Dream Country Chat

UNIVERSAL WIPEOUT

Ball thistles, they look like mini planets, or are they little balls of fireworks just waiting to burst out?

I planted 2 of these beauties about 4 years ago and now there is a bushy clump along the fence line. Makes quite a dramatic little feature.

Unfortunately the cows in the field next door like them too. My lovely spiky patch of firework planets has been munched into oblivion.

There is now a black hole, where just yesterday there was a  whole universe of planetary life.

Here is a prime suspect. A major criminal does not require a striped jersey, swag bag on shoulder, mask or traditionally ugly and menacing demeanor. No this one is in disguise. You can see these criminal types in almost any country field. Do not be fooled by their calm and somewhat lazy outlook. No, these are hardened criminals of the first order. I keep my fingers crossed that this is their only crime against me this year and that they don't break into the garden like last year. Roll on the day they get moved to another field. It is always worrying having criminals nearby.........

Karon x

GARDEN GOODNESS

The garden has worked well this summer. Anything that wasn't completely washed away has done rather well.

Can I take credit for any great growth in the garden and success with veggies. I very much doubt it. my veg plot is always very much a 'suck it and see' type project. This year I tried out the American 'Square foot gardening' process.  I was just a wee bit too keen to plant in multiples. Hmmmmm, okay I stuffed in far too many carrots and the poor sods practically leaped from the ground they were so close together. Some things seemed to really work tho.

Peas were sweet, beetroot was yummy.

And the potatoes, well I just love those................

Karon x

WET AND DRY

The weather really is dreadful. I am having to gather herbs whenever there is a dry spell. Here is the kitchen hiding amid a forrest of Lovage. At least with the Aga on it dries in just a couple of days ready for the next batch to come in.

This old screen is so great for drying the herbs, you can move it about easily. I have another one that is huge and takes 2 people to drag it around. Does a great job but you really don't want it in front of the Aga when you are gasping for a cup of tea.

Every day I am hoping for dry enough weather to harvest more herbs. I know I am begining to sound like a gnarled old farmer moaning on about not getting his crops cut. Any minute now I will be chewing a stalk of grass, wearing a flat cap and donning giant wellies. Maybe I should get a sheepdog, combine harvester and a few hundred cows just to complete the image................

I think this endless rain is getting to me.

Karon x

GORGEOUS GERANIUMS

I love geraniums, whether they are the brightly coloured flowering variety so beloved of the french, or the highly scented pelergonium type. geraniums do it for me every time.

This year I went for pinks as well as my standard red. I planted them everywhere. In pots, ground and in tin cans too.

I have even planted one in a wellie boot.

Ah geraniums, I love them. Now I am off to visit the french variety for 10 days. I shall chat when we get back and no doubt bore you to death with a few more photos.

Karon x

FLOWER POWER

The garden is looking amazing just now, flowers, flowers everywhere. Normally I have my brain in herb mode and tend to ignore the flowers as a sort of extra, a frippery if you will.

But things in the garden just mosey on  and bloom without any interference from me. Giant daisies seem to have taken over part of the garden this year. Where once there were a mere handful, now there is a riot of sunny faces.

 

And some flowers have just grown enormous. The foxgloves are tower of strength and colour.

Now isn't it funny how all of these beauties are just doing their thing with no help from me and look fab year on year. There is a completely different scenario with the old sweet peas. Every year I buy sweet peas and plant them carefully and water them well. Every year I am lucky if I get one sweet pea from the whole lot. My pal Naomi  just along the road always has masses of sweet peas. It has become a bit of a standing joke that I just can't seem to grow the damn things. Every time I pop in for coffee she thrusts another fragrant bunch of them into my hands, oh how I wish I could return the compliment with my own sweet peas. Maybe they just don't like me, am I getting paranoid now - yes, I have obviously been smelling the flowers too long..........

Karon x

DANDYLION WISHES

One thing about going for a run in the morning is being able to really notice the flowers that are in bloom at any particular time.

From being a carpet of yellow, the dandylions are now all white and puffy. They really look strange when wet.

Almost as if the fairies themselves have been blowing away their wishes one tiny puff at a time.

Karon  x

CHANGING PETALS

More flower pix again today. These are the last of the daffodils. Picked and ready to take to Mum on my visit this morning.

I always find it fascinating how nature just moves along. The daffodils are finished and now other beauties are stepping up to the plate to take their place. Here the quince blossom is looking just gorgeous, it is her time to shine.

And my beloved rosemary with her delicate little flowers.

Out with the old and in with the new......................

