This is the image I used for the front cover of the Froggarts Cottage Garden 2016 calendar, quite a few from the photos on this blog:
 |
Froggarts Cottage
|
Sunday, 3 January 2016
2016 Calendar
For the last few years I've been creating calendars for Christmas presents. The Vista print people do quite a good job, and if you look out for the offers they're not too pricey.
This is the image I used for the front cover of the Froggarts Cottage Garden 2016 calendar, quite a few from the photos on this blog:
This is the image I used for the front cover of the Froggarts Cottage Garden 2016 calendar, quite a few from the photos on this blog:
Saturday, 2 January 2016
New Year
After an over-night frost 2016 has started wet and grey, following on from the warm, wet Autumn of 2015. For the last month day-time temperatures have averaged 12C with no frost at all.
This has resulted in hellebores, primroses and some daffodils already in bloom. The daffodils up in Coleorton village are always early, but this year are a month ahead of usual flowering. See Early Daffodils on the Coleorton website >> However, the snow-drops are showing no sign - so maybe they know something!
The garden desperately needs work. The veg beds need digging over, a lot of leaves are lying wet and soggy where the bulbs and new growth will be coming, couch grass needs digging up and some new herbaceous plants and summer alliums are over-due for planting out. But it's been so wet and windy and the ground is horribly soggy, so things will have to wait a while. Wondering, if the weather is going to stay mild, whether it might be worth starting off peas and broad-beans.
This has resulted in hellebores, primroses and some daffodils already in bloom. The daffodils up in Coleorton village are always early, but this year are a month ahead of usual flowering. See Early Daffodils on the Coleorton website >> However, the snow-drops are showing no sign - so maybe they know something!
The garden desperately needs work. The veg beds need digging over, a lot of leaves are lying wet and soggy where the bulbs and new growth will be coming, couch grass needs digging up and some new herbaceous plants and summer alliums are over-due for planting out. But it's been so wet and windy and the ground is horribly soggy, so things will have to wait a while. Wondering, if the weather is going to stay mild, whether it might be worth starting off peas and broad-beans.
Tuesday, 3 November 2015
Leaves & Ixias
The leaves are hanging on and coming down slowly and persistently. Here's a photo of the leaves on the grass on Saturday morning. We spent most of the day sweeping, hoovering and collecting via the lawn mower and filling two black compost "Daleks" with damp leaves which in a year or so will be lovely leaf mould.
The days have been a bit grey with thick fog in the morning and evening. But there are some bright spots. These lovely Ixias make a colourful show. In the photo, the centre of the Ixia flower glows - it's not like that in real life - just picked up by the camera. Presumably this glow attracts bees and insects to pollinate. We have some lovely red tulips that keep the same glow for the bees and the camera. Ixias grow from small bulbs and they spread easily However, last year I saved the seeds from some of the Ixia flowers and they have germinated nicely. Hopefully some will be big enough to plant out to brighten up another spot in the garden next year.
 |
| Fallen leaves - mostly cherry, silver birch and maple and some from the big ash in the field. |
The days have been a bit grey with thick fog in the morning and evening. But there are some bright spots. These lovely Ixias make a colourful show. In the photo, the centre of the Ixia flower glows - it's not like that in real life - just picked up by the camera. Presumably this glow attracts bees and insects to pollinate. We have some lovely red tulips that keep the same glow for the bees and the camera. Ixias grow from small bulbs and they spread easily However, last year I saved the seeds from some of the Ixia flowers and they have germinated nicely. Hopefully some will be big enough to plant out to brighten up another spot in the garden next year.
 |
| Beautiful Ixias (Kaffir lilies?) brighten up the grey autumn. |
 |
| The centre of the Ixia flower glows - shows up in a photo . |
 |
| These tulips show their glow on camera - like the Ixias. |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)