Lavender from the garden.



It's Lavender time again and thank goodness I have plenty to pick.

Back in Springtime I didn't think I'd have very much

as we'd had such a long period of rain.

 

I really will have to think of renewing a lot of my plants.

However I have a good harvest

to be able to make my Lavender posies

Take a look at the old post.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The 1st picking

 

 



 a few ideas of how to arrange some bunches.

 I used fine wire to attach small bunches onto this raffia heart.

 

A rustic style which I've hung to  dry on the terrace.

Filling the air with it's heavenly perfume.

Which will always remind me of our trip to Provence

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Of course there will also be lots of lavender bags.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope this will give you a few other ideas

of how to show off your lavender.

 

I still have a lot to harvest.

so I'll be busy this next week.

 

à bientôt

Barbara Lilian

 



I suddenly realised it's March which means it's nearly Spring.

 

 

 

Usually I've been out in my garden 

 peeping in all the areas I know something should be showing signs of Spring.

But not feeling like or being able to do any work in the garden as

we had some nice sunshine today I took a stroll around and I wasn't disappointed.

 I found quite a few flowers.

These Pansies have been in flower all winter,

not as healthy looking as they should be.

also it looks like my Lavender cuttings are looking OK

strange as they don't like to be wet.

 

 

 

These Primula are always the first to flower.

just a few popping up here & there in the grass.

 

I didn't see any Crocus that were in the same area last year,

maybe they've rotted with all the rain we've had this winter.

  I know we have Voles that burrow under the surface of the ground

So I'd prefer it if they'd been eaten by them, it must be hard finding food.

This is another pot that I'd forgotten about, with more Pansies.

This will get moved around to brighten up an area that needs a bit of colour.

 



 

 

A large shrub of  Japonica.

Which flowers before the leaves appear.
It really should have had a good pruning.

 

 

 

 

I always bring a piece into the house to open up before they do on the shrub.

 

 

 

 

I hope these few flowers I found in my garden

brought Spring a little nearer to all my friends who are still getting snow. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

à bientôt

Barbara Lilian

 

 

My ornamental Orange plant

I have to thank my Mr France for getting this house plant to look as good as this.

Most of my house plants are nothing special.

I have lots of Chlorophytum / the common Spider plant, 

and several Bridgessi / Christmas cactus, along with a few Begonia - erthrophylla. 

Plants that almost look after themselves, helped  with the occasional watering. 

I'm more of an outdoor gardener.

Botanic name
Calamondin  Orange

Two years ago we were given this ornamental Citrus plant, 

which came with an abundance of flowers and fruit.  

I did my usual occasional watering, watched the new flowers come and go, 

but never turn into fruit. 

As I've said before if plants die on me, I never feel it's a disaster.

However Mr France was not happy with how it was looking so he took charge and bought a special feed for Citrus type plants and hey ho what a difference.  He's been counting all the flowers which gradually turned into little green fruit, and have grown now bigger & bigger. I know he's feeling quite proud of himself, as he took these photos,  and giving me a telling off, for neglecting this plant.

After all the tender loving care Mr France has given this plant,

Unfortunately these juicy looking fruits can't be eaten.  they are only ornamental.

but he's done a very job, don't you think ?

Now I'm back into my painting mode, I was looking through all the things I'd done 

and found this little watercolour painting of a lavender field, 

it was my very first  effort.

I think I've made a big improvement since then.

From now on, I think I'll stick to the outdoor garden & keep trying to improve my painting.

  and leave the indoor plants to Mr France.

à bientôt

Barbara Lilian

More Lavender from my garden.

 

Decided to cut more of my Lavender today. So thought I'd show you what I did with it.

This basket has been sitting on a shelf  empty for a long time,

 so thought I'd fill it with a bunch of Lavender.

Just what it needed, I'm pleased how pretty it looks.

 

Later I made more of the ribbon posies.

I decided to make a variation on the original way I usualy make them.


 

The perfume is so wonderful. I feel I am back in Provence.

I shall put one of these in all the guests bedrooms.


Hope you liked seeing my Lavender ribbon posies.


A bientot

Barbara Lilian

Lavender posies

My wonderful memory of my visit to the Lavender fields in Provence.
This photo was taken on Mont Ventoux.

Today I started to collect the Lavender from my garden to make my posies.
I make lots of these during the month of August.
A little gift to offer to a friend or neighbour.

Tied with some pretty satin ribbon

Here's how I make the ribbon posies.

Not long after we moved to live in France we went with our French neighbours to the Provence region and stayed with her cousins family. I remember sitting in the shade under a huge tree, the wonderful perfume of lavender was everywhere and I was watching the father who had a bunch of lavender on his knee and a ball of thick string. I was intrigued wondering what he was doing, he beckoned me to come & sit beside him and saw that he was making a very primitive version of the ones I have since made using pretty ribbon.

 

 

 

Some years later a friend bought this book for me, so now every summer I make these posies.

If you don't know how to make them,these diagrams will give you an idea of the stages.

 

 

The posy needs to be made straight after the Lavender has been picked as the stems need to be supple so that they can bend easily over the flower heads. I find it easier to weave the ribbon between two stems together. The number of stems I used for a small posy like the photo shown above is 22. Depending on the size you wish to make, the number of stems when divided by two should always be an odd number, so that you can make the weave regular.

I'm sure most of you will have some Lavender growing in your garden,

 so have a try at making a Lavender ribbon posy.

 

Hope you enjoy making your Lavender posy. as much as I did.





A bientot

Barbara Lilian