Saturday 30 June 2012

My Garden

It has been a beautiful day today, if a bit over breezy, but my sort of temperature. Warm enough to sit outside for lunch, but not too hot for a bit of pottering.  I took my camera out to capture some of the colour combinations which have happened spontaneously in my garden.  I did have a planting plan once upon a time, but now a-days things usually just appear. The sun was very bright and there were deep shadows. With a bit of judicious editing and by selecting my view point I have tried to make my patch look interesting.  All of the plants are very ordinary and easy to grow, but none the less interesting and often very pretty.  I will tell you the names if I know them, but please forgive errors or spelling mistakes. (I'm never sure what the rules are for the use of capital letters when naming plants, so mine are a bit random)
 Clicking on the pictures will give you a larger view.

Under the cotoneaster in deep shade is a campanula with very lax stems, but which likes to grow upright and lean against the fence. It has star shaped flowers. It doesn't want to come out of this spot, I have tried unsuccessfully to transplant bits round the garden.  I scattered the seeds of the bright pink lychnis all round the garden. I love the way the brilliant cerise flowers seem to glow in the shade.  
This little pink perennial geranium has done well with all the rain as this is a very dry spot.



Here I have more lychnis, sisyrinchium and purple toadflax, which is a weed/wild flower, but the bees love it. Behind it is a large fennel with beautiful feathery foliage.

Some scarlet and white Verbena and Alyssum 

Here is a pink centaurea and aquilegia seed heads catching the sun on the edge of a border - in the shadow you can make out the glowing pink of Herb Robert which is another rather prolific weed/wildflower.

In this spot a self-seeded Welsh poppy has popped up with the snap-dragons and valerian

Here is another campanula with some Creeping Jenny, the colours really sing


And finally here is a little puzzle for you - can you spot the three little frogs in pond weed below?


Thanks for joining me in my garden, I'll share a little sewing with you now.
This is a bit of 'mad' quilting I did following an idea from Quilting Arts magazine for free form piecing and extreme embellishing - great fun but rather a bright mixture.

I enjoyed stitching it but was flummoxed as to what I could do with it - it certainly didn't merit hanging on a wall - or so I thought until I watched this weeks Design Matters TV.  Laura Kemshall was showing how to use all your samples and odd pieces of quilting to make hanging bags.  They are folded from a square, envelope style with the edges touching.



I have edged it with braid made from twisted sari ribbon and it works really well.
Now what am I going to do with it?
Hope you are enjoying some sunshine too - have a good week.
Jill


11 comments:

Joanna said...

Beautiful photographs, your garden is vibrant with gorgeous colours. I spotted your frogs! (but it wasn't easy).

Your crazy bag is also vibrant with gorgeous colours and I'm sure you'll find something to keep in it (I have no ideas, I'm afrais).

I hope the sun comes out again tomorrow,

x

Els said...

It's lovely to see so many "good friends" in your garden.
It is the same with me with the original "plan" I had, some plants disappear and some pop up, even after a year or two (like your Welsh poppy) My toadflax is only pink and that tóó pops up whereever it pleases.
That little bag is gorgeous !!!!
Good idea, can I borrow that ? ;-)
(do you start with a square or rectangle ?)

Marigold Jam said...

Just the sort of garden I like no regimented plants and all looking very natural. As you can guess I really like the pice of free form patchwork with the stitching -and the little bags you've made reminded me of sweet packets in the days when you could buy 3d worth!!

ju-north said...

I'm impressed you know all the names of the flowers! Put a small vase or bottle in the bag and put some of those lovely flowers in it!

WrightStuff said...

I saw the froggies!!

Herb Robert is the bane of the left side and back of my garden. Bindweed takes over the right. No matter how hard I try I can never get rid of either. I hate the smell of Herb Robert too - but at least it comes out easily with its roots practically on the surface.... unlike the bindweed.... Grrrr....

Your garden does look lovely - a real variety.

menopausalmusing said...

I loved clicking on the photo and seeing the frogs. A lot of what you are growing in your garden is in ours too......... I am picking like crazy because there doesn't appear to be much chance of seeing them in situ due to the weather (pah!). I love the simplicity of making your sample into a wall hanging bag.... what a lovely, lovely idea Jill.

emma-alittlebitofeverything said...

Great interpretation of the DMT bag. I love making 'new' fabric & made purses & heart decs out of the last lot - great way to clear up ;)
I have tons of Linarea purpurea - hehe, didn't know it was toadflax as my brain can only hold one name per plant! I'm so envious of your lychnis - I'm nursing one little plant - it's probably too damp here - apart from the last 11 weeks which had me watering the drainage stripes in the lawn! (They're gone now) ;) I'd feel so at home in your lovely garden.

LAC EMP 2020 said...

Jill, I wish I could go around my garden with the same keen eye for colour but we've had nothing but continuous rain for what seems like weeks now and it means all my photos have a moody darkness to them! Nature always does a better job in my opinion when it comes to companion planting and the creeping jenny and campanula illustrate that perfectly. The bag is lovely but I cannot offer any ideas of what to do with it. I watched the show and I'm afraid that question lurked at the back of my mind all the way through it.... anyway, please send some of that sun in my direction and I'll try and get some photos to reciprocate with!

Anna said...

I think the fun bag should just hang around looking fabulous! Super photos, the colours are gorgeous; a touch of high summer.I saw the fros, great camoulflage!

jenclair said...

Love your garden! And the little bag is lovely--so cheerful :)

Maggi said...

Lovely garden, just how I like a garden to look. The bag is great.