Springtime garden

I love this time of the year when everything starts to wake up after being dormant during the long winter months. I've just been wandering around the garden seeing what's growing and what's not, also what needs to be moved because it doesn't like where it is, or I think it would look better somewhere else.

I could never call myself a real gardener, I love my garden, but I don't let it rule me. I don't talk to my plants, well maybe sometimes, telling them they have 2 chances in life... 'they either grow or they go..
 I let the weeds that flower stay, if I like them, you might say I'm a lazy gardener, but who has the right to say a plant is a weed. if it happens to grow somewhere that's not choking the special plant I have planted then it can stay. The only no go in my garden is I like the grass to be green, I don't like daises or dandelions to sneak in and this year we have an abundance of dandelions growing in all the fields around where we live.

If you read my last post  you will have seen them everywhere, but that's OK as long as they stay put in the fields.
I'm going away in a few days so would you like to see what my garden is looking like at the moment.

One of the many Pieris ( Forest Flame )
Always gives colour throughout the year.

Japonica Japanese Quince

Alyssum ( Saxitile )

Flowers first from April to June, cut back after flowering

then the leaves are a lovely silver grey

forming a good ground cover.

 I hope I don't miss too many things, the Peonies are about to burst into bloom,  if it rains a lot while we're away and we have wind they soon get damaged ,so fingers crossed they'll still be here when I get back.

The Roses are beginning to grow again after the late snow & frost damaging them.

Today I've been splitting and moving the ornamental grass's a friend gave me, I hope it will look as good in it's new home as it did last year.I'll show you that when it's growing, as it's still at the stubble stage.

 I didn't realise it would grow so tall and spread so much. I hope it will be happy where I've put it, as it was hard work digging it up, I had to get help from my other half to dig the holes to replant them. I feel much happier now going away, knowing they will be able to start growing in their new place as it would be too late to move them when I get back. Did I just say I don't let my garden rule me, well maybe I do occasionally.

 The terrace with lots of young plants in pots waiting to go in the garden.

They'll have to wait a little while longer.

We love this area especially for summer evenings.

A few herbs.
Which I always keep in pots near to the kitchen.

Lavender cuttings waiting to go into the Lavender bed

Choisya ( Mexican Orange Blossom )
This will probably be in full bloom when we return.

The Last of the Tulips.

Sempervivum ( succulents )
Which grow out of the crannies in the rockeries.

I put this photo in as I wanted you to see the sweet little viola  that popped up all by itself.
The seed must have come from a flower pot that was there last year .

I've sown seeds in trays and never had success growing them on.

After my busy day making sure everything was able to look after itself during my absence,

 I took several pictures of the sky.  It's amazing how quickly the sun went down.

I'll be back in a couple of weeks and then I'll show you where I've been.

It won't be as warm as it here in France, but it's a beautiful country.
Just a little clue ! it's my favourite place to visit as my son and his lovely wife & grandchildren live there.

à bientôt

Barbara Lilian.

My plant order has arrived, so it must be Spring.

I know Spring must have arrived

as I've just received my plants which I ordered in early February for Spring delivery.

I've only ever ordered plants from a catalogue once before, 

and I swore I would NEVER do it again

 I was so disappointed as they looked just like twigs.

No resemblance to the pictures in the catalogue

That was 23 years ago it wasn't easy to buy shrubs where we live.

 This area is mostly agricultural and if you couldn't eat it they didn't grow it.

 Thankfully things have changed a lot since then.

This time they seem to look a lot better than my first order, 

and in the box was a bonus

 3  free shrubs !

One of these looks like a twig ! The 'Magnolia  Kobus' 

 It's going to take a long time to look how it does in the picture!

 but,  it was free so I mustn't grumble !

I've planted  them all in pots, as they came bare rooted and need to get settled into some growing compost

as you can see the magnolia looking like a twig, will need some extra care and attention.

But I remember my old friend Leonard giving me a Magnolia, that looked like this, and it wasn't that long before it became a big twig with a few flowers and now when I pass my old house it has been moved ,

it must have grown too big for the garden.

I'll leave these in the pots, until they show signs of good growth

then plant them in the ground, 

 

The plant in this pot is a free one ' Ceanothe Victoria.' - Blue flowers.

These Marguerite were delivered. bare root in a poly-bag covered with sawdust.

I'll plant these in my new flower bed and cover them over with some dried ferns for awhile,
 the young growth could get damaged  by frost, as the nights are still cold
  where we live, and we can get unexpected ground frost.

