Windywillow

Peas and the wind

2008-07-24T09:53:00.001+01:00

My heritage peas. Seeds were sent to me by Rebsie of Daughter of the Soil
She experiments with breeding of peas, and wished to send anyone who wanted, some of her heritage seeds.

I think this may be a Golden Sweet Pea flower.

This is the flower of a Clarke's Betony Blue, a purple podded pea.
And this is a flower of Magnum Bonum Pea.

There were several mishaps, all because of the strong wind we have here. The first was that my box of seedlings were thrown upside down by the wind, and all my tags were scattered along with all the little pea seedlings. So I had no idea which was which. I grew them onto old Christmas trees. And last month, one tree was toppled by the wind. I straitened it up, and the next day it was back down. So I left it there. Half of those peas survived. It's standing up again, as I hope that stormy weather has passed.

But fortunately, the peas were all mixed up, all 3 varieties are still growing. This is the Golden Sweet, a yellow podded pea, and it grows like crazy!

Here's the purple one, Clarke's Beltony. Lovely color.

And here's a bowl of peas for dinner, from all 3 varieties. mmmmm...
Thanks so much, Rebsie, for the seeds. I am definitely saving a few seeds to plant again next year. Plus a few again now!

Rapunzel Willow

2008-07-20T07:49:00.000+01:00

My Salix Caprea has grown itself some lovely long branches. They are so long, they have lain themselves along the ground. So, since I haven't yet named this tree, I think she will be Rapunzel Willow. Now, if she only grew atop a tower, her branches could sway properly in the wind.

A four year old garden

2008-07-18T06:26:00.000+01:00

My garden is now four years old. Some shots of the back garden over the years:

My "garden" in July, 2004. The only thing planted is the little alba rose, Celestial, over on the left side. It was just dirt when we moved in, a brand new fresh neighborhood. I had ordered the Celestial that spring, and wanted to get it into the ground while they were still building the houses. I put a brightly colored plastic bag around it to protect it from the tractors. That's me with a watering can, just finished watering my freshly seeded meadow.

Two years later, with not much money to spend, there is a lot of grass. Several small trees from the old house, from seeds, and given to me from various people. The meadow in the far end turned into a patch of weeds.

Four years later. The Celestial is a huge bush, the trees are taller than me, and flower beds have been dug. More roses and other shrubs have been added. The meadow is now "Peppermint Woods": several trees and a big patch of peppermint. Still on a very tight budget, I think it is looking fairly nice. 2 more years, we'll be in the clear, and maybe I can get a greenhouse! And more roses.. *dreams*

Beech woods

2008-07-16T07:59:00.000+01:00

There is something about a group of trees that draws me in amongst them.

"There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it." ~Minnie Aumonier

There's a quiet feeling of magic and ancientness.

"Alone with myself
The trees bend to caress me
The shade hugs my heart."
~Candy Polgar

"For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver." ~Martin Luther

This stand of beech trees is in the Kasteeltunien Arcen, Netherlands. An extremely large and very beautiful garden.

July Bloomday

2008-07-15T06:36:00.022+01:00

Garden Bloggers Bloomday for July, in the Windywillow garden.
Below is the rose, Scintillation, backlit by the evening sun.

Most of these photos were taken over the last few days. This morning is so dark and windy, the flowers are moving too much for the camera to capture.

See what I mean? The weather has been dark, rainy and stormy since the day of summer solstice. It's as if summer had been turned off on that day, and has returned only in scarce moments. Once in a while, the sun peeks through the clouds, and I am immediately outside! But all in all, it's been a dreary few weeks.
Plus the slugs have been out in full force, chewing up everything I find pretty and delicious. My poor strawberries! I finally decided to wage war against them, and go out late in the evenings and early mornings and chop any I see in half. It freaks me out. *shivers* I need to get an animal here that eats the slimy things!

Anyway, on to the flowers. The philadelphus is just going out of bloom. This pic was a few days ago.

Celestial roses in a moment of rare sunshine. It seems to happen a lot late in the day, when the sun manages to get low enough to shine underneath the cloud cover. (I know that is illogical, but it does seem that way.)

