Come into the garden, Maud!

An old song but you are actually invited in whatever your name is....


I started this blog with the idea of devoting some posts to my garden but since May I haven't written a single word about it!  Now I guess this is not too surprising as the best times in my garden are Spring and Autumn and since Spring there has been quite a lot of sewing going on! 


So here's Autumn in my garden without the quilts...

I thought I was going to show you the leaves turning but found so many flowers that  I will keep those for another post!


For those who like to know we have:  self sown Verbascum, gorgeous Cyclamen, Japanese Anemone, a Scabious and lastly the rather weird looking Pheasantberry!


Hope you enjoyed my little tour - there will be another one later in the week!


Now I have some sewing I need to get on with or what will I show you tomorrow?

The flower festival

A local church, St Mary's has a flower festival each year. 

All the town's churches and church organisations are asked to make a flower arrangement inspired by a short piece of biblical text.  For a few years now I have been helping one of the ladies in my church with the arrangement representing the United Reformed Church (that's the one we both attend).  

This year they were celebrating 400 years of the King James version of the Bible and our text was 

“And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the 

tabernacle and anointed Solomon.  And they blew the 

trumpet; and all the people said “God save King Solomon”

Yes that is what you get and then you have to use your imagination and interpret the text in the medium of flowers and this is what Kate and I (but mainly Kate) came up with:

The velvet represents the anointed king, the white satin the priesthood.  The trumpet shaped lilies represent the trumpet which was blown.  The flowers - lilies, freesias, lavender and sweet peas are scented to represent the golden anointing oil which is poured out from a ramshorn onto the head of the king.  


But you will have worked that out for yourselves....




Here are a few more arrangements

This is Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd... 

This is the burning bush from which God talked to Moses

And this is David slaying Goliath - you can see his sling in the foreground and for the sharp eyed among you there is a pebble hitting Goliath (in orange) between the eyes!

And my husband's favourite which represents the clouds (round glass balls) and fiery column that the Israelites followed through the desert to the promised land








Do you enjoy arranging flowers?  I can appreciate it and support someone else doing it but my own skills are limited. 


Do you get involved in flower festivals too?  Or visit them? 


Until I started helping Kate I did not realise all the thought that went into it before you even get to the flowers bit!  But it is great fun and possibly slightly competitive....




Nicky

Garden Quilt

Here is another one I did earlier - another quilt from my past.  Now as this was completed some time ago I am completely at sea about the details, apart from the very useful label on the back which tells me that I worked on this quilt from 13 November '08 - 21 January '09. 


I do remember it was another course at my LQS but I cannot remember my teacher.  This was the only course I did with her but I assure you she was very nice indeed.   Her own sample quilt was in taupe and neutral colours, I seem to remember...


Edit:  I have found my paperwork on this workshop, called Simple Applique Flowers, which was with Sylvia Williams in November 2008.


,

The flowers are bonded on and I have herringbone stitched around each one in embroidery floss in different but complimentary colours. 

 I always used to get so confused with herringbone stitch until this quilt came along.  I always ended up stitching in the opposite direction....and put this down to my left-handedness!  Grrr! 

 I have to admit I am absolutely useless at giving directions - my husband asks me do you mean my left (ie right) or your left when I am the navigator - sorry no satnav or similar with us - maps only and sadly me reading them.  I always have to turn the map around to help me decide which way to go - just cannot do it in my head.

The quilting is very simple, by hand outline round the flowers and squares and two concentric circles on every plain alternate square.  There is a purple border all around and I have stitched my daughter's name on as if it was a slimy trail from this little chap which I drew on and stitched over.   

I think he is a good snail - if there is such a thing - and reminds me very much of Brian from the Magic Roundabout - for those of you old enough to remember - minus the hat and scarf or course! 

   

Now I feel I ought to say "it's time for bed!"  although it may not be in your case....and certainly isn't in mine!




Nicky

So much garden in May!

Well there were just two many photos for just one post or even two....

Any ideas which fruit this is?

And what about this fruit  - not so common...?

Do you see anyone lurking in the pink undergrowth? 

 No? Well, let's take a closer look....

I think he's the star from bug's life on holiday in the UK!  Smile!

We had Camassia leichtlinii alba, mystery plant?, a fern - thought it was the shuttlecock fern but not so sure, more mystery plant?, and the pink flowers of polygonum bistorta.

Nicky

More garden in may!

Yesterdays post was all about blues and gold.  Today I'm showing you pink and purple and more green of course!

Love those globe shaped flowerheads - and so do the bees!

For the afficionados amongst you, you have seen aquilegia - some seedling of Magpie, heuchera, thalictrum aquilegifolium and allium Purple Sensation.

Nicky

The garden in May!

Lots of new leaves and flowers have come out in the welcoming sunshine of the last couple of weeks.  It is more like summer than spring at the moment.  Or is this the new spring followed by wet summer weather that we have had for the past two years.

I intend to get out and enjoy looking at the garden - so come on out with me....and see what's out there

The first photo is of aquilegias - but these flowers have many common names, my favourite being Granny's bonnet.  Do you know any other names for them?

The rest of the photos are of Bowles Golden grass (aka Millium effusum Aureum), Veronica (I think), Heuchera Key Lime Pie, Iris sibirica - sorry some I remember,  some I don't!


Nicky

Big Blossom!

A few days ago I was out in the garden and I saw this:

Massive flowers on the rhododendron!

Beautiful tissue paper flowers on the tree peony!

Cobwebs on the peony bud!

And can you see who is paying Molly-the-witch a visit.....?

Talk about camouflage I didn't see the cheeky rascal until editing the photo!!

Shall we take a closer look

These flowers are huge and although I love leaves I have to admit I love these more - fleeting as they are. 


Shhhh!  Don't let the leaves know!

Nicky

Here is another look in my garden....

This week, the above has become this:

and then this:

Oh if only you could smell these lovely azaleas....

Now these are popping up and no slug damage.....yet, but  Hosta Sum and Substance is a bit tougher to chew on and escapes most of the slug depradation!

Puple Magnolia 'Suzanne'

more unfurling ferns - love that!  And a bit hairy too!

pretty in pink!

and Fothergilla major - better known for autumn colour but what about those bottlebrushes!

looking up into an acer - different view point...

I'm loving all these happenings in the garden right now.  It's a bit difficult to keep up with it all!  But I'll try my best.

How's your little Eden right now - is it waking up or going to sleep?

Happy gardening

Nicky