These Marguerite will be pretty in a sunny area.

Six hardy Fuchsias 'Mme Cornelissen'  (  frost resistant to -15 ) 

A little on the small size with only young growth at the moment, 

so I'll keep them under cover for the time being,

 then they will be planted in a long trough for the deck.

Just to let you know I wasn't that thrilled about my box of plants.

Will  I be buying any more plants I haven't seen. ?

Maybe or maybe not !

I will keep you up to date with the success or failure of these plants.

Enjoy your gardening

à bientôt

Barbara Lilian

I feel like spring is on it's way.

Today I felt a little bit of spring had arrived at my house.  So I decided to do make some changes on my blog.  First was to get rid of the snow scene header picture with  the falling snow. I know it's a little early but it brightened up my day browsing through my files of flower pictures to share some with you. I hope it brightens your day.

Just a week ago we had snow and were waiting for the snow plough to come to clear the road outside of our house, and today we had blue sky, which always makes me feel so much happier.

The view from the garden.

All the bare trees waiting for their leaves to start sprouting.

I  took a walk around the garden to see if there was any sign of growth after it had been under a blanket of snow. To my surprise I saw the green tips of the tulips sprouting, much earlier than usual this year.

This is what they'll look like when they are in flower.
A dwarf variety (sorry I don't know the name) which stay in flower for a long time. 

Our son & his lovely wife used to live here before they moved to Denmark, her own part of the world .

These little tulip bulbs were planted by them almost 15 yrs ago.

A pretty bunch of pink tulips to brighten up the table.

This picture was taken at one of our favorite walking places, part of the lake is still frozen.

 Even though spring hasn't really arrived 

I hope my little bit of early spring 

will cheer you up as much as it has for me.

A bientot

Barbara Lilian.

Ma Maison Fleurie.

Do you remember when I told you about the very first time I met the floral judging committee which to me seemed to made up from anyone who liked flowers regardless of their knowledge. That was 20yrs ago. It has come a long way since then for rural France.

The competition judging is done at the beginning of July. That period this year was not very good weather wise, We'd had a lot of rain & not very much sun, so the flowers well behind in blooming due to lack of sun. So consequently all the hanging baskets & troughs were at there best when the jury had been & gone.

At the beginning of last week I received my invitation from M. Le Mayor to attend the diploma presentation  which was to be held in 'La Salle de Fete' in my commune.  This year chairs were set out in rows & a screen was in place up on the stage with a projector for a photo slide show of all the entrants gardens or fronts of houses. I thought wow! our little commune has certainly come into the 20th c. what progress since 20yr. ago. The Mayor welcomed everybody & explained about the slide show. Then he started to give out the diplomas for the different categories & clicked onto the laptop to show the photo of the winners garden or house. Somewhere along the way the photos seemed to be out of synchronisation with the receiver of the diploma, as the little old who was sitting next to me said 'Why is M. Charbonnier collecting a diploma that's not his house it's mine' after 23 yrs. my understanding & communicating has greatly improved, although I still make the odd 'faux pas'  Apparently right from the beginning of the presentation the photos were not the house of the diploma receiver, but nobody had said anything. Oh well ! maybe next year they will get it right, nobody seemed to mind, all the entrants seemed to enjoy looking at every one else's gardens or window boxes and every entrant was given a diploma even if it was just for making the effort of planting a few flowering plants and each one of  went away with a Camellia shrub to help them add a little more colour to their garden. 

Then the aperitifs were served, which always goes down well, delicious canapes made by the local boulanger and a glass of wine, followed by plenty of refills. Everyone then mingled and chatted about their gardening success 's or the failures due the bad weather early in the year, hopefully going away with encouragement  for 2013.

My categorie is for Terraces & balconies & this year I received a 'Diplome d'Honneur avec mention special.

I was well satisfied with my award, but it was not as rewarding for me as the one I received 2yrs ago. That year I won the 1st prize for the whole of the department, not just the commune. But who ever it was who won it this year, I'm sure they will feel as proud as I did and who ever you are I say congratulations.

My Diplome d'Honneur

The balcony with hanging baskets and troughs.

 

Close up of the Surfinias in the trough.






One of the many window boxes.

A half wall basket.

Hanging basket in front of the holiday cottage.

More Surfinias.

On the steps leading to the pool.

A metal ware container from Denmark.

This is a glimpse of some of the flowers that helped me win my Diplome d'Honneur.

Hope you enjoyed sharing my flowers.

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