Saturday, June 7, 2008

the garden in june

Due to excessive amounts of work and minimal amounts of crafting or anything vaguely interesting the only post I have to write is a garden update. (The sewing machine is out and I'm sort of making a skirt, but it's a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants affair and only time will tell if it's actually wearable, or photographable)

The hydrangea is turning blue,  a petal at a time. Except for the one rogue pompom head which insists on being pink. This is now a pretty big thing with countless flower heads  but even last year it was small and sick looking. It had been pruned very badly I think and half to two thirds of the plant had died off. More considerate pruning and a bit of TLC have brought it back to something of a more vigorous nature - I think it's root stock must have been relatively intact still.

Last year I brought a foxglove in flower from home in the hope it might sew itself about the place in addition to all the wild ones I grew from seed. I did this because the genetic population back home has some recessive white genes lingering in the foliage. And so, amid all the mammoth pink foxgloves - one white one.
We did'nt inherit many things to work with in this garden except excessive weeds, but there are two fairly substantial an ill pruned roses and a very healthy peony. This peony seems to specialise in growing exceptionally tall and uses the neighboring rose for support. Before the blooms get spoiled by rain it's just about perfect.