Preparing my hanging baskets.

Due to the unseasonal weather conditions this year, I'm so far behind
preparing hanging baskets than previous years.

Although the nights are still cold, I need to get the baskets prepared.
With not much enthusiasm we went to a small family owned garden centre.

It's nothing like what you would visualise as the usual
'Garden Centre' no fancy glass greenhouses

with electrically controlled ventilation and watering system.

4 poly tunnels an array of country animals wandering freely

 and a friendly lady to greet me.

Sorry no photos I didn't have my camera
so close your eyes

 and imagine you're in the heart of rural France, and step back 30 years .

There are 4 poly tunnels with flaps at each end, the entrance and the other end for some ventilation. 2 of the poly tunnels are full of vegetables, as they do sell their vegetables at the markets. I think the flowers might have started as a side line,
probably just a few geraniums and petunias .
I usually have an idea what I'm looking for. I noticed this year there was more choice.
 I choose all my own plants, put them in a veg. box which are provided. I then go to a little table where there's a lady, who was dead heading all the plants,  she asks me

 how many I have, she writes it down on a piece of paper ripped out of what 

looks like child's exercise book. I have to go to the little shop to pay, where they sell

their vegetables . On leaving I was handed a plastic bag containing fertiliser grains. and told how to look after my plants to get the best results.
and left with their good wishes of...
'au revoir et bonne plantation'

 How charming is that, you certainly don't get this service in the towns.

I did notice a few elderly ladies in their wrap around house pinafore dresses, who had brought their own plant pots to have them planted up with a few geraniums, 

while they chose the vegetable plants to put in their potager.  

 We have bought some of our plants from here for the past 2 yrs
 and been really pleased with the quality and far better value 

than any of the large Jardi-land centres.

This is the selection I chose. They look really healthy.

Trailing Verbena.

White Alyssum

 dble. Sufinias

Brachyscome angustifolia

Begonia senegat.
we had these last year and they flowered from may to October. 

last years baskets.

Pink begonia senegat. 

Simple dark red leaved begonia.

Hopefully by the weekend we will have them planted and hanging.

How are you getting on planting up your summer flowers.

Do you use summer annuals for a splash of colour on your terrace.
I'd love to see what you choose and how you display them.

I hope the weather is warming up for everyone.
Happy planting / Bonne plantation

à bientôt

Barbara Lilian

Antique Books

Last Sunday I was helping my grandson and his girl friend

on their stall at a vide grenier / brocante fayre.

I haven't been to one of these for a long time

  I always come back with something

I don't really need.

But since living in France I can't resist old books.

This one took my fancy.

full of pictures.

 showing the beautiful architecture of the Paris buildings.

These two little gems, look like they have been well read.

Vintage French Literature School books.

I love the covers on them,

 I don't remember my school books looking like these.

BOOKS... books.. books. I couldn't resist these.

  most of the books I now read, I read as e-books on my Kindle.

But I must admit I do love turning paper pages .

Look at the date of this one

 The title translates to...

'The Wise Women '

Although they probably won't be read,

 They'll be part of my décor in the guest blue bedroom. 

Books, letters, printed photographs 

they are all slowly becoming things of the past.

We are told it's the way of life,

 new technology slowly sneaking in.

How do you feel about this.

à bientôt

Barbara Lilian

Welcome to the month of May.

The garden is full of birds singing and flitting about feeding their young.

The Robins nest we found in the shed. How long must it have taken

 these birds to build this nest, tucked in the hanging hosepipe 

We thought it had been abandoned.

Last week we saw a little head and two bright eyes staring at us 

it is the female sitting on her eggs, they have been very discreet.

We can't wait to see the feeding activity. 

After a lot if hard work, the Rose garden is now finished.

 Lots of flower buds are showing on the Clematis.

Here we used some of the willow frames, to replace the rotten ones.

This small area was planted up last year, and is now looking well established.

The small lavender plants have now doubled their size. so I'm looking forward 

to some nice perfume wafting my way when I'm relaxing near by.

 When the plants are in bloom, it will be a nice show of pink and blue

with a white climbing rose against the stone wall.

I'm glad the hard work is finished, now I can taking it a bit easy for a few days.

Hoping the warm sun we had yesterday,

 enabling Mr France and I to have lunch on the terrace will continue.

This seems like a good time for me to get my sketch books and Ink-tense pencils out.

Yesterday I saw this post from Quinn on her blog about getting back into painting.

Quinn is an incredible lady who has so many talents at her finger tips.

She lives and works looking after her goats in severe winter weather conditions.

She keeps her family of goats for their wool which she processes and 

then knits into the most lovely items, especially the lacy shawls.

Tell her I suggested you pop over to share her blog.

 My back is telling me I've done too much.

I will need  to just potter in the garden for awhile

So I'm hoping the sunny weather is here for awhile, then I will relax.

I'll be back soon.

à bientôt

Barbara Lilian

How does your garden grow.

