Tuesday, June 14, 2011

The Garden in June 2011

Tuesday, June 14, 2011   Mark and Gaz   17 comments

After a particularly warm and dry spring, it has been a wet start to the summer here but it's not too bad as it gives plants the good soaking they need, and promotes even more lush growth for a better display later in the season. Fortunately it hasn't been continuously wet like we had in previous summers and the rainy days are interspersed with bright, sunny ones; and it's those sunny days that I've managed to take a few more photos of the garden. 




The long term forecast seems good too, after a few more days of unsettled weather we're likely to come back to stretches of warm and sunny days again, cross fingers!


I haven't posted general shots of the garden in a while now, here's a few more taken recently. 





In the Jungle...


An all white leaf from a clump of Farfugium argenteum. It occasionally throws out an all white leaf but not as big as this one before. All white leaves are prone to burning so I'm glad I've taken this photo before it showed signs of it, but so far so good and it's still looking pristine now.










Echeveria 'Mauna Loa' in a summer display pot, surrounded by several Hederas and the dwarf bamboo Pleioblastus pygmaeus

Aeonium arboreum 'Variegatum'



Our resident king of the jungle, Knickers, ready to pounce...




Arisaema speciosum flower. It's the most reliable arisaema in our garden and reliably comes back every year with very little special care.











The delightful Ginkgo biloba 'Troll', a dwarf ginkgo variety that looks great in a pot.














The lovely hardy tree tomato, Cyphomandra corymbiflora. Throws out plenty of flowers throughout the season. Hopefully I'll get fruits later in the summer!













My favourite seating area in the garden....



Looking forward to the rest of the summer! :-)


Mark

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17 comments :

  1. Sunray Gardens14 June 2011 at 20:07

    Your gardens are lovely. I love seeing the larger area shots to see how people make things work. You do great. Love the cat too.
    Cher Sunray Gardens

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  2. Jim14 June 2011 at 20:24

    Thanks for the comments on my blog. Your garden is beautiful! It looks like a tropical paradise. I can tell a lot of work goes into it.

    Jim from Kentucky

    http://kygardener.blogspot.com/

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  3. b-a-g14 June 2011 at 21:01

    Thanks for sharing the rare albino leaf. I like the way you've designed the garden. Was it originally an ordinary backgarden ie. rectangular with a lawn and floorbeds ?

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  4. Anonymous15 June 2011 at 04:53

    Your garden really shines for June. It looks like a good month just about everywhere.

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  5. Mark and Gaz15 June 2011 at 09:15

    Thank you Cher, Jim, much appreciated :)

    Thanks b-a-g! :) Yes, it was originally just an ordinary back garden with a lawn and some border, gradually changed through the years.

    Donna, thanks for the compliment! Pleased to know it's been generally a good month nearly everywhere, hopefully it just gets better :)

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  6. Hazel15 June 2011 at 10:43

    Now you two, fess up...you are magicians! You have pulled of the biggest slight of hand with your garden...if I didn't know better, I would swear that it was somewhere much warmer than England. It reminds me of the time I was in a new western style hotel in Beijing. They brought the desert trolley around and for a split moment I forgot where I was and thought, "I can't pay for this, I only have Chinese money one me.' The whole place was so horribly 'western' I thought I was somewhere else. I do love all the little arty touches too...the pots, and mosaic bottles look great.

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  7. HolleyGarden15 June 2011 at 16:11

    Love your 'jungle'. It looks green, lush, and cool. Love that white leaf!

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  8. Andrea16 June 2011 at 01:42

    Hi Mark and Gaz, though i still dont know who has the Filipino heritage, i am now more convinced that you have a tropical garden! It is becoming to be like an awesome jungle with wonderful colors and leaf art! They also look so very well tended and healthy!

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  9. Mark and Gaz17 June 2011 at 07:51

    Cheers Hazel, much appreciated :)It's mostly about creating the look with plants that will actually grow here. Accessories too help, but they are individual things and adds a personal touch about the owner. And easy to change every year :)

    Thank you Holley! So far so good, the leaf is still all white and no scorch :)

    Thank you Andrea, choice compliment! You'll have to keep guessing, fun that way :)

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  10. Janet/Plantaliscious17 June 2011 at 08:13

    Ah, now that's what I've been missing - staring over the fence at other people's gardens! I love that jungle shot in particular, but what a lovely space you have created, good to get more of an overview. Those mosaic pots in the first shot are wonderful.

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  11. Mark and Gaz17 June 2011 at 15:58

    Cheers Janet! Glad you took the time to peek, I know you're busy at the moment :) I do like the mosaic pots, a shot of colour in a very green garden (and you can move it around too! :)

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  12. Alistair18 June 2011 at 15:46

    Now, this is what I enjoy most of all, when other bloggers show pictures of their garden. Yours is looking simply sensational. Not only am I not familiar with the Farfugium argenteum, but pure white leaves on occasions, that's what I call different. The dwarf Ginkgo biloba is one plant which I am going to search for. I like the large pictures which you have on your site, it saves having to open them up. I have also been doing this but have been concerned that loading time may be unacceptable, yours opened in a couple of seconds.

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  13. Unknown19 June 2011 at 21:21

    Everything is looking fantastic in your garden, a real oasis. And now I've even seen your Knickers...

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  14. Mark and Gaz20 June 2011 at 10:56

    Thank you for visiting Alistair, and for the lovely comment too! I also prefer posting larger photos on most times, depending on the layout. I know there can be issues if you buy your own domain and connect them both, loading big photos doesn't work well with Blogger hence some sites are restricted with the size of the photos they upload. We have our own domain too which auto divert to this site (www.alternativeeden.co.uk) but I didn't sync them in automotatically because of the photo size issues. I'll keep the settings this way until I know it's been resolved, so I can keep posting bigger photos :)

    Thanks Martin! Most pleased to show our Knickers :)

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  15. Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)21 June 2011 at 21:46

    OK, Mark and Gaz, I'm going to pack my bags and move into your garden for the summer. I hope Knickers will put up with me :-)

    Seriously, your garden should be featured in glossy coffee table books, it's that beautiful. The plants alone are magnificent, but I love how you pull it all together using furniture, artwork, rocks, multi-tiered plant stands etc. It's the very definition of a tropical paradise and shows what is possible in a temperate climate when you have vision, patience and perseverance.

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  16. debsgarden22 June 2011 at 01:07

    I am late catching this post and am glad I didn't miss it. I appreciate the longer views of your garden. It does look lush and tropical and truly beautiful. I love those mosaic jugs in the first photo. Really, your garden would look right at home in my own part of the world!

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  17. Mark and Gaz28 June 2011 at 14:53

    Gerhard, you're more than welcome here! Hopefully you'll have another holiday in Britain soon, be great to meet up :) Thanks for the choice compliment, most appreciated!

    Debs, thanks for popping round and the lovely compliment! I agree that it would look at home in your area too :)

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