Author: Catherine

Overwintering Rudbeckias

Published on by Catherine8 Comments

The ‘Enchanted’ series of Rudbeckia has captured my heart over the past few years, but while they are beautiful, the plants don’t overwinter in my garden. I was inspired by Rosie when she mentioned last September that she overwintered her rudbeckias in her greenhouse and I thought it was worthwhile trying this with the Rudbeckia ‘Enchanted’ series plants.

During October the plants were potted into 3 ltr plastic pots, three of which went into the greenhouse and four into the cold frame.

There is a noticeable difference between those kept in the greenhouse and those in the cold frame. The greenhouse plants are showing good growth (perhaps too much for this time of year) while those from the cold frame have only a hint of new growth.

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First ‘Six’ of 2025

Published on by Catherine31 Comments

Six on Saturday

For a few days at the end of January and beginning of February, it felt almost as though spring had arrived. My husband and I spent several days in the garden – our first opportunity to tidy up after Storm Eowyn. It was still bitterly cold, but calm and sunny. We were dressed for the cold and it turned out to be quite pleasant in the sunshine. Unlike many in our area, the garden escaped the worst of last month’s storm. The blown-out glass in the greenhouse has been replaced and the one tile that had slipped on the roof of the house is back in place. I will never forget the roar of the wind that night. It was incredibly loud and sounded much like the hurricanes or tornadoes in movies. Scary.

That’s behind us now, new shoots are emerging everywhere and I’m feeling excited as spring approaches. I’m busy with gardening tasks like cutting back the last of the perennials and removing old or damaged shrubs when the weather is nice.

But now it’s time for my first 2025 Six on Saturday.

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Seeds

Published on by Catherine14 Comments

The blog has had a long autumn/winter break, but it’s now time to wake it up. The garden is starting to show signs of returning to life and now is the time to think about sowing seeds.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve declared that I was finished with seeds, convinced I wouldn’t be persuaded to sow another single one. Yes, there were challenges in the past with multiple trays of seedlings damping off, or seeds that simply refused to germinate, but here I am – happily about to start sowing seeds once again!

Last week I placed an order for various seeds but forgot two I really couldn’t be without, Ammi visnaga and Verbena bonariensis. Luckily I could add them to a separate plant order and within a few days all the seeds had arrived. Only then did I remember I’d been to a garden centre a few weeks before and had already bought seeds!

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The Kogod Courtyard

Published on by Catherine13 Comments

For many years the Central Courtyard of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington has been one of our favourite places to visit. Once inside the museum, it’s easy to find the Central Courtyard, or, to give it its official name, the Kogod Courtyard, named after Robert and Arlene Kogod, philanthropists and art collectors.

The courtyard is a beautiful space with garden beds of ficus and black olive trees, shrubs, and ferns. During the day it is filled with natural light from a graceful glass dome overhead, which shields the area from the weather all year round and maintains a comfortable temperature for the many visitors. This dome also links the American Art Museum to the National Portrait Gallery, making it easy to move between the two museums without going outside, which is great during rain, heat, or chilly December days.

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Happy New Year!

Published on by Catherine12 Comments

Farewell 2024!

Wishing you all a garden full of beautiful colour and heavenly perfume in 2025!

Bringing our gardens back to life is only a dream at this time of the year—but there is little to stop us from enjoying that dream. Seed, bulb and plant catalogues are popping through the letterbox and it’s a treat to sit and flick through the pages on a cold winter night, sparking inspiration and indulging in dreams of a perfect garden! I’m sure most of us are the same, we always end up with far more dream plants than will fit in our borders, right? But…there’s always room for a few more plants in the garden?

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