hostas

Garden and greenery at its peak

garden, patio, greenery

Entrance to flat from the garden. Photo:©nini.tjader.2016

The summer in the garden is green and inviting. It cannot get any greener than it is just now outside. The greenery is at its peak. There are still flowers that will bloom that hasn’t done so yet. But they are coming along just fine.

weatherchange, garden, greenery

Weatherchange Photo. ©nini.tjader.2016

The weather has been good this summer. Mainly dry, sunny and warm. But of course there has been days with some rain and thunder too. Not many though. Feels like I’ve never before had to water the garden as much as this year. It is so dry.

flowerbed, garden, greenery

The small flower bed. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

The astrantia major (the pink flowers in the picture) are taller and more plenty than ever. The hortensia is green and coming but I doubt it will get any flowers this year. The chives unfortunately looks poorly this year. The oldest one has nearly died. The giant verbena in the black tub will get tall too after some problems with it in the beginning.

astratniamajor, garden, flowers, greenery

The astrantia major. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2016

The astrantia major is much loved by both bumblebees and bees. They create a constant buzz there.

hollyhocks, garden, greenery

One of the hollyhocks in the garden. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2016

I have two hollyhocks. The one above is in the regular flowerbed around my patio. It is pink and yellow. This year it is also tall and healthy. No holes in the leaves so far. No bugs have eaten on it. Yet.

The one below is dark pink. It grows near to the anti-noise-fence, just as last year. I make sure every year to spread the seeds from them as they only live for two years. I love hollyhocks.

hollyhock, garden, greenery

Hollyhock. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

garden, greenery

The backgarden. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

Above the view from the backgarden, behind the patio. At the most narrow point I’ve put a rose-bow for the two old honey-suckle plants that I cut down to almost nothing last autumn as they were sick. They’ve grown a lot this year and only just now started to flower.  They’ve had lots of lice on them though, black lice. But after some thorough showering with water they now look more or less OK. I think the lice-season is over for this time.

blueberries, garden, greenery

Bluberrry-bushes in the garden. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2016

The american blueberry-bushes that I moved last year to the back-garden are coming along fine and they have now plenty of blue-berries that just started to turn blue. Can soon be picked. Still not too many berries, but at least more than previous years. They never liked the previous location.

blueberries, garden, greenery

First blue blueberries in the garden. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2016

Lousy picture of the blueberries… but you get the idea…

veggiebox, garden. greenery

The veggiebox in the garden april 2016. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2016

A funny comparison. The veggiebox in the back-garden above in april this year. And just now in July below.

veggiebox, garden, greenery

The veggiebox in the garden in July. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2016

It has grown there… Lots of parsley and french tarragon and lemonbalm (though something has eaten a lot of its leafs). The chives here is fine and so is the sorrel in the frontmost corner. The sorrel and teh lemonbalm survived from last year. I had two oreganoplants between the parsley and the sorrel, but I had to move the oregano to a large pot of its own as it became too crowded in the box and I really want to get as much oregano as possible to last me until next year. I cut and dry it when large enough to be bundled.

herbs, thyme, mint, garden, greenery

Thyme and mint. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

The two kinds of thyme (regular and lemonthyme) and the mint are coming along fine in the back garden as well. The mint I also cut and dry to have in tea until next year. When it is fresh I use it in salads and drinks. The thyme I dry as well and use both dried and fresh in salads and other food.

Another fun comparison is the flowerbed along the outside of the patio. Below from 2011…

flowerbed, hostas, echinacea, garden, greenery

Hostas and echinacea in the garden 2011-07-18. Photo: ©

Notice the two hosta plants and the echinaceas. Notice size and spread.

flowerbed, hostas, echinacea, garden, greenery

Hostas and echinacea in the garden July 2016. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2016

The above is the same flowerbed in July 2016. Particularly the green hosta has grown a lot this year (now blooming). And the echinacea behind them have spread quite a lot. They were good last year but I think they will be even better this year.

hostas, flowerbed, garden, greenery

Hostas in bloom. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

This part of the flowerbed along and behind the patio comes late as it is less sun there. In the spring it is almost empty with only krokucuses. Then the rest come, slowly. Every year it looks like the hostas are cone for ever. Choice of plants has been difficult for it but I now have mix that works well there. Between the two hostas there is actually a japanese anemone. They are almosts hidden by the hostas this year.

echinacea, garden, flowerbed, greenery

Echinacea. Photo:©nini.tjader.2016

I have two kinds of echinacea. One pink, one white. Neither is blooming just yet, but they are on their way. They get very tall and last long into the autumn.

bumblebee, rose, garden, greenery

Bumblebee Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

In the backgarden, after my area ends, still grow these roses that spread like a pest via their roots. Plan it to dig them all up and use the area for something else. Our rhubarbs will move to their space. The flowers have a strong fragrance and the bumblebees love them, but… (click on this link to see a short movie with the working bumblebee).

ladybug, echinacea, garden, greenery

A ladybug in the echinacea. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2016

Even though the echinacea flowers are not ready yet, the bugs are there… like this ladybug.

bug, echinacea, garden, greenery

Bug in the echinacea. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

I’ll stop here. This was only the backgarden and part of the flowerbed along the patio. I’ll show you more of the garden another day.

garden, greenery

Way to the backgarden. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

In the foreground, two white astilbes, one pink astilbe and the pink-yellow hollyhock. In the background the back-garden and the rose-bow.

rosebow, garden, honeysuckle, greenery

The rosebow with the climbing honeysuckle. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

Posted by nini in Flowers, Garden, Garden and Nature, greenery, Nature, Outside, 0 comments