Tuesday, June 23, 2009

The Glorious Garden. 23rd June 2009. Photos Galore

The Deenery looking down at the cottage from the parking area. The planks were left there by the builders.

Garden Photos

If you don't like photos, turn off now! I spent yesterday wandering the garden and taking photos of the flowers that are currently in bloom. I really enjoyed it. It's been very humid for the past few days and is quite draining. I decided not to do any gardening today but to do some artwork, which I did, in the garden. I took all my things outside, set up the parasol and had a wonderful time. I seemed to owe ACTs here and there and a 'Pay it Forward' for Bea and managed to catch up I think . Lots to take to the post office tomorrow. Now for the photos. I do hope you enjoy them:


I don't know the name of this lovely bulb. It is badly designed as the stem is very thin and the head huge, so it always falls over. It is very pretty though.





















There are 2 varieties, this one and the cream one above
















Pinks on the rockery, ever reliable Dianthus












Also on the rockery, another striking Dianthus, white in colour.







This is a panorama of the Arboretum showing the snake rose bed. Please click on it to enlarge it.




Here is the newest Acer and it seems to be doing well.





































The newly merged bed on the Arboretum. It will look better next year when the newer half has matured










A pretty pink astilbe, recently planted in the new section.

















Here is sambucus 'Black Lace'. I love it.
















Most of the lupins Jim raised last year are doing incredibly well
















This is Sambucus 'Black Beauty' next to the lupins, the pink and black look wonderful, together with the pale green pittisporum on the right of the picture.


















A pretty lupin, just opening.

















Here is our 'S' shaped 'snake' rose bed. The part nearest the house was planted last year and the nearest section, this year. The ones from last year are doing well but I'm sure the newer ones will catch up. I have taken a montage of the roses, as there are quite a few.














This is the older section and you can see the roses, especially if you click on it to enlarge the photo.

















The Roses. We have some strange ones I think, especially the one 2nd from the right, bottom row. It looks like folded tissue paper. Do enlarge the photo if you have time.





A group of foxgloves at the bottom of the Fairy Hill.



















A crazy daisy plant on the allotment and it is huge!












This golden hop is from the RHS gardens, Wisley, in the UK. The leaves poking out of the top are part of the same plant! It should produce some lovely flowers this year.














I have recently planted this pretty little shrub by the sleeping shed.

















Now in its 2nd year, this hydrangea has produced a gorgeous flower - it's on top of The Fairy Hill.









Also on the top of The Fairy Hill is some French Lavender. It's so pretty but the scent isn't as strong as the English variety.











Nearby is a fabulous white version.













This is also on The Fairy Hill and has survived from last year. Such a rich colour. Below is the fairy guarding her plant.




























Sky blue campanula cascades down the sides of the Fairy Hill, intermingled with this yellow and white flower.










BlackJack was watching me from the bench at the top. Look carefully and you can see the fairy below him.













Super seed heads hang from the Mahonia.
















Here is the Mahonia and you can see the berries bunched below. The yellow bush behind is an escallonia and it has fabulous pink flowers. Builders' wheelbarrow then the path to the allotment.


If you turn left at the wheelbarrow, this is the view! The grass path, planted only a week or so ago, is growing well and the wild flowers on the rockery are coming into bloom too.












One of our Scarlet River Lilies has just come into bloom.












Our spring alyssum has just had a second flush.

















pink and white with pink centres, these Dianthus mix beautifully. See the close ups below.




































A Gazania with dark green leaves and showy yellow flowers. See the close up below plus 2 hover flies.

























Majestic off white lupins
















Just by our top barn is this unknown shrub which is covered in flowers. Below is a close up of them.





























Buster on the opposite side of the drive in the long grass. You can see Lough Graney behind him.









He is a little blurred here as he was pulling the grass, you can see a piece in his mouth!











The work we have done clearing our lane.



















Wild honeysuckle, so delicate.















I don't know the name of the wild flower just outside our gate.

















