Plants in the Blue Pots Update

Funny how a post, like this one can have several working titles. The first one was 'Front of House Plants Update' but it was the exact title we used we we first gave an update last July. Then the second one was 'As I Weed at the Front of the House' but thought...nah! So went with the third. So how are the plants in blue pots at the front of our house doing? Generally very good. A few changes...

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Upright Again

The Yucca desmettiana that lives on the grey sandstone pot on the pillar by the entrance to the koi pond section has been living upside down for months, since the latter part of last winter. It keeled over after experiencing days of strong winds and was left like that until we had the time to sort it out. Last week was the time... I wasn't that surprised that it fell over, seeming as it has...

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Ephemeral Beauty

We grow Sanguinaria canadensis f. multiplex 'Plena' for it's relatively large and uniquely shaped foliage. But for a moment in the spring you get treated to the sight of their pretty white blooms too. Sanguinaria canadensis f. multiplex 'Plena' And if you are lucky enough to see those blooms, relish them. Or even better take photos as those blooms do not last at all. They are so delicate that...

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Colour Above and Colour Below

Some plants are equally beautiful from above and from below... Like Rhododendron 'Wine and Roses' for example. This was first sold a few years ago in large quantities as an all singing and dancing must have gift for mother's day. And why not being an evergreen, hardy plant with lovely bright pink blooms and deep green foliage. Last we...

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Favourite View

My current favourite view and part of the garden is also the most difficult to photograph. Why? It is a narrow space and it's not easy to find a spot to photograph it well. Plus getting the timing right when the lighting is fine for taking photos is not simple eithe...

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Hop and Skip to a Pond Makeover

Saturday morning is usually a recovery period from the working week that's just gone past, a period when it's not always easy to make a decision on anything definite to do in the garden. Or even whether to go somewhere else instead or not unless there was something arranged beforehand. Sometimes the best antidote to a cloudy head is an aimless walk in the garden first thing in the morning. And...

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Surprise Hit

Whenever we highlight certain plants in our blog it's not always easy to predict what response they will elicit. Some will be hits while others will get a lukewarm response (not that it matters anyway, we highlight plants depending on our mood). One of the plants that surprised us by being a hit was the Stachyurus we featured on our bloom day post a few days ago. We received questions and queries...

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Garden Blogger's Bloom Day April 2015

As a mainly foliage garden we never really have any moment wherein the garden has exuberant floriferous displays. And when I took photos the other days I wasn't surprised at all that our floral offerings this month are rather meagre. But upon walking around this afternoon I spotted that we actually have a lot more in flower than I previously gave the garden credit for! Alas I didn't have the time...

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Spring Catch Up

Although the past three weeks I have been mentally preoccupied with something else and spring 'happened' some time during that period it feels like there isn't much to catch up on. Nothing unusual but compared to some of the blogs we read from across the pond, spring growth here seems much later. But things will level up later on. Two white variegated Aloe brevifolia and a baby Dyckia marnier-lapostollei Two...

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Tale of Two Springs

The working title of this blog post was 'Testicles on My Head'. Gaz was daring me to go ahead with it, and usually I would oblige but at the last minute opted not to. But let me at least explain why which will also explain why I disappeared for almost two weeks. I thought this Rheum bud would be appropriate. Just use your imagination... Since the beginning of this year I had the task of writing...

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