Cokey pokey June garden tour

 Hello m' fizz pots,

It's too bloomin' hot outside, so I've come in for a nice glass of cokey pokey* and wee blog sesh. Ol' Glass Eyed Mumrah told me off for not doing a post last week! Feet up and crunching on ice cubes, I'm smug in the thought that I won't have to bucket up the bath water tonight and lug it downstairs to water the patio pots. This is because I have gradually been planting them up with drought tolerant succulents.

* The cokey can't pokey because the pokey's in the cokey! *

[The copyright goes to my six year old daughter who came up with that slogan. No, it doesn't make any sense, but it could be advertising genius ]

 
 Aonium 'Zwartkop' underplanted with Sedum album

Red house leeks and Delosperma 'Ruby'

Aeonium arboreum and Mesembryanthemums (that's a mouthful - lets just call them Livingstone Daisies)

Last year the cannas were in the half-barrel pots, but look how much happier they are let loose in rich, moisture retentive soil -

Isn't it just lovely how the sunlight filters through their chocolatey leaves -

The collected rainwater is being saved for the salad edibles in the new hanging colander garden. Beetroot, spring onions and coriander all swinging from the sturdy bird feeder structure. Not a beasty nibble in sight. I need more colanders! If there's one in the charity shop for 50p, I'll have it please.


The beetroot and turnip tops in the ground are looking a bit nibbled, but look at these snowball surprises!

 It is an west of Ireland saying that a turnip a day keeps the doctor away

Turnip 'Snowball'

These will be harvested before they get big and woody, the space freed up for leeks.

 
Here's the 'naughty bed' - naughty in that tomatoes are not meant to be planted next to strawberries or chilies (due to risk of fungal disease spread). They seem to be tolerating each other for now. The song thrush birds don't seem to care - they enjoy the strawberries for breakfast. As long as they sing to me, I don't mind at all.
 
 
 
Let's have a quick look at some 'happy accidents' in the garden -
 
Campanula poscharskyana (escaped from my neighbour's garden) and self-seeded Nigella damascena.
 
A tangle of lemon scented geranium and nasturtiums

Self-seeded chives and Californian poppies soften the concrete corners.
 
Often nature does it best. I don't know why I bother really. These two beasties do need to get a room though, so I can get on with deadheading the Calendulas -


The Californian poppies have gone crazy. I had to give them a 'Chelsea chop' yesterday. Not before I managed to get another colour coordiated washing shot  -
 

The shallowest part of the pit now looks a bit sad, but at least now the Achilleas stand a chance and the poppies will grow back -
 


 I'll leave you with some more photos taken over the weekend. I shan't narrate, as I've finished the cokey pokey and have just remembered there is a cold beer in the fridge with my name on it!
 
 
 

 
 


 


I hope that you are keeping well and dandy. Please do send gossip. 

For those with blogs, as per usual I am behind on reading, but rest assured, I will be doing the royal rounds with my special gloved wave, albeit one week late.


Lulu xXx


Thank you for visiting!

Most recent posts can be found here - https://longmizzle.blogspot.com/

You can sometimes find me here Long Mizzle on YouTube 
 
Want to send me biscuits for elevensies? Please email  'longmizzle (at) gmail.com'








 




 

 



Comments

  1. Loving your daughter's slogan, and well done you on planting up your patio pots with drought tolerant succulents! I should take a leaf out of your book and do the same last year, as I'm having to leave my pots to their own devices while we're in Shropshire. Not sure how many will survive!
    The hanging colander garden is absolutely brilliant and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for more charity shop finds in that direction.
    The chives and Californian poppies make for a sizzling combo, and of course the latter also look fabulous with your coordinating washing line! xxx

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    1. Thank you Ann :) Fingers crossed on your pots. So the mystery destination is Shropshire! Now I am excited for you, as I know there are at least a couple of bloggers near those parts. I am sensing a meetup ;) It has certainly been a sizzling week, with our hottest day of the year thus far yesterday. No washing on the line today though, as there's a moody storm passing over xXx

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  2. Deep sigh, your garden reminds me of my childhood in Africa - and of a brief sojourn in my early 20s when I lived in Devon (more sighing) ok ok move on! my garden is definitely at least six months (I may be exaggerating a little) behind yours and as soon as it catches up I shall fully expect frosts (*yay*) my drought tolerant lot have all mushed somewhat due to our lack of drought.... however I love love love your swinging salad bar! I may be thieving that idea somewhat for work (where I attempt to keep the visitors entertained by offering interesting gardening shenanigans!) xxx

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    1. Argh thanks Kate, really nice to hear that my garden has a touch of Africa in it (wait until the Agapanathus comes out!). Haha, six months behind then frosts, honestly :0 :) I think your visitors would enjoy a nice nibble colander xXx

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  3. Your garden 's looking great and well in advance to mine up here in Dragon land. Just about everything I have are annuals so I start from scratch each March.
    I love your hanging colanders, very innovative. Is it difficult to garden on a slope? You seem to manage very well.
    Although the winter here wasn't that cold my Begonia tubers didn't fare very well and I only have a few that shooted. I'm off now to watch a couple of your utube videos, take care Lulu 😊

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    1. Thanks David :) Dragon land??? Is that a Lincolnshire expression, or the way some of the local animal enclosures look like something from Game of Thrones? It is tricky gardening on a slope, but at least it is terraced. Some gardens in these parts have even steeper drops. Being good at stunt rolling obviously helps ;) My dad always has summer begonia bedding and it seems to be the wet soggy winters that do them over here. Hope you are having a good week - I'll be heading over soon to see.... xXx

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  4. I am also deeply sighing as your garden is months ahead of mine. My nasturtiums are about 20cm high and long way off flowering and my turnips are not even seedlings yet. We do not however have any problems with water so we all have our own gardening problems. It has rained on and off for most of the last ten days or so.

