Pottering and Planting

The garden is enjoying the rain today, and I can't complain either because the plants needed lots to drink after the last few weeks...but here are some sunny garden pictures from a few days ago...I planted a new clematis beside the potting shed (I hope it likes it there..)

 ...picked some flowers in shades of blue and purple, lots of lavender for scent as well as colour...

...the last bluebells, some periwinkle and some gorgeous purple columbines or aquiligias (or dancing dollies as some are known to call them)...the pictures below are images I took while pottering around...or working quite hard, however you care to look at it....the beehive composter is one I planned to repaint at the weekend but didn't as it rained....

 One of the things I love about gardening is the way things plant themselves...I found a foxglove growing in the front garden, under the cherry tree which would not be a good place for it to stay...too squashed... but I let it grow bigger for a while (to make sure it really was a foxglove and not one of those weeds I often mix it up with)....and then I transplanted it to a nice place for it in the back garden...

 ..here it is on its way between the front and back garden, pausing for a picture in front of the tiny old shed which has been there since victorian days, very dark and gloomy inside, but quite rustic outside especially with ivy growing round it...

 ...here is the transplanted foxglove in its new home...I'm looking forward to it flowering there next to the box edging which I trimmed soon after I took this picture...

It's such a lovely time of year in the garden whatever the weather, there's always something to enjoy and something new to see. I'm loving all the flower and garden pictures on other people's blogs too. Thank you for visiting mine and for leaving such lovely comments. (Also thank to all those who have emailed me, I'll try to reply as soon as I can.) Have a wonderful week and see you soon! xxxx

Knitting, Stitching and Planting

 The title of today's post sums up a lot of what I like to do at the moment...first the knitting, lots of progress has been made on the blue fluffy cardi while chatting this weekend - it's so lovely, light and quick to knit too.

Stitching: well, this little Easter bunny toy was my project for this month's CB and was obviously made a wee while ago! I took a new photo of it - in fact several -  and here it is on the front cover of the magazine, in the top left corner to catch the eye and (hopefully) tempt you in! It is a funny thing to catch sight of something you made or designed on a shelf in a shop or supermarket...

 ...rather like spotting a familiar face in a crowd unexpectedly. I still like to see my designs appear when I'm out and about even after all these years...

 Planting: one of my most favourite flowers - violas. I picked these up last week - they have a rose scent and are called Rose Wing ...so beautiful and fresh and delicate, I love them massed together and try to plant a few close together to keep that effect...

...at the bottom of the garden is an old lead hopper, left from when the Victorian rainwater goods were replaced before our time...in the spring and summer I plant different things in it each year, but this time some sweet violets have kindly planted themselves, so I popped a few violas in there too...

I'm loving this time of year - as I'm sure everyone is too - the promise of later, warmer spring and then summer in the garden is just so uplifting..seeing things begin to grow - especially now we've cleared away much of the winter leaf fall, and general debris left by the gales - is just wonderful...

I'm off now to continue stitching, this time for an autumn project!! It's a funny thing, being a designer - I do love all the seasons at any time of year!
I hope you all have a beautiful spring week, with sweet flowers all around and soft spring sunshine every day. Back very soon. xxxx

Spring Gardening

 Hello - I hope you've all had a great weekend! I've enjoyed many happy moments  of mine outdoors, gardening, pottering and enjoying the spring....Saturday wasn't sunny here so I did more potting - and pottering - in the potting shed. Lots of spring plants to divide and grow on, and to give away or swap with friends and relatives....and a few new anemones to add to my spring border...

The potting shed is much nicer to work in now that it's been painted inside - much lighter for a start. I'm still choosing the colour for the outside - I keep changing my mind...should I do it grey, or blue, or blue green...all the pale shades are lovely so I will pick one next week and get painting very soon, now the weather is warming up...The little Bees Seeds post card was one I found recently at a nearby garden shop - the seed company originally began not far from here....

