Taming the house plant jungle

An abundance of greenery makes a house feel comfortable & homely. Many of our larger plants used to live in our inglenook fireplace but had to move when we installed a wood burner some years back. The smaller plants live happily on either side of the fireplace in raised stands. However, our conservatory has been home to the very large ones; they are usually on the console table but because of their size & height, they regularly tip over & the mess is unwelcome. 

My myriad of large houseplants have spent the summer outdoors, partially shaded by a large laurel bush & a fatsia japonica. It is an annual thing, easier to maintain but also easier to wash down their leaves properly & give them air. 

With a busy fortnight ahead, I thought it time to bring them in. However, because some have grown rather large, they are prone to tipping over on the conservatory console table so a solution was needed.

While out at the local garden centre, I had a thought - perhaps they need to be grouped en masse in a trough. At first the idea was for a trough on the console table but there were none that was suitable and the reality was if one tipped, they would all fall over in a domino effect. 

A black Elho trough caught my eye - quite substantial with built in wheels. The trough could sit on the floor where it can be wheeled away for cleaning yet the plants would be more stable at ground level. It was nice enough to be an indoor planter too. 

I measured it, checked back home & then returned to buy it. My 3 outdoor raised planters with the clear lids are ehlo & I love their quality.

I filled the bottom of the new trough with some of our lovely leaf mould (made with our leaves that are raked under the corner hedge to break down) and then added a generous layer of fresh compost. 

With the new trough in the conservatory door, it was good working height & I could gather the plants that have spent the summer on the outdoor patio. I started with the biggest ones & gently potted them in to the trough, moving them around to fit in, then put the smaller ones in between & gently filled all the spaces with additional compost. A variegated spider plant and an arrow head plant had grown rather prolifically over the summer so it was added for interest too. 

A messy job as compost flicked about on the leaves but once I was happy that all the plants were in one place, it was time to test out the inbuilt wheels. They really surprised me by gliding smoothly & the trough could be wheeled in to place quite easily. That is a massive bonus for cleaning.

I tidied up the plants by adding supports & some twine to keep the branches where I wanted, then under planted with coloured tradescantia's. A pleasing change that will be easier to manage. 

How do you deal with all your houseplants? Are you temped to mass them together or do you prefer them dotted about? Tell all. Thank you for stopping by, it is appreciated, 

Dee 🪴🪏🏡👩‍🌾

Successful summer plant propagation ...

 I love the challenge of growing some things every summer. We do salad leaves in the planters & 5-6 tomato plants in a grow bag along the sheltered side of the conservatory. 

The tomatoes have loved the hot sunny weather & we have had a reasonable crop this year - red  & so tasty, a big change from the largely tasteless supermarket ones. 

You really appreciate the flavour & effort when you grow them yourself. 

I always cut some herbs for the conservatory vase in summer - it highlights the fact that herbs are flowers too & you get the delicate scent when at the table. 

The bonus is always that some of them grow while in water which is a welcome bonus to add to the herb planters. 

I cut thyme (did not root in water), mint (of course it did), sage (a success) and my favourite lemon verbena that I have NOT had success with in the past. 

I am amazed that all 4 lemon verbena cuttings rooted & I am delighted to have 4 new plants. 

I have planted the herbs in 3 pots that will stay indoors in the cool conservatory over winter to establish themselves. 

I also took cuttings of  my pink mophead hydrangea. They have not had a happy summer because it has been hot & dry & at times have looked very down cast with their heads & leaves drooping. 

The cuttings were in water for ages & have developed leaves along the stem where I cleared the leaves from, a sign there is life. 

They have been potted up in soil, the mophead flower alongside them so I remember which cuttings are which.

I took cuttings from daughters hydrangea up north. It is a prolific bloomer with gorgeous white heads. 

The first cuttings taken more than a month ago did not look well so I recut them a few weeks ago & kept them in water. 

One has now rooted in a line along the stem - not at the nodule. That has been transferred to a pot with soil & will be carefully tended indoors over winter. 

Some of the other cuttings from that white hydrangea show signs of rooting & they will stay in water a little longer. Fingers crossed for a few more successful cuttings. 

It is a personal challenge to get these things right & it is one I enjoy. Who else likes a gardening challenge? Tell all please. 

Thank you for stopping by, I appreciate all the visits & the comments even more.

Dee 🪴🤞💐🌺

St Milburga's well

St Milburga is the patron saint of Shropshire. She was the daughter of the Anglo Saxon King Merewalh, ruler of Shropshire & Herefordshire. Milburga /  was born in the 600's and died 27 February 727 at  Wenlock Priory. We are told this about the family 

Milburga’s father was Merewalh (d. c.685), king of the Magonsaete. His domain, a sub-kingdom of Mercia – the Anglo-Saxon kingdom that covered much of the midlands – encompassed the modern counties of Herefordshire and Shropshire. Merewalh converted to Christianity in 660, marrying Domne Eafe (d. c.700), a Kentish princess. Her lineage included King Ethelbert (or Æthelberht; d.616), who had welcomed St Augustine on his mission from Rome to convert the English in 597.