    Your garden looks completely amazing as always, l also love your salad bar, such a clever idea! Keep the slugs at bay too.

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    1. Thanks SM :) Be cursed the giant molluscs that try to climb my bird feeder!!! They'll work out something tasty is up there one day - they always do. Good luck with the turnips and nasturtiums and happy watering xXx

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    2. ^^^ that should read 'happy non-watering' :0

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  5. Dear Lulu
    Fabulous garden pics - particularly the california poppies and coordinated washing. It's all looking very lovely!
    Best wishes
    Ellie

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    1. Of course those particular sheets can only be washed when the Californian poppies bloom darling. Thanks Ellie love :) xXX

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  6. Oh for some warmth and sunshine, it's cardis and dodging the hailstorms here! It's like a different world wandering around your garden with you! xxx

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    1. Hello Vix, I hope you got some of this heatwave sun this past week! I'll be over soon to check before you whizz off to Glastonbury .... xXx

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  7. Collanders...... blimmin brilliant and I'll fight you for any that appear in charity shops. Now I'm eyeballing spaces to hang collanders. It's a bit nippy this morning and the wind just lately has been dreadful... weather wind not my own variety :-)

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    1. I was going to buy normal hanging baskets Cherie, but at £8 a pop for ones that looked like they may only last one season, the sturdy chazza colanders won! Oooh, thank goodness you're just talking about the weather, thought you might have been at those Fartichokes again xxx

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  8. The garden is looking beautiful, and I love the colander garden - genius!
    Californian poppies are some of my favourites. The pollinators seem to love them as well. X

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    1. The hoverflies especially love 'em Jules! - the poppies, not the colanders. Thanks m' luverly xXx

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  9. smart move to use the pots only for succulents when heaven send water is meager! especially when one owns so many varieties like you do.
    salad hung high in kitchen utensils seems a trend........
    all in all is your cornish garden 3 weeks ahead of my "west siberian" one.
    just watered the whole thing with rainwater from the storage - with a can. now i´m kaput - fetch the the sundowner :-D
    xxxxx

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    1. Oh Beate, the succulent collection is growing! I may have acquired more at a certain carboot sale. Well as you know, I am a very en vogue kinda girl, so much so that Monsieur won't be able to find our cheese grater and perforated ladles in the kitchen later on ;) Happy sundowner to you xXx

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  10. I have some of the Campanula poscharskyana with the flower stems growing up through a Hebe alongside our block paving driveway - we find that it readily self-seeds into the cracks between the paving bricks.

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    1. Hello Will, many thanks for visiting LongMizzle and leaving garden gossip. I thought the Campanula a weed for a while, until I finally let it flower. Now it is welcome to self seed all over the ugly concrete retaining wall! :) x

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  11. Your garden is such fun, a special place that's for sure. Love the poppies, well, and all of your garden. All good wishes, your post went down well with my afternoon mug of tea.

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    1. The garden's even more fun with a cold beer Mike! Though a cuppa tea is very lovely too. Thank you :) I hope you are keeping well. Will be over soon for a nosey! xXx

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  12. I like your daughter's slogan, looks like her career path is in advertising... Your garden is so full of colour, with the backdrop of the colour co-ordinated laundry it is ready for public opening days imo. Your collander collection is interesting/clever, but will the birds mistake them for nesting sites? will the slugs find they can slide upwards and visit them? next installment soon pleases. my salad is in trays and despite netting, the cat keeps sitting on them like she's hatching an egg. When she gets off next doors cat has a go. Your garden is looking just wild enough to be exciting without getting out of hand.

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    1. The littlest one comes up with the most bonkers things Betty. Thus far, the birds haven't landed their feathery bottoms on the hanging colanders, though now I am worried they'll eat the seeds! It's really nice of you to provide cat snoozing trays in your garden. The beasts obviously have some organised booking system that you're not aware of xXx ;

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  13. p.s. I like the shed camouflage hat.

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    1. Ta chuck :) I'm going to make myself a headband for Midsummer, just to freak Monsieur out.

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  14. Hello! Lovely to hear from you and get another glimpse of Long Mizzle in the sun. Love the sedum underplanting, the canna filtered sunlight and the suspended colander idea is pure genius! I would love to think that it might work for hostas, but they might look a bit weird! xxx

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    1. Hosta heights! That has a certain ring to it Claire. You could charge the molluscs top dollar per night. Thanks m' lovely xXx

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  15. What a beautiful garden you have Lulu. Those poppies are divine.x

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    1. Hello Jane, great to hear from you! Hope you are keeping well. Sending you some sunshine poppies xXx

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  16. Ah, your garden makes me so happy! I'd love to have a wander round it as you talk me through the plants (I LOVE doing that! My Mum talks me through the garden evry time I go round and I LOVE it!).
    The succulents are amazing. Intrigued by that Seedum variety- close up next time please! I started to give my Seedum its mid-season lop last week but I forgot to only but it halfway and chopped it right down- hope it survives! I've put all the cuttings in glass yoghurt pots to plant on and put in my friend Nath's garden as his garden is disaster. I sort it out every time I go in the Summer but it gets bad again but at least if he has some Seedum, at least there will be some colour!

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    1. Argh, thanks Kezzie! I'm sure your sedum will survive - they're pretty tough. Good luck with your friend Nath's garden - very kind of you to collect plants and sort it out each summer :0 :) xXx

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