Sunday 1 August 2010

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.......

I always add fuschia to my borders, they are good gap fillers. In all truth I am not a lover of them, but they do very well here.
'Annabel' is a favourite, as you all know, I love white blooms.

also this tiny bloom. Fully hardy in my garden, I cannot remember the name of this fuschia and couldn't capture the lovely pale green tinge at the end of the petals......
I love this bloom. Seeds sent from Beckie and Rose........I have lost the seed packet (that is fairly normal here). I believe it is a glory vine, something sunset, it I remember rightly. Help me out here someone!!!! I shall definately be collecting seeds, I just love the colours........
Gayfeather, an annual here. I shall not be planting again, but couldn't resist trying these beautiful prairie plants.
I really have a passion for Echinacea 'white swan'........I adore the blooms. I planted ten during the spring, sadly, only one survived. I shall not plant them again, but this solitary plant will get all my love and attention. I want her here next year........
Sweet peas, who does not love the perfume this beautiful plant releases. It's fragrance travels on the breeze, taking me back to my father's garden and warm summer days.
Stokes Aster loves my heavy soil and flowers beautifully. I cannot imagine my garden without them.

Don't ask me how this tiger lily survives here but it does. Kept on the patio in a tub, the sheltered position obviously suits her.
Hope you all had a pleasant weekend.............


24 comments:

  1. Love all your plants. Gayfeather is perennial here, but not fuchsias... Isn't it funny how we sometimes plant things we are not super wild about, just because they fill a certain need so well? :) Or we get them from friends, or... :)

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  2. Cheryl, your fuschia are gorgeous! Thet don't do well for me, though. I shall have to get with Rose to see if we can remember the name of the seed we sent. Very pretty, but I am sure part of that is do to your loving care. I am sorry you lost so many of the White Swan, but maybe she will reseed herself. Sweet peas are a reminder of my grandmother's flowers for me. I finally have a healthy stand of them. I do need to fix them a better structure to climb on,though.

    We are in a dry spell here as well and one can really tell what does well without watering. Most of my gardens are holding their own, thankfully, but especially the natives. I have noticed some sun burn on some of the plants. That is something I haven't seen in years. They remind me to put on sunscreen. :) Hope you are having a lovely weekend, too.

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  3. Hi Monica.....I really don't know why we plant things we are not too keen on. Each year I think, I won't plant fuschia this year. Then I visit the garden centre, and they end up coming home. Most of them are hardy fuschia, so I most definately won't be buying them next year!!!

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  4. Hi Beckie....the vine is lovely, it is scrambling up the obelisks with the sweet peas....they look lovely together. I shall hunt through my books tomorrow and find out the name.....

    White swan is really lovely......the flowers are huge, and I love the colour. I hope the plant does re-seed, that would be wonderful. I have my doubts though. Originating from the prairie, my wet winter garden, will not suit them at all.......

    My weekend has been lovely tku......you?

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  5. I like fuschias. I have some in my kitchen windowbox. They aren't getting enough sun there though. They aren't blooming very well. They have grown a little. It was an experiment planting them there. That window doesn't get much sun. The caladiums do well there. I will go back to my old standby the fern here next year. All of your blooms are so pretty. My sweet peas burned up in the heat and humidity. I don't think they got enough sun either. Sigh~~ Maybe next year I will have a new place for some. I hope you had a good weekend too.
    I have had a much needed restful weekend.

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  6. I really like the white fuchsia that you have forgot the name....so crisp and pure looking!!
    I like Echinacea...but I have only one pink on left..the Japaneese beetles just love the petals so I decided not to do anymore!!
    I do remember so well Sweet peas and there scent as a child...very one seem to have a sweet pea fence just hanging with a rainbow of colors that as a child seemed to reach the sky!!! : }

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  7. Dear Cheryl,
    l can smell the sweet perfumes all the way to my house! Oh my, your garden is a delight. So beautiful and full of lovely booms.
    I spent a little bit of time in my butterfly garden this evening. It is so humid here. I wanted to dead head some blooms so that the butterfly bush will re-bloom. The butterflies will need nectar in September! I have lots of deciding to do for next year's gardens too. More and more I will be planting native. Even my annuals. The bugs seem to love the native plants the best.
    Gardening for the bugs means I want to see eaten leaves!
    Always a delight to see your gardens.
    Have a wonderful week. Happy August!
    Sherry

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  8. You've captured the light on your stokes aster so well! Always a challenge, I find. My gardens have not done well this year. I think they miss David's energy.