Scintillation again, she is looking lovely this year. The shrub is growing bigger and there are loads of flowers.
Roses are still blooming intermittently, one or two blossoms opening this day and that. Please ignore the holes in the leaves. I've been picking sawfly caterpillars off by hand most every day, but there are a lot of leaves to do, so on and on the insects chew away.

Marinette

Graham Thomas

The Dark Lady

All my Roses have come form David Austin's Roses. I adore the English rose, and also very old or wild varieties.

Self seeded feverfew grows here and there. Pretty little daisy flowers make the garden a happy place.

Another type of daisy, a group of them alongside the stepping stones.

Another flower in the lawn is clover, covering a large patch near my clothesline.

Pea flowers. I'm growing several heritage varieties this year, peas of all different colors.

Borage growing behind the blond raspberries.

Godetia, my hubby brought home a pack of these seeds, they turned into some lovely bright flowers.

While I was writing this post, the sun has decided to show his face for moments, so I've rushed out and retaken several photos.

Lady's mantle, pinks and geraniums, a new photo just taken moments ago.

A brighter photo of fuchsia, glowing in the misty sunlight.

Meanwhile, the violas in the strawberry bed were seen gossiping about the chives blooming out of season.

As the sun does decide to peek through the clouds this morning, Sarah Viola bursts out with a song. (lyrics from "It's a Beautiful Day", Sarah Brightman)
You can visit Carol's blog "May Dreams Gardens" and see what's flowering in July all over the world.

rain and slugs

2008-07-08T16:18:00.003+01:00

(click on the picture for larger view)

Juggling the roses

2008-06-20T16:00:00.003+01:00

Today is World Juggling Day.

But did the faeries have to use my biggest roses for their little juggling festival? Hey all, why not try it yourself? Juggle the flowers and have some fun!

June Bloomday

2008-06-15T22:08:00.016+01:00

It's June Bloomday, and Father's Day as well. Hoping all you fathers have a lovely day.
This month my garden is filled with roses, pinks, and geraniums. Above is Celestial Rose from the medieval days, an alba rose which I adore.

William Morris looking lush these past few days.

Tiny De Meaux, with a helpful support by its neighboring friend, the calendula.

Marinette looking sweet as candy. Those were the pink roses.

And here are the pink pinks. ;-)

Geraniums in front of my shed.

Blythe Spirit

Mirthful, towering over more geraniums.

Moyessi, a wild rose, with the reddest flowers.

They grow alongside my shed, which seems in danger of dissapearing someday behind a jungle of plants.

Sage in the herb bed

By the back door are zaluzianskia, candytuft and a few california poppies.

Dark Lady is shy today, she hid herself behind the violas.
Join us in Garden Bloggers Bloomday. Visit Carol's blog "May Dreams Garden" and see what's blooming all over the world.

Friends

2008-06-12T10:58:00.003+01:00

These two blooming friends are holding each other in exciting anicipation! June Garden Bloggers Bloomday is coming up real soon at May Dreams Gardens!

Cactus flowers

2008-06-12T10:42:00.007+01:00

6 days ago

5 days ago

4 days ago

3 days ago

2 days ago

yesterday morning

last night
...................................
I was given this cactus a few years ago from a neighbor. She said she didn't like cactuses. Well, although I am also not a big fan of the spiky things, I am a fan of free plants. The big ball on top has grown since I got the plant, along with a few side shoots. And these are the 3rd and 4th flowers that have grown since in my care. The flowers are bigger than the cactus! And they smelled lovely, especially at night. I'm so happy this plant found its way into my house.

Violas, puzzled and snoozing

2008-05-30T06:51:00.003+01:00

While doing a bit of weeding, a startled viola suddenly looked at me, a little puzzled.

Later, I came across this one, snoozing in a bed of chive flowers.

What are your violas up to?

Faerie names of flowers

2008-05-29T09:50:00.006+01:00

I was over at Blackswamp Girl's blog, A Study in Conrasts earlier today, where she talks about the names of her plants, and how well they all fit together as a theme. It got me wondering about my own plants, if indeed I also choose plants by their names to suit a certain theme.
My roses include "Blythe Spirit" "Celestial" "Dark Lady" "Mirthful" "Scintillation" and "Teasing Georgia".

