New paintings and regular art updates.
I have to say I’m amazed at how the back garden plants are growing. There have been some casualties from the heat, some plants have wilted while others have thrived. My photos are all a bit blurry, I need to clean my phone lens, but it gives you an idea of how well it’s done. But I’m praying for rain. X
My birthday treat, hanging baskets up, some plants on the wall. I still need to empty some pots that have weeds in and do the rest of the wall and on the ground. Sometimes I will place pots on top of other pots that have soil in them so they get more light and the roots can grow down into the lower pot. Possible further plants I want are trailing lobelia, fushias, pelargoniums, nemesia, montbrecia, busy lizzies, sweet peas and oriental poppies.
I have a hosta in flower, lilies that are away from where the cats can go (it’s pollen is poisonous to them), a hydrangea, Welsh poppies. I also have an apple tree that my hubby put in that I’m trying to trail horizontally against the fence.
My main concern is the garden is very shaded now as my neighbour has put an 8 foot fence in. I’m hoping the shelter it offers will create a microclimate and allow the plants to last well into the autumn.
Wish I’d taken a “before” photo. In the past my back yard would have already been a riot of colour. But age and infirmity have made it difficult to get out there and garden.
But my kind friends Lin and Twiggy came round and gave me a couple of hours of their time. Weeds removed, pots emptied ivy cut back, apple tree tied onto the fence. It’s still in need of sorting but it’s getting there!
Might be done in a couple of weeks all being well. Me? I’m knackered!
Normally by now I would be showing you beautiful photos of my garden, but I hardly go out the back door anymore. My hubby used to carry in bags of compost and I would refill pots with it and buy plants to fill them. But now I need help. I want to be sure I won’t fall or trip up! Must get some help. X
My sister was going to visit this weekend but she’s got to work. I was really looking forward to seeing her. We would have bought some plants for the yard and I would have twisted her arm to help me put them in the pots round there.
I feel like I’ve abandoned my garden. I can’t do as much as I used to, I need to be stable and not risk falling over. Friends are busy and I have got into a situation where I don’t want to ask for help. I’m as disappointed in myself as anything else. I’m losing my ability to want to keep going.
A really old painting I did from when we visited a BCB exhibition at Spode I think. I really liked this watercolour so I thought I’d share it. This was my selection for today’s #bandofsketchers prompt “pots”.
My garden bench looks a bit worn out. There’s a hole where the wood has rotted. Now it’s growing moss. There’s a small strawberry plant in a pot, and a few empty pots which I might fill up with flowers letter on.
I’m posting about gardening, but I haven’t been out much. The rain has been pouring down all month. Less flaming June, more flipping wet June!
I took this photo today, I might buy another bench. Perhaps a metal one? In the meantime I will continue to use this as a potting bench for now.
It’s wet under the trees, and the old bench that sits next to the kitchen gets damp. We don’t sit on it very often and it’s started to fall apart. I guess we should have varnished it when we got it. Maybe we should replace it with a metal one? Now it’s basically used for pots and potting on. The moss is getting rampant. The leaves need clearing up. Oh well, we live and learn.
In the washroom at Spode studios site. A series of plants and objects are clinging to life on the old brick windowsills. I like this in particular. The two ceramic pots just look right sitting on top of the weighing scales. The frosted glass sets it off. It’s OK in the summer but in the winter it’s freezing. The plants still survive though.
The bracts are developing to a purple blue. Such a lovely plant. It’s sitting in the yard but I think we will move it towards the house so it gets more light. I remember my grandmother having a hydrangea but hers was pink. I painted a portrait of her in front of it years ago. It grew in a big pot under the living room window. Just seeing this brings back memories of a strong and forthright woman. She knew what she thought and what she wanted.
Mallaband-Brown