Hobbies and Crafts

Not seen that before Vera, I can only assume the flower that you had was a result of crossing a white one with a mauve one and this one has reverted. Aquilegia frequently do that to us.

I hadn't thought of that Ann. Seems possible doesn't it.

Very strong winds yesterday have damaged an Honesty that I planted from seed and gave it lots of TLC. I have dug it up and replanted it hoping it will survive.
Penstemons and Poppies have also been blown down as have a Compassion rose that I had in a container. It is forecast to be even stronger winds today too.

I have spotted more damage from the strong winds as some Alliums have been
bent almost double, they have quite thick stems so they haven't been snapped off.
I may bring them inside as these are almost passed their best now, but I do like Alliums and I think they have such interesting heads when the flower colour fades.

Vera, I'm sure your garden will have survived the strong winds we have had while
you and OH are in Menorca. I think it has only been two days and no real damage
has been done, so I'm hoping all will be good for you on your return back home.

No doubt the wind and rain will have ruined our poppies and peonies, just hope the hanging baskets survive.

A pleasant day yesterday and so I managed to do a fair bit of weeding and tidying up in the back garden border as well as sitting on the garden bench resting in between.

We have three peony plants Ann and the wind soon got rid of the flower petals.
I think you should be alright with your hanging baskets. I am guessing that you have someone to water them whilst you are away on holiday. They should be fine.

We have beautiful red, purple and orange poppies in the front border, which we can see from the lounge window. I scattered some of last years seeds and this is my reward and all free too..... an added bonus and a joy to see on this sunny morning.

I can't believe how much everything has grown in the short time we have been away. I like things to look a bit wild and untidy - it makes our little garden look bigger and gives it height - but it has gone over the top now. OH is out there now tidying up a bit. He has strict instructions to check with me before he cuts anything right back ;-). He can be a bit clipper happy.

We have to get it sorted before Saturday as I have yet another fund raising coffee morning. Somehow in my tiny garden I have to get quite a large number of people, a table selling plants, another selling books, a tombola and a table with raffle prizes. Why do I let myself in for these things? I'm going to have to learn to say 'no'.

It is a lot cooler and much more pleasant today. I have been watering the borders and the tubs regularly and been rewarded with pretty colourful flowers. A joy for us to see.

Vera, I hope that your OH did as he was told with the secateurs? You certainly had
good weather for your garden party and I'm sure lots of people came to support you.
If you enjoy having everyone around and can cope with all the organization then carry on doing what you are doing. The time to say NO is when it all gets to be too much.

Is Ann back home yet? There will be plenty for her and OH to do in their garden now.

It seems to be just as hot here today. Oh well, at least the grandson is getting used to the temperatures he will encounter in Croatia when he competes.

OH has been working outside most of the day which worried me a little but he seems OK. He has at long last put up the wall mounted water butt that I requested for my birthday in February. Our old butts were much too big to put up in this garden . This smaller one holds about 100 litres so I should have enough for watering the lime hating plants at least. All I need now is the rain.

Kandj, OH was very restrained with the secateurs when he tidied the garden for our coffee morning. He just cut back some alchemilla and euphorbia to find the path that they had grown over, and then he stuck to weeding. He got a gold star that day :-D

We had a really heavy downpour that lasted about 15 mins last night. This morning
the colourful poppies have all lost their petals and look a mess now to be honest!

Was out most of yesterday so I have just inspected the garden after the really heavy downpours we had on Tuesday. What a mess. Euphorbia, alchemilla, geraniums, salvias are all completely flattened and lying across the path in bedraggled, soggy heaps. I am not sure whether to just tidy up a bit or whether to cut everything back and hope they recover. The pots and troughs of plants are still OK and at least the water butt is full now. We apparently had a month's worth of rain on Tuesday so I am hoping the rest of the month will be drier

Maybe leave a couple of days Vera, they may spring back up if they dry out. We had a lot of gentle rain so it is very wet out there but not too bashed down. :-)

Vera, I agree with Ann and perhaps your garden flowers will recover as it is meant
to be a dryer few days ahead now. I know what you mean though, it is disheartening.

I went out just after writing my last post and when I got back OH told me he had tidied the garden. Knowing how he usually gives everything a crew cut I feared the worst but it wasn't bad at all. He had cut back the stuff lying over the path but not too much, and he cut away some pieces of plant that had collapsed and were smothering the smaller plants underneath. Otherwise he had left well alone and it looks OK.

We had another heavy downpour last night but today has been dry. At the moment it is hard to believe we live in the driest part of the country!

Oh well done to your husband Vera. Perhaps he has actually got the message loud and clear now ha ha.

It has been a pleasant day today and I have kept popping into the garden to do some
weeding and resting in between as I am a little bit weary but happy some weeds have been cleared and the front border is looking tidy...... the back garden will have to wait!!

I found it too hot here to do any gardening but OH spent the afternoon out there, garden bin now full. Then we enjoyed a drink out in the sun this evening while the roast chicken was cooking.

Not too hot here to garden, just too wet :-(

I had planned to do washing and other jobs this morning and garden this afternoon. Just sitting down for a lunch time sandwich, washing line full, including 3 king size sheets, and the heavens opened. Got very wet myself getting the washing in and got back to my lunch just as the local weather girl on the TV was saying our area would have a few light patchy showers and we would be unlucky to get caught in one. It has just stopped. I don't call heavy rain for an hour and a half a light shower :-P

No gardening today then.

Quite a pleasant day here today, cloudy this morning but some sun this afternoon and quite warm I have been pottering in the garden dead heading the baskets mostly, that takes for ever.

We have had smart meters fitted today so fingers crossed there are not any problems. :-)

Ooh don't you just hate that Vera? having to dash out to bring in the washing in the rain. These days I never put anything on the line if there is the slightest chance of a shower.

Beautiful day here today. Spent quite a while dead heading French marigolds, petunias and calendulas, that wa back breaking. Then I picked a large amount of red currants, still twice as many more to pick. And OH picked almost a kg of gooseberries. So we had stewed gooseberries plus stewed apple blackberries and red currants and ice cream for our sweet. Apple and blackberries in the freezer from last year.

Your fresh fruit dessert sounds good Ann. It has rained a lot for the last three days
and is much cooler as our mini-heatwave seems to be over, at least for now.
On a positive note this means I don't need to water the border and tubs this week..