For this year, I bought seeds of viola "Sweeties" and a flower mix called "Fairy Mix" I have a runner bean called "White Lady", swiss chard "Bright Lights" and radish "Rainbow mixed"
I'm thinking, these could be the names of faeries that inhabit my garden. It seems colorful and light. Slightly naughty and playful. Could it be that we as gardeners choose plants by certain names to suit our personalities?
Am I slightly naughty??? *giggle*

Hawthorn heaven

2008-05-25T14:20:00.019+01:00

Sceach geal (Irish name), fairy bush, Mayflower, Hagthorn... all are names for the May flowering hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna.

Arriving home to Ireland from my Mom's a few days ago, I was thrilled at the sight of the hawthorns in bloom from the air. It was so unexpected, it was almost a shock to see them all with their white blossoms. When I left, it was still spring, now I come home to the start of summer.

The flowering of the hawthorns begins the warm season, the season of brightly lit evenings and early morning sunshine.

Everything is lush and green, frothy white trees, shrubs, and cow-parsley waving in the wind.

It is said that cattle kept within a field surrounded by hawthorn will thrive.

There are rows and rows of these white flowered trees everywhere, it makes the landscape quite magical for a few weeks.

Like entering a dreamworld almost...

In Celtic folklore, it is said that faeries inhabit these "May Trees". One must be careful not to pause too long under a hawthorn, or you could be transported into the land of fae for a few moments. On coming back to the land of mortals, time will have passed for several years.

I guess I better hop back on my bike, and move on, hm? Is it still 2008?

It is also said that it's bad luck to bring in the branches or flowers of the hawthorn into your home, as it will bring illness or death. Also, it's not a good idea to injure one or chop one down, for it will incur the wrath of the faerie folk who inhabit the tree.

If you tie a colored ribbon on a branch of a hawthorn, it will be viewed as a gift to the spirit, and will bring you luck. Yellow for friendship and happiness, red for love, green for wealth, and blue for health.

A pink hawthorn between two whites. Isn't it a beautiful sight?

I'm posting this for the June Festival of the Trees, hosted this month by Wrenaissance Reflections.

columbine and lupines

2008-05-25T08:05:00.008+01:00

The first thing I see when I come home, just peeking over the front wall, are the lupinus arboreus, the tree lupines. I plant them there to hide the unsightly wall.

Columbine are also in bloom, self seeding themselves here and there. The older ones are very tall this year.

Although I have only pink ones seeding themselves, suddenly a purple-blue one has appeared. How lovely!

Lupines in the morning light, the tops of the flowers glowing in the early sunlight.

oriental poppies

2008-05-24T11:01:00.001+01:00

Back home in Ireland, my garden had changed from a spring garden to an early summer one. Oriental poppies welcomed me the evening I returned, overwhelmingly bright red!

The poppies were simply glowing.

I'll post more flowers soon, there are lupins and columbine blooming like crazy.

Mom's garden and village

2008-05-24T10:08:00.012+01:00

I'm back from visiting my Mom. Here in her garden is a lovely bushy lavender, taken from a cutting of my one in Ireland. And the rose is just starting to bloom. My brother and I found the rose shrub in a building site years ago, we were afraid it would get plowed under so we dug it up.

Her front garden, a view from the upstairs window:
She picked out several of the most lovely geraniums, and had me put them all in a row along the pebble path. She likes to sit in her rocking chair by the window, doing her needlework, and she has a good view of these geraniums from there.
Here's a panoramic view:

One day a balloon was drifting by, there's an elderberry in the public shrubberies just coming into bloom.

A short distance from her house are farms, I thought these ponies were so sweet.

And from the upstairs window again, at night you can see the church tower. I thought the clouds and moon looked eerie this night.

early May garden

2008-05-06T21:10:00.019+01:00

So, I've not been here on my blog for quite a while, very busy with my artwork. But I do go out and garden almost every day, and listen to the songs of swallows and blackbirds.

My Salix Caprea greeting dawn in the early morning light.

This group of daisies in the grass had pink edges before opening.

Mickey Mouse tulips close up for the night, opening every morning.

The weather stayed cool for quite a long time this spring, so this year the tulips stayed lovely much longer than usual.

Wallflowers blooming with forget-me-nots underneath.

By the back door are oxalis and flax growing in a broken half of a bonsai pot. Succulents in a pot I made long ago. And parsley for easy picking for sandwiches and cooking.

