A long Spring weekend & changes to Summertime

This weekend have been fantastic, a first real Spring weekend with a lot of sun and generous temperatures, topped with changes to Summertime (the sun now goes up at 6:14 and down at 19:30 here), all good!

I love when I'm in the garden all day long, working in the sun and fresh air, totally forget about time and food, and a nice feeling of satisfied exhaustion in the evening!

Since I already Linseed oiled the Pallet collars for the Veggie patches, it was just to start to dig.

The first box where already down, with the Red Garlic I planted in the fall! 

To the left Black Currant and Rhubarbs!

 Each square meter of soil had about a bucket or more of rocks, mostly Slag stone/Slaggsten since this village lived of Iron production since 16th century it's not a surprice.

The soil is incredible rich being ancient seafloor, hence I just don't cover the ground and put the collar on top of it which is the usual way. I wan't to use this soil, and check out the Earth worms/Daggmaskar, loads and loads of them, Fantastic :D 

The Saturday was just incredible!

 Done! I placed them with 80cm in between, exact the mesurement of a collar so IF I wan't I can put one more between them

The only breaks for "food" was besides the regular "Fika" breaks with coffe, a cold powerdrink (Broccoli, Spinache, Ginger, Chili, Cucumber & Apple), I usually just use what I have at home.

 The Black Currant "Polar Ribes" I planted in October coming strong

 The Ball Thistles I got from Ann-Cathrin (see Oct 2013) start to wake up with small fussy green leaves.

So, digging those Veggie pats, what to do with the removed lawn?

I added another 30cm to the front lawn (former graveled parking)

On the north side on my barn it's a naked big soil patch where the former renter had covered with Tarpaulin/Presenning to protect the ground from car parts.

Here it's shadow until 4 or 5ish in the afternoon, so yet another place good for shadow plants (which I LOVE).

 I decided to keep the area next to the wall free, plant a few Ferns against the rock wall & a climbing Hydrangea to cover the old electric cabinett (not in use). I also have my leaf composts here against the wooden wall.

 So I made a meter wide path with the lawn bits and kept the larger part open for a shadow garden plus a few trees and bushes.

The water falling freely from the rooftiles and I put all the Slag stone where the water lands.

Maybe I will have to put a stone path there later, but that's the day!

It's not all hard work, it's also important to enjoy the small sensations popping up here and there in the garden :D

My favorite little Tulip Tarda/Flocktulpaner

And here something where I enjoyed the color and shape of the leaf

I also oiled some smaller Black Pallet Collars, here I placed 3 on eachother, two larger and one smaller, where I will plant a Climbing Hydrangea to cover the electric unused cabinetts and somewhat the kitchen/Veggie Compost.

In the lover collar will I plant something bushy and hanging.

I put the compost here nere to the house since it's a warm compost for year around use, good when I need to shovel the snow in the winter.

As some of You remember from October, I planted a Lilac here that I brought from our summer cottage, I took it away to place it somewhere else.

 Towards the south part of the barn did I put the collars a little bit larger and 3 storey high for full sun, but also to create some room feeling of the former laaaarge gravelled parking

Here on the south side it will be a nice corner in the sun for coffee breaks/Fika.

In the boxes will I have Tomatoes, Chili, Paprika and Herbs, very close to the house/kitchen

Many beautiful hours outside will be continued inside where I have branches of Japanese Cherry bought in Stockholm when I worked there earlier in the week!

Hope Your Spring is as beautiful, Per!

Slow sunny sunday & Favorite Pelargoniums

Today it was sunny and bright, but still pretty cold, so in order to take care of my own cold I decided not to dig vegetable beds as planned, but prepare the pallet collars for them instead.

Sunny view over to the neighbor, they have the same little barn building as I, and two beautiful Larch trees/Lärkträd that hasn't got their needles yet.

At my one and only vegetable bed, so far, have the Red Garlic Rossi di Sulmona survived 3 surprise snowstorms so far this spring

On the top floor in my little barn did I prepare 4 more pallet collars with Cold pressed Linseed oil for the coming vegetable beds

Inside my house, up in the flower room with skylights, does it grow rapidly of seeds, bulbs, cuttings and others, such a pleasure to check in there every day. I still keeping the heat pretty low up there.

