A Bit Of Flower Power

I have been growing Helichrysum (Straw Flowers)  this year the flowers do feel like straw and not soft like other flowers, they dry lovely

I have just started snipping heads off and they will be left to dry out, they come in a variety of colours the bees love them, they are a good annual border filler, these flowers and more to come will be threaded up as a garland to decorate the mantle at Christmas, I first saw this done at the Lost Garden's of Heligan, Martin was very taken by it and we have grown them since.

These little plugs arrived yesterday I planted them up today and thy will be kept under cover until they are bigger, Firecracker Polyanthus and Sugar & Spice wallflowers, they were a freebie with an order unfortunately the plants I did order were out of stock but the company still honoured the freebie and refunded my money for the order I placed, now that is customer service.

Clematis Montana a bit of a garden thug or can be, I got these from a garden club I belong to, 6 plants for £4.90, I want to use them as windbreaks and have planted them along the side and back of the vegetable area were the wind blows through, It will be a lovely splash of colour when they have grown up the fence, also giving shelter to birds and the flowers will be enjoyed by the bees.

I had no sooner planted them out this afternoon when

Along came a box from the same garden club

3 Spirea

3 Penstemon

3 Astrantia

6 Lythrum

3 Edelweiss

All for £17.49, a nice mix of shrubs and perennials I get a box of plants every few weeks from them and its helping to fill the garden up lovely with a good variety, I wont mention the name of the club as I think they have closed there books on new members now.

Another flower this one is for eating, Globe Artichokes, I have been taking off the smaller heads to encourage the main head to grow, I grew these from seeds this last spring, I wasn't expecting them to put on so much growth in the first year it must be the Alpaca poo, they are almost 5ft tall now and really sturdy plants, they are in the big perennial veg raised bed, any we don't eat will be left to flower the bees again love these big purple thistles.

When Bovey Belle visited last week she brought me some seeds from her garden, African Marigold Calendula and Nasturtiums, they are drying out lovely and will be put to use next year.

 I got some harvesting done, 6 lovely cucumbers tomatoes

 Runner Beans are coming along great and the last of the French Beans, all grown from organic heritage seeds I get from a seed club in America, its nice to try different variety's.

I picked the last of the Blueberries and had them with a bowl of rice pudding straight out of the oven plenty left for tomorrow, Martin doesn't like rice pudding so its all mine.

Blueberries have done well this year nearly 4lb although not as good as last year I will put that down to the weather last year I picked just over 5lb.

The new POL chickens have just started to lay as well.

All is good on the ranch.