London Cottage Garden

Blogging about cottage garden style in a town garden

  • Subscribe to London Cottage Garden

    • Home
    • About
    • Spring gardening
    • Summer gardening
    • Autumn gardening
    • Winter gardening
    • Tips/Inspiration

    Six on a Saturday


    September 16th, 2017 - Pots and containers

    Share this post:

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Email

    One

    My beehive shaped compost bins got completely emptied this week and had produced about 15 bags of fantastic brown crumbly stuff,  full of worms and little creatures.  Every handful was teeming with life.  I filled up my pots, chucked it all around the garden and spread it deep on new areas for planting.  Making compost gives me a huge thrill of satisfaction – it’s the wonder of science in action. I’m even in a Facebook group called Keep Calm – Keep making compost.  Yes, it’s that bad.

    compost in a cottage garden

    My homemade compost – rough and chunky but teeming with nutrients and life

    Two

    Some gardening help took out two stumps with a pickaxe for me and that has given me a whole new exciting area for planting.  The two old shrubs had outgrown their space and were not providing much value so out they went.  That’s the thing about small town gardens – if I have to look at something every day it needs to be beautiful or useful. If it’s neither then it can go and something better can go in its place.  There are no hidden corners for ugly plants to hang around in a compact city garden.  Everything is on show all the time.

    woodland cottage garden plants

    A new area for planting – probably woodland plants in rich soil

    Three

    At the RHS Urban Show I bought three golden yellow pots.  They are now grouped in the front garden,  matching the colour of the front door, and I’ve filled them with compost and some grit.  I plan to put a lovely golden Japanese fern in each one along with tulips.  When the tulips are over I will pull them out and put in some other perennial or some summer colour.  At the moment the ferns are sitting still in their pots while I see how they would look.  They are dryopteris erythrosora “Brilliance” and will look this good pretty much most of the year.

    dryopteris erythrosora "Brilliance"

    The colour of the fern picking up the colour of the pots

     

    Four

    I want to highly recommend this purple basil, also known as African basil.  It won’t survive the winter but goodness it is fabulous all summer long.  I use it for colour and scent and it’s been flowering for months. I haven’t tried to eat it.  I bought it from Laurel Farm Herbs and Edibles.

    African Basil in a cottage garden

    Purple basil flowering profusely all summer and smelling of sweet basil

    Five

    Earlier in the year I nearly took this grass out because it had got so huge and is almost out of proportion in the border but gosh, I’m glad I didn’t as the flowers now look stunning especially with low sunshine through them. It’s a miscanthus of some kind.  Before it gets any bigger I will lift it in early spring;  chop it into pieces and replant a smaller piece, giving other clumps away.

    grasses for cottage gardens

    Beautiful miscanthus grass swaying in the sunshine

    Six

    This viburnum is waiting to be planted.  It’s viburnum bodnantense “Charles Lamont” and it will produce tiny pink flowers from now until next April.  I fell in love with it because the flowers, although small and sparse, have an incredible scent.  It takes me right back to primary school because I think the scent is the same as that funny white glue we were allowed to use to stick bits of paper without glueing ourselves to the furniture or each other.  It’s a funny vanilla smell.  One whiff and you too would be right back there trying to keep your colouring inside the lines.  I shall put it somewhere down the front path so I smell it each time I pass.  That way I need never grow up.

    viburnum bodnantense 'Charles Lamont"

    Winter flowering viburnum with autumn colour

    IMG_3012

    Six on a Saturday is hosted by the propagator so see his link for more blogs on this topic.

    Share this post:

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Email

    6 comments on "Six on a Saturday"

    1. Candy says:
      16th September 2017 at 4:31 pm

      I have the fern, Dryopteris Erythrosora and it is very rewarding, and forgiving. I love the Miscanthus – try the Knoll Gardens site for identification help! Bravo with the compost – looks marvellous!

      Reply
      1. Julie Quinn says:
        16th September 2017 at 9:24 pm

        Hi Candy, yes that fern is lovely isn’t it. I have some in the back garden. This new one is a variety called “Brilliance” which apparently is even lovelier than the ones we already have. We shall see. I tend to cut them down in Feb and fro nowhere they regrow quite quickly. I will look at Knoll and I am wondering if it could be Karl Forester. I am SO thrilled with the compost!! best wishes Julie

        Reply
    2. Jim Stephens says:
      16th September 2017 at 8:41 pm

      I like that basil very much, must look out for it in the spring. I’m totally with you on your item two ruthlessness. There’s no room for ugly, useless plants in any decent garden, though I dare say I have things that other people would describe that way.

      Reply
      1. Julie Quinn says:
        16th September 2017 at 9:21 pm

        thanks Jim. I’ll see if I can find the nursery I bought it from. It was a winter flowering honeysuckle that I had to take out – it had got huge and although the scent is wonderful through the winter, let’s face it they are no oil painting the rest of the year. The other thing these tough strong guys dug out was a huge acer stump that had been there for years but was too hard to get out. They dug and dug and now I have this fab new open space.

