Thursday, August 03, 2006


I am posting some more photographs of my garden. I was going to post them yesterday but blogger didn't want to co-operate with me. The photograph opposite is of my beautiful red lilies. I have never grown such a deep coloured lily before and was quite impressed with it. The rain has been pouring down all day today, so that is two days worth of heavy rain now. The weather is a lot cooler, in fact after the heat I found it slightly chilly today. I am quite satisfied with the rain but rather think I would like to get back to some sunshine now. I am happy to note that the new dahlia flowers that have opened today are beautifully white and not burnt at the petal tips like the ones that bloomed during the heatwave. My crocosmia and my windflowers are now in flower and I have one sunflower out, though I grew 'Russian Giants' this year and have not been impressed, I usually use just a common or garden variety which have always reached about nine or ten feet. These 'Russian Giants' are a miserable six feet, but perhaps it is due to the odd weather we have had this year. I always think that once the windflowers are in bloom it is getting towards the end of my gardening summer.


This is a photograph of one of my favourite garden ornaments, my moon gazing hare, which sits there staring at the moon all night. The hare is sitting next to my pot of bay. The photographs that follow on from this are, my shasta daisies and nicotiana, a close up of the shasta daisies, then the first of this year's flowers on my clematis, and my deep yellow lilies and finally a view of my salvias and dahlia buds, looking over towards the bed where my sunflowers are growing.


These are my shasta daises, and my red nicotiana, they are surrounded by phlox, both pink and white, which are just beginning to flower, and my white lilac bush that flowered in the late spring.


This is just a close up of my shasta daisies, I only planted them this year, my children bought me them as part of a mother's day plant selection present. They will probably be much more profuse next year.


This is a close up of my clematis on the rear wall of my garden, this was the first flower that bloomed on it this year, on a later roll of film I have some photos of it in full bloom.


These are my yellow lilies from last year, I just took a risk and left the bulbs in their pots over the winter, and no harm came to them and they are just as gorgeous this year.


You can see my sunflowers here, staked against the outbuilding walls, then in the bed in front of them are, to the left my large purple salvias, that the bees love so much and to the right my white dahlia, which is just in bud.


I was busy cooking yesterday, as my daughter, Sweetpea, arrived yesterday afternoon. I always ask her what meals she would like when she is at home, as she says she loves to come home to some home cooked meals. Last night we dined on Hungarian Goulash, which was her choice, and she likes my quiches, so I decided to make a couple in the morning and she could have a piece of one with salad for a late lunch. I made a courgette, mushroom and tomato one, but I also made a spinach, mustard and tomato one, the receipe for which was posted on Vintage Pretty's blog. It truly made a delicious quiche, the mustard adding a lovely sharp tang. Thank you Vintage Pretty for such a delicious receipe.



Last night, Sweetpea's friend, who is getting married on Saturday came and picked us both up from our cottage to take us to see the cottage her husband to me and herself have bought. It is in the next village to mine, it was so small and sweet, the only way to it is up a lane and down a long but narrow hedged entrance way. They have a lovely rowan tree at the entrance to their garden, but unfortunately, it is being choked by japanese bindweed, and does not look to well. She delightedly showed me all around, the cottage has many wonderful period features, such as three beautiful fireplaces, two of them sandstone and wonderful quirky cupboards and wooden floors. It took me back to the time we moved into our first home, it was a furnished studio flat in Manchester, and I can remember trying to add little touches to it to stamp my style on it. Ah the excitement of your first abode, with all life ahead of you, but I am still happy to be where I am and with the life I have.

12 comments:

Boxwood Cottage said...

I love your moon gazing hare! Very nice flower shots too! Oh and that that cottage sounds very cosy!

Naturegirl said...

Lovely photos of your HOT shaded flowers and then you tease us with your delicious sounding quiche and goulash!Our summer blossoms are such beauties!

Carole Burant said...

Such beautiful pictures you took of your flowers...they all seem to be doing so well even with the heat and rain! Like you, when my boys come home, I always try to make their favourite meals:-) Those quiches sound so delicious!! Have a great day! xoxo

Beth said...

OH Daisy,,your flowers look wonderful! Mine are all quite pitiful right now. This heat wave is really taking its toll on them. We might get a little bit of rain tomorrow and a little lower temps,,but climbing right back up for the rest of next week.
Love the vision of the quaint cottage you described,,and the food sound yummy! Have a good day and please send some of your rain this way!!

Annie Jeffries said...

Oh Daisy, you so need to come to my house. I am sure I've lost my Japanese Maple. My bougenvilla is struggling, and my verbena is thumbing its leafy nose at me saying "bring it on - you can't hurt me". My struggling green thumb is having a real problem with my little patio trees and your garden fills me with inspiration.

A bird in the hand said...

What a glorious garden you have!

(Thanks for your sweet comment on my blog :))

PamKittyMorning said...

Daisy your garden is a delight. I am truly green with envy. Everything is so pretty and lush. Right now everything in my yard is just burnt from the big heatwave. Thanks for sharing and thanks for all the kind comments.

Anonymous said...

Daisy,

Your flowers are lovely! Now you need to take a photo of your pretty perfume bottles on your little round table for us to see : ) Sandy

I just love your vintage family photos. With your permission I'd like to work up a collage for you with some of them & email it to you.

Sandy

J C said...

Daisy, thank you for your kind words on my blog. The encouragement is truly appreciated. The state of the world saddens me so much. I am happy to "find" your blog. Your flowers are totally gorgeous and I am envious becuz I do not have a green thumb. You should check out my cyberfriend Ang's site...she is a flower lover as well http://alter-myworld.greatestjournal.com/ and has a lovely garden too. I have always wanted to visit the English countryside and I so envy you your little spot in the world. I don't have any of those books you mentioned, but I do still have Jonathan Livingston Seagull and two other of Richard Bach's books, and one called A Hundred Camels in the Courtyard....oh my.."those" days. I have parted with the lifestyle, but I cannot seem to part with my fav books. I've never been a Deadhead, but I was a Pink Floyd freak! LOL I will be back to explore much more of your wonderful blog.

Nancy said...

What great flowers--I love that dark red lily. I used to live in New Mexico and had much better luck with my flowers than in Georgia.

vicci said...

The red lilies are so beautiful!!! I love all your flowers! I think I'll plant lots more lilies in my garden...they are a pretty hardy bunch!

Shelley said...

What a beautiful garden. Thanks for making our earth so lovely.