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 💐🌷🌼🌺

Two years on, the hedge is growing

Two years ago, I shared the shock of the new neighbour cutting down the hedge that bordered the side of our back garden. 

The 30 year old hedge was unceremoniously cut down in the matter of a few hours & it left a gaping hole in our greenery. 

Pop over to this post to read about it. 

 I ordered some larger Laurels to fill the gap & they have taken their time to get established & start to make progress.

This year, at last there is more greenery & it is likely that they will all reach the top of the fence panel by the end of summer. 

I have fed them with multipurpose plant food & will add a thick layer of our own leaf mould as autumn approaches to protect the roots from frost or snow. 

The side gardens are higher than ours so I will like to get back the green background we took for granted for so long. 

However, our very dry July has not helped & the additional plants I have nurtured have stayed in the pots rather than being added to the side bed to thicken the hedging border. 

A green border also looks much nicer in our long winter months when the garden is a bit sparce. 

Any suggestions to give the laurels a growth spurt? 

Thank you for stopping by, it is always appreciated, 

Dee 🏡🪏🪴👩‍🌾

Making a quick sewing case

 

I do rather love a neat sewing case because I have needles for various activities like hand sewing, beading, embroidery, applique, scroll work etc. 

I often gift needle cases too, like this one. 

Everyone needs somewhere to keep their needles safe & if it is both functional & beautiful, then it is even more special.

I  will be doing some travelling in the summer that requires a bit of planning for an event & I like to  be prepared with a few needles & threads because they are generally needed (seldom by me)

Rather than moving needles from one of my needle books, I found two fabrics from my stash & a matching bit of felt. I also had the fabric strip to use as a tie, & I have loads of vintage buttons from Olive. 

This is my most used little needle book I made a few years ago.

 The fabric applique was part of a 'making zen' workshop I did & it is my favourite needle book - filled with all kinds of needles I use regularly, many with sashiko type needles with a large eye that glides through fabric. 

Needle books need to be functional & not too big so I cut out the size I decided on as well as a piece to use as a little pocket which had a hem sewn on the one side that would be open. 

I pinned the fabrics right sides together, did three sides & left a turning side, then found the pocket was wrong way up. Does anyone else have these moments when you can't decide which way something has to go so that it will turn through the gap the way it is supposed to? 

I trimmed the whole thing all around the edges, taking out the line of stitching & then pinned the pocket again. I pinned the edges then did a quick turn to sort out the right way for the pocket before sewing all around the edges, except for the turning out section.  

It was a relief to turn it out & find it was the right way this time. 

I cut a piece of felt to fit in the gap, then machined the turned out side, enclosing the edge of the fabric tie strip. 

I found a button that would go well & hand stitched it on. 

The important bit is the felt parts that hold the needles. After the needle case was ironed flat & folded in to the thirds so one would cover it all, I cut 2 pieces of felt to go in the two thirds part. I did a quick heart shaped template for the one in the middle, drew a line with a heat erasable pen then machined the felt on to the fabric case. 

I am rather liking the pattern contrast  & the little pocket is useful for some iron on hemming web (for those of us who seem to lose a trousers hem) and some threads that will go with most things.

 A few safety pins are always needed (usually for a blouse that is too low) and the little needle case is ready. 

Who else has various needle cases for various projects? 

Tell all. Thank you for stopping by, it is always appreciated. 

Dee 📍🪡

Done & dusted …

The end of an era 

I eluded to this being the year I step back from a lifetime in education of sorts. 

I qualified 45 1/2 years ago & my whole adult life has involved education in varied forms. I taught in mainstream with all the admin & extracurricular activities involved in that in several countries. 

I was asked to train rural women to work in nursery schools in the highlands of Lesotho & that is what I did. I wrote a programme & taught it to the rural ladies. When they went to the capital city for a training course, they were amazed to be given a copy of the one I had devised & they were so pleased to be ahead of the curve. It was in these rurals that I was invited into communities & homes that were suddenly thrust into a new way of living & we helped them make sense of it all. 

In England, my first jobs was working in libraries, helping out with all the usual jobs & the more unusual ones of story times etc, something that comes naturally. 

An opportunity to work in a university library came up & the academic setting was wonderful, not just doing the book part but also supporting students. There were times when their emotions & pressure got the better of them & a calmness was needed to restore their equilibrium. I decided against taking a Librarianship qualification & instead took a bridging course to be confident in the UK educational curriculum before returning to mainstream teaching for a while.  

Without wider support, teaching is difficult with a young family & a chance encounter with the Mum of one of the pupils I had taught at me on an independent path. 

An Elective Home Education tutor was needed for their community who don’t  traditionally transfer to secondary sco & I took on the role ‘until you find someone else’

My student numbers grew from the initial two to 36 weekly students, some in groups, some individually.  It was challenging to initially work out a system for the 4-18 year old age group but it soon settled into a great rhythm with flexibility on both sides for life’s challenges.

My tutoring bags were a regular feature in life - filled with all the things I need for each day, for different ages & stages.  

Some students stayed for a few years, some for their secondary years, others for their entire schooling, mortified at the thought that they would have a new teacher each year in school. 

It is an enormous privilege to work in people’s homes, in their private spaces, to be privacy to their lives, to know their extended family too. I have shared their joys of marriages, births & good fortune, but also the sadness of illnesses & death. 

