Friday Flowers Archives - An Eye For Detail

MY NEW FAVORITE PERENNIAL

By Libby|2019-10-03T11:02:48-04:00October 3, 2019|8 McDowell, Friday Flowers, Garden|

My new favorite perennial (for autumn) is:

Look at all that brilliant yellow!
These plants are now about 18″ tall and, knowing I just planted them in April, I am amazed. Most perennials take a year or two really develop, but these have taken off. They are in full sun and receive water from my watering system every other morning for about 45 minutes. We’ve had a very VERY hot and dry summer and they have flourished.

Above, with the Scabiosa Black Knight behind them

Here, looking glorious with the dark red dahlias!

FRIDAY FLOWERS: GROWING DAHLIAS

By Libby|2019-09-04T17:04:36-04:00September 4, 2019|Friday Flowers, Garden|

One of the best garden blogs around is
The Middle-Sized Garden

Yes, it is based in the U.K. so of course discusses gardens over there. But the information is, I have found, so very universal. Plus, I come away with so many new places I want to visit!

Go to the home page and look around. See what you think.

Last week Alexandra did a video chat all about growing dahlias. Listen to how the Brits pronounce this flower: dahlias with the ‘a’ being a long one. Do you like it?
I found this video talk so informative even though I have grown dahlias for years. But watch it until the end: I love the way they discuss companion plants for dahlias. I’ve now started thinking of next spring and making certain I plant some sun loving dahlias right with my cannas. Somehow I never saw those two together before!!

This is the only dahlia I’ve grown this year…sadly. These came to me from many family generations and I do treasure them! I dig up some of the tubers each fall but also leave some in the ground for the winter. In this climate it doesn’t really seem to make a difference (sigh of relief!)

dahlias

FRIDAY FLOWERS: TRIP TO BIG BLOOMERS!

By Libby|2019-08-15T17:36:17-04:00August 15, 2019|Friday Flowers, Shopping|

Unless you are local to this area of North Carolina you probably do not know the name

Big Bloomers

It’s an enormous flower farm, retail garden center, and home of so many plants of all sizes and kinds that it can be totally overwhelming.

But if you ARE local, then you need to get over and down there. Annuals, of which there are thousands (?) are more than half price off. They even have healthy petunias in nice size pots for $2.00. My flowering cannas, Chocolate Sunrise, were $6.95 each.

I didn’t take any pictures while we were there…it was just TOO HOT to do much of anything. I was on a mission to buy plants and DID accomplish that!

All this for $40.00. Pretty pink portulaca for my hot western rock garden. They had been, and are everywhere else, $3.95. Marked down to $1.00. You just can’t beat the prices, and these are all very healthy plants.

I asked how long the sale lasts: until they sell out and then the pansies start.
Yes, pansies!

TRENGWAINTON GARDEN IN CORNWALL

By Libby|2019-06-20T14:11:16-04:00June 20, 2019|Friday Flowers, Garden, Travel|

We’re back from our two week trip to England!
So much to say and show (of course) and so little time. I’ve thought about how to best show all that we did and saw while across the pond. Gardens and gardening are, of course, central to my travel plans so I am starting with this post. We moved around several times which we now realize was a mistake. It is tiring. Packing and unpacking, catching trains and buses, dragging suitcase up long hills and then trying to relax. We are not tour people partly for this reason; we prefer to stay in one place and really settle in. With that said… I will begin with our stay in Cornwall.

Our longest stay was in Mousehole. Cute name, no? Well, it is NOT pronounced as it is spelled (much to my husband’s disappointment) The correct pronunciation is mow-zel . Got it?

This entire area, for those who are not familiar, is the southwest corner of England. To the west is the Atlantic ocean and to the south the beginning of the English Channel.

So much to see! But without a car (we just cannot imagine driving on the other side of the road..) we were somewhat limited; trains and buses are fine but can get […]

FRIDAY FLOWERS: RHS CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW

By Libby|2019-05-23T20:16:30-04:00May 23, 2019|Friday Flowers, Travel|

It’s happening:
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show!!!

Someday, maybe, I will get there. In the meantime I read all about it on all social media, and now can watch it streaming live. If you have Britbox you can access it there. Or, just go to YouTube.

Here is Episode 1 which was broadcast on Monday afternoon.

Each of these episodes is about an hour. They will give you great commentary (including Monty Don) and a really thorough tour of the gardens.

Then there is Alexandra’s blog, The Middle Sized Garden, and her latest post:
Small Garden Design Inspiration from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show
Alexandra does a really nice job here of highlighting the many new themes and ideas at the show this year. Definitely worth watching and listening:

So much of London is decked out this week with beautiful flowers! By the time I get there next week I think most of the squares will be emptied of these fabulous floral stage sets… but I can hope!

I will be here from time to time in the next few weeks as we travel to various parts of the UK. The weather looks fine and let’s hope it holds!

FRIDAY FLOWERS: DIG DELVE MAGAZINE

By Libby|2019-05-16T20:33:35-04:00May 16, 2019|Friday Flowers, Garden, Travel|

Each week I await the arrival of the on-line garden magazine,
DIG DELVE

For all you gardeners out there, and all the garden geeks:

If you don’t know it, let me introduce you!
Such totally fabulous, gorgeous photography. Each week is just one subject and each week reveals beautiful images.
It is an on-line magazine written by award winning landscape and garden designer, Dan Pearson and additional writing and photography from his partner, Huw Morgan.

Last week was all about tulips.

So many, many new ideas for my tulips! He lists ten different types of tulips planted this year, with delicious, gorgeous pictures. I’ve already made note of those I will be ordering.

Today, by coincidence , I was reading my Gardens Illustrated which had just arrived and saw an article about The Delos Garden at Sissinghurst and Dan Pearson’s task to give the garden a new lease on life.
Here is the article from Dig Delve: scroll to the end to see mention of the redevelopment of the Delos garden. Having been to Sissinghurst before these developments, I am now dying to go again!

Hope you will take a look at Dig Delve and subscribe […]