#39 - Lemon Balm

 AKA Bee Balm, the Latin Name is Melissa Officinalis.

Height: 24” (60 cms).

‘Aurea’ the variety in this case, and it has lovely yellow golden variegated leaves.  The leaves have a wonderful lemon fragrance and it is brilliant for picking to infuse as a hot tea, or cold drink … very refreshing in the heat with ice. It also can add flavour to stuffings, jams, fruit and vegetable salads.  It is especially good for diabetics as can help with blood sugar.

This beauty is part of the Mint family, and has the same thuggish habit, so I’ve planted mine in a pot.  It likes a sunny position and will tolerate most soil types.  It should be watered well before planting and until established.

I managed to pick up two plants from a local, and well kept secret near me that not too many people even know is there.   Both are planted in terracotta pots, with one in the Vegetable Garden and one on the table down by the house for ease of picking.  I intend to swap them around, and get some more by propogation, seed sowing or spending the kids inheritance.

Hugs

Kay xx

#38 - Planting day

 

We weeded and installed a small raised bed for the new rose we received as a gift from Mother in Law.

Peter Beale’s modern Climber ‘Dublin Bay’, unfortunately no scent, but it is the most beautiful bloom.

Height: 8 ft. (240 cm)

Width: 5 ft. (150 cm)

Clusters of medium-sized, fully double, bright scarlet-crimson flowers.  Flowering June onwards and likes open sunny position with free draining soil.  The label says it can tolerate poorer soils, but we have planted it in a nice rich Rose and Tree peat-free compost.

Simple pruning in March, or before new growth starts,  y removing any dead or thin branches, and tie in as you go.

Feed in Spring and again in Summer.

I added some of random Sweet peas to the container … ‘Spencer’.

Then ate a delicious piece of Ruby’s Bakery Red Velvet sponge before - for the want of any where else to put them at the moment - adding in two Nesmesia.

On the right Sunmesia ‘Banana Swirl’. 

Height 30 to 40 cm

Scented bi-colour plant that is suited to hanging baskets, but does equally as well in a container.

On the left Nuvo’Burgundy Bicolour’.

Height 15 to 20 cm.  Again, it should like this full sun position in the container in our vegetable patch at the end of the garden.  

Both of the Nemesia smell Devine,  it I think the scent of the Burgundy Bicolour just has the edge,  but I love the Banana Swirl colour and flower slightly more.  You can’t have everything right? 

I also have a couple of seed packets of Nesemia, which I hope if I plant them in the week, might just get to flowering a bit later on in the summer.

The Potting Shed is being installed on Friday next, but I still have a few jobs to do before then. Despite the heat we e just trimmed the end and side hedge a bit to make it easier for the installers, and have now taken root under the parasol.

I still need to weed more in the vegetable garden, and then we have to instal a large raised bed and fill it.  I also have a Nepeta to plant, and a couple more to buy, behind the Lavender Hedge.  Plus track down some Lemon Balm (Melissa Officinalis) for the same area.

Hugs

Kay xx

#37 - Hot enough in the UK

… so I was out in the garden before 7 a.m..

I managed a good bit of heavy weeding, then did a once over in the veg beds and watered them.

When I first planted the Lavender hedge between the middle and bottom terraces at the end of the garden I could not get all the way to end, as the large raised beds had not been installed, but were planned.  So after they were added, I had a small gap between the original hedge and the edge of the new raised beds. 

 I’m not sure what variety the original Lavenders were - probably just basic English ones as I purchased them as un-marked plugs.  I decided therefore that I wanted a Hidcite to mark the difference, and I can use it to take cuttings later on, with a view to putting it behind in the middle vegetable garden terrace going forward.  

I managed to quickly weed and plant it, and used the wet cardboard and 20mm pea shingle on top.  When I next venture out I’ll also get some nice decorative pebbles.

As you can see, I’ve still not finished mulching, as there is more to do weeding around the Hydrangeas, but it’s a start.

Due to my uncontrolled plant habit, I still have a lot more plants to get in both containers and the ground, so I’m aiming to get out here again this evening.

May you path be always in the light.

Hugs

Kay xx

#36 - Going potty for a watering can

 … or more correctly ordering my Potting Shed and getting a steal on a watering can.

I went to Blackbrooks Garden Centre in Lower Dicker today and ordered my Potting Shed, but forgot to take a photo of it.  Never mind, it will be here in about six weeks.

Whilst I was there I decided to get a new watering can by way of a celebration.  One simply cannot have a nice new area and nit make the most of it, so no more of those horrid plastic ones for me.  This one is a Gro Zone 9 litre powder coated, which is galvanised steel and in the prettiest green.  A green that puts me in mind of the steam strain at Northiam Station in point of fact, it’s a bright olive colour with brass detail.

I love colour, and it makes me happy, but what made me even happier today as the price.  On the shelf they were marked as £29.99, however there was some kind of sale on and it cost just £20.00 … what? … yes placate I will take one right off your hands!

