Ahhhhh, its that time of year again when I work myself up into a happy frenzy with compost and pots and floral goodness. Can you remember last year? All good fun, I do enjoy a bit of potty pottering...not exactly full blown gardening, but enough to content my (veeeeery pale) green fingered ideas.
I allowed myself the pleasure of a little mad splurge at a small family run nursery at the beginning of the week. The nursery is owned by the same lovely peeps who run the plant stall at the weekly market, and who also supplied the primulas for the school Mothering Sunday craft project I organised (remember my car boot full of PPP's in March??)
Its a small place, but oh so pretty!! Next time I pay a visit I'll remember to take my camera to show you, because as plant-vendors go, this one is pretty near perfect. Its beautifully laid out, and at this time of year there is a huge polytunnel full to bursting with the type of annuals and bedding plants which make my heart soar.
The whole experience is remarkably similar to being let loose in a shop full of buttons or beads, or a good yarn/haberdashery shop, or a fabric shop. You know, that delicious, overwhelming kind of almost painful excitement that arrives BaNg when one is suddenly surrounded by so much intense colour and creative possibilty.
Yes, its the surge of creative possibility which I find so intoxicating.
When shopping in this way, whether it be for a crochet project, a quilt-to-be, or a back yard full of flowers, the choosing and purchasing of the goods is really the choosing and purchasing of an inspirational dream to me. Does that make sense?
And its so damn exciting, I feel fit to burst!
So round and round I go, wheeling my impossible wibbly plant trolley around and around the displays of flowers. It's quite a heady experience.
I choose geraniums first and foremost, because summer is not summer without geraniums.
There are also some luscious ostospurmum (Cape Daisy) in the most beautiful colours (isn't that flower above so beautiful?)
Marigolds, yellow marguerites, petunias and verbena also jump into my trolley.
It's so hard to refuse some of the beauties on display :: I was totally smitten by that fabulous pelargonium above...so utterly charming, I was powerless to resist.
Despite my usual indecisive nature, this spot of retail therapy was really quite fast and furious for me. The flowers just kind of kept leaping into my trolley, one after the other, until I had built up a patchwork of brilliant floral colour.
It was such a joy to pile them into the boot of my car, much as I did with the PPP's, and to see all that colour waiting to come home with me. Ooooooeeeee, it was fab!!
So the flowers have been sitting patiently on my outside table since Monday afternoon, waiting to make the move from plastic trays to big terracotta pots.
And finally today, with some rather dubious help from the Little People (off school today as well as yesterday) I managed to spend a good amount of this morning with my sleeves rolled up, shifting garden furniture around, sweeping and clearing and ridding my pots of last years dead inhabitants and this years crop of thriving weeds.
So we are ready to go now, ready to plant, ready to transform my rather drab little outside space into something colourful and inspiring for the summer season.
It's going to be a heckava lot of fun arranging these beauties in their new potty homes.
A true living colour fest.
Oh, and this weekend I'm going to be making some outdoor summer bunting to string up too....can't wait to show you when it's all done, we could have a little garden party to celebrate??!! Yippeeee!!!!!
Have a great weekend everyone whatever you get up to :: I really hope your days (and mine too) are full of sunshine and colour.....Enjoy!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Lovely flowers! Wish I can also have those kind of flowers on my garden. Anyway, I've been looking for topics as interesting as this. Looking forward to your next post.
-pia-
Posted by: philippines flower shop | March 15, 2010 at 07:23 AM
Wow! this post really caught my attention. those flowers very attractive and refreshing. thanks for sharing those photos. how i wish i could have all of them in my garden. keep it up!
-khatie-
Posted by: flower Philippine | August 17, 2009 at 06:48 AM
Lucy, your photos make me want to jump out of my world into your wonderful colorful photographs. Thank you for sharing it with me.
~Pam
http://stampsinc.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Pam L. | July 02, 2009 at 11:48 AM
How lovely, sweet and beautiful is your garden!!
Posted by: lisette | June 30, 2009 at 09:17 AM
Hey Lucy,
What is the pattern for you BB.. do you chain 1 or 2 in between your 3 dbls? And corners to, are they a 3 dbl, chain 2, 3 dbls?
:)
Posted by: Bonnie Slager | June 30, 2009 at 06:08 AM
Wow! did you plant all of those flowers? They're really beautiful. You're pretty good in planting. I love it. Thanks for sharing.
-fern-
Posted by: philippine flower shops | June 30, 2009 at 02:35 AM
Thank you so much for a bright wonderfully coloured blog. I stumbled across it this weekend because I'd started a ripple blanket and then found your tutorial (too late for this one, but there's always the next one! - I think I'm hooked!).
