Such Cute Calendula

 In early May I sowed Calendula seeds directly into the ground in raised flower beds. It was cold and the seeds remained in the ground until mid-May. 

 

 

As soon as it became warm and even hot, young shoots quickly began to grow. But I had to plant them in other places in the flower bed because they grew very densely.

Since mid-July, bright spots of orange, yellow, pale and brown have graced my raised flower beds. They go well with lilies, delphiniums, sedums, carnations, geraniums.

Calendula which common name is pot marigold, is native to Asia and southern Europe and has been traditionally used in medicine. It belongs to the same family as daisies, chrysanthemums, ragweed.

In September, after the Calendula blooms, I will definitely collect the seeds so I won't buy seeds next spring.

Now a natural medicine from Calendula is sold in a pharmacy:

Outwardly, an infusion of pot marigold flowers is used for rinsing as an anti-inflammatory and antiseptic agent for inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity. 

Do you grow Calendula or do you use medicine made from it?  

 

 

Now I'm learning to paint birds:

 

 

Here is my new video of my watercolors painted in summer:

 

Delphinium & Veggies

Hello, summer is here, all plants are in their best form, blooming and growing, and the first harvest will be soon. Today I want to tell you and show what I do and what blooms in the garden.

We have frequent thunderstorms, it is warm, sometimes even hot, but after a thunderstorm the temperature drops and becomes cool. 

Delphiniums bloom in raised flower beds and near the pond. Surprisingly, I have been trying to grow this flower from seeds for so many years, but without success. Once, when I had already lost hope of having it in my garden, a gardener friend gave me a delphinium stem with fresh seed pods.

I wrapped the Delphinium stem with fresh seed in newspaper and put it in the greenhouse to dry. 

In September, I opened the package and saw that large quantities of dry seeds were poured into the paper. I divided them into 2 parts, then sowed one part of seeds in a pot and left to winter in the greenhouse.  I packed the other part of Delphinium seeds in paper, signed and took them to the city.

 

To my surprise, the delphinium seeds sown in a pot and left for the winter in the greenhouse sprouted perfectly in the spring and I transplanted them into a flower bed. 

In May I sowed the seeds brought from the city directly into the soil and they all sprouted. Now I have perennial delphiniums growing in different parts of the garden. It's also amazing that they are different colors!

 

Maybe some of you know why this happened?

Vegetables are growing well in the greenhouse. I planted tomatoes and peppers in a raised bed to make it easier to care for them. Tomatoes should be inspected frequently, remove growths, shorten long leaves, and when the fruits become heavy, they should be tied up.

 

 

Cucumbers also need to be twisted around the rope so that they grow up, to water a lot and often, collect ready cucumbers so that they do not retard the growth of the rest. I make pickles in jars and just love fresh cucumbers for breakfast and with lettuce and sour cream.

 

'konny'

'red giant'

I wish you warm weather, rains, successful gardening. Hugs!

David Austin Roses

Growing up in the Shropshire countryside, David Austin developed a passion for plants from a very young age. After being encouraged by his teacher, he decided to pursue his new found passion.

 

 

David decided to take up rose growing as a hobby, ordering his first few plants when he was in his early twenties.  He decided to order a few varieties to compare the Old roses and Hybrid Teas. In a moment of insight, he realized that he had the opportunity to create something completely new - a rose with the beauty and fragrance of his favorite old roses, but with the benefits of modern roses.

 

 

With time and extraordinary dedication, David created his first rose, ‘Constance Spry’ (Ausfirst), in 1961. Nurseries refused to stock them. So David decided to ignore his detractors and sell his roses to the public himself, using his own kitchen table in Shropshire as his distribution center.

 

By 1969 David had launched his first range of repeat-flowering ‘English Roses’, the name he coined for his ground-breaking varieties that fused the old with the new. 

 

 
The early years were quite a struggle. However, with the support of his wife Pat, combined with the unique combination of attributes his roses had to offer, the English Roses grew in popularity.
In 1983 the response from the press, as well as the general public, to Rosa ‘Graham Thomas’ (Ausmas) was overwhelming . The fledgling rose garden, now considered one of the most beautiful rose gardens in the world, increased in size.

 

Over 30 years of exhibiting at RHS Chelsea and RHS Hampton Court Palace, have together, resulted in 43 gold medals to date.

 “Every day, I marvel at my good fortune to have been able to make a life out of breeding roses. My greatest satisfaction is to see the pleasure my roses give to gardeners and rose lovers around the world,” said 

David C. H. Austin OBE (1926 - 2018) 

 

Thank you for reading this text to the end. I really love Austin roses and took pictures of them to show that they grow in my garden as well. 

Did you know about David Austin? Have you seen his roses?  Do you grow them in your place? 

 

My video RHS Wisley garden: