In a Vase on Monday – A vase for all seasons

I’d like to thank all of you who left comments or sent emails to check that we were Okay after the earthquake yesterday morning.  I have to admit that this shock was terrifying!  It seemed to go on forever (probably in reality only a minute) and the house really shook this time; I believed that it wasn’t possible that it would stay standing after shaking so much; all my friends here said they had never experienced anything so strong.  What of course I was thinking of while it was happening was “where is the epicentre?” and ” I hope there is no loss of life”.  Thankfully most of the hill towns had already been evacuated after a couple of less shocks on Thursday evening.  My fear now is that these are not aftershocks but are all pre-shocks for something bigger; I hope that this isn’t the case.

Falling in love again….

It has been ages since I posted anything that wasn’t either ‘In a vase on Monday’,  my ‘Tuesday View’ or about foliage for Garden bloggers’ Foliage day. There is a reason for the lack of posts – during the long hot period of drought the garden wants to sleep much as it would do in a northern winter, but to me the period of rest is less tranquil than sleeping under a blanket of snow; the plants fight to survive, the dormancy a forced shutdown that leaves even many drought tolerant plants looking dreadful and herbaceous plants and deciduous trees look as if they are slowly cooking.

In a Vase on Mon….. oh it’s Tuesday!

I couldn’t let a second week go by without joining with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden where she asks us to share a vase of flowers picked in our own gardens.

Garden Bloggers’ Foliage Day – autumn growth

Welcome to Garden Bloggers’ Foliage Day, the post where I urge you to consider and appreciate the benefits that foliage gives to your garden.

Enjoying the garden again

After the long, hot, dry summer when even the most drought tolerant plants aren’t looking at their best it takes me a while to start enjoying the garden again.  The only things that keep me interested in summer are the vegetable garden and the cut flower beds.

Tuesday View 11th October 2016

A day late due to rain yesterday afternoon when I was about to take the photographs but I’m sure Cathy at Words and Herbs won’t mind.

When I wrote my post for IaVoM there was a terrific storm, enough water fell in a very short time to fill the hollows around the evergreens planted last year, even when I use a hose it is difficult for them to be filled in such a short time; but the storm passed and from 10 am on it was a sunny if slightly chilly day.

In a Vase on Monday – In the Pink

On a Monday morning with a storm raging outside I’m glad I picked my flowers from the garden yesterday to arrange and join Cathy at Rambling in the Garden where she asks us to share some cut flowers from our own gardens.

Wordless Wednesday

Last weekend while moving some trays of pots I found this:

Asp viper, Vipera aspis

Asp viper, Vipera aspis

Does that slight bulge you can see above mean it was digesting something?

Asp viper, Vipera aspis

From its markings and its size (small) we identified it as Asp viper, Vipera aspis – yes, that’s the one the Cleopatra supposedly used to commit suicide.  I think it is probably what bit me a couple of years ago but that time I didn’t even see it.

It will teach me to wear gloves and socks and shoes rather than sandals!

Tuesday View 4th October

A second post from me today as I was late posting In a vase on Monday.  Tuesday is when Cathy at Words and Herbs asks us to share one view of our garden (whatever state it might be in!).  It’s a great way to understand how a border or bed changes through the year; it can be surprising how much it can even change in a week.

In a Vase on Monday – Zinnias forever!

A little late I know but I was laid low yesterday with a virus so I know that Cathy at Rambling in the garden will forgive my tardiness in joining her and all those who share a vase of flowers picked from their own gardens every Monday.