January Trees

The arrival of new seeds to plant is always a  treat, especially in January. This year it is a packet of six non-dormant Monkey Puzzle seeds (Araucaria araucana). I hope they will germinate and add to the collection of small trees growing away, including the Giant Sequoias. I have also taken cuttings of the Salix babylonica 'Tortuosa' (corkscrew, tortured or my fave, dragon's claw willow). I have found the easiest way with these is simply to push bare stems in a pot in winter and watch them grow away in Spring.
I have planted my lovely Christmas gift of a Glastonbury thorn in a pot for now, until a permanent site can be found in the garden. Growing trees in containers, whether Bonsai or just small trees, is a lovely way to find a life-long connection to nature if space is limited. If you make one gardening resolution to keep this New Year, make it to grow a tree.

January frosts

Sequoiadendron giganteum

Dragon's Claw willow and Californian lilac

More frosts...

Monkey Puzzle seeds

Street Christmas Cracker ~ December 1st.

On December 1st it will be the annual Christmas Cracker on the High Street in  Street, Somerset.

I'm delighted to be exhibiting at the pop-up gallery in the Old Tesco Building again.
Come along and see the great range of local art on exhibition and for sale at
Unit 6, Crispin Centre, Street, BA16 0HP.

Exhibition runs 11-am - 4pm, Monday to Saturday, through till December 15th 2018.

'Gulp'

framed watercolours &

hand painted cards and fridge magnets

and handmade christmas cards

St. Catherine's Chapel, Abbotsbury. Watercolour & pen.
(Framed size 22 x 28cm)

Autumn & summer at the same time..

begonia

begonia

fuchsia and gazania

begonia and selfheal

gazania

fatsia japonica

willow

re-seedlings

and seedheads

garden cross spiders catching more than some rays

Art Exhibition coming up...

Local Landscapes
by

Patricia Herlihy

15th September to 22nd September 2018
11.00am - 3.00pm

in the almshouses at

St Margaret's Chapel &
Royal Magdalene Almshouses

Magdalene Street, Glastonbury, Somerset

Works in watercolour, oils and pen & ink.

A selection of handmade cards.

Summer Ran Dry...

Don't forget to upload your Big Butterfly Count results by the end of August, there is still time to take part, the count runs until the 12th of August. More details on YouTube here ~ Big Butterfly Count

Please take part in this year's RSPB Swift survey ~ details here. They are on the amber list and numbers are plummeting in the UK.


Too hot to garden and ground baked solid, so here's some photos instead from when the summer ran dry...

french beans

painted lady

red admiral

painted lady

carrots

'lawn'

Ewok?

onions drying

long-tailed tit

long-tailed tits in tree canopy