Milburga’s family was distinguished by its piety and sanctity. Her mother, and sisters Mildred (or Mildrith; d. c.700) and Mildgyth, all became abbesses and were destined to be venerated as saints, while Ethelred and Ethelbricht (d. c.670), her maternal uncles, were regarded as martyrs. Her father was a founder of monasteries, including Wenlock, Shropshire, in about 670–80.

They were a pious family  that had converted to Christianity in 660AD, establishing several monasteries & abbeys in their jurisdiction. Milburga & her two sisters all became devote Abbesses.

 In modern day Much Wenlock, a stones throw from the Priory ruins is a well dedicated to St Milburga. 

Its water was considered sacred & had healing powers in times past. 

We strolled the streets of the pretty town & stopped by the well on a visit last week, no water runs from it now but the spot is marked. 

There are mentions of her in the nearby Priory where she was Abbess that I often take visitors to. 

A timely reminder that history is all about us & you find something new every time you visit a place, even if it is a local one that you stop by regularly. 

I hope you have found this interesting, do stop by again. 
Dee 🔔⛲️👑

Sharing the solar eclipse experience

 

Yesterday the UK experienced an almost total solar eclipse; it was 91.8% for us in the  midlands.

There was a palpable sense of excitement as people compared their preparations with solar glasses, social media offering advice on the times & places to viewing from. 

We opted for the edge of a local wood we visit often. I checked that it faced west for the setting sun. The woods are high, looking out across fields towards our local landmark of the Wrekin hill. 

We got there in good time, walked up the sandy path  & were the only ones on a baking hot afternoon

I picked up these 5 stones on my walk up to the bank, ones that I liked. They were all very hot to the touch because it was 35c outdoors. They were placed next to me to absorb the suns energy through the eclipse. 

The trees in the wood were throwing out light shapes through their tree canopies.

We were soon joined by another couple, then another & another until about 25 of us were watching the horizon. The moon nibbled at the sun, growing ever bolder as more & more was in darkness. 

At 17:11, we reached the maximum amount. We kept checking times on phones, the excitement was contagious. We took photos of the changing sky as the light softened to a warm golden glow that bathed us in its light. We felt we were part of a collective experience that was bigger than we were. 

The photos took a backseat to just being immersed in the experience. We all glowed in the warm golden light, like children of King Midas. 

We were strangers sharing a moment, a time of collective memories that we will carry forward. People who gathered on the edge of a dusty field to personally be part of something much larger than ourselves. The universe humbling us as we realised how insignificant we really are.

Why do people who seldom take notice of the changing seasons feel an indescribable need to bear witness to an event few of us will see again ? Perhaps there is some magical pull from the universe that draws us in.  

We wondered aloud in our little gathered group what our ancestors made of eclipses; did they think the world was ending? Did they have superstitions about eclipses being harbingers of good or bad luck? It is interesting to research some of these ...

edited: I have since learnt that the soft golden light is known as the Rayleigh Scattering - you learn something new everyday. 

Thanks for stopping by, it is always appreciated 

Dee 🌅🌞🕶🌳☀️

The gorgeous blooms of the Shropshire petal fields

 

A well known Shropshire venture advertises their eco friendly flower petals nationally.

The Shropshire Petal Fields sell their petals for bridal events - you can choose colours or a mixture, bagged up or individually presented. 

 It is a much more environmentally friendly confetti as it is bio degradable. 

It is fairly local to us & we booked tickets some weeks ahead as it is very popular.

We were hoping for good weather & that is what we got; the early clouds quickly burnt away to leave glorious blue skies. 

They open their fields for about 10 days before harvest as an events time so we can all buy tickets to enjoy the wonderful display. This year our hot dry weather has impacted the fields but they have put in a tremendous effort.

Ellie & I booked for Monday morning & it was absolutely lovely to wander around the course, amongst the gorgeous blooms. 

They are very family friendly with lots of spots to stop & do photos - a red tractor, a tall giraffe amongst the sunflowers, a zebra, a cast iron bath, a huge chair, a heart arch, haybales, Cinderella's carriage etc.

There were several fields of sunflowers which was just as well as their gorgeous faces track the sun so on some of the paths they were facing away from us.

Some of the patches were really tall, with several interesting varieties vying for space in the sun. 

A large giraffe was placed amongst some & it was good fun to do some posing with it. 

That is my only safari this year, seeing the crocodile, giraffe & zebra in the Shropshire fields ... 

We had a great girlie morning taking selfies & lots of photos of the beautiful blooms, the colours so bright against the parched nearby fields that was being harvested. 

Most of the women decided that it was the perfect summer activity for lovely dresses & hats which added to the scene. We don't get to be 'girlie' often enough so this was rather sweet. 

I opted for a wide brimmed sun hat I had used in Spain to keep the sun off my face. It is a factor 50 hat protection which is rather useful in this hot weather. 

We need more opportunities to just wander around flower fields & relax. The fields will be harvested after this event & the petals will be used by brides around the UK. 

That is a great cycle for the flowers. 

I hope you have enjoyed the wander with me ... 

Dee 💐🌷🌼🌺