        Reply
    3. Gill says:
      19th September 2017 at 10:43 am

      I like your William Morris attitude to gardening (beautiful, useful)! Lovely garden

      Reply
      1. Julie Quinn says:
        19th September 2017 at 10:50 am

        thanks Gill, what a lovely compliment. Beautiful and useful – that’s us!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    + 88 = 95

    London Cottage Garden
  • Subscribe to London Cottage Garden


  • Popular Posts

    Cottage garden alstroemerias for a vase

    Alstroemerias as cut flowers [caption id="attachment_3347" align="alignnone" width="600"] Pink and white in a Victorian cranberry vase[/caption] Do you buy cut flowers for the house or…


    Real flowers and artificial flowers – both fabulous

    I've recently discovered some online artificial flowers from Alex James that I think are beautiful and look wonderful either on their own or mixed with…


    How to introduce a new colour in a cottage garden

    A new colour in early Spring Here's a way to introduce a new colour in a cottage garden in early Spring. Plants can't always provide…


    How to use colour in the cottage garden style

    How to have colour in the cottage garden style town garden without it being too much work for one person to manage.  Well I would…


    Daffodils in a small garden – tips on how to grow them.

    If you have a small garden like a town garden and want to grow daffodils, here are my tips on how best to do it,…




    londoncottagegarden

    Fresh from @alstroemeriaben half a bunch in a vint Fresh from @alstroemeriaben half a bunch in a vintage vase #alstroemeria #britishflowers #cottagegardenflowers #londoncottagegarden
    Mr Feral Cat doing his bit for Nature. Dispersing Mr Feral Cat doing his bit for Nature.  Dispersing seeds. #feralcat #mrgreycat #seeds
    New blog about alstroemerias see link in bio @alst New blog about alstroemerias see link in bio @alstroemeriaben #cottagegardenflowers #cottagegarden #londoncottagegarden #flowersinavase #vintagevase #britishflowersweek
    @alstroemeriaben flowers mail order and now in a v @alstroemeriaben flowers mail order and now in a vintage vase (1930s?) #alstroemeria #britishflowersweek #alstroemeriaben
    @alstroemeriaben delivery from arrival to the vint @alstroemeriaben delivery from arrival to the vintage vase  delivered all year round #alstroemeria #britishflowerweek #londoncottagegarden #vintagevases
    Gorgeous fresh flowers from @alstroemeriaben in @b Gorgeous fresh flowers from @alstroemeriaben in @britishflowersweek
    Just one stem from @alstroemeriaben - from a deliv Just one stem from @alstroemeriaben - from a delivery of 40 beautiful #alstroemerias by post
    Erythrosora fern really is this colour. In a pot i Erythrosora fern really is this colour. In a pot it looks fab for 10 months of the year.  #londoncottagegarden #japanesefern #ferns #containergardening
    Fabulous delivery today from @alstroemeriaben of 4 Fabulous delivery today from @alstroemeriaben of 4 big bunches of alstroemerias.  Here are just 4 stems. #alstroemeriaben  #cottagegardenflowers #alstroemerias  #londoncottagegarden
    Nearly snapped but supported, bees can still go in Nearly snapped but supported, bees can still go in and out. #foxgloves #londoncottagegarden
    Does her bum look big in this pic? Yes it does. # Does her bum look big in this pic? Yes it does.  #tortiecat #tortiegirl
    Perennial Strawberry foxgloves are taller than me. Perennial Strawberry foxgloves are taller than me.  Apricot/pink/cream coloured. Bee magnets.  #londoncottagegarden #foxgloves #cottagegardenplants
    Splitting a hardy geranium from pic 1 to 2. So ea Splitting a hardy geranium from pic 1 to 2.  So easy.  Now is the time to do it #londoncottagegarden #hardygeraniums #cottagegarden
    Little posy from the garden picked for a friend. I Little posy from the garden picked for a friend. It may not last long but it’s lovely anyway. #londoncottagegarden #springflowers
    Good morning beautiful lady #foxes #londoncottageg Good morning beautiful lady #foxes #londoncottagegarden
    Tottering-by-gently, my first rose to come out. Ju Tottering-by-gently, my first rose to come out. Just how I feel today. #londoncottagegarden #davidaustinroses
    A new blog about the beautiful garden at Dedham Ha A new blog about the beautiful garden at Dedham Hall Hotel - see link in bio #londoncottagegarden #cottaegarden #hotel
    Mariette tulip after the rain - still looking love Mariette tulip after the rain - still looking lovely #londoncottagegarden #tulips #springbulbs
    Some tulips fall open and others curl up in the ra Some tulips fall open and others curl up in the rain. Unknown pale tulip and lily flowered Mariette.
    Up for World Dawn Chorus day. Coat on. Pot of tea. Up for World Dawn Chorus day. Coat on. Pot of tea.  Just wonderful. #dawnchorus #londoncottagegarden #citygarden #birdsong
    Load More… Follow on Instagram

    UK Gardening Blogs

    © 2022 London Cottage Garden - The London Cottage Garden Blog

    Website Design www.beamtwenty3.co.uk

    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.