Christina

Winter gardening is the way forward! 🌱 I did lots of the groundwork for this garden in January & February so it was ready to plant up in spring. I’m so happy with how the first year has gone & it’s satisfying to look back & see how far it’s come 😃 Now to decide what I’m going to do this winter! Do you have any winter projects planned for your growing space? . . . #gardentransformation #reflection #cottagegarden #gardengoals #wildlifegarden #naturelovers #slowliving #yearlong #progress #achievement #plants #plantaddict #plantsmakepeoplehappy #wintergarden #growyourownfood #cutflowers #grownnotflown #organicgardening #allotmentlife @passengerclothing #RoamersCollective #MyEscapism #GreenFriday #PlantinGreens

November dump ➡️ Not much time for posting recently so here is a catch up 😃 1. 100 crocus bulbs going in the lawn 2. Beautiful misty mornings 3. Happiness is: free pots by the side of the road! 4. Spidery seed heads 5. Impatient muscari bulbs 6. Actual snow in Devon ⛄️ 7. Thawing pots 8. Backlit cat And now for a weekend of fun and festivities and watching 2 of the best films of all time… Home Alone and Home Alone 2 🙌 Am I right? . . . #gardening #autumnvibes #wintergarden #cottagegarden #springbulbs #planting #devon #snowday #winterlight #mygarden

Small Copper butterfly on chrysanthemums in November. Brightening up what has otherwise been quite a dull week (weatherwise!) @savebutterflies . . . #butterfly #butterflies #smallcopper #britishwildlife #wildlifegarden #cottagegarden #pollinators #macrophotography #macrogardener #naturelovers #autumnvibes #naturephotography

Still trying to attract the wildlife 🦔 Here’s my latest attempt. I’m definitely not the best woodworker but I’m sure the hedgehogs won’t mind, providing they find it! I decided to add a lined, pitched roof for extra waterproofing and filled it with branches and more hay as an extra habitat for insects, which in turn could become food for the hedgehogs. There are also easier ways to make a hedgehog house, such as an upturned plastic box with an entrance hole, a cardboard box in a dry corner or old bricks stacked to form a shelter. Lots more info on @thewildlifetrusts website. A good project for the weekend? Let me know if you make one, or if you already have residents in yours! . . . #hedgehog #hedgehoghouse #tutorialreels #autumnvibes #wildlifegarden #gardengoals #britishwildlife #plantagarden #getoutside #seasonschange #naturebrilliance #beautyinnature #cottagegarden #thingstocome #gardenproject #growyourown

Hello 🧡 A weekly round up as we head into half term, phew! 1. Cobea Scandens finally flowering at the end of October 2. Dahlias showing no signs of slowing down 3. My new garden companion ☺️ 4. Tiny Jill-be-little pumpkins 5. The bird cam feeder is back up. But a squirrel is the only visitor so far, and it’s eaten all the food 🙄 The weekend weather is looking good & I’m hoping to make a start on the bulb planting. Hope you have a good one! . . . #cottagegarden #wildlifegarden #macrophotography #cobeascandens #bokeh #autumnvibes #growyourownfood

I’d recommend tromboncino squash as an alternative to courgettes next year, providing you have some space for them to romp away. I mostly pick them when they are small (see pic 2,) when they are delicious roasted, grilled, fried or raw in salads with a slightly nutty flavour. If you leave them to get huge they can be cured and stored for over a year! The harvests are dwindling now with only a few tomatoes, chillis beetroot & chard left, but with some winter kale & caulis on the go 💚 . . . #tromboncino #squash #tromboncinosquash #harvest #autumn #autumnvibes #mygarden #cottagegarden #growyourownfood #containergardening

