More fresh cherries off the tree

Posted on July 15, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Cherries, Cherry tree, Crop, Food, Fruit, Fun, Garden crop, Gardening, Homegrown, Plants, Ripe, Tasty4 Comments

Hubby went up the step ladder this afternoon and got some more delicious ripe cherries off the lower branches of the tree. The really bright red and dark red ones are too high up. A lot of the ones he got had peck marks in them and splits where they had started to burst their skins. I put about twenty or so on the bird table and then more bad ones in the bin when we came in. But it’s still a good haul. I’m thinking of doing another trifle…. Yum.

Now they are safe and washed and in the fridge, but they won’t last long…

Back yard view

Posted on July 15, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Back yard, Blogging, Cat, Environment, Flowers, Fun, Garden, Gardening, Hanging baskets, Nature, Plants, Summer, Terraced house2 Comments

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Doing what we always do this time of year. Cram the back yard full of flowers. We have a big patch of land next to the house, but it’s full of trees and shrubs and fruit trees and a couple of small plastic greenhouses with tomatoes. But the back yard is visible from the kitchen and living room and I love a riot of colour. The baskets are mainly from a nursery, but some managed to survive the winter. My hubby even planted an iris in one of the baskets. We’ve put a couple of lilies in the far end so the cat can’t get near them (poisonous to cats).

They will grow and get blousier. It’s amazing that the brackets can hold three baskets in one go. Water the top one and the lower ones get watered too.

I will post more images as they grow.

Hanging basket

Posted on July 8, 2020July 8, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Back yard, Bargain, Blogging, Colour, Farm, Flowers, Fun, Fushia, Gardening, Hanging baskets, PlantsLeave a comment

A few weeks ago, we had so many plants in the boot of the car we had to fit a hanging basket on the back seat. They are all doing well but it’s rained so much since that I haven’t been able to set them up as I would like. I also pulled a shoulder muscle picking them up so I can’t lift my left arm up above my head. It’s frustrating me. It meant my hubby had to reach up to pick the cherry crop while I pulled the branches down. I’m hoping we get some breaks in the weather. Then I can get the stepladders out. Even if I don’t climb them, I can direct where they should go.

The baskets are beautiful, I was told about a farm a few years ago that do baskets for half the price of garden centres. You order in advance and they make up whatever size you want. I chose colourful plants. Sometimes they last into the winter. I even have fushia plants that have over wintered in the yard and are growing again now. And are in full flower! I think our small back yard must have its own microclimate. I have courgette flowers growing there at the moment.

Spirals and patterns

Posted on July 7, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Bricks, Drawing, Ideas, Leaf, Life, Photo, Plants, Rain, Roof tilesLeave a comment

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My drawing challenge today is to sketch some repetitions. I’m not sure what it’s going to be. Might be roof tiles, bricks or leaves.

It’s pouring down with rain outside so I might wait a while for the rain to pass over. The picture above is a house leek that I’ve duplicated to bring out the pattern more. That brings in the idea of repetition, the leaf shapes twist and turn. I shall ponder on what to draw….

More cherries…

Posted on July 6, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Branches, Cherries, Cherry tree, Food, Fruit, Gardening, Life, Nature, Plants, Sunny, Sweet, Tasty, Tree, UmbrellaLeave a comment

Used a hoe to pull the branches down and caught all these cherries in a brolly today. It was sunny for a couple of hours and the wind had dropped so we took the chance and dodged the rain showers. Picked loads, but there are loads left on the tree.

Now I’ve got to decide what to do with them. I might add them to some gin. Or I could make cherry pancakes.

This is a glut of cherries. If we were not in lockdown I would be sharing them with friends. It’s the biggest crop we have ever had from the cherry tree. If I could freeze them I would but I think they would spoil.

