Sunday, July 13, 2008

Learning as we go...

It was fun reading your guesses as to what this plant was. The closest person was Sonja thinking it was a potato as it is something edible. It is buckwheat (Dutch ~ boekweit/Fagopyrum esculentum) and is now starting to spread. There are a few more little plants coming up. Jos thinks perhaps it blew seed from a farmer's field as we have no idea otherwise how it ended up in the garden this year. Hard to think that this plant gives us the grain used to make yummy pancake batter.


And to think that I almost pulled it out but decided this year to leave anything growing there to see what wildflowers would appear. I will show more of our wildflowers another time.


We are still working on planting up the various areas of the garden which is a bit hit and miss for us. We pretty much have to try things out and hope for the best. Some plants work perfectly while others need moving around a bit and still others just don't work at all. It is amazing that even some shadow loving plants still won't work in this wooded garden. We learn as we go or perhaps I should say as we grow.


The terrace area by the cottage itself had been planned to look symmetrical with a butterfly bush at each corner. Last year, we planted the second one as the first had done so well. This year they would have both been the same size but the first one has died and we have had to replace it with a new one. I now have to wait with my fingers crossed that they will next year both do well. We also had two clematis growing on one side of the rose arbor and wisteria on the other side. One of the clematis did very well and gave us some pretty blossoms already in its first year while the other has dried up in the heat and died.


One thing that we are having success with is Astilbas. We have them in three areas of the garden and they are doing so well that we bought these pretty red~pink ones also.


Up to now, the place we bought them from has had only white ones for sale. We found the other color at a private growers home. We do try to support these private sellers buying from them and have found the plants are really good quality too.


Do you remember the poppy field I showed you last year? It was the second year this amazing and beautiful crop was being grown.


This year the same field looks like this...


It is now potatoes in bloom. It took me a while to get used to missing that pretty field of poppies but then again...potatoes in bloom are pretty too. The most often seen rotation crop in this area is lilies. I think we will probably start seeing them again often in the next year or so. It is fun to see the changes the farmer's make to the same field year after year.

13 comments:

Betty said...

Heidi,
Thank you for dropping in and leaving a sweet comment....things have been very hectic around our house with my husband's surgery and recuperation....we are so blessed he did not lose a leg.....

We were so happy to have Marion and John visit...just too brief...God Bless...Betty

the tattered nest said...

I really like your astilbas...do they like shade or sun? if they like shade, I need to get some! hope your weekend was a good one! gail

Rhondi said...

Hi Heidi. Your garden is really looking great! My gardening friends say never plant two matching plants because one will grow bigger than the other or one will die and you'll never have a matching pair. Just a little advice from gardeners here in NC! My garden is looking terrible. It's been too hot to work inthe yard and we have also had quite a bit of rain. So the weeds have taken over. I am hoping we might get a few cooler mornings so I could at least pull up some weeds.
Hope you had a good weekend.
Hugs, Rhondi

Joni said...

It looks wonderful, Heidi. I'm sure you are working poor Jos waaaayyyyy too hard! LOL And too funny about those birds and the cushions. Yep, they jinxed you!

Nancy said...

I love the pottys and too bad they are gone now. I'm sure the others are pretty too. You need to print some of these pictures to add to your scrapbook I made for you and left pages for you to add to. I love the white plant you showed here. Very nice.
Love you, Mom

Nancy said...

WHOOPS, POPPIES, not pottys. LOL

BittersweetPunkin said...

What a lovely garden...it looks like a nice place to sit and sip coffee!
Have a great week!!
Hugs,
Robin

Mia said...

Your garden at Cranberry Cottage looks just lovely. I really like the secluded woodland feel (so different from my open, windy garden), like being in a secret, hidden place. It was also nice to see the difference from last years entry, you have really done a lot of work in the garden. Your astilbas look lovely; I also have the red/pink variety in my garden, but it is not yet in bloom. I bought it in our local, family owned nursery. I too like to support local business rather than the big commercial nurseries.

Mary said...

Heidi, I'm crazy, I even love my weeds, well most of them, and if they look pretty I let them remain! Have you noticed they never die for lack of rain, fertilizer etc.? The garden was sighing in the heat until today when it rained long and gentle all morning - now the plants are singing! Me too as I won't have to do much watering come Wed., our allowed day!

All my Astilbes have disappeared this year - voles either ate them or the drought killed them - sad because they were really pretty.

Mary X

Mandie said...

Beautiful Miss Heidi! Your cottage garden is looking very cozy! I'm sure enjoying a nice glass of iced tea out there with a good book would be very relaxing!

Love you

Heidi said...

Hi Heidi, I will be back tomorrow to read your post!...It is late, but just wanted to let you know I have "tagged" you! Please visit my blog for details!...Heidi XO

Mary said...

Heidi - yes, Blogger is acting up this morning but I've just re-posted and I see all three photos this time so perhaps it's OK now.

Still haven't mailed your package - hopefully I'll get it all together today - Bob is in Boston and I have a little extra time to work in the studio on art things! I'm so behind what with the garden, the kids, planning the trip to France, and the back and forth to the airport with Bob - he's the busiest 'retiree' I know, lol!!

Right now I'm off to do the walk-in tiled shower big clean, not fun but necessary!

Hope your week is going well dear.
Hugs - Mary.

P.S. Nice to see Mandie back.

Christine said...

What a lovely yard!! The terrace looks so dreamy and a wonderful place to stitch! You picked some lovely plants. Hostas grow well in the shade and look so pretty with Astilbe unless like me you have deer then the hosta stumps are not so pretty!