The warm humid weather may not have been the best for some
of us humans, but the plants have been loving it. The lawns have been growing well, although
they are beginning to dry off now, and the weeds have been having a field day.
The garden often shows off a few bright spots and I thought I
might display some of them here.
This nasturtium has done well this year in my tub garden. It is a non-trailing dwarf named Empress of
India.
Most of the grasses have seeded this year. These are all planted in pots, and they are growing well under son’s tender
loving care.
The large potted cyclamen has gone into hibernation for the
summer, but a couple of these little ones are still flowering.
The rhubarb is about ready for us to make another small
harvest. I like seeing the lobelia
flowering beneath them.
This salmon-coloured geranium has flowered and flowered.
The marigolds have also flowered well. We often let the seeds set on them as the pet rats find them a tasty treat.
This day lily has been living up to its name, and most days
gives us a bright splash of colour.
I couldn’t remember the name of these pretty flowers, but I think
they were asters.
Dwarf impatiens brighten up this corner, but, as you can
see, the weeds are growing as well as the plants!
Most days I enjoy wandering around looking at the garden (I’m
not able to do much work in it now).
There is always something new to be seen, and a garden can
truly be said to be a place of joyous experiences (and, perhaps, sore backs!).
May gardens always bring you pleasure 😊
Margaret.
Ratty and Toad. Mole
and Badger. How can one not love these
little creatures in Kenneth Grahame’s adorable children's classic, “The Wind in the
Willows”?
There are many books that publish this tale, or parts of it,
but I was thrilled when I received this unabridged version. It is many years since I have read the whole
story – and I doubt many youngsters today would understand some of the archaic language!
It is only a small book, barely larger than a photograph,
but it is light to handle and the print is easy to read. I have thoroughly enjoyed catching up with my
old friends in this edition, put out as a Collectable Classic by Flame Tree
Publishing.
Our weather today is sunny and fairly calm, a bit different
to the gales we were punished with yesterday.
But apart from the slamming of a couple of windows (which thankfully
didn’t smash) we had an enjoyable day doing very little.
Our comfrey is growing well (almost too well!) and the bees are loving the flowers.
I even had time yesterday to create this in my journal.
Happy Holidays everyone 😊
Margaret.
It has been a quiet weekend here, and for most of it the
weather has been fairly pleasant.
I decided to do a Google search to see what local garden
centres we had around the area – I usually shop at the big commercial places,
but wondered if there were any privately owned ones still around.
That is how I discovered The Plant Barn.
Visiting it was a bit like stepping back in time, to what
garden centres used to be like many years ago. A lot of the plants are propagated by the owners and the place itself
sprawls out into little hidden areas that are so much fun to fossick through.
Under some trees, tucked into a back corner, I found the
daphne I have wanted for ages and also an old-fashioned purple violet.
It was lovely to see this monarch butterfly sunning itself among
the plants.
It is almost time to make dinner. We usually have something easy on a Sunday
night, and tonight it is going to be scrambled egg on toast.
Margaret 😊
This afternoon, during a short break between rain showers, I
went for a wander to check on my potted plant babies.
They are all doing well – although some are looking rather
bedraggled with all the rain. I’m sure
they will perk up again when the sun comes back.
I planted three hyacinths in this trough, hoping for some
fragrant flowers next spring. However,
after only 4-5 weeks, here they are preparing to flower!
I’ve always believed that hyacinths needed to be chilled
before they could flower – hence, the planting them in autumn to get cold over
winter. Then they will burst forth and
flower when the temperatures rise again.
Well, that was meant to be The Plan anyway.
I’m not sure what is happening with these ones. Our weather has been warmer than usual this
autumn, and certainly nothing cold enough for chilling bulbs. Perhaps they were commercially chilled before
I bought them?
Who knows? Their
fragrance will still be enjoyed anyway.
I wasn’t the only one taking advantage of a short break of
fine weather. This praying mantis was
sitting on some grass drying itself off.
Have a happy day 😊
Margaret.
The seasons are changing and it seems more people are succumbing
to coughs and colds as we head into winter.
Covid is quietly on the rise again and the hospital is having to open
more dedicated wards to cope with the extra patients.
I’ve been sniffling this weekend myself (thankfully not
covid, just a cold) so have been taking it quietly and resting lots, drinking
heaps of water, and taking vitamin C. I’ve
learnt over the years that my body responds best to that sort of treatment (garlic
used to work for hubby, it does nothing for me).
Part of the problem is the swinging temperatures we are
experiencing – with nights from cold enough for a fire to warm enough to throw
the blankets off the bed.
This week the warm moist temperatures are putting us under a
thunder watch. We had a loud storm pass
through at dawn, and all day there have been the odd rumbles.
This evening I could see this cloud bank building up and
couldn’t resist taking a photo.
I’m also happy to report that the slug bait seems to have
worked. I’ve not found any dead slugs or
snails, but the violas are now flowering happily and make a pretty sight on the
deck.
That’s all for now, folks 😊
Margaret.
Here it is, the first of April already. The year seems to be going by very quickly.
My little flower seedlings are beginning to flower, but some
of them are minus their petals. The viola
plants look fine, and the sepals are present, but the petals themselves are
missing.
I thought it might have been bird damage to begin with, but I think we actually have some slugs with very selective taste buds. I saw some silvery trails on some leaves, so have put down some bait to see if we catch anything.
This yellow viola was a rogue seedling that self-seeded
itself from last spring’s blooms. The slugs
don’t seem to be attracted by it, or maybe the climb up the concrete to reach
it is too strenuous for a slimy slug.
I’ve been to a very large funeral this last week. I always find it amazing that you know
somebody for a good part of your life, but you never know all that they are
involved in. Funerals are great places
to discover new things about a person!
My little Suzuki Swift car has had its annual service and only
needed the usual top-ups and filter replacements. It is always nice to be told that nothing was
found that needed repairing or replacing.
The weather is a little dull today, but more sunshine (and
colder nights) are expected this coming week.
Margaret 😊
For my header photo this month, I am staying closer to
home. Hamilton Lake is also known as
Lake Rotoroa and covers about 54 ha (around 130 acres). It is a naturally formed lake with a shallow
average depth of around 2½ metres, although it can reach 6 metres in
places. Being in the middle of the city,
it is a popular destination for walkers and those who love to sail (big yachts
and models). In my younger days, it was
also a popular place to go swimming but sadly the water quality now prevents
that. The resident bird population doesn’t
mind that, however, and several species will nest here.
In the background of my photo can be seen Mount Pirongia. Once the largest basaltic volcano in the
North Island, it is now (thankfully!) classed as being extinct.
