veg, and it's been very successful. We have some left if you are still looking for annuals and bedding and we'll definitely be doing more next year.
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Euphorbia, Arrhenatherum elatius var. bulbosum 'Variegatum' and
Lavander looking good in one of the seating areas |
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| Wild flowers on the terrace |
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| Ox eye daisies are in full flower on the terraces |
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| Campion and Ox Eye Daisies |
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| There's crop of new piglets on the farm |
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| and swallows in the potting area |
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| Keeping their parents busy |
In other news it was youngest's birthday last week. 15! I always think it's scary when your oldest reaches milestones, but when it's youngest, definitely worse. He is easy pleased and his birthday tea request was pizza, lots of it. So I obliged, very easy to cook after work and everyone was happy, finished off with birthday cake and swiss roll.
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| Who ate all the pizza? |
Wrapping up on warm on Sunday night I headed out with David and the survey team on a bat survey at a derelict site neat Glasgow, bats for them, photos for me. It isn't easy to get into the buildings and to e honest not advised given their advanced state of decay, so I contented my self with exterior shots. There was very little bat activity, though we did see a barn owl.
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| Dereliction always looks good in Black and white |
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| Taken through a window, you can see there is nothing much left but the shell |
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| The biggest building with two huge towers |
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| Last shot of the evening |
Shorter blog as I want to do one for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday on our trip north. I hope you are all well and having a great week.
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I find disused and derelict buildings like that fascinating, if a little sad... what was it used for previously?
ReplyDeleteLove the ox-eye daisies mixed with the campion. And astrantia's one of my favourite flowers.
S
Hi Sarah, they have interesting history and are great for photographing, but I agree, sad too. This one was built by the Victorians as a mental hospital. I love Astrantia too, especially for macro photography, and they flower for so long :)
DeleteThe wild gardens are so beautiful, nature has a great way of arranging things. I like to see vegetables among the flower beds, it encourages people to grow veg even if they have a small garden xxx
ReplyDeleteHi Fran, thanks, I've been doing veg in window boxes too just to show people what you can grow no matter the space available. You certainly can't do it better than mother nature, different perhaps but not better x
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