Sunday 18 July 2010

From Blue to Green...

Since we returned from our getaway weekend everything has been non stop as I head towards the end of term. Ive hardly been in the garden this week...and its given me a case of the mean blues! Ive got the 'my rockets all gone to seed' blues, the 'my flowers seem to have all bloomed at once' blues, the 'I've lost my first crop of gooseberries to the pigeons' blues and to top it all, the 'its July and it wont stop raining' blues! I told you...the mean blues!

I was too blue to even post anything!

Until...we had a brief interlude of sunshine on Saturday and after donning my wellies and heading to the greenhouse I found some reasons to be cheerful!

I bought this little Hosta about a month ago at the Burton Agnes Hall Garden Fair, and it really is little. Its called Mouse Ears and its leaves arent much bigger in reality. In the space of a week it had sent up these beautiful flowers - just what I needed. I've heard of hope in a jar - maybe this is hope in a pot!



On the plot my heart sank again as i saw a cloud of white butterflies, but was lifted when i discovered these Kohl Rabis starting to swell (this was a real treat, because I'd forgotten what I'd planted and I thought they were cabbages!)




Even in the borders where my favourite blossoms seem to have gone as quickly as they arrived, and which now look faded and shabby, there was a nice surprise in store. I planted these beans in here a while ago to see how they would do in the mixed border and they've suddenly decided to go for it.



All in all we had pretty good pickings for the day and my two little helpers were able to load up the basket for teatime. We had kale and courgettes, garlic, peas and of course beetroot. There were plenty of raspberries too to take our minds off the absent gooseberries!



Of course, no sooner were we inside than the rain came again, but now i'm looking on the bright side - no need to water the lawn! And its inspired me to work on this blanket - the colours are inspired by Violas, my favourite flowers - the hope being that it will remind me of Spring when we're in the depths of Winter...plenty of green to keep the blues at bay!

9 comments:

  1. Hi FreeRangeGirl! Thank you so much for the visit and comment on my blog. I am so glad you did visit, because I found your blog and am enjoying it, and I am going to put it on my blogroll. I need to take the Jane Austen quiz because I am such a fan of Jane Austen. Gloria

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  2. I think there's plenty to be cheerful about there. I love that Mouse Ears hosta, I've never seen it in flower before. It's actually on my plant wish list.

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  3. I know what mean about feeling the blues. I've been feeling some of those this spring and summer too. Too much rain, too many slugs and many plants not doing well because of the rain. It definitely looks like there was a bright side there though. Everything in that basket looks so good. I can't believe how many flowers are on that Hosta, or how big the flowers are.

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  4. I like your suggestion..from Blue to green:)

    I'd a mini yard, and my wife & I like to mix up different types of color flower so our garden looks more attractive in nature.

    I like the pic - flower in the bucket too.

    Jay Chua
    Publisher, PorchSwingSets.com

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  5. Hi... What a gorgeous Hosta,,, a really lovely color, and mouse ears is a great name! A great harvest in your veggie basket, I am just now beginning to get a meals worth:-)
    Bella

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  6. Hi Gloria - lovely to see you - let me know which character you come out as!

    Hi Jo - youre right it definitely gave me a shot of cheer that day - mind you as i limp towards the end of term i could do with a daily boost!

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  7. Hi Catherine - thanks for dropping in. Weve had plenty of rain here - or at least whenever i get a chance to go in the garden it rains - its sunny all day long when im at work - typical!

    Hi Bella - thanks for visiting my blog - were definitely getting some meals worth - but strange meals they are - beetroot and courgette frittata!

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  8. Hi Jay - thanks for visiting - your garden sounds lovely, i love a good mix of colour. Thanks for dropping in.

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  9. Whenever the sun shines, i look out of my flat window at my garden plot and what do I see?! White cabbage butterflies flittering here and there. Like you I am not liking them one tiny bit. My kohlrabi are fattening up too.

    Your curly kale in the basket looks fab. I really like the flavour of it comapred to Tuscan kale.

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