Bright and beautiful

The storm clouds parted as we drove into the tiny hamlet of Melkinthorpe and happily we were bathed in sunshine for the duration of our stay.

The purpose of our journey was to visit the wonderful 'Larch Cottage Nurseries' which is one of my favourite places hidden deep in the Cumbrian countryside.

In through the old barn door we went and spent a happy hour or so browsing and comparing blooms of every size and hue.

My bright and beautiful selection of August bloomers were unceremoniously loaded into the back of the car and are now awaiting a permanent spot in the garden in which to flourish.

But who could resist cutting just a few for decoration indoors.

If you love gardening and ever find yourself in Cumbria do pop into the magical 'Larch Cottage Nurseries', I can guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Garden companions

As we are enjoying a fine day I decided I'd show you a few of the companions that share the garden here at Flutterby Patch. Before I could photograph them I had to find them! They quickly become concealed by greenery at this time of year and are well camouflaged with moss.

This is my stone flower seller who is stepping out from under a large rhododendron bush.

An old frog sits on the edge of the pond. On a good day a spout of water leaps from his mouth but not today I'm afraid.

A pair of cute birds sit in the bird bath

This little cherub dates back many years. He stood centre stage in our very first garden. 

These cherubs once held a fountain but sadly those days are long gone and they now play quietly in a shady spot.

Two moss covered rabbits wait for a clean.

A pair of squirrels eat nuts whilst supporting the old stone seat.

At one time there were four lions guarding the sundial but wind and rain have taken their toll on them.

A little elfin fellow sits atop the wind chimes

And last, but not least, an angel sits in the bough of a tree and blows kisses to all who pass by.

The morning after

We enjoyed long lazy days of glorious sunshine during June and the petunias in my pots just kept on blooming. The entire garden was a blaze of vibrant colour.....wonderful!

July brought showers and finally, last night, torrential rain and wind. The pretty heads of my poor petunias were ripped from their stems and tossed around the patio.

In fact flowers all around the garden are now a sorry sight!

I've rescued a few brave little roses that survived the storm and have popped them in water. As the weekend forecast is for more heavy rain I shall have to be content to view the garden through the window.

I wish I knew the secret of retaining a perfect garden in our wet and windy British climate?

Indoors or out, enjoy your weekend.

Jolly gardening

The sun is out and there's plenty to do around the garden today and so I found some willing volunteers to help me (knitted ones of course!) They are my new dolls known as Jolly Tots and I thought I'd introduce a few to you.

This little girl is removing the dead flower heads from my petunias (a job I'm very lazy about doing).

I'm not sure if this little cutie is doing much work, she seems to be comparing the lovely scarlet bloom with her own red hat.

Little boys are always more interested in climbing trees don't you find?

This frilly pink poppy appeared in our flower bed in early spring. I didn't plant seed so its arrival remains a bit of a mystery. These blooms stand at least one metre off the ground so this little Jolly Tot has had a difficult climb on her tiny legs.

"Peekaboo"..... another little tot pops out of the petunias 

Gardening can be thirsty work. "Who's for a nice refreshing cup of tea?"

If you'd like to knit your own 'garden helpers' you'll find the pattern for Jolly Tots in my Etsy shop.

A bright idea

Just look at that juicy strawberry! It's our first of the year and its growing plumper and riper every day.  Unfortunately the local birds and squirrels have also spotted it, so today I decided it was time for action.

This year my strawberry plants are outside the sitting room window where I can keep an eye open for thieves of the fur and feathered variety. But I can't stand guard endlessly so knew it was time to drape netting over the ripening fruit.

and I had a cunning plan.....

We've had an old umbrella in the garage for many years. It was battered and torn but we always felt it might come in useful one day.

First I removed the fabric and then hubby cut off the handle.

The strawberry plants are standing on a makeshift table made from a large wooden reel which conveniently has a hole through the centre. So with a piece of old pipe (more junk we've stored for years) pushed into the centre of the reel we were able to support the umbrella.

 

And it made the perfect frame for the strawberry netting. Let's hope it proves a good deterrent

I bet the birds and squirrels won't be pleased when they see it!

Busy doing nothing!

