Just poppies

Sometimes it's in the most unthinkable corners of the garden you can find a wonderful photo opportunity.

To me, poppies, wherever they turn up in the garden, are reason enough to grab my camera.

Wind or rain can't keep me from trying to capture these fragile beauties.

Look at this special one with a touch of white on the edges.

It's really never happened before that there were so many poppies turning up

in our garden and not in the spot we'd expect them to either.

Somehow some poppy seeds must have ended up in and around the compost heap

because that's the spot where poppies are thriving in the garden this year.

Due to all the rain and wind we had over the last few weeks,

the poppies are hanging over the edge of the bin as if they were a waterfall

and the ones next to the compost heap have all fallen onto the grass 

and then getting themselves up again to bloom afterall.

Fragile but so resilient.

I love poppies, bright splashes of color on grey days.

Have a wonderful day,

Marian

A hello from the May Spring garden

While finishing this post, I see the rain gently falling down outside and I don't mind, not after the beautiful sunshiny day we got yesterday. Sun, a gentle wind, ideal for drying the laundry outside and for taking some pictures in the garden which I both did and this time, instead of letting the pictures sit on the memorycard for too long and forgetting all about them until it was too late to use them in a blogpost, I decided to share them immediately. So here we go.

Some of you who follow me on instagram may already know we had to take the large willow trees in our garden down last winter as they had become too large for our little garden and also dangerous with several larger branches breaking during some of last summer's storms. Those large trees were such a determining feature of our garden, it took some getting used to them gone. Even taking photographs needed some adaptation to the new situation. My nice green and sometimes dark background has disappeared, instead there's the neighbours high hedge now on one side and the old wall and lots of roofs on the other side. But I try to adapt and whatever the situation is I love to take photographs and make the most of it with what there is. Different angles, different settings, love to play with it. My photos may be a bit lighter and brighter due to the new situation, yes, lots more light in the garden now which is great actually, but I hope you love this stroll in our garden nevertheless. It also seems as if the garden itself had to get used to the new situation. While some plants have completely disappeared, others appear just like that out of nowhere it seems. And then of course there is the container garden with also some new additions and changes. There are some perennials I'm trying out in containers like the Campanula beneath that just started flowering.

The white Delphinium is a survivor in container from last year.

It didn't really blooms that much then but obviously

doesn't mind being grown in a container as long as it's taken care of of course.

This is the first stem of the white Delphinium blooming.

Happy with these white flowers, especially since the white blooming Echinacea

I grew in container for some years and of which the flowers have been on the

header of this blog for a very long time now, hasn't come back this year.  

From the bulbs I planted in October the Alliums are the very last to bloom.

The pansies I planted on top of the bulbs have faded by now and I removed the dried up plants yesterday. The foliage from Alliums starts to wilt even before the plants start to bloom so I didn't want that on the photo either. And so here I am, trying to get a nice picture of these huge Allium Schubertii that stand in the middle of the container garden. It isn't all that self-evident but I tried to get them on photo and show them off from their prettiest side because that is what they are really, a true show stopper! I planted three bulbs of which two survived which is just great, three would probably have been even harder to get on photo in a good way. 

Here are the same Allium again but seen through the Delphinium stems

that stand next to them, creating the illusion of a bit of a lush garden I thought,

while in fact it's just some pots standing next to eachother. 

In the background you see the different shades of pink from

the roses in containers that started blooming as well.

Another Allium I love and you can even enjoy long after it's done blooming once it's dried 

is Allium Christophii. I already mentioned it last year in this post.

 

The many star shaped flowers haven't all opened up yet but by the time they do,

they will form a sphere of purple stars around the stem. 

That of course is the case with every Allium, large or small

and amazingly enough one of those smaller Alliums appeared in the garden this year.

Must be from one of the bulbs I planted years ago, never leading to much more

than some foliage then but this year, in the middle of a Hydrangea bush, there it is,

one perfect purple Allium, can you believe it!

Talking about surprises in the garden, these lovely white diasies 

all of a sudden decided to join us as well.

They may not be in the spot I'd like them to be but since the garden is a bit of

a wilderness right now, I'm glad they're there and I'm already wondering whether 

I will be able to collect seeds from them later on and then sow them and plant them

in other places in the garden. It's such a simple flower but I love it!

Even the smaller ones that keep popping up in the grass.

They're such happy little flowers!

More little happy flowers in the border with these Geranium Endressii

that are just starting to bloom, now covering the border in little pink dots.

But these must be the champions of little flowers, adored by everyone,

little blue forget-me-nots. Always love it when these turn up somewhere,

never in the same place, they love to travel around and I don't mind.

And that brings us back to the container garden where

Geum Mrs Bradshaw is really putting on a show this year!

Little red flowers dancing on long stems.

One huge flower made up of again little flowers on long stems. Back to the Alliums.

With this cloud of purple flowers I want to end this stroll through our garden and wish you all 

a wonderful new week to come.

If you're on IG, let me know or pay a visit to my account, happy to meet you there as well.

