What's Looking Good In July 2013

Spruce, the only problem with baskets that are so full is it's difficult to water them. Even when we bury a plastic cup in the basket, to take the water, we find it hard to get to it - or even know where it is!

In this weather they need watering two to three times a day as the water runs off the surface.

 

Lovely pics

Things are getting very colourful now

 

The washing up liquid idea is very interesting

We put slow release fertiliser into the compost but, when the plants are as greedy as they sometimes are, we also add tomato feed from the end of July (just use a plastic bottle).

Unfortunately, I rarely use a watering can. Bending and lifting are difficult for me (that's why the water authority gave me an exemption during the hose pipe ban) and I water everything with the hose.

We have so many things that need watering that it still takes up to 45 minutes each time - even with a hose! With the baskets - I water them first, do half the other jobs, water them again and then finish off the watering with doing them a third time.

Some years the baskets aren't quite so full and then it's easy to get to the cup that is sunk into the basket.

 

No, they may be of use if the baskets are quite high but, otherwise, there are so many settings on the hose spray that I can't see the need. Our baskets are at eye level so very easy to use the hose.

 

Poppies always seem such friendly flowers

Our flower bed on the front of our property by the footpath has loads of wild poppies in it. Some years there are more than others.

We were quite worried that they wouldn't do very well this summer as we lost over 1,000 Aquilegias from that bed this winter. The bed is about 50ft long.

They're just starting to get going and really brighten up the front.





Most of them are varieties of red but, depending on the year, we can get a fantastic mixture of colours. One year they were mostly red and white stripes of varying patterns. This year they are mainly red.