Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Bloomin' Marvellous

Please stop panicking! I haven't been washed away with all the rain we had last week - over four inches in a couple of days. Friday was the wettest, it rained most of the day, heavy, tropical rain. It was lovely to watch it and listen to it on the roof.
Over the course of the morning I watched the creek at the bottom of our property rising.
It's at the bottom of the hill, so there was no possibility of being flooded.
Due to the weather a number of outdoor events were cancelled, my Saturday market stall was one of them. I was a little disappointed as I had been beavering away at the sewing machine, whipping up all sorts of goodies, but it would've been too wet underfoot and it was meant to be a cold, windy day and who wants to be outside in that sort of weather, when you can be inside by the heater?
The weather forecast was correct, although Saturday dawned with blue sky and sunshine amongst the clouds, it was extremely cold, so I lit the heater, made soup and stayed indoors, bliss.
Playing with fabric, thread and old book pages continues.

Poppy seed heads, birds and faces are appearing and I am enjoying the process. Not sure where it will lead, but I love the look of these pictures.

It's times like this, I wish I had gone to Uni and studied art as my lack of knowledge and skill frustrates me no end, but then again imagination and perseverance sometimes help make up the gap.

Yesterday, was a gardening day, so I mowed, weeded, dug,planted and to my delight discovered the Dutch Irises in the "Wild Wood" had flowered.

Each year I forget they are there and only 'discover' them when they are in bloom. They have been in this spot for several years and are obviously very happy there. I must get some blue irises to plant with them.
Mrs Kafups, was happy to pose with them this morning. The light streaming through the curtain of greenery was lovely and refreshing, early mornings.

Don't you just love them?


Another discovery too, my Lilac is starting to flower.

Click to enlarge the photo .

Each flower has a white border around it and it's one of my favourite childhood plants.

It grows next to a Lorrain Lee rose, which has the most delightful perfume.

I made the classic mistake when I started the shrubbery - planting things too close together, trying to get the established look in a hurry.



Look what happens when you pinch a piece of a succulent and shove it in a spot hoping it will grow.
I love the contrast of the burgundy and the lime green and I quite like it being in the wheel barrow, although I didn't realise it would grow quite so high !


Ah, yes, the Wisteria is starting to flower.
I was concerned that the heavy rain would damage the blooms but they were only just starting to open last week so no flowers lost.
The Crab Apples didn't fare so well and the rain knocked alot of the flowers off, but they had put on a good show.
I shall post more photos when it is in full flower, but if you lean really close to your computer screen you can actually smell the perfume - it's delicious.





Look who I have for a neighbour. Directly across the road from my driveway is the local Iris farm and it's all starting to happen.
In a week or two this sight will be a sea of colour, absolutely gorgeous.
For the last couple of years I have purchased a few rhizomes but I think I will have to say 'no more.'
I am struggling to find places to plant them and then when they multiply and you have to divide, replant etc.
If my mum had her way, she would've had borders of Irises all over my garden, I'm so glad I didn't give in!
I have enough to keep me happy and some very special Irises from mums garden. If I need any more I shall just head across the road and enjoy them.
Well, I hope you enjoyed your early morning wander around my garden.
Thanks for dropping by and visiting.
If you have a minute to spare please leave a comment, it's always lovely to hear from you.
Till next time, take care
Claire X


6 comments:

  1. claire your garden is looking fabulous.

    I'm so envious of your established tree's and shrubs. I too have made the mistake of over planting, lucky the drought two years ago sorted that out ;)

    my lilac is flowering too - i checked after reading your post - and the yellow iris's next to them - lost amoungst the weeds.

    Can't wait for the poppies this year - i have a nice perennial one this year - mystery colour !

    I wish i could visit places like iris farms, but we can't bring things back over the strait.

    bad news about saturday - so much work in the lead up. but at least the sunday market went well.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh Claire,
    I am loving all your blooming photos! While in Texas for 21 years I could not grow my beloved lilacs...fast forward to Virginia and I can enjoy the lovely color and heavenly scent again! Love the roses mixed with yours. We probably have 400 tall bearded Iris' on our property...the colors and aroma are divine in April/May.
    Sorry about your market :-( Will they reschedule? Your paper art is really inspiring me..love the look of sewing on book pages. You are so darn creative! Enjoy the rest of the week.

    Janet xox

    ReplyDelete
  3. Claire, your garden is a wonder. And to have an Iris Farm across the way~
    like your stitched pods, that poppy form is lovely.
    xx
    j

    ReplyDelete
  4. Claire I was fascinated by your aeonion growing away in the wheel barrow. I love succulants and have got quite a few growing in the poly-tunnel. The weather here has gone quite cold at night and everything will have to be fleeced before too long! Hope the sun's shining again for you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you for my award sweetie. I love the poppy seed heads on the book pages very much. Looking forward to seeing where that goes.

    Your wisteria is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. I have a couple of tiny plants in pots but I think they'll get too battered by the wind up here.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hey Everybody, thanks for taking the time to drop by, every comment means so much.
    The garden is a picture, it's certainly never perfect or weed free. I try to be very careful when taking photos so you don't see the weeds I haven't dealt with......Gardens give so much pleasure, but also alot of work.
    My cancelled market stall is being rescheduled, so all the work won't be for nought. I actually attended another market on Sunday morning and it was quite successful, so I was very happy.

    Claire X

    ReplyDelete

Life's busy isn't it?......thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
I love hearing from you and will reply via email unless you are set up as a
'no reply blog'
in which case I will reply here on the comments page...♥

Thankyou xx