Thursday 14 June 2007

AFTER THE STORM

What a storm we had yesterday evening; thunder, lightning and really heavy rain. I was even off the Internet for a while; thank goodness the TV didn't go off...I would have missed the final of The Apprentice! It was really humid though and I left the kitchen door open to let in some fresh air as the heavy rain meant I had to shut every window in the house. It was quite a shock when I went to make myself a coffee....some of our frog population had come in to keep dry!!! I spent about an hour trying to shoo the frogs out of the kitchen...of course they all tried to hide behind the washing machine and fridge...I thought I'd have to search in the Yellow Pages for a Frog Herding company! This little fellow decided to have a stand off with the brass frog doorstop..... The garden was full of snails this morning...speaking of which.....one of my Canna leaves look like it has bullet holes in it.....no doubt a slug or snail had a nibble when the leaf was still in bud...those little nibbles turn into whacking great holes as the leaf grows..........
I was pleased to see our Oriental Poppy is blooming...the flowers are so big......
and I love the chocolate brown splodges in the centre.
This Oxalis has started flowering too......such a pretty colour.....we've had this for years now and the clump is expanding nicely without becoming a nuisance......
the new Oxalis Triangularis I planted a last week are starting to come through now...I love the colour of the leaves................I have quite a few small pots of them growing so shall be able to try them in various areas of the garden to see where they do best.Couldn't resist snapping another picture of this Geranium......
the Candytuft is really blooming well.....this year most of them seem to be lilac.......

this Bidens is a different flower form to the usual one I have....I like the little tufts of petal in the centre...it was a "freebie" gift ....I like "freebies"...
The first of the Callas is starting to come into flower......I like the speckled leaves....
the Campanula at the back of the rockery is romping away......I cut this back hard after the first mass of flowers or it swamps everything else out....it soon comes back again.....

The Blogger's Paradise Blogalong theme for this month is My Favourite Recipe.......I've decided to opt for a cake...but we have so many favourites it's hard to choose...some I've already printed before on my Please Read blog so I don't want to do them again.....I've decided go with my Strawberry Crunch Cake....I'll print it up tomorrow so "Dieter's Beware!"



11 comments:

Akelamalu said...

That was some storm last night. The grass is BRIGHT green today but my peonies are almost on the ground - battered! :(

Love the photos.

Jeanette said...

Hi Ruth love the White poppybut I cant believe your growing Oxalis. Its a noxious weed here soon as we get cooler weather up it pops pulled a bucket full up yesterday and straight into a bag and into rubbish bin..Anasty weed many people use spray on it.

talj said...

Everything is looking so lovely! Sorry to read about all the snails and 'stuff'! We have drizzle and not much else outside today...pretty boring! Hope things clear up for you soon :o)

RUTH said...

My poor peonies took a battering too, Akelamula, I've ended up cutting some and bringing them in as cut flowers.
Jeanette; we do have varieties of Oxalis that we would class as weeds but the ones I have are actually sold in garden centres...I guess our colder weather prevents them from becoming too rampant.
Talj better weather today again but the forecast is for more rain.

Jean said...

All your pictures are beautiful. The color of the calla is gorgeous. Thanks for the tour of your garden.

B.T.Bear (esq.) said...

Thank goodness the thunder didn't come down this far! I hate it! Brrr...!

We don't know where the nearest pond is, but we get frogs and newts. Usually only 2 frogs (under the birdbath) but in the rain they all come out of hiding. The record is 18. In the rain last night, we counted 9. All different colours, patterns and sizes.

:@}

Nicole said...

You have the biggest variety of plants in a back garden than anyone I know!

Shaz said...

Yup, we shared that storm too but thankfully our new garden arrival (Mr Amos the Frog) stayed outdoors. I know snails aren't a good thing in a garden but those holes look good to me! Your blooms are marvellous. I just wished I had your tallent, one day maybe x x x

A wildlife gardener said...

I loved the garden walk of the 12th June...what a paradise you have, Ruth! So many plants growing cheek by jowl, all jostling for space,each one valued and treasured for its own individuality, giving continuing colour and fragrance throughout the season.

Your oxalis plants are a very pretty colour too. i grow the triangular one indoors and never fail to marvel at how it sends out new leaves and pretty flowers all summer.

Whyite said...

Maybe you wern't speaking the frog's language.

I used to have some Oxalis in a pot. Would like to see if I can find some more. I love the red kind.

CG said...

I'm speechless; every flower is more lovely than the last. I especially like the callas, the poppy and that lovely geranium. xxx

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