I love the delicate anemone blanda flowers - I think they look lovely with other spring flowers and bulbs, just so pretty and colourful... and here they are on Sunday when it was very SUNNY indeed.....Mr P and I worked very hard clearing the beds, borders and paths of leaves, cutting back and generally tidying...

This is the spring border, right next to the terrace where we can sit and enjoy our cups of tea and look at the flowers in the bright spring sunshine...such bliss to be warm enough to do that again....

And when I wasn't gardening this weekend I was knitting....on Friday this beautiful kid mohair yarn arrived and I couldn't wait to begin knitting it up - it's absolutely gorgeous, so soft and warm but light, and not too fluffy! The yarn came from the Honorwood Flocks here.

And for a pattern I have to thank the lovely Vivienne at Green Rabbit Designs who sent me lots of mohair patterns when I mentioned that I'd lost mine from the 80's! Isn't that kind?! Vivienne crochets and knits gorgeous scarves, bags and corsages from wonderful yarn, such a clever lady.

So, I'm off now to knit some more of my lovely yarn. Thank you for visiting me here and for your sweet comments.I wish you all a wonderful week with sunny days and blue skies and sweet spring flowers. xx



The Potting Shed

After spending a lot of time at the computer and working in my studio last week, it was great to get outside and do something different....not exactly gardening, though I did do quite a lot of that too...but cleaning out and painting the inside of the little potting shed at the bottom of our garden...

 It was sunny, as you can see but soooo cold - my hands were freezing when I was painting! After the new coat of white on the walls and a coat of blue green from farrow and ball on the bench I was very pleased with the fresh clean look...

The little blue birdhouse was painted by my sister for me a few years ago and I love it - so that went straight back in when the walls had dried...Lots of unwanted things which had been put in there were disposed of, and clean pots and tools came back in and were stacked ready for use again...

...and the seed packets stored in their special little container (a present from one of my daughters), are ready for the planting days to begin...

I was glad to get this job done. The next one is to paint the outside of the potting shed - but it will have to wait for much warmer weather!! The little picture below is a book illustration I did a few years ago - showing a fanciful shelf in an imaginary potting shed - I find the subject very appealing and have often drawn and stitched it!

Just before I go I would like to say a big thank you to Gill for giving me the Stylish Blogger Award last week! Although I have received this award twice already I'm delighted to accept it again, so thank you, I do appreciate it! Do go and visit Gillyflower - it's such a pretty blog and full of lovely pictures (and a giveaway at the moment too!)
Thank you so much for visiting me here and for your lovely comments. I hope you had a lovely weekend, and wish you all a wonderful week - with lots of sunshine and if the temperatures where you live are still a bit chilly - keep cosy too! xxx

Buying Bulbs

 

Last weekend I decided I wanted to plant some tulip bulbs ready for next spring. I usually forget to do this as it's so far in advance! I have got some lovely tulips in the garden, but most were already here when we moved in and the others were a present from my elder daughter when she went to Amsterdam a few years ago!

I was amazed at the vast quantities of bulbs available - so many I hardly knew what to choose - or how many to buy, but I remembered planting a sackful of daffodil bulbs once so knew not to get too many at once or I'd be spending hours putting them in place later on.

In the end I bought 10 Heart's Delight, 7 Candy Prince, 10 Antoinette and 7 Christmas Dream - such pretty names and pretty colours. I decided to plant them in pots and have them near the house. It was a lovely sunny day so a bit of gardening was perfect.

I planted the bulbs in terracotta pots, one variety at a time, and put little labels on so I can see which do best for the future. A quick watering and that's it...

...If I can just keep the sneaky squirrels away we should have some pretty tulip pots to enjoy in the spring time. Hope you're having a great week. x

Picking the Beans

This year we have been having such a good crop of beans that after our week away there were so many to pick we had to get out all our colanders and enlist the help of the family's smallest gardener too.

We had more than enough beans for ourselves, so we gave some away.

And in return we got these.

And these.

And all these.

So, we did well growing the beans - better not ask about our cauliflowers or corn - but we have high hopes of the tomatoes that are sloooowly ripening right now.... How is your garden growing?