The art of the hanging basket

When you want to cheer up your balcony, dull wall or other bleak parts in your garden, a hanging basket is just the thing. You can fill them with all kind of summer plants like lobelias, pelargoniums, petunia's, fuchsia's and nasturtiums. When they are well planted, get enough food and water, they will look great throughout the summer.

While on holiday in England I was amazed by the colourful hanging baskets, near front doors, pubs and even public buildings. One more beautiful than the other. I think the British have elevated the hanging basket to an art form!

In stead of writing the names of plants and colour combinations down in my notebook, I took some photos, which I love to share with you. I don't think my hanging basket will ever look as pretty as one of these, but I can try :-)!

Wish you a all a happy weekend!

Lieve groet, Madelief

old and new

Just a short post today, to share something old and something new. No.....this is not about a marriage, but about things I spotted at a fleamarket and in our garden :-)!

I have been searching for a red enamel jar for some time now, and two weeks ago I found just the thing. It was covered in big white polka dots, and smiled at me from the store cupboard ;-)! I gave it a special place in our outdoor kitchen, so that it catches my eye as often as possible. The little Chinese bowls with the pastel flowers I bought at a fleamarket for almost nothing. The PIP teatowel is from the new PIP autumn collection, which is in store now. They have some beautiful new items.

Autumn is fast approaching. New flowers are in bloom in our garden; dahlia's, goldenrodes, sedum, Japanese anemones and hydrangeas. Some roses are flowering for the second time. The sweet peas are growing fast and filling the garden with their delicious scent. I can hardly keep up picking. Twice a week I come home with my arms full of flowers. Vases of sweet peas, dahlias, zinnias and nigella seed heads beautify our home. Nowadays our house often looks like a flower shop. There are bunches of flowers everywhere; in the living room, kitchen, even some in the bedroom. 

Onions, herbs and garlic are drying under the roof of the veranda.  Tiny green tomatoes are waiting to turn red or yellow and I have to keep an eye on the courgette's. Before you know it they have the size of a baseball bat. The potatoe plant is full of tiny white flowers. Blueberries are almost ready to be picked. I could go on and on.....but, I would love to hear how your garden is growing!

Wishing you all a happy wednesday!

Lieve groet, Madelief

In an English country garden

 

The best time to visit a garden and make photos is early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when its not too crowded and the light is at its best. When visiting a garden I prefer rainy days over sunny weather. Rain, cloudy & dark skies only add to the beauty of the photos and often intensify the colours of the flowers.

It was on a windy day, full of clouds and an occasional shower that we put on our hiking boots and rain jackets and visited the Courts Garden nearby Bradford on Avon. It turned out to be a gem!

The garden is nestled in the outskirts of a little village, called Holt, where honey coloured houses are strewn along a now busy road. Because of the high winds, the Arboretum and Orchard were closed off for visitors, but the water garden, the formal garden and vegetable plot were open to the public.

The Courts garden is a garden with different 'rooms': a magnificent Lilly pond, a Dorian temple, colourful borders all set in the grounds of an 18th century Georgian house. The National Trust calls it an English country garden, other sources say the garden is a fine example of the Arts and Crafts movement. As I know only a little about it, I find it difficult to give an opinion. Perhaps one even influenced the other.

What I do know is, that it is worth visiting. If only one could make a profession out of visiting gardens, I would definetely apply for the job. Perhaps I will retrain and become a garden photographer ;-)! Enjoy the photos!

Wish you all a happy weekend!

Lieve groet, Madelief

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In Jane's footsteps

Jane Austen had a love hate relationship with Bath. She had to leave her beloved home in Hampshire to live in a bustling city, full of balls and parties. In her novels Northanger Abbey and Persuasion she wrote down her anger, but her love for Bath as well.

In Northanger Abbey Catherine Morland says 'I shall always be talking of Bath, when I am at home again', but in the same novel Isabella Thorpe is 'preferring the country to every other place'. I won't be explaing the second quote, but the first quote tells us that the city must have left a lasting impression on Jane. It was not only Jane who was impressed by the grandeur and splendour of Bath, it willl stay in the minds of my family and I for a long time too!

The girls and I followed in Jane's footsteps; from the Roman baths, along the Pulteney bridge, through Gay street, past the Circus to the Royal Crescent and back to the Assembly rooms and the Pump room. As the city is not that big, you can do everything on foot. As we had been to the Jane Austen visitor centre several years ago, we now visited no.1 Royal Crescent, which gave us a good idea of life in Georgian times. We enjoyed the museum of costume, which is housed in the Assembly rooms, and could imagine ourselves dancing away in one of those beautiful Regency dresses. On our wish list was a visit to Prior Park and we also wanted to do the 'Bath skyline walk', a six mile circular walk around the city. Unfortunately our stay in Bath was too short to do it all. But to look at it from the bright side: reason enough to visit Bath one more time!

Enjoy your day! From a cloudy Holland,

Lieve groet, Madelief