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August in Your Garden - Photos
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Message 1.Â
Posted by garyhobson (U11055016) on Tuesday, 3rd August 2010
Shall we start a thread for August photos. Here are some snaps of mine - a few lilies, a few cottage garden plants, sunflowers, lots of bees, and a few frogs and fairies.
My photos are here:
Just a note for anyone who hasn't posted photos before... the simplest way to post a few photos is to use PhotoBucket. There's a separate thread with instructions here:
Alternatively, if you're exceptionally keen, you could write a blog, instructions are here:
And last month's photos thread (July) is here:
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Message 2
Posted by Miss-polly (U14402803) on Tuesday, 3rd August 2010
Lovely photos.
Especially Hugo and I love your spiritual frog, is he made of brass?
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Message 3
Posted by garyhobson (U11055016) on Tuesday, 3rd August 2010
Hugo was photographed at 5.45am. He takes breakfast very early.
The spiritual frog is made of resin, and is quite light-weight. He was an impulse buy from Gardener's World Live at the NEC, a few weeks ago. -
Message 4
Posted by abbotsmillmo (U13936954) on Tuesday, 3rd August 2010
Hi garyhobson,
I love the look of your garden, you say the cottage garden is quite labour intensive, I agree. Having a large number of fruit trees in mine, I found without really thinking, part of the garden was developing that way.
The lilies are beautiful, I must certainly grow more. Ive got plenty of ideas for next year Im going to make a note in my garden diary. Mo.
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Message 5
Posted by garyhobson (U11055016) on Tuesday, 3rd August 2010
I did notice that on the 'Flower Power' thread, that the first two posts - punpun and Salino - had both opted for lilies as a favoured flower.
Lilies can be a temperamental, so they are not keen on clay soil, and slugs are very keen on them. But they are worth a try. You can spend £5 on a tray of small plants that will only last for a season, but you can get a set of lily bulbs for the same price, which should last a few years. -
Message 6
Posted by garyhobson (U11055016) on Tuesday, 3rd August 2010
Individual lilies don't flower for very long - a couple of weeks; but different varieties flower at different times.
T&M do something called a '100 days collection', consisting of 10 different varieties, so at least a couple will be in flower throughout June, July and August. -
Message 7
Posted by rosalba (U4525566) on Wednesday, 4th August 2010
just snagging, many thanks
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Message 8
Posted by PenylanSue (U13901201) on Wednesday, 4th August 2010
Just popped on to the board for a mo and saw your post and I just knew we'd be in for a treat. I wasn't wrong. Thouroughly enjoyed your lovely pics and dialogue. So inspirational.
Sue -
Message 9
Posted by koala_girl (U12702629) on Wednesday, 4th August 2010
I have finally found somebody else who is growing Mystic Merlin! I grew it from seed this year (packet free with gardening mag) and was a bit worried about how big it was going to get. I’m glad I took the plunge because it is lovely. Funnily enough, my dad asked me if it was a hollyhock.
I loved your lillies. The smell of lillies immediately takes me back to India. A few years ago I spent 15 weeks working out there on an outsourcing project and stayed in a hotel which always had lillies in the entrance lobby.
My favourite photo, though, was the frogs discussing Jung!
Now for my far less impressive set of photo's. I took them today just after a brief thunderstorm. The rain stopped and the sun came out so everything was shiny and new.
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Message 10
Posted by garyhobson (U11055016) on Thursday, 5th August 2010
That's very good, Koala.
Are you quite sure those sparrows among your tomatoes are 'hiding', and not thinking about lunch, or feeling a bit peckish.
The butterfly on the brocolli, brown with 2 eyespots, is a Gatekeeper. -
Message 11
Posted by claire (U14571809) on Friday, 6th August 2010
fantastic photo's I love looking at peoples pics
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Message 12
Posted by koala_girl (U12702629) on Friday, 6th August 2010
Thanks Gary. I get lots of those butterflies in my garden and couldn't decide it they were gatekeepers or something else. I never have any problem identifying the dreaded cabbage whites! Just lately I have also been getting a very small, very blue butterfly too but they never stay still long enough for me to take a photo.
