Irises

spectacular

Bold Stroke

Iris florentina

Iris pumilla, orange form

The Limousin is a good area for irises. Surprisingly, given the winter cold and wet, they catch up and burst forth in all their glory. The first you see everywhere are a rich purple colour, clearly an old variety, followed slightly later by the fragrant iris pallida and the siberians. Glorious!!!

ponds

Amazing the change in the ponds, in a short time. Filled with frogs, newts, dragonfly larvae, and the ubiquitous snails.

the irises

iris sibirica

april

le parfum des lilas-exquise

Iris Djiin

Geum Bell Bank still in flower

Charlie hunting lizards

pond life

You pay for your pleasure! But hot sunny days and being three weeks ahead of where we should be seems, at this minute in time fine. Water shortages loom, however.

mid march

pyrus Chanticleer

Things racing on apace - the spring flowering bulbs are just a misty memory, and the blossom has been, and gone-all to quickly, but WHAT a treat!!

fin mars / late march

Geum Bell Bank

les fleurs de pêche de vigne

les bassins recommencent d'avoir de la verdure

Beware the ides of march- I think the saying goes, but this year march has been agreeable weatherwise, if worryingly dry. The garden has a good couple of weeks advance over where it should be, but everything , fotr the moment, is looking lovely. First insects bumbling round, not that many, but it is still early on.

Les orties peuvent être utiles

Dans le jardin, les orties ont leurs utilités. Pour le purin d'ortie, ou en forte dose comme insecticide voir même herbicide. Les chenilles de certaines papillons vivent la dessus, et on peut même les manger - alors ne les chassent pas trop!!

Club Liseron workshop

La rhubarbe

les orties (nettles)

The nettle workshop went very well, with 10 of us meeting in Vicky's lovely garden, to hear her tell us all about making nettle , and comphrey brew. We rounded off with my recipes for rhubarb and wormwood insecticides.

Club Liseron workshop

The next Club Liseron workshop will be on making nettle tea ans other concoctions from your garden. 10 April 2pm at Vicky Dunne's place. Everyone welcome

violets & grape hyacinthes

Muscaris Blue Spike

Viola sororia princeana & muscaris Valerie finnis

Some of the loveliest spring flowers are the littlest ones, the tiny ones that hug the ground, but please you no end when they emerge to amaze you, yet again, with their loveliness!! Thank you so much for the changing of the seasons.

spring salad leaves

What am I picking at the moment in the garden?

Wild sorrel, red veined sorrel and Red Frills mustard. Winter lettuce in the tunnel with frilly green mustard and hairy bittercress. In the veg patch there's some mustard celery, red sorrel, salad burnet, garlic chives and early parsley. Lots of yummy things to pick for a salad, with a few toms or some mozarella!!

Aux plantes etc

A new association of independant, ethical plant producers has been created, called Aux plantes etc
Members sign up to a charter regarding respect for the environment and are very willing to give in-depth help and advice. Watch this space!

Club Liseron

Club Liseron, the gardening club will continue to meet at Massignac on the second Monday night of the month, at the Salle des Fêtes. Doors open 7,30pm
Last meeting saw two speakers talk to us about How to garden without aches and pains- a physio and a practitioner of the Alexander Technique.A timely reminder to be careful how you lift and carry, and to do some warm-up exercises before you start!
The next meeting is on Soils and soil quality.    See you there!


Comme d'habitude, le Club Liseron se réunit le seconde lundi soir du mois à Massignac, 19.30
La dernière séance était sur le thème de "Jardinier sans douleurs" et la prochaine est sur Les Sols.
Vous serez les bienvenus!

salad leaves

Red veined sorrel

Mustard -Golden streaks

Mustard -Southern Giant

Even in winter it's possible to gather enough salad and herb leaves to brighten up your shop bought lettuce-or alternatively grow your own. At the moment I'm picking three kinds of mustard,winter lettuce, salad burnett and red veined sorrel, growing under cover in a corner of the tunnel.
Start sorting through your seeds and plan what you are going to sow first.Here is that moment full of promise when you realise you can grow nearly anything you want, for no cost at all if you saved your seed last year.

The association Cultivons la biodiversité en Poitou-Charente is organising a seed exchange near Poitiers on the 27 feb for people who are interested in helping conserve ancient varieties.

Club Liseron is organising a practical session on 26 feb on how to construct a hot box (a victorian idea which enables you to sow earlier in the year).

salad leaves

Even in winter it's possible to gather enough salad and herb leaves to brighten up your shop bought lettuce-or alternatively grow your own. At the moment I'm picking three kinds of mustard,winter lettuce, salad burnett and red veined sorrel, growing under cover in a corner of the tunnel.

Winter

That white stuff .... snow .... so pretty in photos and for a day whilst it's pristine, and then such a nuisance!

Well, not so fiery

There's good colour from many geraniums

Looking at the previous photos, I see I have posted rather un-red ones! Here are a few to make up for that.

The fiery tints of autumn

Penstemon digitalis Redskin

Blackberry

Now, on a grey afternoon, it's hard to remember what a glorious autumn we had last year. The leaves of viburnums, cherries and my favourite Persian ironwood, were absolutely fab. Here's a reminder.