The aftermath of an orgy in the pond Lake. Disgraceful!
* Answers in the comments, please.
** To this post from a year ago.
Hello! Here I am! I don't have much to say, so I will just bombard you with gardening-related photos (mostly) which may also serve as a prompt to start photographing your own gardens and/or green patches for the 16th annual Lady Garden Presentation
I N F O M A N I A C
Garden Photos Event
later in the year.
But first some music to accompany your scrolling, from the Project Hail Mary soundtrack, Daniel Pemberton's "Amaze Amaze Amaze (Life on Erid)":
(I loved my birthday viewing of this film - and the soundtrack - so much that I went to see it again on Tuesday afternoon! The similar, but not quite as euphoric "Amaze Amaze Amaze (Fist My Bump)" almost made the cut here.)
MARCH
The 15th to be precise...
The South Garden and Circular Paysho
This neglected and pot-bound dog's tooth violet/fawn lily (Erythronium californicum "White Beauty") clearly doesn't need any of my help to thrive.
The chocolate vine (Akebia quinata) started to flower.
The Gardener's Retreat
28th March
Raspberry (named by my sister & nephew).
Despite his best efforts, Bitey has yet to "meet" Raspberry.
April
4th
Not my garden, but who wouldn't want to be treated to a view of Bitey's fluffy backside through a tunnel of blackthorn blossom?
Snake's head fritillaries by the Lake (Camera apologises for the out-of-focus subject. Again)
And another in the Gardener's Retreat (with my chocolate foxglove, Digitalis parviflora - which I hope is going to flower this year - in the pot behind it).
The Erythronium again.
6th April
The Lake
A "hatching" frog-bit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae)
One of the orgy-goers, no doubt.
An enormous dandelion flower. I left it in the garden because it's so bright and cheerful.
Plus the bees love it!
11th & 12th April
The big agapanthus in the multi-sided pot isn't staying there. The Grand Paysho needs to be reorganised before it can be repositioned somewhere more suitable.
The widened border around the Circular Paysho looks like it may need further widening...
Despite facing south, the magnolia is flowering much later than all the rest of them around here because The Gardener's Retreat is shaded by the old railway embankment and the "bastard weed trees" (as Jon so rightly calls sycamores).
I've yet to bring the old railway sleeper shelf and table & chairs out of the garage to furnish the Gardener's Retreat.
Chocolate vine flowers - and half a mealworm (from the bird feeder, I should imagine).
Primrose
The carefully placed stones won't stay that way for long. The nephew and nieces are coming round later...
Pineapple lily shoots (Eucomis comosa "Sparkling Burgundy"). I divided and repotted my collection earlier this week.
The now towering Echiums!
The South Gardens of Hexenhäusli Device from atop Broom. The wire cloches are to prevent Bitey from tearing up the lawn when he rushes out to find Raspberry (they'll be put away once the dry season starts - which will probably be next month).
The results of yesterday's baking: cherry Danishes (v.easy - a sheet of puff pastry cut into six squares, the edges of which are cut & folded over to the opposite inner edge, brushed with milk, filled with cherry compote, dusted with cinnamon sugar then baked), and dried cherry & chocolate tray bake.
Fuck! A rat! Let Bitey at it!
ReplyDeleteEverything in the garden's looking lovely, Mr D. You should be proud of the results! Even if you do play host to frog orgies and let vermin eat the bird seed...
Jx
PS That choon has a jolly beat, but it doesn't 'arf go on a bit.
PPS "Cherry Danishes"? Jam tarts with an attitude, I'd say...
Bitey would love to get Raspberry. And his/her friend. One day. One day...
DeleteI must admit, I am quite pleased with the parts of the garden that I've invested time, effort and money into. Speaking of, I think you may find the garden extra lovely soon - I had a trip out to the garden centre with The Mother this afternoon. I'll say no more and save it for a future post.
P.S. "go on"? That choon's only just over 3 mins long! Although, I think I know what you mean - there's rather a lot of build up and then it's all over. I have to agree with Ms Scarlet that it could be longer - especially the exhilarating end!
