A cold day with a warm visit by Hannu & Aile

Yesterday it was really cold here: +5C, but I didn't really care, my garden/cooking inspirer & friend Hannu Sarenström & his beautiful Aile came for a visit, which really made my day

I got my favorite books by him signed at last: "Lundens Skugga" (in the shadow of the woodland) & "Sommarkalas" (Summer Parties)

I called the Gardener and pashionated historian at our village Greenhouse from 1735, Josephina Wesström Juhlin. She came, showed us Lövstabruks Trädgårdmästeri and told us the history and plants. Very grateful for Your time Josephina :D

The Green house a week ago:

We also had time to look at the Orangerie and Manor house

A great visit :D

In the evening the sun and the warmth was back and I was out digging until 21/9pm when it started to get dark and I had to go back in and eat "lunch" (totally forgot to eat today)

I continued with the Half Shadow Flower bed north of the barn, this is how it looked there for a month ago, the whole area have been covered for years and a storage area, now a mudbath with rocks:

I started for a month ago moving lawnpatches from the new flowerbeds here, and making a path along the wall up to where the rainwater coming down from the roof. Closest to the house, leafcompost and soon Ferns along the rockwall.

Now I'm making the rest to flowerbeds for flowers that need half shadow.

There is sun here until 9 in the morning and again in the late afternoon until sunset.

The bed will be divided with a path of the rocks I find in the soil: Plenty!

Have a great day, the sun is shining here again today and it's just to put on the Wellingtons and get out there!

Per!

Giving in on the Potatoes

Still hot weather here, but we need rain now, we only had it one day the last month.

The water in my stream getting lower and I take all water to my flower and veggies from there (nothing from the communal water).

The Kingcup/Kabbeleka coloring the edges of my stream and the Lilly leaves start to come up like small swords.

Everybody tell me I need to have Potatoes in my veggie patch. It wasn't in my plan, then I visited my friends Evy & Roine here in the village and they had just put down potatoes in the soil and talked about how good new potatoes taste.

Well home I looked at the bag with local grown potatoes "Maritema" from Hållnäs, and they had sprouts! The Swede in me where convinced, a potatoe bed had to to be digged.

The Potatoes are to the left, together with red Onions. The round bed is for a Red Currant. To the right did I put the two beds together to get some symetri and there I have a Black Currant, and a red Rhubarb "Elmlitz" in the new part in the middle and Evy's Rhubarbs to the right.

The formal veggie garden start to take shape and I can start to see how my vision working out, fun.

Inside my house do I have a little special plant I got from Lövstabruks Trädgårdsmästeri: A Physalis/Kapkrusbär

When they renovated the old Greenhouse from 1735 did they found a small plant of Physalis growing in the soil on the floor after they took away 10cm soil at the renovation 2009, and now they have multiply it and I have one :D

Today my first flower came

With that do I wish You a splendid day

Per!

Busy days and noisy neighbors in my garden

It has been amazing sunny days for over a week now and yesterday it was 20C in the shadow, and balmy in the sun. A pleasure to work in the garden wearing a T-shirt :D

This is also when eating and other normal things coming second, when one loose track of time in the garden, specially since it gets lighter and lighter here in Uppland, now the sun is up at 4:53, down 20:38, loooove it!

That also means that everything else is waking up early as well, this morning I heard a constant noise trhough my bedroom window which was intriguing

(remember I moved here in October, all this is new to me)

The sound came from the huge old Maple at my entrance that just started flowering, and it must have been millions of Bee's and Bumble Bee's, wonderful :D

Over the road and by my stream stand a old tree that my neighbors told me that Seagulls usually nesting in, and Oh Yeah they do, the noise from them when protecting the nests (2 of them) is incredible, but somewhat comforting for me coming from the Baltic coast growing up with this noise.

In my garden that had nothing, digging is the daily shore. But it's great to start see how my plan works to get some basic structure. Off course some changes in the plan are done now and then.

A small hedge of Raspberries "Preussen" are planted north of the veggie garden to somewhat protect from northern winds

 My plan is to have a straight line from the Apple tree Signe Tillisch to the house through the Veggie garden, with the Raspberrie hedge, then the Pallet collars to the left and it will be open beds to the right (just now only Black currants and Rhubarbs there). On the east I will plant a Blackcurrant hedge (saw one at my friend Evy's house here in the village and liked it).

In the "Formal" garden next to the house did I dig a 10 meter long flower bed the other day, a lot of Slag stone (the backside living in a old Ironworks village), and roots from the Snowberry hedge.

Here I will have mostly flowers attracting Bees & Bumble bees, that can take the constant sun here.

In the center of the square lawn did I plant a little Finnish Cherry tree: Rauhala

I changed my mind with the Pallet collars I put by the barnwall corner to protect from winds. My plan was to have Tomatoes, Chili and other plants in them because of the all day sun, BUT when it was raining a night a couple of weeks ago did I see that the water from the rooftiles went straight down in them, not good.

So I took away the long ones, and kept one. I planted a lovely little Lilac "Josée" that only will be 1,5 meter high, and are extremely fragant. Around the base did I pland Isops that I got from my friend Evy, they are called the Lavendel of north and suppose to be able to take our winters:

It will be fantastic to sit here with a cup of coffee

So what did I do with the left over pallet collars?

I re-digged the whole shadowbed by the house and extended it :D

My Magnolia "George Henry Kern" have it's first flower bud. It's in a pot, and I'm still debating with myself if I dare to plant it in the protected entrance garden, or keep it in a pot.

Oh well, I guess it will take a lot of Fika/coffee breaks pondering that, but now I'm off out in the garden again!

Have a Great Sunday, Per!

Images from The "Rum & Trädgård" fair in Kista-Stockholm!

Today the garden fair "Rum & Trädgård" (Room & Garden) open the doors in Kista-Stockholm.

I wen't there, trying to not get tempted purchasing flowers, but to use the opportunity to take photos for my portfolio.

It was a lot of the same as on the "Nordic Garden Show", but I made two new pleasant discoveries in the garden world (for me).

"Moderådets" Green wall at the entrance

These arrangements where hanging along the main isle

Not a fan of Carnations/Nejlikor, but this beauty I could live with

New for me, and very intresting was Bürgers Växtgård, with a lot of fascinating plants!

 Magnolia "Susan" from Bürgers

Floristutbildarna (Florist Education) had very etheric and beautiful arrangements

Lovely Mats and Margareta from Pelargonfönstret (Window of Pelargoniums) was busy as usual

It seems that the Ranunculus was the flower ala mode this time

A Little oasis made by Gustavshill with a lot of Hydrangea/Hortensia

Tasteful arrangements by Ulriksdals Slottsträdgård

Luscious arrangements by Blomsterlandet

Flowers and Veggies together by Annelie Källberg from Norrby Trädgård

The second new discovery for me was so exciting with a lot of rare plants that they purely grown from seeds: Trädgårdsfröet!

This is Anemone Nemorosa Virescens

Erythronium "Kinfauns Pink"

 As a Fritillaria/Kungsängslilja lover did I fall in love with this one

Trädgårdsmästeriet at Steninge Slottsgalleria had exotic and very fragant plants

Hope You enjoyed my tour at the fair, Warm regards, Per!

On the way to the commuting train did I pass by this gorgeous Magnolia :D