I've read that "Cottage Gardens" thrive on organized chaos. That you should layer your plants with tall ones in the back and medium in the middle etc.. I'm afraid my garden is disorganized chaos and although it may have started with tall plants in the back I've never been able to pull out a Foxglove that grew near the front or a Hollyhock likewise. My Spiderwort refuses to stand up properly and my tall bluebells (Campanula persicifolia) pop up in unlikely spots. Incidentally, this year I have more white bluebells than blue.
The article also advised ivy and vines go a little wild. I have Honeysuckle that takes over the nearby Deutzia shrub every year so I'm on the right track there. Here you can see how it's growing up the left side of the Deutzia. We leave it because the hummingbirds love it.
Yesterday was very warm (30C) but today is more reasonable. It's cloudy and just 16C now at 10 o'clock. I think I'll go out and wrap the hoses up because I won't need to do any watering for a while.
In the kitchen...I made a Lemon square. It doesn't look as lovely as the one on the internet but it tastes good and that's the main thing, right? It doesn't require heating the oven so it's great to make on a warm day.
That's about it for today. Thanks for coming by.
Your garden looks so pretty
ReplyDeleteYour garden is lovely! The cake looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteYour garden is lovely, my friend. It's odd that you should mention about having more white bluebells this year than blue ones. It was the same here for us this year.
ReplyDeleteI love your garden! That is my "style" too. When things come up and thrive in a spit I generally leave them be. I found a Facebook group called Chaos Gardeners, and instantly identified!
ReplyDeleteI never heard of the spider one before. Love me some spiders so I'd likely enjoy a plant with that name. Ivy isn't bad either (hehe). LOOOVE lemon everything. Did little lemon pie crust cookies not long ago.
ReplyDeleteYou have some wonderful colours in your garden.
ReplyDeletePleased you enjoyed the lemon square cake.
All the best Jan
I love your garden! Your lemon squares look scrumptious! I love the illustrations as well, the cow made me smile! :)
ReplyDeleteI love a wild garden like you have. It's beautiful!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWould love one of those lemon squares even if it doesn't look perfect! :)
GM, that is exactly the problem I'm having with one area of my garden, that the height of the plants is all over the place. It should have come out better because I thought about that when I planted things, but some pincushion flowers in the middle area needed more sun and got really tall (4.5 feet) looking for it, so if I want to see the clary sage when it blooms I will need to prune back a couple of those pincushion flowers.
ReplyDeleteWell, there is always something new for gardeners and these challenges are my favorite problems to work on solving :-)
I like a garden that does its own thing!
ReplyDeleteCottage gardens might start out "planned", but they don't stay that way. Cottage gardens reseed, like yours does. Plants that are happy thrive, others fade away. Spontaneity is what makes them fun and special.
ReplyDeleteSome plants just like to be a bit wild!
ReplyDeleteYour garden looks wonderful. And as far as spiderwort that is why I have spent years digging it out. I hate how it flops.
ReplyDeleteCathy
Hello Granny Marigold. In my eyes, your garden looks perfect! I love that sense of wild beauty, where everything isn't arranged so neatly that it feels artificial. Your garden makes me feel closer to nature. And I can only imagine how lovely it must be to enjoy a lemon square while taking in that beautiful view.
ReplyDeleteI love unorganized chaos gardens! They bring well-being and are alive. Your garden is beautiful with all its flowers.
ReplyDeleteYour garden is beautiful. It looks just as a garden should look. That lemon square dessert looks so so yummy. That cow photo is jus the cutest.
ReplyDeleteBlessings and love,
Betsy
You have the most beautiful gardens. The white bluebells really shine.
ReplyDeleteOur garden thrives on disorganized chaos too!
ReplyDeleteIt looks beautiful to me
ReplyDeleteOh, you are completely speaking my language! To me, that "disorganized chaos" is exactly what makes a garden feel alive, magical, and full of soul. Honestly, how could anyone possibly pull out a gorgeous Foxglove or a Hollyhock just because it didn't consult the "official" height chart before sprouting? You absolutely did the right thing by letting them stay!
ReplyDeleteThe fact that you have more white peach-leaved bellflowers than blue this year sounds like such a beautiful, happy surprise. And please don't get me started on the Honeysuckle—leaving it to go completely wild over the Deutzia just for the hummingbirds is the most heartwarming thing ever. That is what real gardening is all about, not some rigid magazine rules!
Your Lemon square is the absolute perfect treat for a cozy, cloudy morning after that 30°C heatwave. If it tastes amazing, who cares if it doesn't look like a heavily styled internet picture? Plus, a no-bake recipe is a total lifesaver when the weather gets warm.
Is the Lemon square recipe a new one you tried, or an old favorite you keep coming back to? Sending you a huge hug, and enjoy your peaceful, watering-free day out there!
Your garden is beautiful. I like the rather wild look, too, and my garden is certainly that. I think all the Campanulas shared a message to bloom white this year, for mine are the same.
ReplyDeleteYour garden is lovely. The lemon square looks so delicious.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely to have all that color and shape in your garden…it’s so fun to see and it’s beautiful! Thanks for the nice visit and the charts of plants that take some neglect and keep growing-those are the ones for me! Happy Weekend, Virginia
ReplyDeleteYour garden is beautiful!
ReplyDelete