Take stock my friend

Night scented stock 1Here’s a favourite of mine, Night Scented Stock that is dotted all around the garden. The plant itself isn’t that impressive but the smell of the flower in the evening is great, especially if it’s near the back or front door. I sowed a load of the seed earlier this year in an old plastic Post Office container (found in the attic when we first moved in) and what’s good about that, is that it can be moved about for maximum effect.

I originally got into Night Scented Stock when I first started buying packet of seeds from the supermarket/garden centre and discovered the great smell of the flowers. I now have gone a bit hardcore and buy a whole load of seeds from ebay (2,000 for £3.94 inc P+P) and sprinkle them all over the garden over staggered intervals. Even Kate Bush has done a track about the plant. Give them a try, you won’t be disappointed on a warm summers evening when the back door’s open! night scented stock 2

Free planter of the week

Champagne charlieHow good is this for a posh planter-to-be? This ex-champagne box was left for the binmen outside someone’s house and it caught my eye ironically on new years eve when I was on my way to the offie!  This’ll need a good few holes drilled in the bottom for drainage, a bit of waterproofing and then it’s ready for some potting compost and away we go! Champagne charlie indeed!

You need wheels

Hell on wheelsI spotted this outside a cafe in Covent Garden on the damp and moody Monday morning just gone. The reason it has wheels is probably more to do with it getting pinched at night rather than being moved about a few times a day to get maximum sunlight. A good idea all the same though!

nice burnersA few minutes before seeing this I walked through the barriers at Charing Cross train station and got stopped by an American tourist and his wife who wanted a photo taken with me as I looked “the spitting image of the eighth president of the United States, Martin Van Buren”. Of course I obliged and shook his hand and waved at his wife who was taking the picture even though I look nothing like him. He’s got bushier burners and a better Roger De Courcey barnet than I have. Talk about bizzare happenings on a Monday morning (and at 8am too)!