It's one of those days when I start with good intentions and end up doing not very much at all. This morning I spent a little time knitting. I'm working on a family of little rascals (see below) the pattern for which will eventually find it's way into my Etsy shop. Hopefully in time for Christmas!

As the sun popped out from behind the clouds I couldn't resist visiting my strawberry plants which I'm pleased to say are all doing well. I usually have them in the veg patch but this year they're in pots beside the garden room door which will enable me to pop outside and pick a few whatever the weather.

The tomato plants are looking healthy also but have only just started flowering, so I'll have to wait a while for the juicy fruits to appear.

Unlike me, hubby has found a real job and is clearing masses of vegetation from an area of rock adjoining the lawn. This has always been a problem spot and so we've never done much with it, but I have plans!! Well before the patch is cleared I'm thinking about the plants I'd like to see there. Sensibly hubby has said we must use what we've got and not acquire more. In other words, we move plants from elsewhere in the garden that are in the wrong position or have been crowded out by their neighbours.

The first candidate will be this delicate little rose with gorgeous red stems and pinkish grey leaves. I planted it a couple of years ago in front of the dining room window not realising how tall and bushy it would become.

These purple iris are another possibility. We can't grow the big blousy irises here unfortunately (too wet and not enough sun) but these are iris Sibirica and they thrive and multiply with ease so they are definitely on the 'to move' list.

These pretty little violas won't be moving to the new patch. I bought them at our local garden centre a couple of days ago and they are destined for one of my patio pots.

Why do some gardens look lovely when little plants pop up between the paving on the patio and others look a neglected mess. Sadly ours falls into the neglected mess category.

I think I'd better do something really useful and remove a few of those weeds.....But first.......Who fancies a nice cup of tea?

Yummy colours

I feel quite guilty about knitting when the sun is shining and the garden beckons but last week I picked up my needles and, inspired by the little bunnies hopping around our plot, I produced Rowena Rabbit who has become a my trusted sewing and knitting companion. You'll find a pattern for her in my Etsy shop.

After a night of rain the sun has popped his head out once again today and the garden is ablaze with the colour of our rhododendrons and azaleas. They thrive in our damp climate and grow like weeds.

The overnight rain sadly knocked off a number of blooms so I've gathered a few to show you. The combination of colours is wonderful.

This is a piece of gift wrap has similar vibrant shades....yummy!

The weather this weekend is not looking good so I've selected some vibrant yarns and will have a good excuse to excercise my needles.

Indoors or out......... have a good weekend

Busy Days in the Garden

Since last I posted on Flutterby Patch our garden has sprung into life and everywhere is a blaze of colour

Rhododendrons and azaleas are in full bloom and there has been (and still is) much work to do.

These old stone steps wind their way down from the lawn to the very bottom of the garden and are always in need of a sweep. This can be a long job as there are 35 steps in total and plenty of moss to remove and weeds to pull out after sweeping.

Meanwhile my partner in the garden (husband) has been laying a new path. If you think this looks like a tarmac path you'd be right! Hubby had a word with the workmen laying a new road surface near here and asked if he could have the old tarmac when they'd removed it.

So last week several waggons of the stuff were dumped at our gate and the black stuff has been getting lifted and shifted ever since. It might sound nasty but in fact it makes an excellent (free) surface and after being compressed will last for years.

Another urgent job has involved digging over the garden beds that have become infested with bind weed. This is an absolute menace and is very difficult to eradicate.

We couldn't immediately identify these young plants and they were very nearly removed with the other weeds but then we remembered what they were.
Two or three years ago we scattered some eryngium seeds. The common name is 'Sea Holly' which is so much nicer.

I think the seeds were eryngium giganteum, otherwise known as 'Miss Wilmott's Ghost'. Isn't that a splendid name? Miss Ellen Wilmott was a nineteenth century gardener and would secretly scatter seeds of this plant in the gardens of her friends. Two or three years later large prickly plants would appear that shone a ghostly silver in the sunlight. When Ellen Wilmott was found to be responsible for their arrival they became known as Miss Wilmott's Ghosts........I'll let you know if these apparitions appear from the rather boring leafy clump later in the season.
These sunny garden days aren't set to last much longer so I'd better get back to work....now where did I leave my broom?