Crocosmia

I didn't know this plant, although it is well known. I am absolutely enthusiastic: it is easy, bright, and very artistic. I have heard that once every couple of years one should split the bulbs. We'll see. It was a dry July, so they finished flowering early. Next year a bit watering, sure!

Blue candle sticks

Was this flower here last year? Is it a stray? It flowers for a long time and bright. Lots of bees and bumblebees. A great plant.

Some thoughts

I have recently had some ideas about the garden.

One started with a little book that my mother lent me. "The maintenance free garden". It sounded a bit boring. They were talking a lot about gritt and stones to cover the garden. And mulching of course. All of it I am not much into. I mean, mulching sounds good, but hardly happens ('Hurricanes hardly happen', My Fair Lady). But then I got thinking. Yes, it is a good idea to use mulch, or cocaonutshells to cover up the ground in between plants.

I am still trying to achieve a mixed flower garden, like little clumps of plants, but none the same throughout the garden. The problem is a lot of plants disappear at some time (summer plants in winter), so I find it hard to remember what is where. Still looking for good software for that (Cad? Gis?). And if the plants haven't disappeared, then it is impossible to get through the jungle. But the idea is worth keeping.

The other one, was a funny phrase by Maarten 't Hart in his monthly garden blog in the newspaper. It is not a gardening blog, rather a way to comment on the world from a metaphore. He was talking how his parents had a vegetable garden, and they weeded with the bible in mind: weed was the 'evil'. However Maarten always thought "What will this plant become". This is the dilemma I face in spring too. Simply because I don't know my plants, of course.

An Anemone?

I did not notice these last year, but surely they must have been there. They look a bit like Anemones. They are behind the last pond. And later in the season completely overgrown by the other flowers.

The pond and lilies

The pond is full of algae, water plants and beautiful water lilies.

And: 'pettere' of course!! Splash the water with your feet.

Tree top view

A glimpse from the first floor.

Pink Dianthus and more flowers

Ces is feeding the fish. Time for a nice photo in the green. Look at those Dianthi there, they are definitely in the right spot here, and so beautiful. I'll try to get more types. There is already the red one, that featured a month ago or so.

Lily

Abundant, rewarding flowers, these lilies. At least, last year they flowered for months. They are in two spots, behind both ponds. They indeed give a nice entourage for the ponds, with the hanging leaves.

Malva

This is Malva or 'kaasjeskruid'. A fieldflower that we find on the roadside here. But so bright and jolly. I'd like more of this, it is already more than last year. Funny enough I found some white Malva too, I think. Near the gold fish pump.

Garden in flower

Cherries

After the red berries now it is time for wonderful cherries. Black, blacker than in the photo. Thick, at least as thick as these types get. Just by picking the cherries in reach, I get 1.2 kilo and that makes me 4 jars of jam. Doing it the quick and dirty way: boil them with the stones, and then press them through the culundar. Gets rid of the skins too.

A bit of a nasty aftermath though: the cherries drop on the neighbours floors, and we get a gardener to remove some branches. Some of the branches on our side go too, too much! Well, let's hope they grow back again.

Lion's mouth and my Grandmother's garden

The Lion's mouth bought in Switzerland. My grandmother used to grow them against the garage, a rather sunny spot, where the shade would only start at 3 pm. But she had them about 60 cm's high, this must be a different breed... It is probably an annual too... we will see next year.

I guess a lot of my gardening reminds me of my grandmother. The Pelargoniums, the grape vine, the red berries, Roses. She grew them all. In the Summer, when we staid with her, every evening it was time for "Blumen giessen", watering the flowers. She would drag an enourmous water can through her garden and water all the roses, who stood in the full strong Swiss summer sun and liked the extra water. The vegetable bed was easy peasy in comparison. I can also still see the water reservoir she had behind the house: a watertap ran into a metal square container. And the water stood there for at least 24 hours before being used. A good way to take the chlorine out.

Kamille-like weed rescued

Another weed that got rescued. I love the brightness! It is a keeper.

The pond full of algae

Yes, the algae have definitely overtaken the pond. And still it is looking beautiful. I am still doing the dredging approach in small phases. The pond must also be leaking, seeing how fast it drains. I suppose at one time we will have to empty the pond, but I am fearing that day, it must be frightfull to kill all the animals inside.

In Memoriam the Eucalyptus

In Memoriam the Eucalyptus

Blue bush

Wonderfull delicate flowers on this little bush. I am glad I rescued it from overgrowing by the pelargonium.

Red berries

And the red berries!! Why they are so abundant this year, while we didn't have any last?? Is it the rain? We have already had 6 portions for two people out of them.

Blue arrow

Where did this come from? Was it here last year? Look also in the back: the new Azalea and of course the weeds!

Dianthus

I had seen a special on Dianthus on the BBC, and it is indeed a wonderful plant in a sunny spot. It is still a bit overtaken by the Alchemilla, but that will change next year!!

Sage Cassis

Sage Cassis (2)

It is impossible to make a decent picture of this Sage Cassis. It looked dead after this cold winter, and cut it back a little bit. Well, it trippled in size with respect to last year! Just don't hold a camera close!

