Friday, June 27, 2014

Balcony Colours through Instagram

I've been away for almost a week, then busy with various things and had no time to blog or take proper photos with a proper camera.
Instead, I took the following pictures with my phone, as I am quite pleased with different combinations that I've managed to create for this summer's pots.
 
This red-edged succulent with the mauve flowing petunias that proved to be a blooming machine
 
The fuschia with the pink pelargoniums and the succulent that will soon bloom
This combo of plants that are fuss free
The cherry tomatoes against the sun-powered lamp
Nicotiana and fuschia in different shades of pink
Nicotiana and pelargoniums in ... well, pinks again :)
 
And this pretty verbena with pink&white fuschia

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Garden Treat

The strawberries started to give us fruit a couple of weeks ago.
First, just a handful, now there's a bowlful.
The kids are just loving picking them
up and, of course, eating them...
 
 
... and I love mixing them in my champagne
 
Summer's good


Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Bits of June

These days I had no time to go around the garden with my camera, so what I did was to take some photos with my phone.
I do have a lot of them, but I decided on a small selection.
 
Graham Thomas is giving me its best summer so far. Bunches of blooms and buds that open up successively.
 
I am trying to peg it a bit to the fence and I am doing it gradually. So far, so good, although the branch I had pegged last spring is now dead and into the compost bin.
Below, you can see it with some allium, seed heads of Black Barlow and a bit of Lady Emma Hamilton who looks not exactly her best self this year. I believe I need to prune it more severely ... or maybe I put too much rose food...
 
Here's a close-up of Artemis, by Tantau. It has really pretty blooms and glossy foliage and it has already grown into a big round bush in only its second summer, but it started sending there long shoots and the bush is not so balanced now, which I don't like much.
I am not a big fan of fragrance free roses and I had bought this one thinking it would have at least some fragrance. Alas it has none!
 
 
This is not the case of beautiful Pierre de Ronsard.
Before buying it, I had read complaints that it had no fragrance. Well, this proved to be not true - it has a very mild fresh fragrance, just enough so I don't feel disappointed when I dig my nose into its blooms.
I love this rose!
It blooms a lot, repeats well, has beautiful foliage, does well in partial shade and those blooms last for a very long time both on the bush and in the vase.
 
And I'm going to end my post today with a surprise - a Heleborus that started to rebloom!
Is this normal?!?
I am enjoying it none the less :)



Thursday, June 5, 2014

Columbines

They are a sign of mid-spring.
They look like they have wings.
They have delicate colours, but no fragrance.
They bloom for about a month and then they show their pretty leaves.

I have three colours in my garden.

Barlow black, here with an alium and buds of Graham Thomas

 Pink Barlow

 and a white one

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Pretty Rose Seeks Identification

Hi!

I'm pink and very pretty.
I have numerous petals and sometimes open up into a quartered rosette.
My buds are a very dark shade of pink, then they get lighter as the blooms open up.
I have a divine perfume. Strong but without a hint of myrr. A rather classical rose fragrance.
I have big thorns and I offer my blooms several times a year.
I form a rather wide bush and my branches do not stand up right.
I guess my heavy big blooms have a say in that.

The girl who takes care of me assumes I might be Rose de Recht or Mme. Isaac Perreire .... or maybe some rose she hasn't even considered.

Can you help with my name?