P.P.S. Bwah hah hah hah haaaaa!!!
Oh my goodness, your garden is lovely!
ReplyDeleteStop putting out birdseed! I read this instruction on the BBC News website the other week - apparently birdseed gatherings can help to spread bird flu. Also, it encourages Raspberries!! Plenty of Raspberries round here too.
I so want a circular paysho. Where did you get your large garden cobbles from? I wanted a large one for Sid's memorial, but couldn't find one anywhere. I thought of nicking one from the beach, but thought I'd get caught, so didn't!
Sx
P.S I liked the choon, and for me it wasn't long enough because I was still taking in the pictures when it finished. I've heard good things about Project Hail Mary - the book is supposed to be good as well.
DeleteSx
Thank you, Ms Scarlet. And for the bird seed advice. I saw the same article but the bird feeders are The Father's domain. He does wash the feeders in bleach regularly - and moan about the price of bird seed and that Raspberry guzzles a lot of it, so I think he may heed the BBC's instructions!
DeleteIf by cobbles you mean the round stones, I, um, nicked them from the beach! (The lumps of granite were from my uncle's quarry.)
The whole soundtrack from PHM is just as brilliant as the film! The film is funny and moving and heartbreaking and exciting and Amaze Amaze Amaze!
What a beautiful garden, I thought your allotment was the focus of your gardening, but obviously not. I planted 2 Echiums when I first got my garden and then later found out they're wildly invasive here in San Francisco. It's a good thing I didn't care because they turned into a huge patch covering the back third of my yard. Turns out they're notoriously promiscuous.
ReplyDeleteI loved your promiscuous Echiums! It was you and your garden who turned me on to them.
DeleteThe allotment is my main focus (esp. in the winter & early spring what with all the tidying up and preparation) but the garden takes over now and again. I don't spend too much time and effort on it as it is shared with The Parents. As much as they say they'll let me get on with it and not interfere, they can't help themselves!
Another good thing about echiums is that they grow like trees and yet they are so easy to pull out by hand after they have flowered. Amazon have a very good range of catapults ideal for those pesky garden critters and pond life Jezabels, a drop or two of bleach in the pond should dampen their ardor. If you look between the echiums at the french doors you can clearly see the reflection of washing drying on a line, it's lovely to see and very northern!
ReplyDeleteI noticed the reflection just before I published the post and hummed & hahed about getting rid of the photo as I knew YOU would notice it, Mitzi. I didn't have another suitable photo showing the height of the Echiums though, so it had to stay.
DeleteFortunately, I had positioned myself so only got those trousers and pillowcase inshot and not the Giant Mummy Pant Horrors!
My mother was a great believer in pegging out, she said the suns UV rays acts as a natural sanitizer, I don't have a washing line but I do use a clothes horse in the garden for drying my smalls and Carmen's larges.
DeleteIn my excitement at seeing the cakes and the washing I forget to ask you about the chicken wire tunnel?
I prefer a clothes horse for smalls - and larges - as it can quickly be brought in if any unannounced vistors pop by.
DeleteThe wire tunnel is just there to prevent Bitey from turning that part of the lawn into a mud slide. Once the paysho doors are opened he tears outside on the quickest route to The Gardener's Retreat behind the garage which is where Raspberry & Co. tend to hang around. With the tunnel there, he's forced to run mainly on the stepping stones - although you can see that the grasee between them is already mud!
Or "grass" even...
DeleteI love your garden, and how you manage to make it look much bigger than it is.
ReplyDeleteThe cyclone was a bit of a damp squib and today is warm and sunny. Laundry is done-and-hung and I'm going to make a start with my bulbs...
Does that mean you can get in your bath, now?
DeleteAh, the looking much bigger thing is probably down to clever/lucky photography. I'd like to make the garden look bigger once one is in it, too. That'll mean some thinking, more borders/beds, and some bigger plants!
Each time you type the word "paysho" my mind sees it as "psycho."
ReplyDeleteNorfolk Psycho.
DeleteI'm not dressing up in The Mother's frocks just yet.
Delete