Beautiful Blogger Award

I was nominated by Rosemary ‘Tales from my garden’  

http://talesfrommygarden.blogspot.com

 Thank you, Rosemary!

And now I have to write 7 things about myself, nominate other beautiful bloggers and write them congratulation.

7 things about myself:

1.    I love to embroider

2.    My favorite holiday is Christmas

3.    I love theater

4.    I have no pets but I love cats

5.    My favorite season is summer

6.    I’m fond of swimming and hiking

7.    My dream is my garden would be paradise for me

I think the following blogs deserve to be nominated  on ‘Beautiful Blogger Award’:

1. Tracey, // Breathing English Air             http://breathingenglishair.blogspot.com/

2. The Outlaw Gardener                            http://outlawgarden.blogspot.com/

3. Grace,    Gardening with Grace               http://gracepete.blogspot.com/

4. Karen,     A Rose Journal                          http://karen-agardenerslife.blogspot.com/

5. Satu,      Satu’s Blog                               http://satumaistaeloa.blogspot.com/

6. Laurrie,  My weeds are very sorry         http://laurries.blogspot.com/

7. Michelle, The Sage Butterfly                  http://thesagebutterfly.blogspot.com/

8. Garden Girl                                              http://gardengirl-lintys.blogspot.ru/

9. Astrid,     Astrid's Garden Design              http://astridsgardendesign.blogspot.com/

10. A Wondering Star                                   http://kjaertogkjent.blogspot.ru/

11. Giga,    My piece of nature and adventure 

 http://gigawszystkooogrodnictwie.blogspot.com/

Congratulation !!!

Autumn in Downtown

The weather has been enough warm this week, although the night temps were 0 C. I decided to go for a walk in the downtown, to take autumn pictures of my favorite places in the gardens.

The Summer Garden is the oldest one in Saint Petersburg, designed in the regular style. I love to spend time here in all seasons. It is situated on the bank of the river Neva and is famous for its cast iron grille and marble sculptures. 

I always liked to watch the garden sculptures, like this ‘Flora’. 

The second one is Michael Garden. It was created as a landscaped park.The trees grown in the downtown are the English oak, Norway maple, Green ash, Silver birch, Siberian larch, Blue spruce, Crack willow, Limes and Poplars.

The garden takes its name from the Michael Palace, better known to visitors as the Russian Art Museum.

 There is a small pavilion in a corner of the Garden, on the bank of the Moika River. I saw an artist here, it’s really lovely place! 

Through the big old trees the Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood is seen. I enjoyed watching its mosaic walls and domes.

One entrance to the Michael Garden is located opposite this Church. Forged grille separates the Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood from the Michael Garden. It’s very interesting iron grill; I think there are the iron tulips on it. Am I right?

Small and Tasty Fruit

I grow Kolomikta vine (Actinidia kolomikta) with unusual, variegated leaves, splashed with pink and white. 

I love its ornamental, twining branches. 

This year I’ve taken Aktinidia photos from April to October. Here they are.

Kolomikta vine blooms in May - June with small flowers; their fragrance similar to that of lily-of-the-valley.

During the flowering its leaves turn pink-white color, and I think that a plant is happy

Then in August light green fruits appear, they are small, up to 2 cm long. They are edible.

If some of these nice fruits stay on branches till Fall they become yellow-green as they ask ‘eat me, please’

People say the cats are attracted to Kolomikta more than, catmint (Nepeta), and can damage the vine.

Note by Kew Royal Botanic Gardens:
   Actinidia kolomikta was described as a new species in 1856 by the Russian botanist Carl Johann Maximowicz (1827-1891) from specimens he collected in the northern Amur River valley in Manchuria. The specific epithet derives from the local name for the plant – ‘kolomikta’ or ‘kotomikta’. 
   It was introduced to Great Britain by Charles Maries (1851-1902), an English plantsman who travelled through China and Japan. However, the climber was already known and grown in France and the United States by then. 
   Actinidia kolomikta is related to the Chinese gooseberry, the fruits of which are grown commercially in New Zealand and marketed as kiwi fruits. In Russia in particular, the smaller, edible fruits of A. kolomikta are also popular, but both male and female plants are needed for pollination and the production of fruit.
  http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Actinidia-kolomikta.htm