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Message 13
Posted by claire (U14571809) on Friday, 6th August 2010
Hi Garyhobson
What wonderful photographs, my favorite has to be the salmon star lilly.
My mother in law and friend are fairy fanatics and was wondering where you got the fairy door from.
It would make a fantastic gift for their garden -
Message 14
Posted by garyhobson (U11055016) on Saturday, 7th August 2010
I bought that fairy door from Amazon. It's not actually sold by them, but through them.
There's a hook at the back to enable it to be hung up on a wall. Or placed on a dresser or mantlepiece. It's made from resin so should be waterproof, but best brought inside in bad weather.
There are four different designs similar to that one. Apparently some people collect them. They come in a posh box. They are here:
Googling for 'fairy doors for the garden' finds several other designs by other manufacturers, many of which are specifically designed for outdoor use: [Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator]
Google also has a vast number of photos of fairy doors, and every one looks different: -
Message 15
Posted by Berghill (U2333373) on Saturday, 7th August 2010
I went out the other day to photgraph the garden, as I do at the beginning of every month. I got a lovely set of pictures of the back of the cat's,Bill, head. He insisted on sticking his nose into every plant I tried to picture. He eventually got fed up and went to do some bee bothering. So here they are. We have one or two stands of various lilies. If you want them to flower longer and make them safe with cats around, nip out the stamen and anthers. The pollen is poisonous to cats and stain clothes terribly, so do not wipe your hands on your trousers or stroke the cat.
It is getting harder to find different places to stand to take different angles of the garden.
And I have put captions on them, just for Gary. -
Message 16
Posted by koala_girl (U12702629) on Saturday, 7th August 2010
Um - I couldn't see the captions?
I think I have said it before, but you have a very big garden! I love the alpine house - that is something I have always wanted to do at some time.
I see your cat managed to get into one photo. My father's dog is the same. When we look around my garden Toby has to stick his nose into whatever we are looking at. He hates to think he is missing out on anything. -
Message 17
Posted by Berghill (U2333373) on Saturday, 7th August 2010
I spent ages putting Captions on them and as you say they are not there. Odd 'cos they are in the originals which were sent to PB.
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Message 18
Posted by Lanaeve (U14413172) on Saturday, 7th August 2010
As always, wonderful photos, thank you for sharing.
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Message 19
Posted by garyhobson (U11055016) on Sunday, 8th August 2010
Your efforts were not in vain, Berghill.
Your filenames were uploaded, though they are not as conspicuous as captions which are added in PhotoBucket.
If you want to see the name of a particular plant, you need to click on the little white arrow alongside 'Image Info' at the bottom left of the screen. The name is in the filename.
So, on your second image, tall while flowers, 'Image Info' tells you that's Aesculus. -
Message 20
Posted by Berghill (U2333373) on Sunday, 8th August 2010
Cheers. With Dialup it takes a long long time to work on PB and most of the time I can only see the thumbnails rather than the full size picture.
There are still some nameless plants in there. For the life of me I could not remember the proper name for Joe Pye Weed. -
Message 21
Posted by garyhobson (U11055016) on Monday, 9th August 2010
The fancy name for Joe Pye Weed is Eupatorium.
You use dial-up?
I did notice that the URL you'd given us was to your PhotoBucket thumbnail directory. You had not specified a slide show. And when enlarged, your own pictures are all a modest size, around 450 pixels wide. I couldn't understand why you'd done that.
Those of us who are accustomed to broadband have completely forgotten the constraints of using dial-up.
My own page of photos has around 20 pictures, and they all enlarge to around 1200 pixels wide. Someone, who uses dial-up, told me it was taking 20 minutes to load the page! I had just assumed that everyone uses broadband.
If someone is using dial-up, then a full-page slideshow presumably also takes a very long time to load. -
Message 22
Posted by Berghill (U2333373) on Monday, 9th August 2010
The URL was supposed to be the August pictures. Hmmmm.
Some of us live too far away from an Exchange to have Broadband and are probably in the 2 percent of people which the GOv't admit will probably never get line based Broadband either. They are not likely to repplace the line for 4 houses. For heavens sake, the line gets cut every time they redo the ditches as it has been waiting too be properlu buried for 9 years.
We also cannot get a Mobile phone signal either so cannot have a Dongle based Broadband connection. Our children reckon you can just about get a very weak signal by hanging out of the front bedroom window.
Sadly I often do not even try to look at other peoples pictures, it is just too time consuming. That is the reason why I often do not comment on them, sorry. -
Message 23
Posted by Berghill (U2333373) on Monday, 9th August 2010
Please excuse the typing errors in the above, my arthritis is really bad this morning and my fingers are a bit twisted.
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Message 24
Posted by koala_girl (U12702629) on Monday, 9th August 2010
Gosh, I remember what it was like to have a dial up connection. My sister has a habit of e-mailing me huge pictures and her e-mails used to take absolutely ages to down load. Poor you.
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Message 25
Posted by garyhobson (U11055016) on Sunday, 15th August 2010
Just few individual flower shots for mid-August.
Petunias and surfinas:
This petunia (from seed this year) is variety Superbissima. It's a variety with very large blooms:
This shows Superbissima alongside standard petunias:
Gazanias, very cheerful (from seed this year):
Ipomea, variety Black Knight (from seed this year). This is growing up a bamboo cane wigwam:
Rudbeckias, just coming into flower. It's a miracle that these survived the Winter on my wet clay soil:
Finally, these are Winter flowering pansies. I'm just showing these because these were planted last Autumn. They were in flower on-and-off through the Winter, and were flowering vigourously throughout Spring. They've been badly neglected too (not dead-headed). This is how they look today:
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Message 26
Posted by zoomer44 (U14019069) on Sunday, 15th August 2010
garyhobson
What lovely close ups. Your Ipomea, Black Knight and Gazanias are fabulous.
Can some one give me the link to put photographs on with messages. I'm going to learn how to put my digi pics on to the computer so maybe this time next month I'll be able to post too, not that they will come close to yours, mind. -
Message 27
Posted by Rainjustlearning (U12861332) on Sunday, 15th August 2010
This is my little effort
I have also made a startling discovery, I love sun Flowers so there will be loads more in the garden next year winds permitting.
Rain -
Message 28
Posted by koala_girl (U12702629) on Sunday, 15th August 2010
I like your sunflowers Rain. Is that round black thing a compost bin? I saw one at the South of England Show which was like a drum with a handle that you turned.
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Message 29
Posted by koala_girl (U12702629) on Sunday, 15th August 2010
Gary I just love that Ipomea. It is such a striking colour. When I first read the name I immediately thought of "The girl from Ipanema" and now have that song stuck in my head!
Here is how my Mystic Merlin is looking at the moment. Hard to believe that all those flowers came from one tiny seed sown in the spring.
[IMG]/IMG]
This is how my biggest pumpkin looks today. This is my first year of growing pumpkins and I am totally hooked. This one is 8" across and is now starting to turn yellow.
[IMG]/IMG] -
Message 30
Posted by garyhobson (U11055016) on Monday, 16th August 2010
Zoomer,
Yes, do have a go at putting some photos up, and there's also thread about writing a blog (see messsage 1).
Koala,
Your Merlin looks healthier than mine did (which have now finshed); mine were a bit straggly.
The photo doesn't do justice to the Ipomea. The colour is very glowing and vibrant. I think the long hot Summer has helped. In normal years it might have been pathetic. Ipomea is available in a range of colours. Unfortunately I couldn't find a packet of mixed colours, so mine are all deep blue. The seeds were very easy to germinate. They are big seeds and very attractive to mice. Mine were ravished at one point. I put the survivors back into the little seed tray, and they recovered. I still got lots of plants and tried growing it up lots of things. I tried it growing through roses, and up a tall lily. It's a bit like columbine and can strangle. I had to get rid of some of them. The bamboo wigwam worked best.
Rain,
The red-toned sunflowers are nice. I went for variety Harlequin which is a similar. You ought to be able to get half-a-dozen flower heads on each plant. I'm giving mine plenty to drink. -
Message 31
Posted by janetclaire (U3311015) on Monday, 16th August 2010
Hi Koala, that Mystic Merlin is lovely! Sorry for the ignorance, but is it an Ipomea? If so, what is that is it an annual? I think it looks really pretty and would love to have a go at growing it!