It is perhaps my most favourite plant, as it is so delicate and abundant.

Red Echidna

It will be an annual no doubt, but a beautiful one anyhow. Bought in Switzerland, in the Coop. Bright, isn't it?!

The red rose

The Roses are splendid this year - the cold winter?? In the background the farmer's jasmine and the hydrangea.

Registration of weed: the little purple flowers

This is the little purple flower. Look well at he leaves, and perhaps next year it won't grow so abundantly!!

My biggest frustration this year: I don't recognize the weeds from the valueable flowers. I may already have removed some nice ones by mistake....

Garden with the BBC

Another Friday night with BBC Gardening world. Some good advise:
- leave a rock with the name of the plant where they are.
- Astrantia: likes edges of forest.
- Calendula Officiales

White Rose

The white Rose was burried under the red berries and weed last year. But this year we have uncovered it, and it has beautiful white roses, rather a wild rose look. Cute.

Chestnut bush?

Not sure what this is called. I think I have seen it in one of my books, but where? The leaves are a spitting image of a chestnut, although rather large. But the flowers are cheery, somehow. They later fell over....

And what is the purple stuff????

Alchemilla - flower heavy

The flowers of the Alchemilla are so heavy, the stems bend. It gives a nice yellow glow over the garden, and I want to put some in the border under the trees. It won't like it so much, but it will do fine anyway, no doubt. Is it a weed? A nice weed! And it reminds me of the Swiss mountains, where I first saw Alchemilla in the mountain forests - a bit smaller than this variety ;)

Garden in June

This is the garden in June. It has been a warm, but also normal-wet spring. But a very cold winter.

Pelargomium

You can't say it isn't abundant!! And somehow I managed to tie it up cleverly this year and it is even manageable.....

Peony

I never knew that we have a Peony?!? It is gorgeous, but unfortunately rather hidden. Perhaps I ought to cut them and put them in a vase? It would be a pity. Funny, I always thought that Peony's were just like Roses, but it completely disappeared last winter - unlike Roses.

Jasmine

We bought a Jasmine the day before going on holiday for two weeks. It looked rather dry when we return, but we are remediing here....

The roses up front

The pink roses in our front'garden' are doing splendid this year: a pink cloud. The yellow ones are not so impressive, somehow.

The rock garden

The 'rock garden' is not as nice as last year, http://gardensonnie.blogspot.com/2008/05/stunning-effect.html. The blue flowers are not there, and I have weeded too much of the white flowers away. The canary seed has taken over too much as well. A lesson for next year.

The Passion tree

For once I made a 'before' picture, even inadvertently. I am picturing the cloud of little muskitoes over the gold fish pond.

Even so, the passion fuite was climbing against the shed, but didn't survive the winter we think and removed it. I thought it was too big for the location and I don't particularly like the flower either.

A few little twigs are still growing in the ground; we'll see what comes off them.

But the main stem is out and one of my five little grape seedlings (well, twigs) is in.

The Banana tree!!

Aaaahh! And the famous Banana tree. It is rising!

A spring day

It has been another balmy day, only interrupted by a thunder and tiny shower around lunch time (pack up the plates!! quick!). But the water was very welcome. Even Ces wants to be in the garden, and for the first time this year we can leave the coats inside. By now we have quite some colour in the garden: the rodondendrons (3 of them), the heart flowers (I will look up the name later), tulips, the rijsenbrij (bought), the blue druifjes, the dotterbloem, the hulst, daffodils, and the violets we got from Brian and Frances everywhere. The Magnolia is magnificent, but rather out of view, unfortunately. I hope it grows tall so we can see it over the shed. And not to forget: we lunch under the blossoming cherry tree!



The lawn in the sitting area seems to be holding fine, I hope the rain is just enough to keep it going. Too wet is probably not good, as the roots would become lazy.



Ces plays 'scheppen' in the sandpit, and I can't resist taking out the daisy's and madeliefjes, even though I wanted to keep them until after flowering. Well, it is not the abundance of the Vechtoever, but I still have enough to do for a while.

Forget me not

A couple of forget me nots appear on the 'forrest trail'. They are a whaft of blue, bright suddenly under the dark trees.

These forget me nots look quite different from the ones I remember from the Vechtoever. I different variety or just different soil?

Easyplant geraniums

Ah! my order arrives: a whole load of geraniums, some begonias and salvias and strawberries. I have to plant them out quickly: they come with tiny roots! There are more geraniums than I have planters. I will have to source those later. And see if Peter wants to make me some supports at the front of our house..... Hmmm, he is suffering from removing the wisdom teeth, so not now.... Some of the geraniums even go in the border in the sitting area, next to the violets.

Daffodil

What a beauty of a daffodil. So heavy it can't keep its head up!

Rodondendrons

The flowering rodondendrons. The abundance of thered is great! Although close up they look a bit withered.

The little pink one stands under the trees, and so is a beauty in the shade. A surprise when you look in that area.