It’s so rewarding when you achieve something in the garden, whether that be creating it from nothing, something successfully germinating, great wildlife, veg or flowers - even a small success seems to make up for the bigger mistakes. I have tried and failed to get flower seeds to get beyond first leaf stage for some reason, but now have 24 healthy looking tithonia plants nearly ready to go out and I am inordinately proud of the dear wee things!
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
Not sure if it's the bit I'm most proud of, but I think it's my favourite bit... the formal rose garden (bordered by box and lavender) that we planted up once we'd got rid of the kids' trampoline. Just so lovely to sit and have a little drinky there on a summer evening...
When I started gardening not too many years ago, I took a stroll down to my local independent nursery and got chatting to one of the owners. She explained a little of the history of the company and how they used to supply bedding plants to the council for their flower borders.
Conversation turned, as you might expect, to my plants and I told her I was new to gardening and looking to more buy some more plants to complement the ones I had bought elsewhere and had previously planted.
She asked me a question that, at the time, floored me. Paraphrasing her, she asked "What colour scheme are you looking for ?". I think my barely cogent response was something along the lines of "colour scheme ?".
With the greens, pinks, purples and burgundy wine in both your gorgeous photos, I can really appreciate what she was asking me.
Today my garden is less "tutti-frutti" than is was but it seems I still have a ways to go.
Yes, I think you're so right, colour combinations really can make a difference to the whole 'look' of a garden... I'm not that keen on yellow flowers, and don't think I have any (apart from some daffs), and the only oranges I have are mixed in 'jewel' collections of dahlias or tulips. The rest are all purples, blues, pinks, deep reds which seem to go together effortlessly. I used to buy a lot of 'collections' from Sarah Raven and Crocus, for example, as they often put together great combos. Now I'm a bit more confident I tend to put things together more myself... some go together better than others...
My favourite is my late sister’s standard rose. I bought her the shrub rose Happy Retirement when she retired which is the same Happy Retirement rose I have as the standard
They come into flower at the same time in different towns.
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Not sure if it's the bit I'm most proud of, but I think it's my favourite bit... the formal rose garden (bordered by box and lavender) that we planted up once we'd got rid of the kids' trampoline. Just so lovely to sit and have a little drinky there on a summer evening...
Yes, I think you're so right, colour combinations really can make a difference to the whole 'look' of a garden... I'm not that keen on yellow flowers, and don't think I have any (apart from some daffs), and the only oranges I have are mixed in 'jewel' collections of dahlias or tulips. The rest are all purples, blues, pinks, deep reds which seem to go together effortlessly. I used to buy a lot of 'collections' from Sarah Raven and Crocus, for example, as they often put together great combos. Now I'm a bit more confident I tend to put things together more myself... some go together better than others...
They come into flower at the same time in different towns.