Book Review: "Vertical Gardening"

Five years ago I was given a book to my birthday, it was "Vertical Gardening" by Lydia Uleysky.  The years passed  I often read this book, because the author tells and shows interesting ideas, sharing her experience in garden  landscape.

The author Lydia writes on creepers she sorts through all their varieties and gives ideas of the most common of them. Indeed, creepers are indispensable in vertical gardening; they help to increase green areas especially in small gardens.
For inexperienced gardeners Lydia advises to start with ordinary bindweed, decorative beans or Parthenocissus. She talks that people in southern  Russia often decorated verandas, high walls of houses with colorful clematis, wisteria, climbing roses, Amur grape.
Of course, I now rely on my gardening experience in the past 5 years. Some plants such as wisteria or Amur grapes will not grow in my climate. I'm acquainted with a variety and features of climbing plants I could explore in my garden for example Caprifole honeysuckle that might hang upside down and to decorate the walls of my summer cottage.

 

Here are projects of trellises and gazebo 

The author Lydia tells about wooden and iron grids, pyramids, romantic arches, trellises, they might be decorated with clematis, parthenotsissy, ipomoea as well. I have arches and trellises in my garden too, they divide garden into different areas. So I could select a cozy area near my pond and close the compost boxes with nice green plants. 
The book also tells about tools to combat the invasion of pests, about the methods of reproduction, watering and fertilizing of favorite plants in containers and tubes.

My birthday gift today is a book (I hope) 'The easy care garden expert', one of the series by Dr. D.G. Hessayon. I'll see it at the evening, when my family congratulate me, later I will show you.

Do you have a book you've read many times? What are you interested in gardening books?

Wordless Wednesday: Snowy Winter

Orthodox Christmas

Icon 'Christmas'

Orthodox Christmas is January 7th. Traditionally, I spend this day in my garden. Yesterday after breakfast, I went there. Beside the tradition, I wanted to take a look at the plants covered with snow, at the nature in January, since this was my first visit in the New 2019.
There the sun was low, the garden was quiet, snow covered all plants and paths.

the apple tree

 the trellis

Garden trellises were bared and snowbound. The pines-niwaki were also whitened and their thin branches were bent under the weight of snow. I shoveled the patio, the path to the gazebo and put sunflower seeds in the bird feeder hung there. I wanted to decorate a pretty little spruce for Christmas... now take a look, what the snowfall has made. Poor thing! it was spirally covered with snow and its head wasn't seen under a lot of it.

the little spruce

It was frosty enough outside and inside the cottage. The days are short now and It was already 3pm. Although the sky was still bright the sunset has begun and I needed to go back to the city as it was quickly getting dark.
At home I was glad to see the Christmas tree and the set-out: meat, veggies, green salad, the cake 'Pancho' (biscuit, whipped cream, nuts, chocolate), red wine. Sitting at the table my family and I enjoyed Christmas dinner.

 Cake 'Pancho', my favorite

Merry Christmas to everyone who is celebrating now!

Happy New Year!

С Новым Годом!

Traditionally in Russia people purchase gifts to put them under the spruce to relatives and friends at the New year eve.
Therefore, before the New Year night especially in the last days until December 31, you can find many decorations, toys, sweets and gifts in shopping centers. Buying presents to my family is very pleasantly.

The next day after I purchased gifts for my loved ones I went to my garden as I needed to clean there since snowfall was every day all previous week. The weather was cloudy, light snow and temperature was about -1 C(30F).
I show you photos of the woods around the garden and of my little pines with snow those I cleared and decorated.

Coming back to the city I dropped into a garden center where I enjoyed flowers. I especially liked yellow roses and red begonia. I decided to buy this begonia so it will grow inside in winter and I'll transport it into the garden in spring. 

Happy New 2019 year! The best wishes from Santa and me !