3: Gardening Diaries ...

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Downpours, snow, and I mistakenly thought England had eternal spring! I sympathize--we have wind and temps in the high 20's, but the worst was the band of sleet that went through.
When the weather is bad, I bake. If this weather keeps up, we'll have to buy another freezer.
Alp, I'm with you--February has been ghastly, bet we are getting closer to spring, one day at a time.
 

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Downpours, snow, and I mistakenly thought England had eternal spring! I sympathize--we have wind and temps in the high 20's, but the worst was the band of sleet that went through.
When the weather is bad, I bake. If this weather keeps up, we'll have to buy another freezer.
Alp, I'm with you--February has been ghastly, bet we are getting closer to spring, one day at a time.

What a lovely comment. I wish I could bake. I stupidly bought a gas cooker and one side will be burnt and the other side uncooked. When will I learn?

When you bake, the aroma is just wonderful! Not to mention the warmth!

Also, the day is already getting longer. The sun is still out and it's 5pm. At least, something to rejoice at!
 

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We've just a a few snow flakes:D:D......but is pass over in seconds:(:(

Yes, it has stopped now. I am going to sort out the propagator and taking some cuttings from my dahlias tomorrow.
 
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I always ' try' and overwinter my Dahlia tubers....but it's very pot-luck if they survive:(
 

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I left all my tubers in the ground and hopefully the snow has not killed them. I dug some up and then re-planted them along the strip with the longest sunshine hours and heat. Last year, I collected some seeds. This year, I will try to see if I can collect more seeds. I need to dig up new area for my baby hellebores. I have about 100 (at least) I also need to create areas for my snowdrops to naturalise .. A lot of work to do, just need the will to do it. And if I sell my house, I will have to dig them all up again.. What fun!
 
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Some pictures from last year from early spring to late September. I'll try not put to many on don't want to hog the page :D

Very early spring around mid March

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Had a hard frost a week before this pic, flattened the dicentra infront of camassia and lots of other plants, lost all my flowers on the wisteria as well :cry:
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one of the spring barrels
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Late Spring / early summer



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Delphiniums have finished, Heleniums about to start
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Helenium M beauty and Agastache black adder
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Summer barrel - ensete with dahlia B of L and nasturtiums before the cabbage white got them.
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pic of front garden mid / late summer
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late summer
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one of the pots round the front - Dahlia david howard and a canna australia which you cant see , lovely chocolate foliage.
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butterfly's went mad for the eupatorium.
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And today rather bland pic, just a dusting of snow. could do with more evergreens but that means removing something else.
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What are these beauties?
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Camassia??

Got the name for the blue irises please? Do they need more moist soil. Mine bearded tall ones need baking hot soil
 

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Are they Angelica? They are smothered by butterflies. Lovely borders and lovely combo.
 
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Yes camassia Blue Heaven, I bought them off Peter Nyssen, very good online bulb retailer.
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The purple plant with the butterfly's is a Eupatorium Purple Bush its about 7ft.

The Iris are sibirica Iris require moister which isn't a problem here, unknown name I bought cheap a few years ago.
 

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I bought a lot of camassias reduced in Summerhills' Taylor Bulbs. I really like Taylors's bulbs. I googled their stockists and we had a fabulous time visiting nurseries nearby. As they were reduced, I bought up 3 or 4 packs. If they were half as pretty, I would be chuffed.

Your flowers always gel so naturally and beautifully.

That Purple Bush is spectacular. 7ft tall! I wouldn't be able to take a photo unless mounted on a ladder! LOL!
 
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I'm very impressed by your borders Perki, I could learn a thing or two there! My choice in plants too, very cottage garden-esque. Any more pictures? Do you have borders out the front too?

Alp, you're giving me serious Hellebore envy, what a collection you have. Keep going and we may have a contender for the National lot! ;) I must invest in some more.. Hellebore Niger is a real gem to me, simple but effective. Pulmonaria and Daphne popping out here now. Like Snowdrops, I decided to buy some Aconites in the green.. a real landing pad for the emerging bumble queens. Invested in one of these 'homes' to try to persuade them to nest here.
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ceramic bee nester.jpg
 
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I have two Borders in the front but both are very small 3x2M approx, cause they are small it doesn't take me long to keep digging thing up / move them around so ever changing at the moment until I am happy. I have most of my pots round the front.
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One is a Hot border dark foliage / red / orange / yellow and purple and some Allium globemaster but I don't have many pictures. One of the problems I have had is that most of the colour is in summer for hot colours, so planted lots of tulips and 5 crown imperial fritillary this autunm. I have added a phomrium Black velvet in summer, had a rudbeckia herbstone for the back of the border but the slugs destroyed it so nursing back to health for this year. I have dug out all the orange crocosmia even though I do like them but they were taking over, think of something else now.

The three GM I planted in 2016 lovely them 18cm across, I planted a couple more last year i was so pleased with them.
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Same time as the alliums flowering, think of growing a clematis red/purple through the buddleia this year
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I dont have a full picture of the other border from this year , make sure I take more pic this year. Pastel colours mainly for this border. I done more changes to this border this autumn than any other, delphinium / alluims are still there:). A storm were due that why it got loads of stakes etc. I dug up a large hydrangea you just can't see so got a gap to fill there, replaced a rose with a new one david austin golden celebration got some nepeta six hills giant to go with them. I got other plants for late summer - phlox bright eyes - veronicastrum pink glow - thalictrum- sedums - spirea, I had some Liatrus but I think the delphinium has smothered them
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I do have another border in the back, just cant see cause of the angle of the picture. I been playing in this border a lot this autunm so probably look different again this year.

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I do have a yellow lupin to go with these polemiums but slugs attacked again.
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They should be purple monarda scorpion planted around the back of the helniums and to the side of phlox but they done a disappearing act. I had to move the phlox cause it taking to much light from the rose behind it.
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I want them like this, but this year. This was took in 2016. see my monarda's :cry:
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I am getting serious hellibore envy as well, feel like composting mine and getting one like Alp double hellibores :)
 
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