Tuesday 25 June 2013

Today we are going through the...............blue door...


Glad that Floppity brought back some memories for you




Perhaps not so much 'through' but more: 'in front of..'!

Thank you for asking a while back for more garden photographs. I tend not to stray from the main 'blog brief' so do not usually include stuff beyond sewing and old bits.  I do however take more photographs of the garden than anything else so...

You DID ask!!!

 Back door in dire need of  a repaint...

Our garden is teeny, tiny but it earns its keep.  
It is like the house in that there is a fair bit of stuff packed into that space. Ahem!!!


These photographs are not in sequential order


The 'secret' is to wait for a storm and then haul loads of seaweed up from the beach in the Autumn.  Let the seaweed rot down nicely  (smells a bit but there is no such thing as a free launch) and it seems to double the vitality of the soil (which is heavy clay).

 So whilst these flowers are nothing extraordinaire  I do get good crop rotation and from early Spring to late Autumn there is always something in flower in this spot.


Plus the colours look quite nice against the blue door

I have to keep a tight grip on some plants so I do  extraction when needed.  Other than that I am a great dead header and keep green fly to a minimum by tapping the little rose buds over the little pond and the fishes get free food as the aphids fall off.  

Everyone's a winner baby...





The Bumble has landed!





Many of the plants are from my mum's old garden - so true 'vintahj darling'



Be they ever so humble.....

We don't use any chemicals or nasties and we have lots of slugs - I dream of lupins...

Life is about give and take - slugs do a fair bit of taking sadly but the flowers a lot of giving!



I am keen on Latin names and very fond indeed of binomial nomenclature (Annie will bear testament to its wonderment and usefulness) - crack that you gain a great understanding of each plant.  Very neat!!





I will do a separate post on my peonies - all of which came from my mum's old garden - some have sulked for over ten years but I did not give up.  This year they have all flowered!


Please note the resident snail - all are welcome chez La Cootard....!


Happenstance photograph



Nice clematis put on a good show this year


Flowery bowery



 Underneath the arches....


We dream our dreams away...



Underneath the arches... on cobblestones we lay..



You might remember the bird cage 'makeover' that I did back around Easter time - it is still here and lives under the floral bower (grand!!) ... in reality that nice clematis.

 Here it is prior to flowers blooming:






and in bloom....


Looks quite purdy I think


I had half hoped that a pair of canaries would move in


  Tweet tweet

By the by I am enjoying the 'Tweet of the Day' on Radio 4 at the moment - what a joy birdsong is.




After all that gardening sit down and take the weight off your feet (Dom has repaired these chairs many times over the years but they should hold your weight just fine)

You may be distracted by the box of  reduced scabious bottom right (the ones that Dom bought back from B &Q a little while ago) - they are still in full flower



Sadly there is no tea or cake in these photographs - that would have been the perfecto mix I think

That may be a vintahj (dahling)  tablecloth wafting to the right of the picture below.....



A reminder that when we moved in there was not a single plant, bush, tree, blade of grass in this plot - just two layers of concrete slabs.  I was gutted as our garden in London was pretty and we had left that behind. It took me a long time to grow to like this garden.....and a lot of hard work.


Do you remember my umbrella purchased from my favourite junk shop for a £1 (just double checked the memory banks and found that it only cost me 50p) ?  It is very handy on those rare sunny days.




More flowery bowery


It's not where you start it's where you finish!

So -  be your garden small or grande -  make it lovely if you can. 

It is good for the soul



Closing the door for now

Pretty as a picture.....









PS: Garden open to the public between dusk and dawn from May until June.
Public liability insurance not taken out.
We will not be held responsible for any injuries but action will be taken if you are found pilfering cuttings...just as my mother used to do....
Terms and conditions sadly have to apply.

53 comments:

  1. Such a lovely garden! Beautiful pictures and wonderful colours!

    Penny
    x

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Penny - that is kind of you
      Best wishs
      Jenny

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  2. Pretty pretty garden - I would love Lupins too, I have even tried growing them in pots but the slugs get them there too, we are convinced they have wings!
    Julie xxxxxx

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    Replies
    1. That's it! They have wings indeed! The only thing that works (sort of ) are growing in galvanized buckets - but they find them too....
      Thank you for calling in
      Best wishes
      Jenny

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  3. I'm cracking up and oohing at the same time - anxious to know the pedestrian "terms and conditions" and how they would apply, lol!!! Thanks for the British cheer to my Maui morning - aloha with hugs, Ann

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    1. Thank you Ann - sorry that terms and such conditions have to apply - tough times!!! Ho ho !

      Have a lovely day
      Best wishes
      jenny

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  4. Oh my! Can I come and camp in your garden please? It is so beautiful and your photographs so perfectly capture that mid summer languidness (is this a word?0 which overtakes us at this time of year. Your garden is like opium ..... I love the colours and that blue door is so pretty. Love the little blue birdcage too! Minerva x

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    1. Thank you Minerva - please do come round. Languidness sounds good to me.

      Thank you for calling in
      Best wishes
      Jenny

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  5. Such a beautiful garden. And I'm so glad to see that it's teeny tiny cos ours is too and I thought we were the only people in the entire blogging world with a teeny tiny garden. You're right, though, it really doesn't matter whether it's big or small it's what you do with it (and we do very little with ours). I think, though, you may have inspired me to actually do something for once. Thank you m' dear. xx

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    1. I asked Dom and he tells me that our plot measure 7 square metres with a path bit down one side. We have fruit and veg and all sorts mixed in. Start with a little corner and work up from there. Thank you for calling in dearie
      Best wishes
      Jenny

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  6. I love your garden, it's beautiful and your choice of flowers is perfect. I'm afraid I won't visit as I am rather partial to a cutting or two and I'm not keen on the dark - too many moths covet my lamp you see!

