Monday 3 June 2013

Half way through . . .


June already ? Heaven's to Murgatroyd - whatever happened to May ?? I swear it ran past the minute I closed my eyes :o) At this rate, Christmas will be here before we know it !! :o) 
 
However, taking advantage of the lovely days we've been having,  I took an early evening wander around the garden over the weekend - or was it towards the end of last week ? I can't remember. There's so much going on here at the moment, what with himself having lady callers every day, some who want his blood, some who unwrap parts of him & wrap them back up again & some who put drugs into him :o) If it wasn't for them, he'd be lying in a hospital bed, so thank goodness for the Hospital at Home team & the District Nurses, I say :o)
 
Anyway - where was I ? Oh yes, wandering around the garden :o)
 
I love Aquilegia & over the past few years, I have gathered the seed heads from the 3 or 4 plants that I originally bought & I've just scattered them throughout the garden. I have also been known - ahem - to be a bit naughty & if I've seen an Aquilegia seed head popping up over a wall, or poking through a fence panel, I've grabbed the seed head & scurried off home with it. Now, just to be clear - I have never gone into someone's garden & swiped a seed head, I've only taken the ones that would have fallen on the pavement & been trodden on, lost forever.
 
Consequently, I now have a lovely little collection of them.
 
This one is almost a skin colour with the deeper pink inner & green edging.
 
 The dark red one has petals that almost look folded.
 
 I THINK, but I'm not sure, so don't quote me on it - but I think this is the Nora Barlow Aquilegia. from a distance, it looks black.
 
 This pale pink remind me of the colour of little girls ballet dresses :o)
 
 Another delicate pink one, with inner leaves of pink & white.
 
 This one is almost white. Most of them hang from tall stems & fall like bells, their insides facing downwards.
 
 This one is a cream colour with a beautiful pale lilac insice.
 
 White, with just a hint of pink on the outer petals.
 
 This is one of my favourites - it's a gorgeous lemon-green colour & from a distance, is a splash of brightness amongst the darker pinks & purples.
 
 This deeper pink looks lovely against the dark green leaves of other plants around it.
 
 It's amazing to see how different the same plant can be :o) This little deep purple flower is almost black & it looks just like a ruffled skirt.
 
 Another ruffled skirt type flower, this time in purple & with a lovely lemon centre.
 
 This is another of my favourites, the very pale outer leaves, with the lilac colour inner leaves leading to the creamy colour centre.
 
 And lastly, another deep pink one.
 
About three quarters of the way up my garden, I have a flower bed that is mostly Aquilegia & when the flowers are all open & swaying in the breeze, it really is a wonderful sight. Mother Nature has given us so many beautiful things :o)
 
Talking about Christmas - as I was at the start of this blog post - I think I'd better take some pics of the cards I've made recently. It's been a while since I did & as the year IS almost half way through, I'd better get a shufty on :o) 
 

8 comments:

  1. Oh I love aqaulegia. We have 3 or 4 different ones and I just let them spread naturally but think they may get a helping hand this year!!

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    1. Just gather the seed heads & throw them anywhere, Liz :o) To be absolutely sure they grow, though, you could also sow some seeds in a seed tray or pot & when they're a few inches tall, just plant them where you want. I actually have a couple growing IN the greenhouse where the seeds fell between the cracks in the floor :o) I pull them up every year but they insist on growing again :o)

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  2. Hope things are ok for your other half atm xx. The flowers are gorgeous. I was in the shed the other day and found my Flower Press (years old), your flowers would be lovely pressed.

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    1. He's getting there, S L O W L Y, thanks Jen :o) When my daughter was about 7 or 8, she wanted to press flowers, so Shaun actually made her a flower press & for a summer, she pressed merrily away :o)

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  3. They are all beautiful, such lovely colours, bet they look gorgeous in the garden

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    1. They do, Terri, especially when they sway in the wind :o)

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  4. I love aquilegia too, and yours are a beautiful sight :) I call the Colombines usually but that is probably because I can't spell aquilegia.... I will have a walk round the garden tomorrow and see them in all their glory - I have ONE plant in my garden!!! lol But I do have a beautiful selection of poppies coming along, I have orange and yellow (Welsh poppies) in bloom just now and the showy large ones will be in flower this week I think. Summer at long last? I hope so! See you in the morning :) XXXX

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  5. Didn't the seeds I gave you last year take, or did you lose them ??!! :o) I'll give you some more when they're ready, OK ? :o)

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