Summer Garden

We often want to revamp and give our gardens a new Look. Recently we wanted a new drive laid and extended, so we had to move our beautiful Hydrangea plants. We had a large White with tiny blue flowers seen in the below photograph, and a blue one which can not be seen behind the bush. Both had to be dug up and replanted last September to their new positions and we hoped that they would take..

This was our front garden in 2012 with the large Hydrangea on the corner.

My hubby took several cuttings from each of them and we over wintered them on a spare bedroom window sill. Just in case the main Hydrangea shrubs didn’t like where we moved them to.

We wanted an easier to maintain front garden, so as I wouldn’t have 4 full boarders to maintain. This was the new Look with only 2 boarders to maintain.

I wanted space to add Pots so I could easily plant both Spring and Summer flowering blooms in them.

The Front Lawn and Pots in 2015.

Pots on the Front Garden Filled with Begonia’s

Here’s how to take the cuttings of the Hydrangeas. You take a new shoot from the main plant. Soak the stem in water for a couple of hours. Then you dip the stem into your rooting agent.. We preferred Organic rooting gel.. You then place into a Small pot with compost and put a plastic bag over it to help propagate. Keep them covered for about 3 or 4 weeks until they have rooted..

Cutting of Hydrangea

Remember to keep the new plants frost free over winter and then set out in late Spring to their intended position.

Hydrangea Cuttings

And below these are the young cuttings we took in September of last year now in flower Please click the photo’s to enlarge and read more.

This was taken from a cutting last Sept. The original was blue ( but you can alter the acidity of your soil to help make them go blue.

White Hydrangea with tiny blue flowers

Pink Hydrangea

Another Pink Hydrangea I just love how from two plants these cuttings have varied.

Happy Gardening!

~Sue~

June is almost half way through already, and the home garden has been busy getting a make-over with tubs and hanging baskets. They need a few more weeks yet to fill out and when they are looking more colourful I will take some photo’s to show you.

Pink Blossom I forget the name of this shrub in my garden.

If anyone knows the name of this amazing flowering shrub, I will be grateful for your input. Each year it never fails to delight, and I cut around 6 inches each year in the autumn it back and by the spring new growth always is in full bloom..

Rhododendron in Bloom.

These are Pink Rhododendron’s but this year they have faded into a paler shade of white. These always bloom earlier than the bushes of the darker pink which are on the front of our property. which are just now in bloom.

One Lone Iris blooms proud .

This is a lone Iris which is the only one to bloom.. I re-potted the bulbs in the autumn as we laid a membrane and gravel upon the area you see the Buddha on behind it. Last year they all bloomed and I thought they were all miniature as they only grew around 9 inches in height, this one now stands at about 2 ft. the others in the pot only produced leaves.. But the beauty of its lone bloom stands proud..

Lavender.

Lavender was planted in Spring as a new addition within my quiet corner of contemplation near the Buddha.. And is a delight of my granddaughter who touches it often to get its fragrance.

The old Tired Gnome holding the ladder in place for Fairy

For those who want to see the full story behind the picture above you can find the post I shared about the Fairy at the bottom of my Garden HERE. And as you can see the Gnome was looking a little tired out and drab.. Well a little Fairy Magic got to work with some fairy dust as the Fairy thought Gnome could do with a new coat. And so with a sprinkle of her wand.. Below is what happened

Magic Happens, seems the Fairy has given the Gnome a new lease of Life.

Doesn’t he look Happy and bright! Hello!!! all you Gardener’s! he shouts..

Hydrangeas cuttings.

Here you can see the cuttings we took from the Hydrangeas in the Autumn.. We had a new front drive block paved and had to move several shrubs. And in case the Hydrangeas didn’t like there new places or take, we took cuttings from them both.. But thankfully both shrubs have taken, so these are now extra..

The other new shoots are the Begonia’s which we over wintered which are now in compost and starting to sprout..

Fish pond after its clean.

The small fish pond also had a clean out during May, as it was clogged up with blanket weed.. We tried several times using conventional treatments to get rid of it, but it still came back.. We added a few new pond plants along with a few more fish, All are happy in their new surroundings.

Herb tubs I painted last year set on top of some old logs.

The Herb tubs I painted last year, seen here, I thought those who are new here may like a closer look at what I painted on them.. These tubs are now set higher on some logs, we have elevated them simply because we get lots of neighbours cats using our garden as a cut through, and being owned in my time by a few cats, I know how they love to spray.. 😉 so keeping them out of sprays reach!

Lots more to report on the allotment soon..

In the mean time Enjoy your Garden this Summer and relax and enjoy

Love and Blessings

Sue