* Morning! How Does Your Garden Grow is being hosted over here today as Annie is away at Glasto.
Between May and June gardening seems to consume me. I spend all Winter thinking about what to plant and looking for the right seeds. Then when Spring arrives I have lots of seeds to sow, things to cut back, young plants to pot on and tidying up from the Winter to do. We have a few more seedlings to pot on and then all the hard work will be done – and I’ll start writing about something other than plants again!
This plant is called Heartsease. It’s a wild flower with small edible flowers and nectar that attracts butterflies and bees. Folklore says it helps mend a broken heart – hence the name. It will be planted in our raised beds once the garlic has come up.
Family visited a couple of weekends ago and we had a bit of a plant swap. We gave them marigolds and some cottage garden plants and they gave us geraniums, runner beans and cosmos. The cosmos are just starting to open.
Our blue hydrangea has started turning pink!! When I bought it I was told I needed to add some alkali to the soil to keep the blue colouring. I didn’t realise it would change so quickly (see last weeks photos). It’s still lovely though. I know a lot of people think hydrangeas are old fashioned and frumpy but I’m a complete sucker for those big blousy petals.
The white hydrangea is still white after all this time but gets pink speckles every year. I adore the green colour of these fresh buds.
We bought a pyracantha the year we moved into this house. I had visions of a bush full of bright red berries for the birds to feast on over the Winter. But nothing. Now tightly wrapped buds have opened into flowers, which means we should have berries this Autumn!
Our Christmas tree started to go a bit brown and brittle in the middle. I thought it might be dying but Scott noticed tiny little pinecones growing on the ends of the branches; the tips look like they have been dipped in gold. I would have thought if it was that unhappy it wouldn’t be pushing out new growth? Does anyone know?
June is a good time of year because the garden is starting to fill up with flowers. I managed to collect enough to fill of a large jam jar. We’ve got sweet peas, lavender, nasturtiums, oxeye daises and chive flowers. Bit of a mixture but it looks and smells nice.
What has been happening in your gardens this week?
Plant swapping is a great way to get a variety of plants – this year with family I’ve done a roaring trade offering strawberry plants and hosts in return for tomatoes and basil 🙂 Loving that jam jar posy too – thanks for hosting x
It is – swapping plants has mean’t we’ve had things I would never have thought to buy. Sounds like you’ve had some trades 🙂
The hydrangea in our garden is a mixture of pink and blue flowers (when it does eventually flower this year). I looked in it and it seems this is due to me watering it from the house water tap and the rainwater. I’m not sure of the science behind it but if the weather continues to be rubbish this year I might not need to water it (it’s at the end of a shallow bed next to the house) and I shall monitor the colour!
Oh so perhaps my watering is what’s giving the white hydrangea pink spots – I hadn’t thought about that. I’ll suss it out and report back. We’ve had to do quite a bit of watering here, it’s been overcast but very warm so the ground is parched!
I’ve been wondering what colour are hydrangea plants will be – so far just teeny buds but no flowers. Beautiful captures Gemma of your beauties in the garden and indoors.
Thank you Kriss 🙂 Perhaps yours will change colours like ours has. They generally all start out green don’t they, so it’s hard to tell.
so much gorgeousness Gemma. i love cosmos and i had never heard of heartsease but sounds and looks so pretty. anything that attracts the butterflies is a winner. thanks for hosting! xx
Thanks very much Claudia. It appears Summer has arrived as all the flowers are popping up. I sowed a whole packet of cosmos seeds so more are on their way!
I love your pretties Gemma – thank you for hosting sausage and apologies for not visiting sooner, I have post-Glasto lurgy here. I almost feel too poorly to mention food.
Almost.
Pork & Apple burger with warm beetroot salad.
BAM