FRONTAGE & FLORA ..........

Having had that bit of pointing done to the house, we have tarted up the porch with new terracotta pots, yew balls { would have used box but, with box blight and moth rampant, yew is a better bet !!! } and have spruced up the front door with white spirit and Briwax .....

..... and, I have repainted the side gate, stencilled our house number and added a brass wreath ...... I have secured it with wire and just hope that nobody steals it !!! If they do, I shall stencil one on !

..... and finally, a bit of Autumnal colour in our garden  .....

 

..... Claire Austin rose .....

..... Hydrangea paniculata Vanille Fraise .....

..... Lace-cap Hydrangea .....

..... and, finally, Nicotiana and Salvia ' Black and Blue ' .....

A short and questionably sweet post but far quicker on the back of the last one than normal for me !!!!! There's blogging hope for me yet, even after 12 years  !!!

XXXX

AFTER the RAIN ..........

As much as I've loved the beautiful weather we've been having, it has been good to get some rain over the past few days, especially for us gardeners.

 ..... flowers look even prettier covered in raindrops ..... the above rose is St Swithuns ..... I bought it years ago as my husbands birthday is on St Swithuns day and it is the most beautiful rose ..... this year it has been at it's best ..... sometimes that means a plant is going to give up the ghost, let's hope not !

This is Penny Lane

Can't remember the name of the clematis off the top of my head .....

This rose is Desdemona ...... it has the most wonderful perfume .....

A question :

When you write your posts, do you prepare ? ..... I don't { as you may well have noticed !!! }  I just ramble on as if I'm talking ! 

During lockdown, I haven't been able to do much because of my back but, now its on the mend, I'm all over it. I cleaned out all of the bathroom cupboards yesterday ..... threw all of my make up and bottles of shampoo etc with hardly anything in them away ..... so liberating. I'm going to do the kitchen drawers today ..... who is this new Jackie I ask myself ?

XXXX

images 1 - 8: via me, image 9: via pinterest

NOVEMBER COLOUR ..........

This post is a bit boring if you don't like gardening but I cannot believe how much colour we have in our garden at the moment and its November !!!

I planted these cyclamens about 25 years ago ..... I think that I bought a couple over the years as indoor plants and planted them out in the garden when they finished flowering indoors .....

..... a final bloom on our Hydrangea Annabelle .....

..... Hydrangea Smowball in it's Autumn coat ..... it's pure white in the Summer and changes to this deep red .....

..... Hydrangea Vanille Fraise ..... fading .....

..... Verbena .....

..... this is Parahebe ' Snow Clouds ' ...... it flowers from May pretty much into December ..... you really get your money's worth ! Just cut back after it's first flush is finished and back it comes .....

..... geranium ' Rozanne ' .....

..... Salvia ' Black and Bloom ' .....

..... and this euonymus was here when we moved in thirty odd years ago and this is the first year that I have seen these berries/fruits !!! .....

..... and this Blush Noisette rose is still flowering .....

..... and, finally { non gardeners will be pleased to know ! } my St. Swithun rose that flowers from May until December .....  That is the same rose .... it produces slightly different colours and forms of flowers ..... I really do like to get my moneys worth !!!

XXXX

SUMMERTIME ..... and the living is easy .....

A somewhat flippant post title after the atrocities of last night in London but please know that I am thinking of all those involved. When I worked in London, the IRA bombed the restaurant underneath my workplace and the restaurant opposite and there were many other places targeted. 

Our thoughts must be with the victims and their loved ones.

Blue skies and sunshine ..... here are a few flowers that are out in our garden .....

David Austin Blush Noisette ..... has the most delicious clove fragrance ..... good repeat flowering.

Rambling rose ' Kiftsgate ' ..... rambling through a tree ..... should be in full bloom in a week ..... strong, sweet, musky fragrance .....

David Austin ' Desdemona ' ..... strong, musky fragrance .....

Geranium ' Dreamland ' .....

Clematis ' Fukozono ' .....

Iris .... don't know it's name !! It's in our pond. We have a pond which is under the trees ..... not the best place for a pond as, after the 20 odd years that it's been there, it is now filled up with leaves ..... more leaves than water !!! But, there are zillions of newts,  frogs and dragonflies and other wild life  ..... I have re-named it a bog garden !!!

All photographs taken by me !!

DOWN in the POTTING SHED ..........

I've been in the potting shed all afternoon ... actually, I've been in the greenhouse but potting shed sounds so much better !!! ..........

I've potted on my Gypsophila ' Gypsy Rose ' .... all 40 little plants which still need protection from the frost so can't be planted out until the end of May. By then, they should be much bigger and look something like this ..........

I'll show you when they hopefully get like the above !!!

We have also bought the garden furniture out of their winter hibernation in the shed ... a sure sign that the weather is warming up !!

Happy Easter everyone ... enjoy lots of Easter Eggs, good food and drink and time with your family and friends.

XXXX

image 1: via noperfectdayforbananafish, images 2 & 3: via me, image 4: via ohthisprettylittleworld, image 5: via umla

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ABSENCE MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER ..........

They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder .......

Here's hoping !!!!!!!

image: via night tattoo

MAKING an ENTRANCE .................

They say that your front door and the front of your house is the most important as it is the first thing that anyone sees , be it visitors or , if you are selling , potential buyers........ it's known as kerb appeal....... Here are some delightful frontages !!! and I do apologise that they are fairly similar but , I guess , these are the type of houses that I love.
I really love this one as it's not pretentious or expensive , it's just a lovely little old cottage with loads of charm.

You can't beat bay or box trees outside the front door.

More box trees........ don't they make this entrance ?

I think that the old wall really makes this cottage. The trouble nowadays is that many people would have knocked it down..... the people who live here must love preserving old features.

Another really old door , not really looked after but I love it like that!!!!

More bay trees........... I think that this front door wouldn't look half as good without them .

I love the way that this wooden door has taken on that lovely grey patina , don't you ? And I love the garland.

Sorry...... more trees...... but so lovely.

Another simple wreath ..............

Another simple cottage , nothing fancy , just an ordinary life going on , but so sweet.

So pretty.

............................................. and just one final thing....... congratulations to Millie at The Laurel Hedge who posted her 300th post the other day.......well done you...... what an achievement.......I'm only on my 20th something post ....... I've got a long way to go to reach those dizzy heights ........ XXXX

Jackie