Forest Lytton

It has been so wonderful these last few days to see some sunny warm days envelope and delight the garden! Flowers are blooming and the cats are basking in shade of the shrubs. Fresh water each morning for birds and cats alike, along with a few of the potted plants and newest adds to the ground.

We have put up the screen door to keep the flies out and let the breeze in - I am looking forward to cooking dinner tonight and see how it all comes together. Enjoy!

summer breeze flowers cats water garden

Husband and I finally felt safe enough to venture out in the great outdoors! Jamie and I had a lovely visit at a nearby stately home and garden, Hinton Ampner, just east of Winchester, England.
. Social distanced and no indoor buildings were open.

covid NT property autumn

I have been planning a sunrise themed garden, ironically for hot afternoon sun near pebbles and pavement for our front garden. I started with some dark rusty maroon daylilies I already have, currently in pots, and have been scanning various catalogs for inspiration, such as Thompson and Morgans, and Sarah Raven. Ms Raven has a lot of themed flowers, so I find hers to be particularly fun. check out the floral collection or the unusual misty lavender collection

Today I looked up a random flower I had brought home from a recent trip to the garden center. flowers were in a variety of pinks and apricots so I thought it might fit the sunrise theme well. I used Plant Snap app and was able to identify it as alpine Lewisia.

But it wasn&aops;t until my father offered to look up a proper plant reference for me that it occurred to me to dig a little deeper. I picked up my copy of RHS Plant Encyclopedia I purchased at the book shop at The Vyne in 2013. Recycled books were a Godsend to me as most of my collection I had to donate before moving across the pond.

Turns out that the succulent portulaca which I know from New England is also under the name Lewisia, but it is L. columbiana which I have here in southern England. While similar, both flowers and leaves do differ. My current plant has star shaped flowers with white outlines and a rosette of dark green oblong leaves.

Have a nice week....

sunrise flowers Lewisia garden