On the photo under supervision of my Chilean Tomte; Fuchsias, Pelargoniums, Hollyhocks, Ornäs Birches, Maple, Peones,.......

Can not help experiment with Bonsais, a remain from compact living with a balcony.

These are Maples, the "larger" one from the Lilac hedge at our cottage and the new small ones from Maple seeds I found around the garden a couple of weeks ago.

I have a few favorites among my many Pelargoniums

This is a "Pelargonium Carnosium"

When it comes to my favorites, I also make sure they get special pots that fits their peronality, to this one I got a cool black pot with spikes around the adge from Turbin Konsthantverk in Wij Gardens Ockelbo

Well I also got the Pelargonium from very special people a few years ago, the Pelargonuim experts Margareta & Mats Asplund at Pelargonfönstret in Örbyhus, very close to here. Love them and their personalities :D

My other favorite is this Suckulent "Pelargonium Cotyledonis" from ERA gardens, I have two from them

The personal pot for this one I found here in the village Lövstabruk at Hantverkets Hus by Susanne Thurfjell, in nice matte black with the old "L", that in the old days where stamped on the Iron made here.

Since it was sunny, even if coolish, did I grab my camera and ventured out in our village (to get the pot above), found that the Snowdrops still going since a month!

Hope You all had a great Sunday!

Per!

Speedy delivery & Luxury Hotel for Pelargoniums

WOW, I ordered Red Garlic from Anna at GourmetGarage yesterday, and less than 24 hours later they are in the soil :D

Time to prepare winter for the Pelargoniums/Geraniums and other plants! I have a beautiful guestroom with skylights that I will not use this winter, so that will be their hotel for the winter, with the heater turned off it will be perfect!

Thank You Anna :D

Another Veggie patch fixed, again in the size of a pallet collar, my Kitchen garden extending :D

Red Garlic in the ground :D

My Olive tree have had it's necessary frost and are ready to come in for the winter, as well as all my Pelargoniums/Geraniums and the Walnut tree.

I prepared the guest room for them, with no heat this winter and it will keep +5-10C and the skylights will give them light (northfacing).

Since all flower have to be picked off, did I put them in blue vases in my kitchen window

Have a great day/evening, Per!

The last plant in the soil, but not the last leaf on the ground

So it was high time to put the last plant in the soil before the frost are here next week, and it's another favorite: Black Currant!

Something seems to never end, the falling of leaves from my Maple for example!

So, it's time to extend my "Kitchen" garden. Next to yesterdays Rhubarbs did I make a same size patch (Pallet Collar/Pallkrage size).

One small Patch equal One bucket of Rocks. Lot of them in this part of the garden.

This will be the place of my Black Currant "Polar Ribes" a extra hardy and healty sort.

And down :D

It's always time for Fika/Coffee break, so I bought a large Pump thermos, in that way I don't need to go in to the house for coffee :D

Remember my stunning Maple by the entrance a couple of days ago?

Today it looks like this, still beautiful, but where are the leaves?

It's here! On my Driveway, again. I already took it away twice!

3rd time is a charm, and this is hopefully the last time for this year!

Check out the neighbor in the end of the road, not a leaf! I saw them go and handpick them with a little bucket today, their property is spotless, I have a feeling that my garden never will look like that.

Have a great day/evening, Per!

The front of the house & the Stream

The 1st day in the garden, a lot of measurements, thinking, planning and cleaning to do, plus try to get down as many of the bought plants as possible before the cold weather.

Rubber Boots on!

The front of the house towards the village road facing south and some houses further down the road growing wine against the walls, but since I love the Danish island of Bornholm and love the Hollyhocks (Stockros) growing along the houses there, I just have to have one

 Hollyhock (Stockros) down :)

Over the road from my house is a little stream with a small area over the little footbridge that belongs to the house. In the old days the people had vegetable patches over there and now it's mostly overgrowned. These plants are along the water and I can hardly wait to see whats coming up next year.

 The footbridge and the Maples lining the stream

 The footbridge and my house

 Cleaned up the Maple leaves in and around the stream

 A small Lilac grows on the other side of the stream

 Found two Black Currant bushes in the old patches on the other side, will take care of them where they are, or move them over to the planned fruitgarden by the house

 Rocks are placed in the stream to make a intresting feature that creates a nice rippling sound