Heather on the moors

It's that time of the year again and the heather is in full flower in the Peak District. What is different this year is that this was the first time we also was able to experience the fragrance of the heather. It was really quite astounding, and does immediately bring to mind heather honey. Funny that. It was quite heady drinking it all in.

Sadly I cannot reproduce the fragrance in this blogpost, but I hope you'll enjoy the photos all the same. All photos take from the Stanage Edge & Burbage Edge areas of the Peak District.

  

Cracking Crocosmia

Late summer and the Crocosmia is cracking hot at the back of my garden. Even on the rainy days, the sun is still shining in my garden.

Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora 'Red King'

Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora 'Irish Dawn'

Crocosmia 'Lucifer'

Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora 'Carmin Brillant'

Pictorial meadows at Manor Oaks Farm

Sheffield has gained a reputation for it's development of pictorial meadow mixes, using both annuals and perennials. We live not far from Manor Oaks Farm where many of the types of meadows are on display. Below are a few photos from my recent visit. The different types mean that whilst some meadow areas may have peaked in June-July and are now going over, others have just come into their full floriferous beauty.

Manor Oaks Farm is not far from the city centre, just a short bus road or a c. 20 minute walk from the station, so it is easy to get to. I highly recommend it.

Visit the Pictorial Meadows website and find out more about the type of meadow mixes they have created, plus seeds mixes available, including those used at Olympic Park in London for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Wordless Wednesday 12th August 2015: Heuchera 'Paris'

 

Gardening with ME: then and now

There are times when having ME can really get me down. Lately not only have I not been blogging much, I'm not gardening much, and I've even had to hire someone to help out in the garden a bit. I love my garden and it's quite hard not being about to be out there in it, working the soil, tending the plants. I start feeling overwhelmed by what I haven't done and haven't achieved.

Luckily I was flicking through some photos the other day and was reminded of what the garden was when we moved in nearly 2.5 years ago, and what it is now.

Then

Now

A bit of a doh! moment  :)

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I welcome your thoughts and comments. And if you blog about gardening with ME/a chronic illness, do link to this post in your blog and leave a comment below with a link to your post, so we can all find each other.

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