I've had to work this weekend and reading your blog to the beginning in stages over the weekend was a welcome relief from work. So thank you for brightening up a cold work filled winter's weekend.
Posted by: EA | June 29, 2009 at 09:57 PM
So beautiful - the colors are so similar to all your fantastic crochet works! I've been happy working on the pots on my roof deck - more veggies than flowers! Happy arranging!
( http://guilty-as-charged.blogspot.com )
Posted by: Mellifluous | June 29, 2009 at 08:36 PM
What a delight all the flowers are! The colors! So gorgeous! Your crocheting and patchwork colors certainly coordinate with all the luscious colors of the flowers!
And bunting??? Did you say bunting? Can't wait to see!
Posted by: Vicki | June 29, 2009 at 03:08 PM
Hi Lucy, I would like to send you a huge thankyou - you have taught me to crochet! I've always wanted to learn, but found most instructions a bit confusing. I find your clear photos and stitch explanations a gods-send. I have started making my first blanket - a giant granny square basically, but I've found that on each row - the corners "move" round a little. It's producing a "windmill" effect. I wondered if you could tell me what I am doing wrong? There is a picture of the blanket on my new blog tangledingreen.blogspot.com if you or any readers could advise me I would really appreciate it ! Kristie x
Posted by: kristie | June 29, 2009 at 11:12 AM
oh what a riot of colour, I'm only wishing my garden were quite as lush!
Posted by: abeachcottage | June 29, 2009 at 07:25 AM
I am in love with your blog! You are living a seemingly charmed life, both in where you live and in what you do. I want to summon up the creativity and inspiration to add some of your color and craft to my home. I also added a link to your blog on mine, I hope you don't mind. Cheers!
Posted by: Alessandra White | June 29, 2009 at 12:56 AM
I am loving your colorful flowers! they are soooo beautiful!
Posted by: Izabela | June 28, 2009 at 11:24 PM
Had to say - we've just been to the hive cafe nr bridport on yr recommendation and it was lovely! Best carrot cake I have ever had ! Thanks for a great tip!
Posted by: Quilting mama | June 28, 2009 at 04:01 PM
beautiful! can wait to see how it turns out.
Posted by: stitches.and.tulips | June 28, 2009 at 03:22 PM
How absolutely beautiful! It's amazing how pretty flowers in bright colours can bring so much cheer.
Posted by: Café Chick | June 28, 2009 at 02:01 AM
Oh I wish it were flower buying season over here! My geraniums are just about to finish flowering. So sad with not much colour outside. I will just have to look at yours instead! May they florish, brighten up your outdoor area and look all summery.
Posted by: Sarah | June 27, 2009 at 10:02 PM
Oi all good?
Wonderful flowers, I loved!
Little kisses
Posted by: Ruth Piancó | June 27, 2009 at 05:29 PM
very colorful.... just like your crochet blankies..
down under its winter so enjoying the summer goodness up there..
Posted by: iaminchennai | June 27, 2009 at 11:58 AM
Lovely photos, and lovely flowers too. There's so much colour and beauty to be had in the summer months in the garden. I'm sure your pots will look a treat!
Posted by: Marie | June 27, 2009 at 10:12 AM
Beautiful flowers, I love your photographs. Would love to visit the nursery with you, when you take your camera next time :-)
I'm going to be making some bunting too this weekend, I saw a fab idea using Sarah Smith cloths at Lavender House (http://lavenderhouse.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/12/christmas-idea-no-4-sarah-smith-dish-cloths-christmas-bunting.html) so will be giving this ago later. I've been collecting her cloths for a while, they seem to beautiful to use just for cleaning!
Have a lovely creative weekend
Sally x
Posted by: sally | June 27, 2009 at 08:25 AM
Gorgeous colours and flowers as is the usual in your posts. I have just started a second blog, my first details the goings on on our family farm in Australia daylesfordorgaincs.com. My second http://foxslane.blogspot.com/ is a more personal blog. My second post documents my summer garden crochet rug. Thanks so much for the inspiration. Love Kate
Posted by: Kate | June 27, 2009 at 05:16 AM
beautiful flowers and photography!! I'll have to live vicariously through your garden because those beauties wouldn't have a chance under my brown thumb!
Posted by: susan@tickledpaisley | June 27, 2009 at 04:07 AM
yes, beautiful colors beautiful flowers. i bet the LP dont mind getting their hands dirty helping you to plant those flowers to the ground. happy flowering lucy.
thanks.
Posted by: jeane | June 27, 2009 at 02:44 AM
Beautiful choice of flowers - gorgeous colours - wonderful photography.
Posted by: Elizabeth | June 27, 2009 at 02:42 AM