In a vase on Monday – three seasons in a day – and thwarted Thursday!

Let’s start with late spring, exemplified by sweet peas, together with the Panicum ‘Frosted Explosion.

Followed by summer, with Malope trifida ‘Alba’, Cosmos ‘Psyche White’ and Nicandra physalodes (Shoo-fly).

And autumn, with a mix of Dahlias, Salvias, Cosmos and late flushing roses (Pat Austin and Munstead Wood). 

The arrangements above were all created on Saturday, which sadly was too late for Thursday’s island birthday celebrations for the OH.  

We were having dinner in a local restaurant, with drinks at home first.  I’d hoped to arrange flowers for the house, and had even wondered about taking some little arrangements to the restaurant.

Sadly, thanks to a signal failure and swans on the line (yes really), my attempts to get back from London by early afternoon on Thursday were badly thwarted and I got through the door at around 6, with guests arriving at 6.30.

Obviously a sane woman would have forgotten the flowers and gone and got changed, but not yours truly.  No, I went running around the garden gathering a great armful of blooms and was still shoving them in a huge vase as the first guests arrived…

The result, photographed a day later, looks rather sad, but I promise it did look a little better on the night (and a little less flat in the middle).  

With thanks to Cathy who hosts all our Monday vases.

In a vase on Monday – Basqueing in orange!

Just a quick, late one today to share another ‘table trio’ and my new table runner made in the Basque region and bought last week in Biarritz.

I deliberately bought a runner (and napkins) with an orange stripe as the long table sits right next to the Bronze Bed and so the orange flowers feel completely at home.

Why don’t you pop over to Rambling in the Garden to see what others have in their vases this Bank Holiday Monday?

 

 

 

In a vase on Monday – Orange overload!

Finally some time this weekend to fiddle with flowers!

I spent a lovely hour making a few arrangements including the kitchen one above.  Sedum heads were joined by an exuberant mix of  Dahlias ‘Zundert Mystery Fox’ and ‘Happy Single Date’

as well as Rosa ‘Pat Austin’.

More Dahlias was plonked in the relatively new small glass trough – ‘Roxy’ and ‘Hillcrest Royal’ together with Cosmos ‘Rubenza’

And lastly, a trio of sherbet pink blooms for the long oak table.

These contained a random mix of bits and pieces to accompany the Rosa ‘Jubilee Celebration’ including a few odd sweet peas (‘Prince Edward’ the dark one below), Antirrhinum ‘Orange Wonder’, Panicum ‘Frosted Explosion’, Diascia personata

together with mint leaves and even a peachy Pelargonium.

As ever I’m joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden who hosts the IaVoM meme.  Why don’t you pop over to see who else has been fiddling with flowers today?

Wordless Wednesday – Pat ‘n’ Jiminy

End of Month View – June 2017

These photos were taken on Monday, after the frantic activity of the previous day’s ‘Secret Gardens of St Helens’ event (organised by yours truly) where 12 village gardens opened in aid of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.  Whilst I can already point to areas where my organisation could be improved upon, I’m delighted to report that we had over 300 visitors and took over £3,000.  And, on a tastier note, someone said my Victoria Sandwich was the best on the Isle of Wight!

The garden was really looking spick and span thanks in a very large part to my lovely helpers – the OH, both my children, and neighbours M and J – who all pulled out the stops on Saturday and Sunday morning to rescue various areas of the garden from general chaos (so that’s what the greenhouse floor looks like!) as well as (M) potting up bits of random vegetation to sell.

So here’s the tour:

Entry via the steps and past the old copper pot, admiring the (ahem accidental) matching of the Callistemon and the container planting,

and on past the Flower Carpet roses (which generated plenty of enthusiastic comments).

Past the greenhouse pots and into the greenhouse,

on past the barrow

to the decking. admiring the pelagoniums

and dahlias.

On to the the veg patch

and then round to the Swing Beds.

A quick pause at the Grass Beds to admire the view

and another pot

and then a pause at the steps to look over to the office (nice bunting!)

and then up to the greenhouse.

Up the lavender steps and across to the other end of the garden

and finally, a seat at the table, and a cup of tea.

With thanks to all my helpers and cake donators as well as all the other garden openers, their helpers, the ticket sellers and poster putter uppers.

Yes I’m still feeling a little kn*ckered, but would I do it again – of course!

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – June 2017

Whilst many of my roses are already coming to an end, I’m delighted that the Rose ‘Flower Carpet’ are just bursting into bloom.

Other roses include R. Jacques Cartier, here with Diascia personata

R. St Swithun

and R. Pat Austin, here with Achillea Terracotta, as in Monday’s vase.

A few peonies are hanging on

and a similarly flowered poppy has arrived of her own volition.

A plant I’ve rarely featured is this Phlomis italica – a lovely soft pink in the Swing Beds.

Talking of pink, plenty of Pinks in the Lavender bed, with Erysimum ‘Red Jep’ in the bacjground. I’m excited that four cuttings I took of this Erysimum earlier in the year have now taken, but I think I should take a few more – I love it!

In pots the Clematis ‘Princess Di’ is now flowering together with the Perlargonium ‘Surcouf’.  the Princess looks happier than she’s ever been, I’m not sure whether that’s because I’ve been more assiduous with the watering, or whether the Pelargonium is so large it’s now shading the princess’ roots.

This is a rather loud combo by the steps up to the house – a Diascia, Heuchera and Calibrachoa.

The Gazanias in the old bath are such good doers – and are far more forgiving about forgotten watering than many other inhabitants!

Also in pots, would you believe four different dahlias blooming in June!

I haven’t quite worked out which is which as they’ve taken me by surprise, but assuming they’ll still be featuring next month, I should have worked it out by then….

Annuals are starting to get going, like Cosmos Psyche White,

Malope

and C. Antiquity.

Three lots of blue spires, the sister’s Penstemon (grown from a cutting, discussed here), Lavender, edging the steps and (I think) Veronicastrum

And to finish a couple of plants not yet blooming, but fingers crossed they will be by next weekend’s opening – Allium sphaerocephalon

and Agapanthus.  Wish me luck!

With thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens who hosts everyone’s GBBD.

In a vase on Monday – Peachy pair

Today I thought I’d deviate from the recent pinks and blues and go peachy.

The rose is Rosa Pat Austin, named by David Austin for his wife.  She’s looking fabulous at the moment with numerous big, blousy blooms warming up the Bronze Bed.

Conversely there was only one bloom of Achillea ‘Terracotta’ which had coloured up (the umbels start green and then colour with age) but as it had flopped over I thought I’d sacrifice it for the vase.

Whether the Achillea will colour up in situ in time to join the roses before they start to fade only time will tell, but I thought I’d capture the moment in miniature today.

Thanks to Cathy who hosts In a Vase on Monday.

And thanks to my lovely sister too, who not only bought this vase as a previous gift, but also for sending me a parcel to open on Sunday, my birthday, with further well chosen pressies, together with the promise of a sisterly night out too.  Thanks for making such a fuss of me sis, no-one else did!