La Chatte Gitane (or The Gypsy Cat) was the name we chose for our cottage in France at the time. We chose it while on the road, moving house the first time round, from Ireland to France with 2 dogs and 7 cats in the car.
This blog began its insignificant life as a recipe book for friends and family who would ask me repeatedly for a recipe of this, that and the other.
Since then it has taken many different directions, like we did and like gypsies tend to do. Sometimes making a U-turn and revisiting familiar roads and taking a break when necessary.
You'll find recipes here, but also musings about the places we've called home, the gardens that we've established, not always successfully, the homes we've improved and the environments we've lived in. Currently, after yet another stint in Ireland, we're back in France @ Le Mas d'Ayen

Friday, June 03, 2016

Blooms and Buds

 A few small plants, placed in the flower garden two years ago and they've spread really nicely. The leaves are a burgundy colour and make a good ground cover, minimising weeds (I'm all for that). The flowers are purple spiked delicatessen for bees and other buzzers.
And, I've forgotten the name.

The flag iris, one of our many native wildflowers. We have them in abundance.


Rhododendron Ponticum. An invasive species that needs desperate taming (or killing), but undeniably beautiful when in bloom 

 Foxglove or digitalis purpurea. Another of our natives. These pictures I took during the weekend, now these buds have sprung.

 I love them so much that I'll 'rescue' them from outside my herbaceous border and give them pride of place.

My yellow rose with heavenly scent. 

 Picture taken last week when the leucanthemum was starting to flower in earnest. 
At this very moment it is like a sea of white. My mum always had them in the garden and these have been handed down to me by her.  Just a few plants and they have a prolific spreadability.  Which is, again, fine by me. They are easily pulled up if they start to take over, just like the monbretia (in the foreground)

 Sweet William about to pop.

And the lavender. 


I've been weeding and weeding, wheelbarrows full. The worst offenders are the creeping buttercup and the rushes. 

 These above have now found a place in my window boxes for hopefully a good display this summer.

Most of the trees we've planted last year in March have survived, only to be smothered by grass.  Soon, I hope to free the trees.

The stream, now calm and all picturesque, until the heavens open.

Have a nice weekend with lots of sunshine.
Patricia xxx...x

5 comments:

  1. I very much like the look of your blue (un-named) ground cover plants something that I need for my front gardens. If you remember the name please let me know ?
    We used to have lavender but it became very woody and sparse, a different variety to what my mother had in hers which remained leafy and green all the time, even when in flower.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The ground cover plant is an Ajuga Reptans.
      Lavender needs cutting back after flowering and a snip in early spring. If you don't it becomes indeed woody. So, now you know you could give it another try eh. ;)

      Delete
  2. All very pretty. I've just bought some ground hugging plants for under a tree. For trying to stop grass rather than weeds! x

    ReplyDelete
  3. I was going to say bugle flower but you have worked it out! My daughter and I were reading about that flower in a book a month or so ago, I hadn't come across it before but now I am seeing it everywhere!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, indeed. Bugle. A variant also grows as a wildflower around these parts.
      I knew what it was at one point but had forgotten the name. I won't forget anymore. ;)

      Delete

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