Posted on July 5, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bees, Blogging, Earth, Ecology, Flowers, Insecticide, Insects, Neonicotinoids, Plants, WorldLeave a comment

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Bees…

Apparently they are more and more at risk. Bees pollenate the vast majority of flowering plants on the Earth, and their counterparts including hoverflies are also under threat.

What with? Insecticides, that are used to control insect pests. These include Neonicotinoids that have been found to disorientated bees (as well as killing them) so they cannot find food. Without them we would not have fruit and vegetables. But unfortunately big pharmaceutical companies keep wanting to sell insecticides. There have been court cases that stopped their use. But they fight back.

If only we could use non invasive alternatives. Biological treatments that would eat pests. Like nematode worms, for instance. The problem is humans need quick solutions to save crops from things like locusts. But I think we should use these things sparingly. There are many ecological and moral questions and problems. I hope we can sort it out.

Yard sale at cherished chimneys.

Posted on July 5, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Cherished Chimneys, Chimneys, Delphiniums, Gardening, Lavender, Longport, Pelagonium, Plants, Reclamation yard, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Yard saleLeave a comment

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Cherished Chimneys at Longport, Stoke-on-Trent is a reclamation shop which specialises in chimney pots and tea pots. They were selling cups and teapots, chimneys and books, plants and beautiful ceramic decorations for roofs.

We bought a chimney stack and a zinc bucket for planting up. I want to plant the delphiniums we got in one of them. I also bought a lavender plant and a pelagonium. When I’ve tidied up the yard I will post photos, but I need to cut back the neighbours bramble / blackberry bushes that are growing through our side of the fence. I don’t mind the ones with flowers on as I can pick the fruit later in the year.

Morning glory seeds

Posted on June 22, 2020June 22, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Annuals, Blogging, Climbers, Colours, Gardening, Horticultural, Morning glory, Need warmth to germinate, Plants2 Comments

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Apologies to the seed company for using the photo. I hope they don’t mind.

Tomorrow, as the weather warms up, I’m going to plant some seeds for these plants. They are trumpet shaped and climb up a long stem. They open in the morning and fade by the evening. I did a painting of one of the plants a few years ago. I only had blue striped ones last time. The coloured ones look like they will be fab. Wish me lunch with them

Sketch in courtyard

Posted on June 22, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Cafe, Day out, Drawing, Farmers market, Fun, Gardens, Near Stoke-on-Trent, Places to visit, Plants, Rode hall, Rode heath, Sketch, Staffordshire/Cheshire borderLeave a comment

This was a quick sketch I did in September 2017. We often visit places and instead of taking photos I sometimes just sit and sketch, it’s relaxing.

This was at Rode Hall in a courtyard by the barns. The main barn has been converted into a cafe and coffee shop, with lovely hot food too. I hope that once the lockdown is over we will be able to visit again. The gardens that surround the hall are beautifully set out. There is a snowdrop walk down to the lake and pathways through wooded areas as well as more classically arranged bedding areas. There is also a walled garden that is full of colourful beds of perrenials.

They also run a farmers market on the first Saturday of the month (not sure when that will be on again).

So, when you finally get to go out why not think about visiting. On the A34 North of Stoke-on-Trent. You turn left in Rode Heath at the sign.

Note limited opening. Check first. There are details on the Internet. Also note that there is a one way system in the grounds so you come out on the same road but further along it when you exit.

Sisters photo of poppies.

Posted on June 18, 2020June 18, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Blue poppy, Garden, Gardening, Himalayan poppy, Mecanopsis, Photo, Plants, Sky blues2 Comments

I saw these today on my sisters timeline. FB_IMG_1592521493915

I love Himilayan poppies. I’ve tried to grow them on many occasions. One year I bought a plant and for a glorious few days it flowered, but that was it, it withered and died. Too much water? Too little? Too shady? I should have read the instructions. Mecanopsis. Beautiful.

The delicate blues like washed sky after a rainstorm, edged with the shade as the sky starts to darken at nightfall….

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Plants