The weather is as glorious as ever, and the early morning sun picked out the true colours of the nasturtiums, though I have them tumbling out of pots all over the garden, these stripey ones do catch the eye. Our garden is small, and flowers are mostly grown in pots as well as the tomatoes, courgettes and beans, all fruiting well, the advantage of pots is of course you can move them around and replant as wanted. This year I used lobelia's vibrant blue to go with the red of geraniums, also using the pretty multi-coloured lobelias to go with pink verbenas.
But their colours remind me of John Piper's paintings, something you have to get used to, and probably I would'nt buy a print (could'nt afford them of course) for the house but in the latter part of his very prolific and creative life he painted the flowers in his garden at Fawley Cottage. He also had a small cottage in Wales, further up north then Pembrokeshire, but he obviously visited round Solva and Middle Mill for he painted a picture of it. Now he has hardly done it justice, for this area is my most favourite place on earth, the river winding its way through the little crop of houses, the small arched bridge and the quarry's tumbling rocks. I have walked alround this area, staying at a cottage in King's Heriot with I'm sure a barrow in the garden, the lane up to Whitland's church, and the small 19th century tumbling brick well now hidden deep in woodland with a what looks like an abandoned settlement site, or even a hillfort if I remember. We had thought of moving here, but at the moment the family being in Whitby dictates the choice, but we will be visiting in a couple of weeks time down to Solva, and seeing Bovey Belle on the way back tucked away in the hills, so I shall be looking forward to all that...
A blog on Middle Mill
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| Streaked orange and yellow of the nasturtium |
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| John Piper's Middle Mill |
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| The same nasturtiums, what cannot be seen are the earwigs and blackfly (that the ants so lovingly tender) |
http://northstoke.blogspot.com/2010/08/middle-mill.html
I love nasturtiums, the first year we were here I grew them but have had no luck since, maybe I'll try them in a pot. Yours are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteNasturtiams are a favorite, especially the trailing Empress of India with the dark flowers and blue-green leaves. I also like "Alaska" with its variegated foliage. Nasturtiums didn't flourish here last summer [our first in the area] and since we have a similar climate to Mac and Janet I'm wondering if its simply too hot and humid for them.
ReplyDeleteI do remember that they are magnets for a variety of nasty little bugs!
Hello to you both, my nasturtiums also have nasty little bugs, blackfly to be precise, 'milked' by the ants who carefully plant them on new growth.But it could be that it is too hot and humid in America, think they like dry hot weather and poor soil...
ReplyDeleteI have always grown Nasturtiums, and my mum before me, and love to get different colours if I can. I have some Strawberries and Cream in pots with Geraniums this year, and they look like sherbert sweeties!
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to showing them to you in person soon!