A morning post for a change. Before I face the terror of my to-do list I thought I'd warm up with a post containing some photos I took in the garden last night. Sadly my photography skills mirror many governments foreign policy - point, shoot and hope for the best - so don't expect great works of art but the colours are pretty!
Some people are frightful garden snobs when it comes to pansies. They are deemed old fashioned and twee, positively common by some. Well I don't agree with that sentiment at all, I mean look at them. How can you not smile when presented with their happy faces. And the pansy on the right, this photo doesn't do it justice, but it is the most beautiful colour.
Talking of beautiful colours, I am a sucker for maroons an purples, this peony never lets me down. Year after year it produces prolific blooms which look so showy and fragile yet stand up to anything and everything.
I was so pleased to see my old friend the alium come through for another year. In 2000 I won a box of Dutch bulbs and in that goodie box was a single alium bulb. This year it has produced four heads but this one is the strongest and largest. Other bulbs from that prize are still going strong.
My plan to keep all my herbs in hanging baskets, away from the cats who may treat them to their own irrigation system, is paying dividends. Between the two baskets are ten herbs plants and all of them are thriving. Now I just need plenty of recipes to make sure I make good use of them. Beki 1, Cats 0
And finally, these photos are especially for Admiral Pooper who wrote yesterday that like me, he is a lilac freak. Our lilacs are past their best now but the scent is still heavenly hence my old and trusted garden seat is perched next to the lilac tree. We are very fortunate that at the end of our garden is a (protected) line of hawthorn trees - a much nicer barrier to the neighbours than the usual fence panelling. The hawthorns are in full flower and look like a snowfall or bridal spray. I believe some people pray to hawthorns and tie ribbons on them, perhaps I should try that!
Your photography skills are better than mine, I usually take pics of my thumb LOL
Totally agree about pansies, they are such cheerful little plants, and so easy to grow. I wonder why some people are snobby about them, how silly. We have a patch in the front garden that looks wonderful for months, sometimes they will keep on blooming well into the winter. I also like the way they cross pollinate and produce interesting new colours and variegations.
If you want really good herb info, there is a wonderful group on Yahoo . . . I'm a member but haven't posted for ages due to time constaints. Anyway, it's the sort of place you can learn loads and the members are really friendly, so if you want to take a look here is the link. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AnHerbGarden/
Posted by: Kate | 17 May 2006 at 12:22 PM
Ah, a real garden! Unfortunately for us, the temperature is already in the low 100s(F) and the poor flowers cannot survive.
Still, my wife plants pansies every year, and they are quite nice for a month or two. Sadly, we cannot have lilacs at all, and it has been years since I have smelled one.
Thank you for the photographs. I am, sadly, unable to understand my digital camera; part of the problem is I always read the Portugese instructions by mistake.
Posted by: Adm. Pooper | 17 May 2006 at 02:25 PM
I forgot to finish my comment. Nothing at all wrong with me.
We love fresh dillweed. There is nothing better than a thick tuna, swordfish, or halibut steak roasted on the charcoal grill in tinfoil with butter and fresh dill. Yum.
Posted by: Adm. Pooper | 17 May 2006 at 02:30 PM