Things that delight…

I absolutely love Thyme! That is, I love it in the garden, but when it comes to meals…I’m not so keen! The thyme, above, has done particularly well in this stone trough, since I planted it last year.  Delightful! So much so that I’ve ordered a few more Thyme plants: ‘Ruby Glow’; ‘Wine and Roses’, ‘Creeping Red’ and a new one to me, called, ‘Peace’…(funny that as ‘Peace’ is also the name of my favourite rose!) 

I buy my herbs from Norfolk Herbs. I’ve used this company for quite a few years now and they are always reliable, the plants are good ‘n healthy and they are sent very well packaged. You can find Norfolk Herbs here

Meanwhile…

Lavender, too, seems to thrive in this garden. This one, below, is stunning and this is just a small portion of it. We inherited it when we moved here and the perfume is divine! And of course, the bees love it.I think this is a variety of Angustifolia, the good old English Lavender.

Here’s a different variety, below; the flowers aren’t as profuse.

Most of my roses are now past their best but this one, a small shrub rose, has just started flowering…it’s called,’ The Fairy’. A dainty, graceful rose, if ever there was one. And it’s supposed to flower right through the summer until the autumn. Another delight!

 

Note to self… ‘Save the seeds of this Apricot Foxglove! So don’t cut it until the flower heads have completely dried and then you’ll get thousands of seeds. That’s the plan!

There’s such a contrast in the garden, right now, as this Crocosmia ( or Monbretia) below, has barged its way into the garden! And I mean barged! Last year, when we moved here, it was way past flowering and the previous owner must’ve chopped it down in order to tidy the garden. I didn’t realise what it was, let alone how vivid the blooms would be. It’s certainly making its presence felt! I think the variety is called, ‘Lucifer’. It’s more tomato red than a tomato! Bright or what?

There are further splashes of red, here and there, with the red pelargoniums (or geraniums as we generally call them) dotted around, giving a happy feel to the garden…and of course, these don’t demand water as much as many other plants, which is just as well as we are still in need of rain here in South Devon. No amount of tap water can ever replace the stuff from the sky, can it?! 

Maybe, I need to get out and do a rain dance each evening. Last summer was bad enough and this is worse! It’s certainly teaches you to think carefully about your planting. Thus, Thymes, Lavenders, Rosemary, Sedum..and not forgetting the wonderful Erigeron Karvinskianus (or Mexican Fleabane) are ideal. There are of course many more drought resistant garden plants and I’m trying to veer in that direction, as it’s soul destroying when your plants are struggling due to lack of water. 

                          Until next time! 😁