    Your sweet pea looks delicious! I love the fragrance and delicate beauty.
    Happy August (oops I stole Sherry's comment)

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  9. Every photo was exquisite - you truly have a magical garden! We can only dream of fuchsias here - it's just way too hot and dry! Thanks for the respite!

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  10. Glad you were able to rest at the weekend Lisa. I love ferns and caladiums.....a lovely combination. Do you plant them together??

    Sweet peas thrive here.....they are in sun for most of the day but in shade around midday....seems to work.

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  11. Dear Cheryl, thank you for your faithfulness in visiting my blog when I was on holiday and when I was busy with my family, for when they come to stay, my whole world revolves around them and everything else gets left to its own devices :)

    I have read all 14 of the posts on this beautiful new site. I love the new layout and the way you are displaying your fantastic photos...each worthy of praise :)

    It was a joy to see little Poppi and her amazing sunflower, which epitomises her joy...sunny-natured, like you, I am sure :)

    Your garden is full of butterflies, bees, insects and birds because of all your nectar borders and your careful choice of plants...even the bunnies approve... :)

    ...and how about the duckling's visit to your pond? ...he knows a good place to swim and sunbathe...

    I love fleabane, nightshade and the other wildflowers you are introducing to your garden. That's what I have done over the years to make my garden feel more natural to the wildlife.

    I wish everyone could experience the therapy a garden gives; the peace and solitude it offers; the 'at-one' with nature;the blowing away of the cobwebs; the feeling that all will be well in the end...the intense joy it affords. I feel all that each time I pay you a visit :)

    Thanks for all your share, dear Cheryl :)

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  12. Oh dear, Cheryl, I wish I could tell you the name of that vine, but I have no idea either. It doesn't look like a morning glory, but I can't think of another alternative. Beautiful photos, as always; your observations are a good reminder that what works well in one garden doesn't always work in another. Fuschias are annuals here, and are available only as hanging plants usually. Coneflowers here, though, are another story as you know. If all our gardens were the same, though, it wouldn't be nearly as interesting!

    My weekend was actually pretty crummy (stomach flu), so I'm looking forward to a much better week ahead. As Beckie said, we could use some rain here; only the tough plants are surviving without extra watering.

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  13. Hi Grammie....I think everyone loves sweet peas......I tend to go for the paler blooms, but think next year I may add more colour to the borders.......

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  14. Dear Sherry.....there is nothing better than eaten leaves. I have been a little disappointed this year....many plants have been left. Perhaps next year will be better......

    Gardens are always changing....I am always thinking about the next project and how it can help wildlife.....

    Happy August, have a peaceful week..

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  15. Beautiful! I can't imagine why liatris is an annual there. It is very dependable here in our brutally cold winters. Maybe it gets too much water during your winters. Wet feet in winter kill a lot of prairie plants.
    Marnie

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  16. Hi Wendy......the stokes aster was more lucky than skill. I wish I could say differently but.........

    I understand.....gardens can change, circumstances can affect them I am sure. The garden will return.......

    Happy August, to you my friend. I know this time must be so difficult but always wish you the very best.

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  17. Hi Marnie.....that is most definately the reason. The water table is high here.....my winter garden is very soggy, to say the least.......

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  18. I love fuschias so much. Once again, it's what you can't grow that you wish for. I live in Oklahoma where we have fried fuschias if we even try, and I have tried.

    Yours are beautiful.~~Dee

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  19. Hi Cheryl,

    Those first few fuchsia look very similar to some I had a few years ago which I've gradually got rid of - I don't like the 'blousey' types either but I do love the more delicate one - I assume it's a shrub fuchsia?

    I also love the 'white swan' Echinacea, very nice!

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  20. The fuchias are beautiful--especially the white. I haven't seen too many around here, I am thinking it gets too hot. We have had triple digit temperatures for the last several days. We can't complain though (too much), this time last year, we had survived 40-45 consecutive days of temperatures in the 100's. The sweet peas are too delicate for our severe summers. But my! Your photos are like a breath of fresh air. To see such lovely delicate blooms is very soothing to this overheated soul!

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  21. Hi Liz....the small white is a shrub fuschia......this is its first year. I really like it, the blooms are fragile, and I like the tinge of green.....

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  22. Hi Jenny.....I do not think that fushcia would survive the heat of your summer. Gosh, your temperatures are high. I do not think that I would survive those temperatures. Way too hot for me.

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  23. woohoo LOL I'm down here now. I just couldn't stop reading. The pictures are so beautiful !
    You don't like fushia's? I just love them. The red pop of color and the way they are shaped. I could have them back home in the midwest and always had a plant sitting in a hollowed out tree in my back yard. I miss it. I can't have them here, they would never survive this heat.
    Have a wonderful week !

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