Look how darling it looks snuggled down amongst my Lupin  ‘Russel Mixed’ - sown from seed last year.

Excuse the bed, it’s a work in progress, at the moment it just houses three Lupins, a small Geranium, a spare Heuchera and some random Nerine bulbs from my mother-in law.  My Sweet Peas are too small to go in yet, but getting bigger by the day, so I don’t think they will be too long before they can go out.  I think I’m probably going to add some Cosmos for annual colour and then do a proper planting scheme when I have time.

Despite the fact that I broke my foot recently, the Hubby have been working on one of the seating areas near the house.

It started off just a square with brick border, but was full of evil gravel and random areas of concrete.  So we were pleasantly surprised to find a nice bit of concrete underneath.  The Wickes gravel boards fitted the space almost perfectly, and then we added 20mm pea shingle from Andy Vater Transport in Heathfield.

The shingle doesn’t shift around or spread around, and it’s nice to walk on.

All props to Catherine of #daintydiaries for the idea, she did something similar outside of her greenhouse.

I just need to wire brush the bricks to get off the old uuckk (technical term) and Hubby will re-point the bricks.

I’m too ashamed to show the are just above it, but that is next for a make over.  We are hoping that there is the same concrete underneath it too, but I dread to think how much work will be involved in clearing the rubble, and soil that is on it. Most definitely, it will be harder than this area,  it is going to be well worth the effort.

I will take a deep breath and give you a starting point for it, but please don’t judge it is/was not our mess it was like this when we moved in.

Apart from this, we’ve been working on the vegetable garden, re-locating bathe raised beds etc.  I am waiting for a delivery of 10 mm pea shingle from Andy Vater Transport, along with spent mushroom compost, and will try to remember to take photos as I go - although we have started the project.

Hugs

Kay

#35 - That’s shallot

 EDITED:  I wrote this on 22nd April 2023, but forgot to publish, so please excuse that it is in the past.

Taylor’s Golden Gourmet to be precise.

Planted today into the recently moved raised bed in the Kitchen Garden area.

I also transplanted some stray garlic volunteers that have sprung up into one of the other raised beds.  There is another clump, but as the bed has to be emptied and moved over, I’ll have to dig and store them temporarily in a container or something to do that.

The darling Husband cut the lawn for the first time, and strummed the top garden, whilst I started the enormous task of weeding.  Sadly, our beautiful Hebe hedge has been the major casualty of the appalling and wet Winter we went through.  There are signs of regeneration p, but I fear that it is too little and too late for it to be saved.  Apparently, we are not the only ones who had poor overwhelmed Hebe. 

The season has begun so late here in East Sussex that we are far behind.  Tomorrow we need to search out some early seed potatoes, and get them underway.

Hugs

Kay xx

#34 - Floral Tribute with mostly garden foliage

 

This was halfway through putting the arrangement together for our roses loving Uncle.

Foliage and Nigella seed heads from the garden along with Waitrose Freesias and Stocks in white and Lilac.  I love Gysophilia, and luckily it came with the Freesias.

The Japanese red Acer formed the bottom ring, which was based on a 23cm wet foam, and then further rounds had Nigella seed heads, Grevillia and Hebe tips and other random shrub’ige from the garden. 

It was late on the Sunday, so I sprayed it down and then added in more stocks and roses early on the Monday, then it was packed in the car with damp towels and ice blocks.

I also added a Manila tag that with a sewing machine in a free hand way and a spare bias binding seven ribbon in black that was pinned in with large pearl headed pins.  I had so many lovely compliments from family and friends, and I believe it was taken home by our cousin.

I could kick myself that I didn’t take a finished photograph, but you get the idea.

The floristry courses at Hadlow College have certainly paid off over the years, and save us a fortune in florists fees.  The only one I have paid for recently was for my cousin, and that was because she lives 4 hours away.

What is clear though, is that I need man6 more choices of shrubs to pull from, and definitely the main staple, Eucalyptus.

Hugs

Kay xx

#33 - New home for Claire, Amanda and Kathie

 

What do you do when you have too many unruly orchids?

Well, you put them in a new tin pot.

I’m sure I’m not the only person that names their plants, and this trio of beauties are named after some of my friends.  Like them, they are wild and playful, and romp all over the place,  ut there was an accident with of them the other day, and it was therefore time to group them in a pit rather than in their separate plastic pots.

Unfortunately, during the move to their new home one of the stunning bloom stalks broke, but they are now happily settled in new bark and moss in the tin basket that I saw the other day, and could not get off my mind.  So, we went back and snagged it today.  Good luck smiled on the girlies, and because it was ex display was a bargain.

We now have room to breath on the window sills, but I am on the look out for another slightly smaller tin container for the other ones.

Orchids are. Bit of a problem for me, please don’t send help!

Hugs

Kay xx