My favourite antirrhinum
















And here it is in situ. Sweet Williams abound in this bed.


















A creamy yellow osteospernum











The old favourite, Calendula















We have this red geum in several places















But only one of the orange one.













Jim loves this orange flower. I don't know its name but I do know it spreads like mad! Below is a close up and the flowers are really quite pretty.





























Rachel (LeatherdykeUK), here is your white cornflower plant. This is a baby, we just have to get it to you somehow!










A pretty group of mainly foliage plants. Spirea, alchemilla mollis and euonymous.










I think the heuchera and campanula look fabulous together.















The campanula tumbles down the wall.
















This is a delicate scabious, the flowers are quite small. We also have a yellow one that I brought with me from Worthing. There are now 2 huge clumps of it.















We have 2 of these lilac coloured scabious








The yellow scabious. One of my very favourites.
A view of the garden showing the spirea, lavender, heuchera, white cornflower and lawn edge that needs cutting!!
4 petunias, weird double ones and on the top right, the wigelia, now going a bit tatty but still pretty. I think the pink and white one looks like an ice cream.

Well that's about it can you believe? I was going to select just some but I like to compare different years and what's in flower at what time, so it's for my benefit too. You can always just flick through them if you're bored! I've just noticed that some of the photos are a bit dull. Although it was humid yesterday it was dull.

Jo the builder has been busy trying to get ready to fit the door between my new studio and the old cottage. The levels are quite different and I will have 2 steps down into the studio and the walls of the cottage are of course crooked! He is battling away though. He had to drill away a large old stone and so the place was once again coated in dust. Hey ho!

Buster came home earlier absolutely filthy, especially his legs and feet. I ran a bowl of soapy water and washed them! Then he went off again and hasn't come back yet. Bad dog.
It's coming up to midnight.

25 comments:

Bea said...

OOOoooooooh I do hope people take the time to click on your photos and see them enlarged. The flowers are absolutely BEAUTIFUL! I bet you found lots of new things after having been away for a week.
Your lane looks so inviting.
I did see the fairy. Blackjack looks so regal. lol
:)Bea

BT said...

Oh Bea, thank you, I'm glad you did't get too bogged down!! I shall post your parcel tomorrow.

Unknown said...

Wow. These are all so spectacular. Bea is correct. People need to click for the larger versions to appreciate these even more. As if that were possible...

I'm going back to revisit these. That purple lone lupine is perfection itself. They don't grow well here in the Massachusetts.

So glad I came by! Light and love!

Ces Adorio said...

OMG! Beautiful, absoulutely beautiful! The handiwork of a master gardener!!!!

Cris, Artist in Oregon said...

You have a cute home and lovely gardens. Love to come and visit here.

heckety said...

What an amazing garden- I am now encouraged to go and do some more work on my own! Your flowers are just lovely and your vistas give me hope that if you can achieve that in Clare, surely I can achieve a decent garden in Leitrim?
Thank you for the inspiration!

Jason said...

Wow, what alot of flowers. lol :-)

Crafting in the garden sounds fun, need some pimms.

x

Rachel Green said...

beautiful

Carol said...

*sigh* I officially have garden envy!!

Gorgeous!!

C x

soulbrush said...

oh my oh my, i think i should come over and spent a week just sitting in your garden, what a balm for the soul it would be...sigh....

Chris Stovell said...

Blimey, all the hard work you put into the garden has really paid off, hasn't it? Beautiful.

Sue Guiney said...

Again, such beautiful photos. I'm heading off to my summer in the country in a few days,and have been having real transition/separation issues. But these photos are helping me get excited about leaving the city for a while. Thanks!

BT said...

Pagan Sphinx, I'm so glad you popped by again and that you enjoyed the flowers. Some dahlias are out today! It's hot and sunny too.

Thank you Ces, you are too kind.

Cris, I love to see you here too!

heckety, I'll pop by later today. How great to meet you. Of course yu can, I'm always on hand for 'advice'!