All pictures I post up there are taken with my smartphone. I love it when you leave a comment, 

here on my blog or on instagram because, honestly, who doesn't love that?! ;)

Marian

Flowers in the rain

This past month of july, although it started off with some heatwave days, has been mostly about rain, wind and weather that had more to do with Autumn than Summer.

Probably why we had to wait until the very last days of july to have the first dahlia blooming. The dahlias will be a surprise this year, except for the ones I still have from last year, as I bought a mix of tubers again. Yesterday the first dahlia flower opened its petals ever so slowly. Large dark petals appeared and a little bit of white in the center, not a huge bloom, not a flower filled with petals but o so pretty I think. What do you think? Do you like dahlias? Do you ever let yourself be surprised and buy a mix of tubers? Do you like these kind of single dahlias or only the large filled blooms? I'd love to hear. 

Hoewel juli veelbelovend begon, met een paar hittegolf dagen, is het uiteindelijk toch een maand geworden die eerder aan herfst dan zomer deed denken met veel regen, wind en onweer.

Dat is wellicht ook waarom het zo lang wachten was op die eerste dahlia bloem. De dahlia's worden een verrassing dit jaar, behalve die die ik van vorig jaar overgehouden heb, want ik kocht weer eens een mix van knollen. Gisteren opende de eerste bloem haar bloemblaadjes, traag maar zeker. Uiteindelijk kwam een donkere enkele bloem tevoorschijn met wat wit in het midden. Ik vind ze heel mooi, wat denken jullie? Houden jullie van dahlia's? Durven jullie het aan gewoon een mix van knollen te kopen? Vind je deze enkele bloemen mooi of toch liever van die grote gevulde dahlia bloemen? Ik ben benieuwd. 

If there's one flower that adores this colder and wet weather then it's the Hydrangea. While they weren't looking all that great in their containers at the beginning of july, this weather certainly revived them.

Als er één bloem is die zich in dit kouder en nat weer helemaal in haar element voelt is het wel de Hortensia. Terwijl ze er in het begin van juli maar armzalig bij stonden in hun potten, heeft de koelte en het vele water ze helemaal doen heropleven. 

Roses aren't that fond of rain, they like their leaves and petals dry. The constant rain had its consequences for the roses. A lot of rosebuds just fell off. First time that happened and when I looked for answers I learned that wet conditions lead to this. But still the roses didn't give up and neither did I. I tried to capture the healthy looking blooms all covered in raindrops.

Rozen hebben het niet zo op regen begrepen. Die houden hun bladeren en bloemen liever droog. De constante regen had dan ook zijn gevolgen. Veel knoppen vielen gewoon af. De eerste keer dat zoiets gebeurde. Iedere dag een boel knoppen op de grond rond de potten. Toen ik ging opzoeken waar dit aan lag, kwam ik er al gauw achter dat de natte weersomstandigheden er de oorzaak van zijn. 

Maar de rozen gaven niet op en ik evenmin. Ik trotseerde de regen en probeerde de goed uitziende en in regendruppels gehulde bloemen vast te leggen.  

This is the first Acropolis rose flower trying to bloom but it still hasn't opened up completely by now.

Dit is de eerste bloem van de Acropolis roos die zal bloeien maar intussen is die nog altijd niet helemaal opengebloeid.

Here's Rhapsody in blue in the rain.

Love that colour!

Hier is Rhapsody in blue in de regen.

Prachtige kleur vind ik dit!

From all the roses I have, this rose endures the rain the best. It's Leersum 700.

Van alle rozen in mijn pottentuin verdraagt deze roos Leersum 700 het beste de regen.

Also 'Leersum 700'

This rose lost most of its rosebuds and is probably

the least rain enduring rose in my collection of roses.

It is such a beauty though. The roses aren't that big

but the red is amazing. 

It's called 'Rotkäppchen', 

 'Little red riding hood' if you'd translate that in English.

Deze roos verloor de meeste van haar knoppen

en kan blijkbaar van alle rozen die er staan het minst goed tegen regen .

Maar zo'n mooi roosje. De bloemen zijn niet zo heel groot

maar die intens rode kleur is echt ongelooflijk.

Haar naam is 'Rotkäppchen', of 'Roodkapje' dus.

'Marie Curie' 

Another small rose, called 'Bailando'.

Nog een kleinere soort rozen, 'Bailando' genoemd.

'Bailando'

'Schneewittchen'

'Nostalgie'

I thought this was a sturdy rose but my experience is it doesn't take wet conditions

as well as other roses I have. Not the best rose for a container maybe.

'Nostalgie'

Ik dacht dat het een sterke roos was maar het is zeker niet de makkelijkste roos in mijn collectie.

Misschien is ze wel minder geschikt om in pot te staan.

Whether in rain or sunshine, the colour of this rose stays amazing.

This is 'Munstead wood'.

Regen of zon, de kleur van deze roos blijft ongelooflijk.

Dit is 'Munstead wood'.

Last but not least, a newcomer in my container rose garden,

this is 'Lavender ice'. First time it's blooming.

