Band of sketchers first drawing

Posted on September 1, 2020 Posted in SketchingTagged Back garden, Back yard, Band of sketchers, Distance, Drawing, Fun, Life, Plants, Sketching, Stoke-on-Trent2 Comments

A ggrou of us have decided to keep running sketching challenges but not in our local urban sketching group. This is because not everyone sticks to the urban sketchers rules and we were also clogging up the gallery with some strange and interesting images, but not necessarily outside.

Today’s challenge was distance. I saw some people have drawn landscapes with far away landmarks, but I interpreted it differently….. I in my case I drew my friends back yard. With plants growing up the wall and in pots at the rear of her house. First of a new set of ideas….

More plants

Posted on August 28, 2020August 28, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Autumn, Blogging, Bulbs, Gardening, Gazenia, Life, Pelagoniums, Planting, Plants, TulipsLeave a comment

Ivy leaf pelagoniums and a gazenia (not sure of spelling). We saw them for sale at a florists in Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme today. I decided to get them as the weather is changing and I want to extend the flowering season in the garden. We also got some cyclamen including normal ones, and some called petticoat cyclamen which are more splayed out than the original type. I picked up a red sedum too.

It’s heading towards autumn now. I noted a tinge of broken or red on some of the trees as we were driving over to Wolstanton. It will be here soon. The nights are drawing in too.

When we got home I popped to the shops. While I was there I was tempted and grabbed a box of mixed tulip bulbs, and another one of various small flower bulbs. Gardening is a wonderful occupation. Try it if you can.

Begonias

Posted on August 26, 2020August 26, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Begonias, Blogging, Colours, Flowers, Gardening, Hanging baskets, Inspiration, Life, PlantsLeave a comment

One of the best things this year have been the begonias in the hanging baskets.

I’m not certain, but I think there are male and female flowers. Because some are big and blousy and the others are smaller and more simple. Whichever they are, they have been beautiful this year. The colours are subtle and amazing. They have also lasted a long time. I’ve only had to dead head them a few times. I’m hoping the weather does not get cold too soon so I can enjoy them for a few weeks longer.

Acorns

Posted on August 26, 2020August 26, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acorns, apples, Bushes, Collections, Garden, Gardening, Life, Photo, Plants, Seeds, Trees4 Comments

My hubby keeps collecting seeds and nuts at the moment. His plan is to put them in pots and try and grow them, then pass them on to friends? But what if no-one wants them? I do not need any more trees in our garden. We have two oak saplings already, a twenty five year old walnut tree which is sixty foot high, a willow tree, a pear, two or three apples, a sycamore, a mountain Ash, an Ash tree. Also a eucalyptus, three leylandii, plus others and lots of bushes. But no, he’s not satisfied. The garden is where two houses used to stand, there isn’t enough space for more plants.

Weird plant photos

Posted on August 18, 2020August 18, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Fun, Green, Impossible structures, Indoor plants, Layout app, Oddly alien looking, Photos, Plants, Strange, Weird plant photos, WindowledgeLeave a comment

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A plant on the kitchen windowledge is duplicated in the Layout app. The result seems to be a strange weird alien face, but it’s just a Christmas canvas plant with spiky leaves. This is what I do when I can’t see and go down for a coffee in the early morning!

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Here’s another one. They really do create impossibly strange weird structures.

Anyway, only got four hours sleep. Might treat myself to a nap!

Garden today

Posted on August 14, 2020August 14, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bees, Blueberries, Flowers, Fun, Gardening, Green fingers, Growing, Heat, Life, Nature, Plants, Sun, WaterLeave a comment

Just when I think the plants can’t get bigger we get torrential rain and they grow! And it’s hot, they are happy.

I think our back yard is full. The hanging baskets are pulling the old fence down. But I turn round and my hubby has snuck an Ash tree in! I love it. I hope some of it survives into the autumn. I will continue to post pictures as it grows.

We even had three ripe blueberries today.

Hanging baskets

Posted on August 9, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bright, Colour, Environment, Flowers, Fun, Gardening, Hanging baskets, Nature, Plants, Summer, WeatherLeave a comment

Looking great now they have been well watered. The hot weather is really hard on them. If you look at them they wilt. But it’s worth the effort. Lots of colour and different plants. There are lobelia, petunias, begonias, pelargonium and other flowers in them.

It’s spectacular at this time of year.

Cat in garden

Posted on August 9, 2020 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Art, Begonias, Cat, Cat sculpture, Design, Fun, Garden, Life, Plants, SculptureLeave a comment

This is the cat statue I showed on this page yesterday, in situ in the garden. I’m afraid the plants have dried out a bit and wilted in this heat. I might put some new pots in front of the cat.

I think the lilies are being munched by lily beetles. They are big and bright red. They don’t have spots like ladybirds. I’m hoping they don’t do to much damage. You are supposed to squash them but I can’t do that.

Anyway, thanks to my friend again for making Esher cat. He is a real friendly face in the garden.

International cat day

Posted on August 8, 2020August 8, 2020 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Art, Blacksmith, Cat, Design, Garden, Garden sculpture, International cat day, Life, Plants, Sculpted Steel, Sculpture, Steel2 Comments

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This is the cat sculpture my friend from Sculpted Steel made for me from a sketch I drew. It’s lovely and she just shared her photo for international cat day. It cost quite a bit but it was worth every penny. It now lives in my garden with plants growing through and round it. I am very grateful to my friend for creating it for me. She is a brilliant blacksmith.

Washing day

Posted on August 7, 2020August 7, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Clothes, Fun, Heat, Hot, Humour, Life, Plants, Poem, Poetry, Shirts, Silly poem, Springs, Trousers, Washing, Water2 Comments

IMG_20200807_211454_760 rusty bedsprings

Slumped by the wall.

Used to support beans growing tall.

A line of washing shades the view

Helping ease the sun’s bright hue.

Plants bathed in heat

Wither and dry

Turning brown

Hope they don’t die.

Above all water of life,

Carried in the clouds

Stopping great strife.

Overall its a British summer.

Bright in parts, in others dimmer.

Some places have vines,

Others marrows,

As the heat of the day

Makes eyes narrow.

So interesting view

Shirts, trousers a few.

Dry in one day.

That’s all I can say.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Plants