General garden maintenance this morning included Jackie’s replanting of the
Iron Urn consisting of pansies underplanted with purple tulips, having replaced the root-bound soil; and much more clipping, chopping, and bagging of wayward shrubs.
The winter pansies now blend well with the pale purple colchicums or autumn crocuses, phlox, and Japanese anemones while contrasting with Puerto Rico dahlias.
Pelargoniums and lobelias hang happily over the Pond Bed with its Japanese maples, neighbours to
red and white dahlias.
Japanese anemones,
many attracting hoverflies. continue to proliferate.
The hoverflies enjoy other flowers such as this rain-freckled pale pink rose; you will probably need to access the gallery and bigify the ginger lily to spot its fly, but perhaps not the bluebottle on the tiny diascia.
Numerous happy plantings like pelargoniums and sweet peas; eucalyptus with suspended petunias and cascading bidens; and fuchsia Delta’s Sarah with more pelargoniums continue to produce.
Further fuchsias include the red and purple Mrs Popple and the delicate white Hawkshead;
most petunias also hang from baskets.
Yellow antirrhinums have bloomed non-stop since early spring; many sweet peas persist; pieris produces red leaves.
The sun spotlights mossy stones at the edge of the Gazebo Path.
We now have so many full garden refuse bags that Jackie tried to book the one permitted half hour slot at the recycling centre. This, of course, can only be done on line. There are none available for the rest of the month; more distant appointments will be ‘posted soon’.
Later in the afternoon we carried out extensive watering.
Unfortunately I submitted yesterday’s post without realising that I had omitted the virgin beef pie picture, with the result that those who viewed it first will not have seen the complete rudbeckia bas relief. That has now been rectified by the inclusion of the original, and here is an image of today’s second serving. We have consumed the stem and most of the leaves, and despite the small shark emerging from the right of the crust, no marine animals were harmed in the making of this production.
With this delicious pie we enjoyed boiled new potatoes, crunchy carrots and, cauliflower, tender green beans, and tasty gravy; Jackie drank Hoegaarden while I started on another bottle of the Bordeaux.
I’ve been trying to imagine Jackie’s meals from your daily descriptions. Thanks for a picture of that! Hope you do more in the future. You two eat like royalty.
Thanks very much, Cindy.
That shark cracks me up. It’s as amusing as the pie is appealing!
🙂 Thank you so much, Linda.
Lovely. The pie bit made me chuckle.
I’m pleased, Sherry. Thanks very much.
Thanks 😉
Die blauwe vlieg en wesp bewonderde ik nog even en me antwoord over de pie was weg. Ik zal er over bloggen met foto’s en het recept van me groententaart … ik gooi er een spinazie pizza boven op van dr. Oetker, gewoon een eenvoudige pizza, omdat ik gebruik en opmaak, wat ik in huis heb … Het is veel werk, maar dan heb je ook wat. De Afhaal Chinees vult … , met grote stappen, vlug thuis … , maar echt lekker vind ik het niet …
Ik ga me best doen. * http://www.friedabblog.wordpress.com * Amsterdam, 13 september 2020, 21.25 uur, Hollandse tijd …
Thanks very much, Frieda
I chuckled reading this. Lovely
Thanks very much, More.
You’re welcome
Ah the sunshine and beautiful colours from your garden are just fantastic.
Thank you so much, Rupali
I got a kick out of that slightly cross-eyed owl nestled in with the sweet peas! haha, he looks content!
You are so lucky having such a head gardener AND master chef in the house!
I am, indeed, GP. Many thanks
As ever, your garden is a glorious proliferation of flowers. It would be delightful to walk through, especially along that spot lit path.
I love the shark in the pie! I made pie last night too: spinach and cheese, with spinach from the garden, the first cropped from my mad rush to grow veg at the beginning of the pandemic.
Thanks very much, Jane. Congratulations on your produce.
Beautiful flowers–the dahlias and the sequence with insects caught my eye– and pie–your description was funny. 😀
🙂 Thanks very much, Merril
That is an impressive stack of garden waste. I hope that you can get a slot at the recycling centre before too long or you may disappear for ever if Jackie is doing more tidying.
Can we borrow your shredder? Thanks a lot, Tootlepedal
No problem. We have a big petrol driven one which we don’t use any more. It is yours for the asking….and the fetching. 🙂
🙂 I asked for that
Gorgeous flowers today, Derrick. I love the owl! LOL…that does look like a shark…good eye!
