Poppy

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A poppy painting I did a while ago.

This recent warm sunshine is bringing all the poppies out into flower. We walked into town, and where the pathways have not been sprayed with weed killer, all sorts of plants, including oriental poppies, are springing up. Mother nature is taking over.

But… In places where people have been allowed to meet up, the beaches, and parks, the main growth is in litter. People do not take their rubbish home with them. Why are humans such a filthy, messy, species. I thought we were giving the earth breathing space. But people’s ethos seems to be having what they want, and ignoring the damage they create.

I don’t think humans deserve this wonderful world. Really.

Flowers

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A few flowers from the garden today. The flowers are starting to develop, the big summer plants are a bit swamped with ivy and scrubby bushes and so we have cut back branches and peeled ivy off trees a bit today. Only what you can do with a pair of secateurs and a small pruning saw.

We need to lay some pathways, and where a spring has erupted in the garden we are going to put a few pebbles to simulate a stream flowing down under the hedge. We live on a hill which is a very old Volcanic plug. The water percolates out further up the hill and we think because that was built on a few years ago it might have got diverted down towards our house. I don’t know….

Steps holding the pear tree up.

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We have to put a piece of wood under one bough of the pear tree but in the strong winds last week we had to put step ladders under the other limb. Surprisingly there are lots of pears setting on it. It may be that it’s because it’s more horizontal and fruit does tend to set (develop) on horizontal branches. Thats why some fruit trees are tied onto walls. Is it called espalies?

The cherry tree behind it is also covered in fruit. Looks like it might be a bumper crop! The bush/tree cut in step shapes is an old evergreen we have had for years. It grows slowly and I practice topiary on it. The rest of the garden is very leafy. I’m going to have to get someone in in the autumn or winter, to cut things back slightly and let a bit more light in.

Kitchen at night

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I am just putting my phone on charge and I looked up and saw the light from the back door porch shining through and reflecting off the walls and the windows. As you can see I’m growing a lot of Christmas cacti and other plants including a baby oak and a sweet pepper plant on the windowsill. There are also glass mobiles hanging up there. Why? Because I got burgled twenty years ago and as well as an alarm I decided to make it as awkward as possible for anyone to try an climb through a window without knocking stuff off.

I think this might eventually turn into a painting. Night all

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Day 29…

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Day 29, #uskstoke challenge, 17.5.2020.

The prompt was to do a house portrait, so I drew the back yard with lots of pots and hanging baskets. I ran out of energy so it looks neater than it is, there is less foliage than there should be. I used a charcoal pencil to do this, it has a plastic cover around it so you can sharpen it.

I had to start a new sketchbook. And these challenges keep going till day 38! So there are a few more to tackle.

Growth, today’s challenge.

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My orchid plant is growing fast. Ariel roots are growing out of the pot.

The flowers have been there for a few weeks now. I don’t know what species it is, just that it’s quite pink!

Stoke Urban Sketchers challenge, day 23. Black ink pen and permanent marker pens.

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Green spirals

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I want green, spirals, like pangolin scales. Cactus or succulent, indoor beauty. I wish I could get some more plants. One of ours on the upstairs window sill has sent out a flower spike. If it doesn’t get broken by the cats I will take a photo of it.

I have lots of baby money plants, and the one outside has survived the winter. But I’d like something more exciting.

I’m tending my orchids. One regularly flowers, the middle one got a flower spike on it for about three weeks, and the last one has tiny green leaves which were hiding under a couple of dead leaves.

Then my four amaryllis plants had only one flower this winter.

I love growing greenery inside and outside the house.

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Tulips

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This image was something I did last year. We had some pure white tulips in the garden.

This year we have had less tulips. I think because our squirrel has taken to digging them up in the winter. We are going past the tulip season now. Instead we have Spanish and English bluebells, aqualegia starting to flower and wild garlic and lesser celandine adding splashes of colour to the garden.

Today we were pulling out hunks of ivy from the ground and from trees where its thick stems have scrambled up. We will fill our recycling bin completely over a couple of days. I was also pulling more pieces of Russian vine out of the trees at the front of the garden, it’s amazing how quickly it grows.

Tired and achy. But it’s good exercise.

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Tulips

These were growing in our garden six years ago. The garden is more overgrown now and we didn’t put in as many tulips this year. I will have to put in more next year. Part of the problem is also the squirrels digging them up. I think they eat them in the winter.

Tulips were precious plants in centuries gone by. Some were more expensive than gold. I can remember the details, but they are beautiful plants. I’m afraid this post is a little lacking in detail. I shall try and add more to it.

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A task I love

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Urban sketchers Stoke-on-Trent new challenge, a task you love.

I am trying to plant up hanging baskets, but I only have a few plug plants, and a bit of compost to put them in.

Luckily some of my plants overwintered and are regrowing, so I have a few fushia plants, a lobelia, and some trailing plants with pale purple flowers that is in this basket. I’ve put a few begonias in the pot hanging below it.

I put one basket under another to get a tiered effect. Usually these are full of plants, now I’ve done two with tumbler tomatoes which you put in baskets and as they grow they hang down for picking.

Yes these are tasks I love. X