I Spy With My Little Eye...

...something beginning with "L".

It's a beautiful, bright, sunny February day with barely a cloud in the sky, but I was still a bit surprised to see this little chap sunbathing in my small suburban garden as there's still a very distinct nip in the air.

Most of the plants haven't over-wintered particularly well although predictably the geraniums are determined to stay alive. The white jasmine still has some flowers, along with it's small, shiny black berries, and the magnolia is sporting some furry buds on it's branches.

Mini-daffs, crocuses and hyacinths are beginning to poke through the soil next to the yellow primulas, so it seems that Mother Nature is trying to let us know that spring is on it's way. The sooner the better I say!

Damp and Dreary...

Although it's mid-November, the temperatures remain remarkably mild, which has extended the flowering season somewhat. The geraniums continue to bloom in abundance, although I've had to snip off a few mouldy flower heads due to all this dampness.

The jasmine is clearly confused as it begins to blossom once more, and there's even a stray alyssum flowering in between the paving slabs. There's some honeysuckle still out and the chives and parsley are both present and correct.

The buddleia, which I cut back a few weeks ago, has new leaves and the mint, which I also chopped down, is thriving. I suspect that within a couple of weeks we'll see the first of the frosts, and that will mean digging up the begonias to protect them over the winter, but for now I shall enjoy their big, beautiful flowers for a while longer...

Wot, No Snow...

It’s 20th December and despite the doom and gloom predicted by the forecasters it’s remarkably sunny outdoors today. Of course, it’s far from sun-bathing weather but nonetheless it’s actually jolly nice.

I have a few hardy geraniums still hanging on in there, and the buddleia (as ever) seem to think it’s springtime, along with a few primulas flowers to add colour to an otherwise brown theme. I chopped back the lobelias, chives and wild-flower mix last week and swept up the inevitable leaves, but apart from that I’ve done very little to my Small Suburban Garden in recent weeks.

The bird boxes remain stubbornly empty, but hopefully they’ll be used next year.

The red jasmine has a few remaining glossy black berries for passing birds and the magnolia is sporting it’s furry buds now.

The garden table is now covered over for the winter and the BBQ remains unused in it’s spot by the shed. Oh well, that’s it for another year…

DECEMBER 20, 2013

Stormy Weather...

They say that all good things must come to an end, and so it would seem that the recent glorious sunshine has now made way for the inevitable storms. Good news for the water butt, which has remained empty for the past couple of months, but anything with delicate petals, such as Californian poppies and geraniums, have taken a battering.

Temperatures remain in the mid to high twenties, making it incredibly muggy outside. This hasn’t put off the bees who are head over heels in love with my lobelias, especially the dark blue variety. Some of my tardy geraniums are beginning to flower and the petunias are in bloom (although still not looking 100% healthy). I appear to have a rather snazzy red and white striped double petunia in the mix this year, which looks like one of those lovely strawberries & cream sweets (Campinos).

Still not many butterflies about, although I’m hoping that once the buddleia flower they’ll arrive in abundance. We shall see…

JULY 25, 2013 

Well, I'll Be Blowed...

The snow has gone, the ice has melted, temperatures are finally in double figures (just) and it’s temporarily stopped raining; so what did Mother Nature throw at us today? Wind!

I’d been given a tub of 4 very pretty polyanthus for Christmas, but as they’re not really an indoor plant they were looking very sorry for themselves, so I decided to brave the hurricane conditions and plant them in one of the borders. I’m sure I will eventually move them again, but for now they really are in the best place.

I’d also been given a tub of 3 rather splendid Paperwhites (narcissus) for Christmas, which had flowered too soon, so those too went out into the border.

The rotting geraniums finally had to go, so I spent the next 5 minutes pulling them up and shoving them into the compost bin. They really were quite marvellous in 2012 and will be a big feature of my small suburban garden in 2013.

I’d been wondering why my bird feeder had proved to be unpopular with visiting feathered friends of late, but when I looked closely I noticed the seeds inside had gone mouldy and were all stuck together. Once I’d given it a good clean I put a few fresh seeds in it and hung it back up on the magnolia. Only time will tell if the local sparrows will forgive me for offering up such inedible snacks over the festive season…

JANUARY 31, 2013

Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn...

What a difference two weeks can make. A fortnight ago I was basking in glorious sunshine, watching an abundance of stunning butterflies flitting about the buddleia under clear blue skies. Today the sky is still blue but the temperatures have dropped to below 15 degrees, prompting me to dig out my thick socks and a fleece. Due to careful pruning, there’s still some life in the buddleia but very few butterflies around to enjoy it. The couple of cabbage whites I’ve seen didn’t stay long. The chives have come on a treat and the geraniums are hanging on in there. The polyanthus isn’t yet attempting to flower but I suspect it won’t be long now. The BBQ is now under cover and unless there’s a surprise ‘Indian Summer’ on the horizon then I think I can safely say that autumn has arrived…

SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

Lots of Ladybirds...

We’re in the grip of a drought (in the South East) and although we’re currently experiencing a few nippy nights, dull days and a splash of rain, I will have to plan more carefully what to plant out in the garden this spring and summer. I think that this has to be ‘the year of the geranium’. This long, dry spell of milder weather has certainly had an effect on the ladybird population – I don’t think I have ever seen so many little red spotty things in the garden!

MARCH 18, 2012 

Snow, Snow, Thick, Thick, Snow...

Well, the weather forecast DID say it’d snow last night, and they weren’t wrong. We’ve actually been lucky with a relatively mild winter so far, but this past week we’ve been in the grip of a Siberian weather front and it was only a matter of time before the white stuff fell.

Once it thaws I shall have the miserable task of digging up dead geraniums. Oh well….they had a good innings…

FEBRUARY 5, 2012 

Long May It Last...

I continue to be impressed by this amazing weather! Here we are, only three weeks since we were stuffing turkey down our throats, and my small suburban garden has jasmine flowers on display with ladybirds merrily sun-bathing on it’s leaves!

I also have pink, red and white geraniums in bud (and in flower), the buddleia has new growth and there’s still a few lobelias hanging on in there, despite the current sub-zero night-time temperatures.

Long may it last…!

JANUARY 14, 2012 

Chilly Christmas...

Winter has definitely arrived, with a bitter chill in the air. I guess it won’t be long before we get a serious overnight frost, so I’ll make the most of the lobelias, geraniums and pansies while I can. Despite the cold, we’ve still had no significant rainfall for months, and I still have to brave the cold to go out and water the tubs and borders on a regular basis…

DECEMBER 8, 2011 

Geranium Joy...

Hallelujah! All hail tesco…..the bedding plants have arrived. Not only did they have many, many trays of lobelias and petunias, I also managed to bag myself 4 nice geraniums as well. Marigolds and impatiens aren’t my cup of tea, so I left those for other shoppers. I was as happy as a pig in muck filling up my previously-prepared planters, and hopefully all of my hard work will pay off and I’ll have a fabulous display of colour by the end of May…

APRIL 30, 2011