I was sad to learn about the sharp decline in UK butterfly populations this year, as reported by @savebutterflies Big Butterfly Count. These beautiful and essential pollinators are crucial to maintaining biodiversity and serve as key indicators of a healthy environment and ecosystem. But what can we do as gardeners to help? Here are some ideas I’ll be trying: 🌱Grow pollinator friendly flowers There are so many to choose from to grow in pots & gardens! My butterfly-attracting favourites include lavender, alliums, eryngium, verbena bonariensis, sedums and of course, buddleia. 🌱Don’t dig! I’m a huge fan of the ‘no dig’ principle anyway, but leaving the ecosystem in our soil undisturbed not only improves soil health, it also helps some caterpillars & chysalises stay safe in the soil & leaf litter. 🌱Plant bulbs Alliums, muscari, crocus & snowdrops all provide a source of food for some species of butterfly as they emerge from hibernation. 🌱Let weeds grow Weeds like brambles, nettles & dandelions provide a good source of food & nectar for caterpillars, butterflies & moths 🌱Leave a patch of long grass For food & shelter for various species 🌱Leave some dead stems & flowerheads These can be used as safe places to overwinter for eggs, chrysalises & caterpillars 🌱Plant hedges & don’t cut them too often! These (especially varieties such as hawthorn, privet & holly) provide habitat, shelter & food for many species of butterfly. . . . #savebutterflies #butterfly #butterflies #conservation #mothsofinstagram #pollinators #pollinatorgarden #garden #gardening #growingflowers #gardentips

A lot has changed in a year! 🌱 So happy with my 2024 harvests, especially considering that last September the veg garden was just a large patch of barren gravel. It just goes to show that a few beds, some good soil & a handful of seeds can go a long way. The greenhouse is obviously a huge bonus, but apart from the tomatoes & chillis, everything else was grown outside. I’ve had a few failures though of course! The garlic harvest was pitiful due to a very wet spring, most of the French beans were lost to a blackfly invasion and the perrenial kale is looking extremely nibbled. But that’s gardening for you! 🥒 What have your veg successes been this year? . . . #growyourown #vegetablegarden #harvesttime #organicgardening #grownnotflown #cottagegarden #transformation #colourfulveggies #gardeninspiration #allotmentlife

Lovely light & wildlife encounters from this week: 1. Golden hour cosmos Apricot Lemonade 2. A baby Jill-be-little pumpkin with a fancy hat 3. Meeting a beautiful Angle Shades moth 4. Majestic Salvia Amistad 5. Slow-mo grasshopper 6. Fading colours as the season shifts 7. Stumpy teddy bear sunflowers I forgot to plant out I hope you’ve had a lovely week 🌱 . . . #cottagegarden #wildlifegarden #gardener #seasonschange #cutflowers #flowerstagram #goldenhour #macrophotography #growyourown

My tried and tested Autumn sowing list: ⬇️ 🌱 Ammi Majus Snapdragons Scabious Sweet peas Cerinthe Phlox Kept in an unheated greenhouse/coldframe until spring. I direct sow: Poppies Nigella Briza maxima in little clusters straight outside. Do you Autumn sow or is it too much of a faff?! Any other recommendations? . . . #grownnotflown #cutflowers #gardening #flowerstagram #posies #cottagegarden #pollinatorgarden #growyourown #autumnsowing #seeds #hardyannuals #cuttinggarden

Where do bees go when it rains? I found lots of bedraggled ones attempting to shelter on the flowers today. There’s been no let up… everything is well watered, the pond & water butts are full… but there’s still a lot more forecast! ☔️ . . . #beesofinstagram #rainyday #macrogardener #salvia #wildlifegarden #flowers #cottagegarden #bokeh #naturephotography

Hello and happy weekend! 🌸 Some garden stills from this week: 1. Cut flowers 2. 22-spot ladybird 3. Poppy seed heads 4. Current state of affairs 5. Tromboncino squash . . . #cottagegarden #gardenbloggers #flowersofinstagram #naturelovers #plantsmakepeoplehappy #botanicalpickmeup #grownnotflown