In front of the house, a self seeded stock has decided to wedge itself into the tarmac.

Soon, the columbine will be blooming.

This columbine sits in a bed of woodruff.

In the peppermint woods at the bottom of the garden grows a lovely telima. Hopefully it will soon be joined by some field poppies.

A dark cloud appeared one day, giving the landscape an eerie atmosphere. The contorted hazel adds some mystery.

Some early poppies have appeared during the warm weather of late. A yellow Welsh poppy opens its first bloom.

An oriental poppy arising from its winter slumber.

A laughing pansy grew itself in the strawberry bed.

And violas in the rose and herb garden outside my kitchen window. They grow themselves there just for my pleasure. I let violas and pansies grow wherever they like, they are my favorite flower.

I'll be gone for 2 weeks, it's time to fix up my Mom's garden for the summer. I need a nice break, and will catch up on my needlework too. Below is a cross-stitch by me, called "Silvia Gardens"

Unfortunately, I won't be home to do Carol's Monthly bloomday for May. I'll take pics of my flowers as soon as I'm back though. And I'll have a chance to visit everyone's blog then too, sorry I haven't visited lately... See you!

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - April 2008

2008-04-15T11:13:00.021+01:00

We have had lovely lovely weather for a couple of days now, hope it stays a while. Nice big fat clouds with lots of blue sky showing through. And warmish as well! Up till a few days ago, the weather has been so cold! Last year, my garden was way ahead of this year, I had many more flowers in bloom.
In my garden, there are many daffodils blooming.

The wallflowers are starting to fill in.

Euphorbia is still looking great in its unique alienish way.

Forget-me-nots are everywhere!

Daisies in the lawn, I mow around most of them.

A few hyacinths, wish I had more.

Primulas looking nice finally.. wonder what happened to all the slugs?

My tulips "Mickey Mouse" just beginning to open.

Mickeys in front of self seeded honesty.
I love the common names of some flowers.. forget-me-not, honesty, love-in-a-mist. So romantic.

Visit Carol's blog for April Bloom Day, see what's in flower all over the world!
To see some wildflowers in bloom, have a look at my post yesterday.
Have a lovely spring, all you gardeners! And do try to take Carol's advice in the garden: "be"

yellow flowers of the countryside

2008-04-14T15:20:00.013+01:00

It's a beautiful day! So I went for a cycle to see if I could find some gorse to take photos of, as it's blooming everywhere now.

There were a lot of wild primulas on the sides of the road, all in a lovely pale yellow.

Also in a brighter yellow grew marsh marigolds.

Daffodils were everywhere as well, again in yellow. Seems like all the flowers I saw today were colored yellow.

Yellow daffs play peek-a-boo through a fence.

Moo! Baaaa! No flowers in this photo, but that bull was eyeing me as I went past.

This house at the side of the road had masses of daffodils!

More daffodils.. and I see some gorse in the distance.

Found a gorse behind a wall.

And finally, I found some at the side of the road!

It's so cheerfully yellow, I couldn't help but smile! It's just the richest color of yellow in the countryside during this time of year.

St. Stephen's Green

2008-04-06T08:19:00.013+01:00

On Friday, I went into Dublin to have lunch with my daughter and son, to buy some seeds, and to see the magnolias in bloom. St. Stephen's Green is my favorite Dublin park, always filled with flowers and scents.

Coming through the arch, I see a field of daffodils waving in the breeze.

I sit and have an apple, watching the birds on the pond. I see mostly seagulls.. where are all the ducks? Later on, my son walked by here too, passed a couple of tourists who commented to each other that we had funny looking ducks here.

In the middle of the park, tulips bloom everywhere.

The scent of the hyacinths was heavenly!

The magnolia was in full bloom. Magnificent!

Along the perennial border, I noticed these pretty yellow flowers. I'm not familiar with them. Maybe dogtooth violet?

A few early cherries were already in bloom.

Even the horses were decorated with flowers.

As was my reflection in a flower shop!

Festival of The Trees #22 is up

2008-04-06T07:43:00.003+01:00

For anyone who has a love of trees, this month's Festival of The Trees is up at Árvores Vivas em Nossas Vidas. It's the first bi-lingual edition of the festival. My post for this month is "Saillé's Dream", posted for World Storytelling Day.