Dit is een nieuwkomer in mijn rozenpottentuin.

 'Lavender ice', bloeit voor het eerst.

Also 'Lavender ice'.

It lost a lot of rosebuds as well so I'm really glad it is blooming afterall.

Ook 'Lavender ice'.

Deze roos verloor ook veel knoppen en ik ben dan ook heel blij met deze bloemen.

Other flowers don't mind the rain as much as they do the wind.

I had to provide support for my white Echinacea in a container.

I've had it for years and it's been

part of my header for more than a year now.
Somehow pink Echinacea are never a success.

Andere bloemen hebben dan weer meer last van de wind dan van de regen

zoals deze witte echinacea die ik van steun moest voorzien 

 in de pot waar hij in staat. Ik heb de plant al jaren en

het zijn al meer dan een jaar de bloemen van mijn header.
Op de een of andere manier is de roze variant nooit een succes.

And look at these little crabapples, starting to show some colour.

First sign Autumn is on its way? Or is it here already?

This weekend should be beautiful weatherwise. 

Let's hope august brings us back summer.

I wish you all a lovely weekend!

En zie deze sierappeltjes eens. Ze beginnen al een kleurtje te krijgen.

Eerste teken dat de herfst in aantocht is? Of is die er al?

In elk geval belooft het mooi weer te worden dit weekend.

Hopelijk brengt augustus ons de zomer terug.

Fijn weekend iedereen! 

Marian

More of Monet's garden

This time I'd like to show you some more or less close-ups I took of some flowers. 

Meer van de tuin van Monet. 

Dit keer wil ik jullie graag enkele min of meer close-ups van bloemen tonen die we er zagen.

 

Let's start with this gorgeous SUNFLOWER.

Beginnen doen we met deze prachtige ZONNEBLOEM.

A beautiful YELLOW Dahlia hugging a Zinnia.

Een mooie GELE Dahlia knuffelt hier een Zinnia.

MORE Zinnia's.

MEER Zinnia's.

In a MIX of colours.

In een MIX van kleuren.

A mix of COLOURS all through the garden.

Most poppies had faded.

Een mix van KLEUREN door de hele tuin.

De meeste Poppies waren uitgebloeid.

But here and there there was one BLOOMING still.

Maar hier en daar BLOEIDE er toch nog een.

Looking at these I heard some American visitors in the garden yell,

'CALIFORNIA POPPIES!!!' So that's their name in English I thought ;)

If you translate their common name in Dutch into English, 

you'd have 'Elf night caps'. That's how we call them.

From the comment by Sheri(red rose alley)on my last post, also about poppies, 

but the common red ones we find here in Flanders, 

I now know this California Poppy is even the state flower of California.

Somehow, I'm seeing a lot of poppies this summer. 

Never too much poppies for me though, love them all.

Lieve SLAAPMUTSJES, 'California Poppies' in het Engels.

Het is ook de staatsbloem van de staat Californië weet ik intussen.

 

AND another Poppy.

EN nog een Poppy.

PINK Dahlia.

ROZE Dahlia.

I absolutely LOVED this Dahlia!!!

Pity I don't know how it's called.

I'm still waiting for the first Dahlia to bloom

in our own garden (container garden in fact) this year.

Wat vond ik dit een PRACHTIGE Dahlia!!!

Jammer dat ik niet weet welke soort dit is.

En dan te bedenken dat het in eigen tuin(pottentuin weliswaar)

nog steeds wachten is op de eerste Dahlia in bloei.

 

Beautifully COMBINED with other pinks.

Mooi GECOMBINEERD met andere bloemen in roze tinten.

PHLOX and faded Alliums.

PHLOX en uitgebloeide Sierui.

Really loved this little flower, KNAUTIA I think?

Dit vond ik een heel mooi klein bloemetje. KNAUTIA denk ik?

A beautiful VIEW.

Wonder what those Blue flowers are?

Mooi ZICHT.

Ik vraag me af wat die blauwe bloemen precies zijn?

Dahlia's in different SHAPES and colours were scattered all over the garden.

Dahlia's in verschillende VORMEN en kleuren overal in de tuin.

 

AGAPANTHUS in the water garden.

AGAPANTHUS in de watertuin.

Lovely DAYLILY, also in the water garden.

Mooie DAGLELIE, ook in de watertuin.

DAINTY Daisies.

LIEVE Madeliefjes.

A butterfly on LAVENDER.

Een vlinder op de LAVENDEL.

Same Lavender, different POINT OF VIEW.

Dezelfde Lavendel, van een ANDERE KANT bekeken.

This concludes this second post about Monet's garden.

Happy to share it with you.

Really hope you enjoyed it.
If you have missed my first post about Monet's garden,
you can find it here.

Dit is het dan voor deze tweede post over de tuin van Monet.

Blij om het met jullie te delen.

Hoop dat jullie ervan konden genieten.
Mocht je mijn eerste post over de tuin van Monet gemist hebben,
die kan je hier vinden.

Marian