Today my final students were the last of the 4 siblings that I have tutored for the last 19 years - a great chunk of all our lives. 

It is the right time to step away, to have time & energy to enjoy whatever time I have in retirement & to be thankful to my parents who encouraged me to education because, in their words, “you will always have a job!”. How right they were … 

The students & families kind words of appreciation is welcome, I am glad I have made a positive contribution along the way. 

Thank you for stopping by, it is appreciated 

Dee 📘📗🗓️📅📚

Growing some gifted gem squash seeds

 Gem squashes have to be close to the most loved Southern African vegetables. 

They are just larger than a tennis ball, their outer skin varies from being quite firm to a little softer. Their beautiful green hue is instantly recognisable & sought after. 

They are usually just cut in half then boiled in lightly salted water until the sweet yellow flesh can be poked with a fork. 

The seeds in the middle are scooped out then a small, or large, knob of butter is added with just salt & pepper. I have eaten them my whole life in Africa. This is an interesting UK article about them. 

However, they are not easily available in the UK which makes them even more special. 

My friend Liz gifted us each one last year when we met up in Ludlow with her & she said ‘keep the seeds & see if you can grow them.”

I did just that - cut them in half, scooped out the seeds prior to cooking to preserve them. I dried them on kitchen roll, rubbed off any dried bits & stored them in an envelope. 

About 8 weeks ago, I pushed the seeds into one of my raised planters, covered them & was delighted when some poked their heads up quite quickly. 

I grew them on until they were a little larger & it suddenly struck me - I have never grown them before so I researched their habits. 

Ooops, being squash, they trail along the ground or can be trained up a support once they have developed their climbing stems. 

I topped up 2 troughs that were spare, planting 3 in each & 3 in the rhubarb tub. 

How to support them? I positioned them mid garden next to the red robin bush with its multi stems & then used garden twine to build up a support between the stems. With the troughs on either side, I am hoping it can be trained upwards but in this part of the garden, they can spread along the ground if they prefer. 

I was growing some for daughter but they have put on a growth spurt so were moved to another trough where they have settled in well & are growing vigorously. 

Some of the other plants were planted in the herb troughs along the side of the house 

My count is about 14 very healthy plants, some in full sun, others in semi-shade, all looking well. 

I will keep you updated & am feeling hopeful. If you have grown them, any suggestions will be welcome.

Stop by again for an update,

Dee 🪏🪴🏡👩‍🌾

Walking along the Stretton Aquaduct ....

While out walking along the Shropshire Union Canal, we walked up to the Stretton Aquaduct that passes over the A5 / Watling street road, which is the old Roman Road. 
 

The Stretton Aquaduct was designed in 1832 by the famous Scottish engineer Thomas Telford.   This info from Wiki 

The aqueduct has five sections, each 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) long, held together by bolts and supported by six cast iron arch ribs, each in two sections and joined at the centre of the arch.^[2] It was cast by William Hazledine of Shrewsbury.^[2] The trough is 21 feet (6.4 m) wide with an 11 feet (3.4 m) wide channel of water and a towpath on either side.^[2] The Staffordshire blue brick abutments have stone dressings.^[3]

During 1961–62, the road under the aqueduct was lowered by about 4 feet (1.2 m) to allow taller vehicles to pass underneath.

We pass under it often on the A5 where the road was lowered to allow for taller trucks to use it. When passing along the road, you sometimes see a canal boat but not too often so travellers do not always realise what the purpose of it is. 

However, it is a fabulous walk both ways - to Brewood or to Wheaton Aston. We are blessed with these lovely spaces to enjoy. I hope you have enjoyed this too, 

Dee 🚶‍♀️🛳️🌉 🌳🪾

Come for a beautiful Sunday canal walk ...

 

The Shropshire Union canal winds it way through our county going north & south of us. It was an important water way, moving good around safely, especially fragile wares from The Potteries. 

It is an important tourist route with hire boats using it & taking advantage of local pubs when they tie up for the night. 

My choice of a Sunday walk - the canals nearby & we choose a section we had not walked previously, though we had walked part of it. 

Green bathing is a term now used to apply to spending time in nature & the cuttings along our canals are often deep & this time of the year they are bathed in green light from the trees along the cuttings. 

What absolute bliss to walk the canal path from Wheaton Aston to the Stretton Aquaduct that the A5 / Watling street traffic passes under.  It is a highpoint & is a great walk. 

We turned back at the Aquaduct instead of carrying on to Brewood, a walk we do quite often but our car would have been in several miles away. 

A heron followed along, perching on what looked like an abandoned canal boat, perhaps that is his preferred roosting place. We encountered the same heron further down when he moved up the opposite bank to a high spot. 

The boat yard was an interesting view - canal boats have to have their metal hulls inspected every few years 

They have to be repainted 'blacked' to keep them water tight. 

There were some moored up that were in bad order, going nowhere. However the boat yard was busy with a boat hull being sanded. 

These spaces are beautiful & functional, we passed a few other walkers & several runners who were enjoying the tree shade along the canals. 

I hope you have enjoyed the walk with me, thank you for visiting, 

Dee  🚶‍♀️🛳️🚤🪾🌲🌳