I've been so busy working on the Rose Garden,

I hadn't even noticed what was happening to the rest of the garden.

Here's what I found, it's not looking too neglected

New Tulips planted last Autumn, sorry I can't find the label for the name.

It almost looks like a Gardenia, when the petals are open.

I planted 10 but it looks like there will only be  9. 

A few garden ornaments I like to use dotted here & there.

These are Day Lilies, planted in a vintage storage jar.

I move them around to add a splash 

of colour where needed. 

This area needs some attention, I had intended to re-do it. 

However I didn't have time before it started to grow again.

There are 2 pink climbing roses growing up against the wall. 

I did give them a hard pruning, so hope they will be OK.

The Peonies are already in bud, they need to be staked.

All I've done to this area is hoe out the weeds.

It's a mixture of pinks and blue, perennials.  

and the rose is white ( Iceberg) 

 I found these Aquilegia ( Columbine )growing in the gravel  drive.

The seeds must have been blown there.They were so tiny

 when I dug them up, but they've grown so quickly 

now they are being looked after.

Chives, which keep re-growing every year.

Always nice to have, to sprinkle over summer salads.

Rosemary & Thyme which might need replacing.

I always grow my herbs in pots.

The pink Tulips from last year, some bulbs only made leaves no flowers.

 They look pretty in these big stone pots.

This Lavender plant I bought in Provence. Its still looking good.

I do keep cutting it back to stop it going straggly.

I've managed to keep it a good few years.

The last of the Muscari ( grape hyacinth) bulbs.
 I have three different varieties which all flower at different times.

Ornamental grasses. I was never very keen on them, 

I always thought they looked like dried weeds, but now I've 

changed my mind and thought I'd try some this summer.

My potting area, full of hope-fulls !

By that I mean, plants that have been over wintered in the garage

and now I've re-potted them hoping they will flower again this summer.

I'll let you know later what was successful and what wasn't.

The Rose garden is now finished, All the roses 

have been planted, and the Clematis which is already in bud.

I'm taking a short break, going to the coast, 

before our summer visitors start arriving in May to stay in 

La Petite Maison 

I will show you the finished result when I get back.

Some of the roses already have buds on so it shouldn't 

be too long before we have signs of pink.

I'll look forward to seeing what's growing in your gardens 

and what you've all been doing.

So until then

à bientôt

Barbara Lilian

Rose garden project.

 During Autumn we started planning an idea for a rose garden.
We have an open area of the garden which is never used
 and it's just more grass that needs to be cut.

Mr France has recently taken an interest in the garden
other than just having to do the heavy work
that I can't manage these days.
Last year we visited a 'Roseraie' in Limoges
and came home with the idea of creating one in our garden
albeit  on a much smaller scale .

 Plan A

We bought these woven willow boxes
and started planning were we would put them -
However after a long winter of lots rain,
and not being able to get on with the project,
The willow boxes have been put in the shed for the time being


Now we have - Plan B.  Work is still in progress.
This is what it's looking like at the moment.

We managed to acquire a very large piece
of thick black polythene from the farmer near where we live
which he didn't needed any more .
Covering the ground will kill off the grass
and will save a lot of back breaking digging.
Mr France has made much stronger wooden box frames
and they are nearly all in place.

All the roses have been bought, some French and some English.

I can't wait for the summer to see them in bloom.

Would you like to see what I've chosen ?

All pink.

Frederic Mistral created by Meilland - French rose.

I have chosen three different bush roses

 from the ever popular David Austin variety.

 Geoff Hamilton. - Mary Rose. - The Mayflower.

 Climbing rose 'Narhema'  I bought and planted this one last year 

to grow on the new pergola we put up near the pool.

After a summer of very few blooms,
 it certainly wasn't happy where it was.

The reason ?  a mixture of things,
the most important was not enough sun and then fighting 

with the nearby Honey suckle & a Variegated Ivy.

After I'd dug the rose up, I could see it hadn't made much root growth.

so it was definitely ready to be moved.


Mr France has made an Obelisk


similar to the one I'd seen here
take a look at Pamela's blog, 'Flower Patch Farm'
she is a very talented & creative lady.

Hopefully moving it to new open ground
with 2 Clematis, it will flourish and we'll reap the benefits
and see lots of beautiful pink roses, intertwined with blue Clematis.

  

Hopefully this is what we'll be seeing for our efforts.
Can't wait for summer.
I'm sure if you know me, or have followed my blog for awhile
you know patience is not one of my virtues .
But ....  'come on ' who couldn't wait to see these beauties.

We still have some more work to do.
I'll show the finished result in another post.

How are your gardens coming along? Have you made any changes,
or are you trying new plants you've always wanted to grow?
I'd love to see what you've done.

I know some of you are still having cold weather & snow....
Maybe you're over wintering your delicate plants indoors ?
 in pots, ready for the warm sunny days.

à bientôt

Barbara Lilian