Karon  x

ONE FOOT IN THE GARDEN

Yesterday the weather was gorgeous, it was dry and sunny and warm. After the past week of torrential rain and worry about lack of an ark, it was sheer bliss. It was far too nice to spend the day chasing up pr and doing phone calls indoors. No this was a day to get out in the garden and dig!

I read about this book last week and l think it was on the Posy Gets Cosy blog. 'Square Foot Gardening' by Mel Bartholomew. Anyway it is about growing your veggies in a very much confined space, strictly sized raised beds. Well l already have my old raised beds that have been in the garden for years, I had already planted my beans, peas and potatoes in the bigger bed, but l still had the smaller one available as my trial run.

 

You are meant to use a mix of compost, vermiculite and peat moss, well l had already put in a load of my home made compost and also vermiculite last week, and there is already manure and all sorts in there. What the hell, l would give it a go. Now my raised bed is not purpose built, in fact it was Idgy's old sand pit from years back. It served well over the years as sand pit, pirate ship, desert scene, you name it, nowadays it has a new life as a veggie plot.

The thrust of this book seems to be that if you grow really close together and in set grouped squares(instead of the standard lines), you will get more crops and less chance for weeds to pop up all over the place. Well l am all for the less weeding lark, so l divided up the plot with string. Sorry Mel, didn't have nice measured out wooden grid to hand, but hey, nothing wrong with a bit of garden twine and some nails. I then planted in my goodies, one box is beetroot, onions (2 boxes), carrots (2 varieties), cauliflower, cabbage (only one per box space), salad (2 boxes). Have even remembered to label each little plot, just can't remember what some of them are right now!!

In my other bed l have my potatoes (late and earlies) and beans and peas. Also a couple of overflow cauliflowers and cabbages. In fact the herb beds are also boasting a few veg this year. Just to spice things up l have tossed in a couple of potato plants and cabbages amoungst the herbs.

We shall see what the summer brings. Anyway it was just far too nice a day to work indoors. I shall do the pr calls today. Hmmmmm weather is lovely...............

Karon  x

WEEKENDING

It was a busy weekend. We hit the garden centre. So many gorgeous pretty flowers.

And you just have to treat yourself to something really indulgent and yummy in the cafe.

Didn't stay like that for long.....

After some major calorie intake it was back to the business of buying plants, well buying pansies actually. I adore pansies, to me they are the ultimate Happy Flower with cheerfull faces held up to the sun.

Also had to get new gloves and snips (lost my snips last week in my weeding frenzy. Hate to think where they ended up. Went for pink this time, why not have pretty pink hands and snips instead of standard green. I am now 'in the pink'.

Back home to the garden.

Finally finished all the weeding and de-minting and moved on to the mega mulching.

Wrestle with a new mini greenhouse kit. Must house the pansies etc till threat of frost subsides (could be in there till July knowing this area!). As with anything like this l found myself floundering on the floor of HQ with a pile of long rods and a pile of short rods and plastic bits that just didn't want to join things together. Did think that the joints were,'t in the box, toyed with idea of having to drive back to garden centre. Then realised that the plastic bits were not just supports, they were the joints as well. Then spent ages lunging at the thing to get the joints to click into place. This would have been much easier if my partner in crime/general assistant etc was around to help - oh no, she had abandoned me to the joys of a Garfield film on TV - you really cannot get the staff these days................

On Mothers Day l got breakfast in bed cooked beautifully by Idgy, she has redeemed herself after abandoning me yesterday. Then we were off to do some thrifting.

I got this fabulous square teapot. Originally came from a cruise ship in the 1920s. I love teapots and tea cups, bit of an addict here really. Cannot resist adding to my little collection. This little pot just had my name on it................

Now this fabulous old coffee grinder (now a spice grinder in HQ for cloves etc - and it works!!) was a freeby, a case of 'you can have that old mincer Karon, it's a no-goer', well it's not a mincer and l'm thrilled with it. It now has a place on the wall in HQ and a new job.

So that was my weekend. Got things done, got new things. Happy with the weekend.

Karon  x

MINT MADNESS

I hate mint, bloody stuff is everywhere. I am following roots half way round the garden. Stressed - thats what the herb business does for you!!

As you'll have gatthered l am doing the garden these days. Boy the weeding and turning is hard work and made ten times harder by my own stupidity three years ago with mint.

I have one long bed that is all mint. This is fine, they are contained and spread within their compound, all is well. What twit planted 'the odd' mint plant here and there in the other beds. Well it was fine for the first tw years, just the extra bit here and there. Not now, the bloody stuff is EVERYWHERE.  I feel l am up to my ears in every type of mint imaginable. It must stop!

Back to the garden................
Karon  x