Jason, I knew I was lacking something in the garden yesterday! Pimms it was.

Thanks Rachel.

Ha ha, Carol. You have no need. We have huge unkempt weedy areas too!

soulbrush, you are more than welcome!

I think it has ChrisH. Must pop over...

Glad I was of some use SueG!!! Enjoy your country days.
xxxxxxx

aims said...

You have the most beautiful flowers Gina. I am always amazed at the difference between what you get and what we get.

Just a note - over at Jellybeanangels she was in the middle of a post uploading pics and blogger told her she had exceeded her limit of pics and she wasn't allowed any more. She had to start a new blog - Jellybeanangel2 so that she could keep posting with pics.

I never knew that but thought you might be interested in knowing that. I love looking at your pics - what a shame it would be if you couldn't post them.

Heather said...

So many gorgeous photos Gina - you and Jim must be very pleased with the way your garden is looking. A just reward for all the hard work you have both put in. The colours of your roses are glorious. We garden on clay which bakes hard in a hot dry spell and stays cold and soggy when wet. I envy you the astilbe and lavender which dont like our soil. Hope Buster came home eventually - I used to hate it when our labrador went courting!

Unknown said...

oh my heavens...these photos took my breath away!! I love these and that cottage shot ...wow...at first I thought it was a mini sculpture or painting....wow!

BT said...

Oh aims, thanks for that, I hope it doesn't happen but I suppose it could. How grotty of them! Glad you enjoyed my photos.

Hello Heather. Buster came home at about midnight! What a bad boy, and the same tonight. At least he wasn't filthy tonight. he can't go courting, he hasn't the equipment!! He just loves to wander and follow scents. Deer, foxes, hares, he loves the smells.

Our soil is also clay and dries and cracks too! We have lost 3 of our lavender bushes so maybe it doesn't like it here either. Astilbe likes moisture, so I would have thought it would like clay? We shall see.

Great to see you Diana. No, it's a 'joiner' photo I did of the cottage, where you take several photos then join them togeher. Or rather photoshop does. Glad you enjoyed the photos.

Friko said...

Ireland must have a milder climate than the Shropshire Marches. Your plants are much further advanced than mine.
I answered your question about your Dad and the scraper in my blog in the same post as before.

The Weaver of Grass said...

That orange daisy-like flower you don't know the name of BT - we call it hen and chickens or fox and geese here. I think it is really a wild flower, but isn't it pretty? Its only fault is that if you are not careful it takes over. Your garden is lovely I really enjoyed the photos.

BT said...

Friko, it is pretty mild here, although we had a bad winter this/last year. I'll pop over to your blog and see.

Hello Weaver, I know about the invasive habit of that flower! It's popping up in the cracks in the paths and in other beds! I pull it out from there pretty quickly! I'd not heard those names before, thanks for that.

DK said...

Wow, what a lot of lovely flower pictures! I have a penchant for honeysuckle... I wonder if Jim would do a blog on it? ~smiles~
I also utterly adore poppies, they're popping up all over the place on roadsides at the moment; dreamy :-)x

Anonymous said...

I have thoroughly enjoyed enlalrging all your colorful photos and as usual, I feel like I have been transported into the pages of a magical fairy tale! I have missed your visits but I see now how busy you must stay in that magnificent yard/garden. The "S" rose bed is a unique idea. Good to see Black Jack and Buster too.

marianne said...

Haha that Buster lives in paradise and so do you.
I love how you do these panorama pictures, do you do that all by yourself or in a special program?

Have a nice weekend!

Anonymous said...

I found the orange flower you don't know the name of growing wild in the western Highlands of Scotland. If I ever find the name, I will let you know.

Anonymous said...

Your orange flower is Orange Hawkweed. It's a native of Europe and considered an invasive species in the US due to the rapid spreading you mentioned, they take over other plants areas and crowd them out. Beautiful though!