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Message 32
Posted by Rainjustlearning (U12861332) on Monday, 16th August 2010
Koalagirl
Yes it is a compost bin and an absolute waste of time and money, I was told they were but I like to find out myself should have left it alone, its going to the rag and bone man that comes round.
Gary
I'm going to grow Harlequin next year, think I've got about 8 different types for next year and Black Magic will be there again I think it's stunning.
Rain -
Message 33
Posted by garyhobson (U11055016) on Tuesday, 17th August 2010
Janet,
Mystic Merlin is like a small hollyhock. The seed catalogue claims that it's perennial and should come up each year. But it really depends on what kind of soil you have. I have clay soil, and it tends not to survive the Winter.
Koala may be growing hers in a pot. There is a pot in her photo. I shall have to try digging one up, and putting it in a pot.
Ipomea is an annual climbing plant, like a kidney bean plant. It has a few pretty flowers, though is not as useful as Merlin.
Rain,
I hadn't realised there is a Black Magic sunflower. I shall definitely have to get some of those for next year. -
Message 34
Posted by Global_Worming (U14532104) on Tuesday, 17th August 2010
I hope this works mixed july/aug
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Message 35
Posted by Global_Worming (U14532104) on Tuesday, 17th August 2010
It worked but was the wrong album, this is right one I hope
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Message 36
Posted by zoomer44 (U14019069) on Tuesday, 17th August 2010
What nice holiday snaps you certainly like your fish.
Well done with your swedes, my first was the size of a golf ball and what a fine harvest you are having. -
Message 37
Posted by koala_girl (U12702629) on Tuesday, 17th August 2010
I grew my Mystic Merlins in pots because the packet said that they would get huge and I wanted to be able to move them if they were in the wrong place. This one did the best, which was surprising because it is in the shadiest part of my garden.
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Message 38
Posted by Rainjustlearning (U12861332) on Tuesday, 17th August 2010
Lovely photo's globalwarming, what variety of tomatoes and broad beans are you growing, and what's the dog's name, wouldn't fancy crossing him on a dark night or is he a big softie?
rain -
Message 39
Posted by Global_Worming (U14532104) on Wednesday, 18th August 2010
Thank you Zoomers, my wife is Croatian so our second home is Hvar, the pics of my niece, the speedboat behind the chair ect is at the seahouse, we all go there when its to hot and there are to many tourists.The veg is grown in a patch that was lawn until easter weekend this year.
Thank you rainers we bought the seeds from the pound shop, the toms are Marmande, Gardeners Delight and Roma, I cant remember what the broad beans are.
The dog is a Boerboel called Max (english mastiffxRidgeback) we got him 6 month ago because the idiot who bought him as a trophy dog could not control him and was going to have him put to sleep. We have sorted him with love but he bit through the wheel barrow tyre and ripped it off, his breed was used by the Boer in S/Africa to protect the herds from wild animals. Max can be very frightening when I say his trigger word, mind you so can I. -
Message 40
Posted by koala_girl (U12702629) on Wednesday, 18th August 2010
I thought he looked a bit like a ridgeback. My sister has three of them and they are big softies. My brother in law likes to say that they are used for hunting lions in their native country, which is why you see so few lions around Brisbane (where they live).
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Message 41
Posted by janerowena (U10782401) on Thursday, 19th August 2010
Fabulous dog, global wormimg. (Love the name!)
When I was little we lived near my father's family's farm, and the gamekeeper had a rhodesian ridgeback. He wanted to retire but couldn't house Justine, so we had her. We were very small, she was a wonderful dog, but as you say, there was a special word that was used for when her previous master caught a poacher.
I have no idea what it was, but I do remember my mother being scared stiff in case a visitor said it by mistake!
To me, she seemed almost as big as a horse. -
Message 42
Posted by zoomer44 (U14019069) on Thursday, 19th August 2010
Ridgebacks are nice dogs and so good natured. My sister has a rhodesian ridgeback, he's the size of a small pony but so placid.
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Message 43
Posted by Global_Worming (U14532104) on Friday, 20th August 2010
Never mind my dog, what about my veg ect, quite a good first time effort considering that we broke the rules.
