Tag Archives: Mike & Julia

How does your garden grow?

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Here’s a few pictures and reports this week from our gardening mates around this island and globe of ours.

The first report is from Jesse Yuen in Perth, Australia who let us know that he planted a lemon tree this week (how good will that be, freshly picked lemons from the garden) and sent us some pictures of some flowering aloes (above) plus some nice cacti which are something that he is now really getting into. Love that large barrel cactus (is it called that?) in the tub, that’s a brilliant garden Jesse, ta for the pictures and we love cacti too!

Talking of cacti, the above is a photograph from Debby H in north London of her orchid cactus that has just sent out a flower bud for the first time in a few years.

She also sent us pictures of her dwarf sunflowers that are planted in food waste bins (great idea!) No flowers yet but look at size of those leaves. Cheers Debby.

Here’s a great pic of some gardening “work in progress” from Rich in the Lake District. He was in his garden, putting in these plants (that he started off indoors) into the rockery. What a view from a back garden. Cheers Rich.

Finally here are some wonderful rose pictures from Mike & Julia‘s garden near Coventry. Thanks for the great photographs from Julia as ever. As they said, “Attached are some pics of our roses, which have gone ballistic in the last couple of days!” Some nice colours there.

Thanks for everyone for sending in their pictures of their gardens in, we appreciate it and do keep sending them on as the season progresses.

It’s mediterranean in the Midlands

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The sun is out in full force in south London today, looks like our friends Mike & Julia have got the same up near Coventry. Mike sent us a couple of pictures of their “Mediterranean themed patio in the actual sun!” It looks brilliant, and there’s some lovely ideas going on there. Do keep sending us more pictures as things progress, ta again for the pictures and try and keep cool up there today.

Dave didn’t get in the way

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Good to hear from Mike & Julia, just outside the parish of Coventry for getting in touch again. Mike mentioned that they had a bit of trouble from Storm Dave up there the other day too, “It’s a bit feisty up here.”

He went on to say “We’ve been busy getting a new patch of the garden ready today. Here’s the before and after shots. Still some work to do but you get the general gist. Slabs and bark and a veg trug and some old metal storage tins with flowers added.”

Great for sending the pics over as the patch looks great! We look forward to seeing how the garden grows up there and do send us more pics as the year develops. Here’s a good post with some nice pics from their garden last year here.

Towards the end of the growing season

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Cheers to Mike & Julia from near Coventry for sharing a towards the end of season photographic report (fantastic pictures as ever Julia!) This is going to be a two parter as there’s so much good stuff been sent. Their comsos are looking fine (above and below).

Their garden doesn’t half look fine even at this time of year. We thought our garden was looking beyond repair but last weekend with a bit of a lawn cut and a trim and pulling out of the tomato plants and some dead heading it didn’t look too bad in the end but nowhere as great as these pictures.

We also love what we think is an echeveria (below) as those angular flowers look great and also those aster flowers (lower below).

Next part will include some dahlias amongst some other things. Keep them coming Mike & Julia and thanks again!

Cosmos fever

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A big thanks to Debby H for starting this current wave of cosmos appreciation here at Weeds. Hers are presently looking great in situ (above).

We know a couple of us had some problems with slugs eating some of our seedlings but that’s not going to stop us trying again next year. We started off a good few but the only ones that survived were the plants under the dying cherry tree which are giving us a few nice blooms at the moment (above).

And above and below are from Mike & Julia‘s garden near Coventry. Great stuff!

Gardening is about having a go and if the slugs got your seedlings this year it doesn’t mean they will next year. Out with the beer traps and the copper tape and your other favourite anti-slug tricks and see what happens. Another good thing about the old horticulture is the practice of swopping and passing on plants and seeds. Keep the old circle going around! Cheers again to Debby H!

Pollinators in full effect

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Thanks to Mike & Julia for sending us some pictures of some pollinators doing their thing (cheers to Mike for the blog post title). Talking of pollinators, we were told this week that bees, flies and whatnot are not supposedly that keen on geraniums/pelargoniums.

We have not heard that before and just checked with AI “Bees, in particular, often avoid pelargoniums, especially those with double blooms, due to the difficulty of accessing the nectar”. That’s a new one on us!

If only all weeds were poppies

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Thanks again to Mike & Julia for sending us some photographs today, the first (above) is a wonderful poppy in situ and the second (below) a self-seeded one in the pavement that they are going to leave to flower which sounds like a good idea. It looks as Mike says “It’s going to be a corker!” Love the photo intruder in the top left corner by the way. Too good to leave out.

It’s the same here with self-seeded poppies (AKA volunteers). We know the definition of a weed is just a plant that’s in the wrong or unwanted place but we don’t think poppies could ever be called weeds as they are too great a plant!

Above are some self seeded poppies in the kale/pea lane in our veg patch at the bottom of the garden that we can’t bring ourselves to pull out. As we’re in the veg patch, here’s a picture below of our results of our beetroot sowing this year, there’s hardly any!

Have a good gardening Sunday everyone!

Before the rain comes

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Thanks to Mike & Julia from near Coventry for a couple of pictures from their garden. Plant ID is giving the above as clustered bellflower (Campanula glomerata). Looks brilliant!

Below is a flowering corner complete with their lovely dog and great to see that their Ceanothus is doing well. Hope all’s well Mike & Julia!