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    1. Thank you Jille - sorry to hear of you cutting habit!!!!!!If you pop round I will happily give you a whole plant!
      Best wishes Jenny

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  7. Your garden is beautiful Jenny i really love it so much...mine is coming on but as you say these things take time. Have taken some things from Grans when she went into her home, and her everlasting sweetpea is doing really well. xx

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    1. Dear hettie brown - how kind. It does take a while but nature is a wonderful thing. The sweetpea sounds lovely and something to treasure
      Best wishes
      Jenny

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  8. Jenny, your garden is an absolute delight...what more can I say :)
    x

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    1. That is ample Barbara
      Many thanks
      Best wishes
      Jenny

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  9. Magical. I can imagine the little fairies dancing in the moonlight in your wonderful garden.

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    1. Awww - that is a sweet image
      Best wishes
      Jenny

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  10. Lovely. Thank you for sharing such beauty.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Linda - I hope that all is well with your good self
      Best wishes
      jenny

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  11. It's so pretty through the blue door, I always preferred the arched window ~ Sarah x

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    1. Ho ho - thank you indeed Sarah. I too was rather fond of that!
      Best wishes
      Jenny

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  12. I have NEVER seen Clematis grow like that - how amazing! What a lovely garden - my yard is all shade so I have a hard time with plants. Thanks for the tour!

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    1. Thank you Pam - shady is good too (hostas, ferns, early spring bulbs, ivy?

      We were tough on pruning that clematis last year!
      Best wishes
      jenny

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  13. Ah, the blue door. You have the perfect garden. Love the framed pictures too. Liz xx

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Liz - the door does need repainting though!
      Best wishes Jenny

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  14. It's an enchanting garden Mrs Custard! :) x

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  15. Love that blue door and your garden is so lovely! That clematis is really putting on a show!
    Dorothy

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Dorothy - I think that we have finally got the pruning right of the clematis...at last!
      Best wishes
      Jenny

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  16. beautiful garden - I am so jealous, our chickens have ruined my garden, it is one big mud bath!

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    1. I dream of chickens...and lupins.....
      Thank you for calling in
      Best wishes
      Jenny

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  17. Such a pretty garden x it looks so peaceful !

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Jacky - it is my retreat!
      Best wishes
      jenny

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  18. SOO gorgeous!! Your blue door and garden are just lovely!! :) Hope you have a wonderful day! xo Holly

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    1. Thank you Holly - this year is the best that it has ever looked I think
      Best wishes
      Jenny

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  19. Golly Jenny it is full to the brim with prettiness! Two layers of concrete slabs you say?...Gives me hope for my barren dust patch!
    Series 2 of La Cootards at Home; Exploits in the Garden
    Nicky
    x

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    Replies
    1. Two layers and not a plant in sight!
      Exploits in the Garden coming up!
      Best wishes
      Jenny

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  20. Your garden looks so pretty and those flowers look amazing beside the lovely blue door. The garden umbrella reminds me of one my parents had in our garden as a child.
    Sarah x

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Sarah - there is an old label on that umbrella somewhere, I will check it out
      Best wishes
      jenny

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  21. Your garden is captivating. I feel like I can hear the buzz of the bees and smell the flowers and could just sit there, dreaming for hours. What a haven you've created. And some stunning photos too. x

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  22. Just beautiful Jenny. I admire you for all your hard work and definately think smaller is the way to go. We went for a biggish garden and now just stare at in hopeless dismay. Fortunately aswell as tons of nettles there's a lot of blooming going on without stinky seaweed because we have something even stinkier to keep our lawn verdant and our plants growing better each year. The fields around us are clay so our septic tank constantly overflows and floods the garden all through the winter months. Gross, but very very good fertiliser.

    I was shocked by your tale of that bad bad teacher who smashed up those boys monasteries. Feelings of grandeur I think or the old king had got inside of him!

    X

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    1. Oh yes - I remember the septic tank as a child...the bonus was that we used to have 'free' tomato plants...oh my! I have no doubt that a big garden would be lovely too and that was always my wish, now I am older I realise that I would not be able to manage it!
      Bad, bad teacher....what a shocking thing to do
      Best wishes
      Jenny

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  23. Vibrant images of a beautiful relaxing garden... I'm sure the air is full of buzzing, singing and laughter... Love the fresh fish food idea... I throw slugs on the shed roof and the bird come and eat them... Have a lovely weekend Jenny... Cx

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    1. thank you Cass - lots of buzzing in the garden at the moment. I'm a bit of a slug chucker too!
      Best wishes
      Jenny

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  24. How delightful! Your hard work has been well worth it.

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  25. Lovely garden filled with happiness and beautiful colors!

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    Replies
    1. Aww - thank you for your kind words
      Best wishes
      Jenny

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  26. Hi Jenny,just fell in love with your garden it's just beautiful,love the umbrella and the little bird cage,just right for a fairy to lay her weary head!I LOVE spending time in my garden,early morning before work is best.Wishing you a super weekend,Pam.

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