Green fingers
One of my favourite hobbies these days is gardening. I've always liked growing things- even as a child I loved buying seeds and watching things sprout up and flower. Nowadays though I like to buy ready grown plants as the slugs usually nibble any small seedlings I try to grow straight in the garden soil. :(
I also like perennials rather than annuals as I feel they are better value, lol!
My favourite flowers are wild poppies though I dont seem to be able to grow them from seed and I know they dont like to be transplanted so I guess thats why I never see them on sale in pots in the local supermarkets (I rarely go to garden centres for my plants strangely ). The ones I've sown in my back garden probably wont grow as the cat keeps digging them up!
I do have an oriental poppy in my front garden though and this year its got about 8 buds on it already. It does tend to sprawl onto the grass though and usually flowers just before the rain appears and flattens it.
I also tend to "acquire" any plants I see growing in the pavement cracks outside gardens in the neighbourhood. Last year I obtained some red valerian that way, although its quite invasive in the garden but quite pretty with bracts of pinkish red flowers which turn into dandelion-like fluffy seeds. Ajuga is another of my finds- although that was growing into my garden under the fence from a neighbours.
A lone icelandic poppy has also appeared in the garden this year (hooray) which has a tiny orange bud just starting to open. I'm surprised the slugs didnt get it but hopefully it will self seed for next year.
A casualty of either the recent wind and rain or a stray football landing on it was my euphorbia plant. It had grown quite big and was full of lime green flower brachts with red 'eyes" so I suppose the top-heavy weight could have caused it to topple over last night but whatever happened it had snapped off completely at ground level when I went to look at the damage this morning. : ( I'll have check the net to see if I grow any from cuttings.
I've sown some sunflowers today too. in a small pot next to the fence. Hopefully to provide some seeds for the birds in later summer.
I also like perennials rather than annuals as I feel they are better value, lol!
My favourite flowers are wild poppies though I dont seem to be able to grow them from seed and I know they dont like to be transplanted so I guess thats why I never see them on sale in pots in the local supermarkets (I rarely go to garden centres for my plants strangely ). The ones I've sown in my back garden probably wont grow as the cat keeps digging them up!
I do have an oriental poppy in my front garden though and this year its got about 8 buds on it already. It does tend to sprawl onto the grass though and usually flowers just before the rain appears and flattens it.
I also tend to "acquire" any plants I see growing in the pavement cracks outside gardens in the neighbourhood. Last year I obtained some red valerian that way, although its quite invasive in the garden but quite pretty with bracts of pinkish red flowers which turn into dandelion-like fluffy seeds. Ajuga is another of my finds- although that was growing into my garden under the fence from a neighbours.
A lone icelandic poppy has also appeared in the garden this year (hooray) which has a tiny orange bud just starting to open. I'm surprised the slugs didnt get it but hopefully it will self seed for next year.
A casualty of either the recent wind and rain or a stray football landing on it was my euphorbia plant. It had grown quite big and was full of lime green flower brachts with red 'eyes" so I suppose the top-heavy weight could have caused it to topple over last night but whatever happened it had snapped off completely at ground level when I went to look at the damage this morning. : ( I'll have check the net to see if I grow any from cuttings.
I've sown some sunflowers today too. in a small pot next to the fence. Hopefully to provide some seeds for the birds in later summer.