How to go Veggie? Click this link

Want to go veggie banner

Monday, January 4, 2010

Dream on!


Today the first seed catalogue of 2010 popped into our mailbox. It was lovely to browse through it with a nice cup of tea while outside the UK is still blanketed in snow. It set me off daydreaming about plants I'd like to grow this gardening season. Here are some of them.




(photograph courtesy of Unwin Seeds)

This is Sweet Pea 'Oxford Blue'. Last Summer we grew Sweet Peas, as we do most years, but there were no blue ones amongst them. They were all varying shades of pink. Hopefully this year I'll be able to enjoy the exquisite scent. My sense of smell was just returning at the end of last year after losing it because of a chest infection. Sweet Peas are remarkable flowers. For the cost of a packet of seeds they're easy to germinate and will produce fantastic flowers all Summer long. They look beautiful in the garden, are good cut flowers and most of them are scented. You can't get much better value than that!




(photograph courtesy of The Telegraph Newspaper)

I've been talking for a few years now about making a 'green roof' so maybe this is the year to go ahead. A green roof consists of sedums, small succulent plants that are able to grow in inhospitable conditions...... like on a roof! :O) There are all sorts of reasons why people want to grow this feature...... retaining heat, sound insulation, a habitat for wildlife and simply because it looks pretty and makes a good talking point. We have two old sheds at the bottom of the garden which would benefit from a sedum garden and, after having read this article, there are many other exciting and novelty ideas to consider.




(photo courtesy of Marketworks.com)



I've always enjoyed dried figs but tasted fresh ones for the first time last Summer when our local fruit & veg man got some in..... he's getting very adventurous, bless his little cotton socks! I loved the fresh ones and was very surprised to learn that they can be grown in the UK, in a sunny spot. So I'm going to get a couple of plants to grow on our patio which gets the full blast of the Sun throughout the Summer.




(photograph courtesy of Thompson & Morgan Seeds)


This is Runner Bean 'Painted Lady'. Last Summer we grew 'Scarlet Emperer'. They did well and produced a heavy harvest of beans right up until the first frosts. We've grown painted lady in the past and I'd like to grow them again because their two-tone flowers of orange and white are so pretty. I'd also like to try Runner Bean 'White Lady' whose flowers are......... erm, white.




(what.....edited? as if!)

Now this is one flower I would LOVE to be the first to grow. Unfortunately my knowledge of plant breeding is minimal, but if I could come up with a yellow fuchsia then there would be no need to buy my weekly lottery ticket ever again! Ah well, like I said...... I was only daydreaming. :)


10 comments:

  1. You've gone and made me long for the Spring-time and it's only January 4th!

    Well, I will just have to settle for looking at catalogs and your photos to see me through winter.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lol Mr.B. The bulbs are already poking their way through the soil in the garden.... Spring is just round the corner.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ahh colour in January Lesley! And to think that this time last year I was seeing daffodils all over the place!
    As for all this snow..well makes for some nice photographs!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Gf. :) Not so much snowdrops as big drops of snow! Yes, I've seen lots of good snow pictures on the blogs, but I have never felt so cold in ages. All the previous mild Winters have made me soft!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love the seed catalogs in January! Sadly, I'm not as happy with the weeding in July:)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lol Debbie.... I read your comment late last night when I was very tired and thought you said you weren't happy with the WEDDING. :O) I thought, what have I missed? So I didn't publish your comment then because I was going to go to your blog looking for wedding posts! Anyway, in the bright light of this morning I see you've said 'weeding'. :D

    To save yourself from lots of weeding, you need to plant ground cover. Thank you for the idea for my next post! With lots of ground cover you wont need to weed much at all, if at all. I always leave some weeds to thrive in the garden as they add important minerals to the soil..... and some 'weeds' can be very pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love getting seed catalogues too. The colourful photos and descriptions leave me salivating, and making endless lists of what I could buy.
    I hope you are not too cold with this snow and ice..

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hello David! :) Yes, it's great to browse through the new season's catalogues and it wont be too long before we're sowing seeds full pelt! Hard to believe with all this snow we've been having.

    I'm not cold David..... I'm absolutely bloomin' nithered! :O)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wonderful Lesley! Thanks for the springtime thoughts...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Deedee! :) Growing plants commercially, I know just how quickly Spring comes round...... and it's a cheering thought! :)

    ReplyDelete