Gift of flowers and more First this and that!

This week I was extremely lucky, a Facebook friend of mine, Anita Eriksson in Skutskär, asked me if I wish to have some of her plants!

They are building a new patio outside her apartment where she have big flower beds and she need to downsize. I went to her on my way to our summer cottage and picked up the plants.

Here they are back at my home, and I'm SO happy for them, a white Iris, a couple of different Day Lillies, a Agapanthus and a lot of other plants!

Thank You Anita :D

There is a LOT of firsts lately in my new garden, here is a few:

First Potatoes

First flowers on the Agapanthus from Lövstabruks Trädgårdsmästeri, unusual for the 1st year

First Cucumber flowers on a plant I got from Evy

First Fragant Tobacco Flower & First Black Currant

This "Pink Gallery" Lupin are now having a total of 10 flowers, amazing.

Today the First Hollyhock/Stockros "Alba" started to bloom

First Beetroot

First Flower on the Agapanthus from Anita & First Phlox

First Flower on the September Charm/Höstanemon

First Flowers on the white Astillbe

There is also a few First Insects in my garden:

Frittilary Butterfly/Pärlemorfjäril

Dragonfly/Trollslända

In a corner in my inner garden do I have this solid Brass sculpture I dragged home from Cochin-India, He's watching out for that part of the garden

I got more stuff for my garden at the local summer auction today, antique Swedish Jam pots and a a heavy 50 litre wooden box with handmade Iron mounting for my potted Hellekis Manor Walnut tree

The south barn wall towards the entrance start to shape up. Growing more quickly by the day is; Sun Flowers/Solrosor, Tobacco Flowers/Tobaksblommor, Summer Dahlias, Marigolds/Ringblommor, Mulleins/Kungsljus and Tagethes

On the other part do I have Tomatoes, Paprika, Chili & Pelargoniums

That's all for today, and I end with a photo of my new Jubilee Fuchsia thats just growing and growing

Have a great week, Per!

Wild Iris & Trouble in Paradise

Over the road from my frontgarden is a smaller stream. 

Everybody that has been following my blog know that I'm maintaining the area on the other side and that I've discovered and taking care of Rhubarbs, Black Currant, a White Lilac and cutting the grass there.

For a few weeks I felt a strange smell while being over there picking Rhubarbs! I thought it was some small dead animal somewhere and thought it would disappear sooner or later.

The other day when I was suppose to take photos of a Duck family in the stream did I to my horror discover what the stench came from: In the stream was a dead Wild Boar/Vildsvin laying :p

I called the police, that called the community service and next morning they came to take away the cadaver!

Wild Boar doesn't belong in Sweden, but was taken here for hunting pleasure by the landlords in Castles and Manor houses for many years ago. Now they are totally out of control and destroy parks and gardens, so one down!

Paradise restored

Here by the footbridge do I take all the water for my garden, it's very clean, again!

On the other side and along the stream does the Wild Iris Siberica grow and now it's their time to perform

I always liked them, seeing them at my aunt May's summerplace and our own cottage by the Baltic.

And now I have them in my own Paradise, a lot :D

Other Yellow Flowers spreading quickly now as well, the Dandelions/Maskrosor

And with this do I wish You a great day/night!

Per!

25 meter hedge of Black Currant and Lilacs

Today it was a gorgeous and pleasant morning after a really freezing night.

Here is a view over my garden from the second floor, closest the "formal" garden with perennial flower beds and the little Cherry tree, to the left behind the barn are the half-shadow flowerbeds, mid-right is the Veggie paths and the border to the neighbor (to north east)

To protect the kitchen garden from the north-east winds did I decide to plant a tight Black Currant hedge (to also get the Berries off course).

Also to mark that it is a Kitchen garden with eatable plants, I already have Raspberries on the north border.

Putting down a line as a guidance and then it's just to start to dig! And Dig!

Rocks, Slagstone, Bricks, Roof tiles, Animal bones, China, Rusty nails, where to be taken up of this previous landfill and garbage dump. As it was in the old days, no communal garbage pick up, just dig it down!

36 Black Currant Plants down

and 48 Lilac plants along the rest of the border, from the kitchen garden and up to the furthest north border.

I discovered from above that there is more space for veggie paths to the right for next year :D

I'm happy with todays achievement

Cost: Nothing!

Black Currant cuttings from my own and others bushes

Lilac cuttings from our summer cottage

The last days the first Pelargonium flowers coming, always a special feeling after taking care of the plants over the winter

And first out is one of my absolute favorites, with no name. I bought it for many years ago as a regular Zonal Pelargonium from the nice flower people on Stor Torget in Gävle, Levins. So I simply call it the "Levin Pelargonium"

I love the colours, from pale green-cream over to brush strokes of peach-pink.

And is blooms forever, it's really a strong one

and so beautiful

Thank You all for checking in!

Have a great one, 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!