Ps the supermarket cyprus pots are very healthy, the 90 christmas seed pots we planted are rocketing.
Ps someone commented about us liking fish. Our family on Hvar are fishermen so its the two F's fresh and free:-d -
Message 44
Posted by zoomer44 (U14019069) on Friday, 20th August 2010
Sorry got side tracked by Max Just to tie him back in with the garden, I'm sure he acts as a good deterent for cats.
And...an excellent first time effort global worming you are up there with the best. -
Message 45
Posted by Global_Worming (U14532104) on Saturday, 21st August 2010
Thank we cold not have done it without the help of my brother Tatton RHS Gold Medal Winner, lets all give it up for the one and only Harry Cobean
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Message 46
Posted by garyhobson (U11055016) on Monday, 23rd August 2010
You win some. You lose some. Each year I try a few fresh varieties, picked out of a seed catalogue. These are a few that I tried this Summer, that didn't quite come up to expectations.
Firstly, Cosmos Antiquity. The seed catalogue describes Antiquity as 'exquisite antique bronze-salmon'. So, if you'd like to know what 'exquisite antique bronze-salmon' actually looks like, it's this:
This is a variety of Amaranthus, Autumn Palette. The seed catalogue describes Autumn Palette as 'attractive tall feathery spikes of cream and biscuit, intriguing cut flower'. This is what 'attractive cream and biscuit' actually looks like:
I suppose that docks gone to seed, or rhubarb gone to seed, would make an 'intriguing cut flower'.
And this is Nicandra. Nicandra is a large and handsome plant, but there is only one flower on each it each day, which is not easy to see, and resembles columbine. I'm probably doing something wrong here:
This one was a success. It's Rudbeckia Cherry Brandy and I like this one
:
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Message 47
Posted by Rainjustlearning (U12861332) on Monday, 23rd August 2010
Gary you certainly have some 'different' plant's but I love that 'Rudbeckia Cherry Brandy', keep trying you never know what you might grow next year, we all have things that don't quite turn out as we expected or as it says's on the packet.
Rain -
Message 48
Posted by koala_girl (U12702629) on Tuesday, 24th August 2010
Gary - Have you put up a sign next to the Amaranthus saying "no this isn't a dock"? You do have to wonder why somebody bothered to include it in a seed catalogue. Ah well, as you said, you win some and you lose some. It's always trying new things in the hope that you find something nice like that Rudbeckia.
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Message 49
Posted by margaretstar (U14415248) on Tuesday, 24th August 2010
You do have to wonder why somebody bothered to include it in a seed catalogue. Â
Well certainly as a cut flower, best put in the veggie garden!
Sauteed in butter the leaves are nice, a bit like spinach.
The seeds are often found in pastas and breads in health shops as they are very high in protein, a bit like quinoa. So if you can bear to keep it, the birds will love the seeds.
'Nicandra' has solved a puzzle for me - I had this come up by itself a few years ago and thought "that's pretty....for a weed" Mine was in full sunlight and did have a number of blue flowers, but more leaf than flower. The flowers made nice pods like cape gooseberries. I didn't collect any seed thinking it would self-sow. It hasn't. -
Message 50
Posted by garyhobson (U11055016) on Wednesday, 25th August 2010
Koala,
The seed catalogue is probably quite right, in that flower arrangers do like striking and unusual seed heads.
Margaret,
I didn't know that Amaranthus was edible. The leaves certainly look very much like spinach. And the seed heads do look very much like cereals, like millet. I'm keeping the plants, so we'll see what happens. Here's a snap that shows the leaves and seed heads more clearly:
According to Wiki, Ameranthus leaves are known as Chinese Spinach, and contain a whole list of vitamins and minerals. And the seed-heads contain more protein than wheat. Wiki:
The normal burgundy variety of Ameranthus is a traditional cottage garden plant. I prefer burgundy to cream and biscuits (or spinach).
Some of my Nicandras do have some light blue flowers, but only one or two flowers. Wiki has a photo of a Nicandra, growing as a roadside weed somewhere, with lots of flowers on it:
Maybe garden soil is too rich.
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