Straight out of Jaws. Thanks a lot, Jill
Shaman shape shifters have always been a topic of interest of mine. Now I can say I have witnessed the journey of a lowly leaf into one of the ocean’s most successful predators. Oh, and the owl is very cute.
Fun comments, Maj. 🙂 Thanks a lot.
Aw, to one day sample one of Jackie’s meals! Must be heaven.
Thanks very much, Leslie. If you are ever over this way you will be welcome.
Tell Jackie I have a large appetite.
🙂
Your pie looks delicious and nourishing Derrick, and I love how your garden is still giving a great show of flowers, so very nice!
Thank you very much, Agnes. Yours is also doing well.
Oh to be a guest at your table! Everything always looks so yummy with a beautiful garden to set the mood.
Thanks very much, Michelle
You’re welcome, Derrick.
So gorgeous colors 🌸
Oh my, look at that shark…🤪 but no marine animals were harmed 😅 too funny 😂
Thanks very much, Ribana 🙂
Beautiful garden, and you’ve now made me realize it’s dinnertime and I’m hungry!!
Thank you very much, SueBee. I have trouble following you because my e-mail address keeps getting rejected
Hi Derrick, I’m sorry. I wonder why my site is doing that. I’ll investigate and see if I can figure it out.
It is not the only site with which I have had this problem.
Frustrating. I don’t mind anything on my end to resolve it. I’m sorry.
Thanks
My comment should have said “I don’t find” rather than “I don’t mind”… typo!
Understood 🙂
The flowers are absolutely delightful! Good luck with that recycling.
Thanks very much, JoAnna.
I was going to compliment you and Jackie on all the hard work you’ve done to prepare your gardent for its winter rest, but I got totally districted by the pastry shark.
🙂 Thanks very much, Liz
You’re welcome, Derrick.
The beauty in your garden never fades.
Hope you manage a slot at the tip soon.
🙂 Thanks very much, Sue
That pie looks just as good as I imagined it. And that slight flaky quality to the pastry…..Well, that’s the road to perfection in the world of pies.
The next stage will be Cornish Pasties with decoration along the seam where the two halves come together.
Oh wow Derrick, it’s nearly dinner time here in Geelong, 5.15pm, and the photo of delicious virgin beef pie, looks absolutely scrumptious… now I’m hungry.. !!
🙂 Thanks a lot, Ivor.
HA! That sneaky shark! Trying to hide! You caught him! 😉
Good to see the insects a’buzz and the flowers so happy! 🙂
Purple is my fav colour so whenever you show your various shades of purple flowers that makes me giddy! 🙂
I love how the sun spotlights different things at different times…so beautiful in the garden.
I enjoy being an owl seeker…always looking for owls in your photos and happy when I find one! 😉
HUGS!!!
PS…How is your Mum doing? I think of her often and wish her well.
She’s doing well, Carolyn. Just got back from seeing her. X
Oh, good! 🙂
That’s a mighty fine looking pie, even though it’s half gone. And your garden is still so lovely.
Thanks very much, Laurie 🙂
Your garden is looking wonderful, Derrick. I was drooling over your Japanese anemones and envious of the sweet peas– sadly, rabbits ate mine this year.
We are lucky that we have only seen one rabbit and that was probably someone’s pet. Thanks very much, Eliza.
your beautiful garden continue to display glorious blooms! and the beef pie looks delicious! 🙂
Thanks very much, Lola
Enjoyed that peek into the ever evolving garden. Those humble and sweet pansies with small ruffly petals– I have a special appreciation of them
Thanks very much, Cynthia.
What a joyfully colorful profusion of various flowers!
A propos of small sharks, during our brief getaway to the Keys, while my husband was fishing for our dinner, the man next to him hooked a small shark, not much bigger than those snappers. The baby was sent to mama with a message to stay away from our territory.
Good story, Dolly. 🙂 Thanks very much.
My pleasure, Derrick. I forgot to mention that my husband did catch a few snappers for dinner.
I did gather that 🙂
😎
Mmmm… that pie is beautiful – I can almost taste it! Love your flower power, Derrick… especially the pale purple colchicums. The garden continues to delight and change as summer wanes and autumn knocks on our garden door!
Thank you so much, Jan
As always your garden looks lovely. The pie looks delicious too.
Thanks very much, LL/PS