summer

In the garden just now

garden

The Garden 2019. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

In the garden just now or recently you can see that it is much greener this year than last. We have had (so far) a quite normal Swedish summer. Days with rain and wind and almost chilly, hot days with lots of sun and warmth have passed. Personally I prefer the hot and sunny days, but I also appreciate the rain when it comes as that means that I don’t have to water the garden those days… It has been drier than normal though so we are forbidden to light up grills except in specially designated places.

garden

Part of the garden 2019. Photo ©nini.tjader.2019

The grass is almost green this year and so is everything else.

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By the birdbath. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

The garden is a bit “wild” and unorganized at places. But that is how I like it.

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One of the flowerbeds. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

The tagetes planted here to keep the lice away from the rose has become much bigger than I thought it would be. The rose, presently without flowers, is without lice, but just now also without flowers. But new buds are coming so there will be flowers again. In the righthand corner is a large ruccola which I have no idea where it came from… The astilbe here just started blooming. 

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One of the flowerbeds. Photo:©nini.tjader.2019

In the picture above you can see the rose.

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The hostas and echinacea in the flowerbed along my patio. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019
echinacea purpurea magnus
Echinacea Purpurea Magnus 2019. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

The Echinacea Purpurea Magnus are larger than ever this year. And the grew fast. The bumblebees and the butterflies love them.

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At the entrance to the patio and to the left to the backgarden. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

The wild wine on the bow that is the entrance to the backgarden is growing fine this year and looking good. The hollyhocks at the front flowerbed are tall as usual. Almost finished blooming now.

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The dark red hollyhock. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

I have several different colors of the hollyhocks. Prevailing are the dark red ones. But there is also one yellow, one pink, one green and pink… You never know from year to year which colors they will get. When finished blooming (after several visits of the large bumblebees) I let the seeds dry on the plant. Then harvest and put them in the ground for next year. Next yer they will have leaves but no flowers. Only the year after that they will bloom.

garden, blackberries, björnbär
Blackberries 2019. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

In the flowerbed by the entrance I have a blackberry-bush. Last year and the year before it got about 2 berries… This year is looking much more promising… Not ready yet but I hope I will get enough for at least one year of blackberry-jam…

garden, blueberries, blåbär
American blueberries. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

My two bushes of American Blueberries in the backgarden also delivers this year. Sweet and large blueberries. I do nothing with them but eat them directly from the bush when they are ripe.

flowerbed, garden
The flowerbed along the outside of my patio. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

The flowerbed along the outside of my patio is all filled up this time of the year. Hard to believe in the spring when you see nothing but some crocus here and the rest looks empty. The white astilbe above has bloomed out already and the echinacea is coming up behind them. The red pelargonias in the boxes along the rail are doing their thing by adding color in the garden.

blackcurrants
Black currants. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

The black currants delivered fine this year as well. All picked now and in the freezer.

blackcurrants, svartavinbär
Black currants 2019. Photo: ©nini.thjader.2019

Eventually they will become jam and/or a cake or so. I still have black and red currants from last year in the freezer which I will soon do something with.

And I have finally got myself a battery-charged grass-scissor for cutting the edges along the the flowerbeds. I it is a joy to use and SO much faster than a manual scissor. Love it.

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Grass-scissor. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019
wine, garden
Wine 2019. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

The wine is also coming along fine this year. Long before it is ready yet, but looking promising. They do not get big, but the grapes get very sweet.

And it is already August… I wish summer would last for ever.

garden
The garden 2019. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019
Posted by nini in flowerbeds, Flowers, Garden, Garden and Nature, greenery, summer, 0 comments

Summer at the Big Dam

bigdam, tumba

Summer at the Big Dam Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

 

Yesterday neighbor and I took a walk in the woods by the Big Dam (in Tumba, Sweden). We do that now and again at different times of the year. There and back is about 8 kms.

bigdam, tumba

Summer at the Big Dam. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

It is a magical place. I shoot almost the same pictures of it every time we are there. Yesterday was no exception. Water was still, no wind and the sun was shining.

bigdam, tumba

Summer at the Big Dam in Tumba. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

The water was TOO still. Brown stillstanding. Smelled rotten. The flow down to the creek was blocked by treestumps and dead branches.

bigdam, tumba

Summer at the Big Dam in Tumba, Sweden. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

Still, it is a beautiful spot. As there was no wind, the clouds got mirrored in the water.

bigdam, tumba

Summer at the Big Dam in Tumba, Sweden. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

The trees in the middle of the summer are as green as they can be. There is fish in the dam.

bigdam, tumba

Summer at the Big Dam. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

The dam seem endless when you stand at this point. It is supposed to flow down into the creek and further on to the Small Dam further down. There is a place there with logs to sit on to contemplate the view. I wouldn’t recommend swimming in this brown still-standing water though…

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Flower by the Big Dam with bumble bee. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

By the dam there was a group of these flowers. Have no idea what it is but the bumble bees seemed to love them.

On out way back home we always pass this old treestump by the path. I take a picture of it every time to see the change of it. It is the remains of a large tree that fell over the path during a storm some years ago.

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Treestump by the path we follow from the dams. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019
Posted by nini in Big Dam, Nature, summer, 0 comments

Summertime

birdbath

Birdbath. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

Summertime

Summer arrived by the middle of May and went away again and then came back. Far from as hot as last year but almost as dry.

bluebells, rose

Bluebells and roses. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

Summer is my preferred season. I love sun, light, the light evenings, and the warmer temperature.

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Clematis Rouge Cardinal. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

By now the entire garden has come to life. But the grass is more brown than green because of the long periods of draft we have had. Rain once a week isn’t enough to keep the grass green. I water the flowerbeds and bushes, but not the grass.

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Climbing Hortensia. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

The climbing hortensia is blooming this year again, much to the joy of the bumble bees.

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Elderbush with tagetes. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

The elder bushes have bloomed. Not as much as I would have wanted but at least they bloom. They had a lot of lice as usual. A tip on FaceBook made me test an unusual way to keep the lice away from the elder bushes. To plant tagets under and around them! The first ones I planted froze just shortly after I had planted them. A sudden coldspell took them. So I grew from seed a batch of them and when ready (and frost nights no longer to be feared) planted them at first under the elder bushes. Then also in one of the flowerbeds around the rose therer.

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Flowerbed. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

A border of red petunias are planted at the edge of this flowerbed. The tagetes behind them and also around the rose.

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The rose “Summerwind”. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

The rose “Summerwind” just started to open its flowers. We planted it last year, late summer.

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Entrance to outside place from garden. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

At the entrance to my patio from the garden the hollyhocks are getting bigger and bigger and whatever else grows there is hardly visible… They are also several more than last year. Not blooming yet, but soon. The wild wine and the honeysuckles cover the rose-bows that lead into the backgarden.

backgarden
The backgarden. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

The backgarden

The backgarden is starting to look like an unkempt jungle. But, as it is not outside my windows, not my responsibility to take care of.

The backgarden is starting to look like an unkempt jungle. But, as it is not outside my windows, not my responsibility to take care of.

Mint and peppermint. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

What I do have in the backgarden is a bed of mint and peppermint that gets bigger for each year. It is unusually good this year. No hungry insects have eaten it yet and it hasn’t bloomed yet either.

marigolds
Marigolds. PHoto: ©nini.tjader.2019

I also have a bed of marigolds grown from seeds from last year in the spot where the old planting-box used to be. Presently surrounded by net so the cats won’t use it for their toilet…

I love gardening and to be in the garden, no matter if it is work or relaxing.

garden
Part of the garden. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019
Posted by nini in Garden, greenery, summer, 0 comments