...and flowers inside

I was in town last Saturday and there was a market in the square.  I noticed a nice plant and flower stall and treated myself to some pink chrysanthemums (to me, chrysanthemums always have such an 'autumn' scent) and a little fern.  I popped the chrysanthemums in a vase once I got home and then Chris came back from the allotments with some beautiful jewel-toned dahlias from a fellow allotmenteer (thank you so much).  I ended up with a lovely display of autumn flowers.

Here are my pretty pink chrysanthemums...

...and here are the beautiful dahlias.

The colours are so sumptuous, aren't they? Pinks, apricots, oranges and deep reds.  I keep thinking that I should perhaps grow some dahlias next year, maybe...

Flowers and Fireworks

I have had a flower-filled few weeks recently and have been really enjoying the additional colour they bring.  Above was a 'Just Because' bunch of flowers from my lovely husband, "I thought they were your colours" - they were!

Then there was a bunch of dahlias to add to the display from a fellow allotmenteer.  

Then there was a bunch of chrysanthemums from a different fellow allotmenteer.

Finally, a colleague at work gave me these roses and lilies as a 'thank you'. I have been so lucky!  

Having discovered that my camera does have some settings for various things such as Fireworks, Portraits and Low light (see here for the post about it), I decided to have a go with the Firework setting.  After a slight problem of not remembering how to access the settings, I downloaded the manual and then found the setting.  The photos were better than previously, but as these were taken from a distance, they aren't all that great.

I obviously managed to move the camera when I was taking this one, but I rather like it. (I don't think professional photographers need to be worried though!)

Tea, cake, biscuits...and dahlias

I have been baking recently - above is my first attempt at a carrot cake.  Well, I say carrot, but it also has bananas and coconut in it. The recipe said walnuts, but as I don't like them, I substituted coconut instead.

It's a moist and dense cake, a little crumbly, but very delicious.  I was going to make some icing, but we felt it didn't need it.  I will definitely bake this again and maybe add in some ginger and cinnamon too...mmm!

 For the biscuits, I made shortbread and added chocolate chips.  I like shortbread on its own, but you can't go wrong by adding chocolate!  I also have some fudge pieces in the cupboard, so shortbread with fudge pieces may be next on the 'to be baked' list.

My lovely husband went to get us some milk at the weekend and came back with not just the milk, but these beautiful dahlias.  They were being sold in aid of the Salvation Army at a jumble sale-type event.  It was a lovely surprise and I am really enjoying the beautiful colours and amazing flower formations.  I have tried growing dahlias before, without much success, as the slugs and snails think I have planted them just for them.

 

 I couldn't resist some close ups because the petal formations are so amazing.

 Thanks, Chris, they are gorgeous!

This richly coloured velvety one is my favourite!

The Garden House, Saxby

 I enjoyed my bank holiday treat today - a visit to The Garden House, Saxby,   http://www.thegardenhousesaxby.co.uk/ which is fast becoming my favourite garden in this area. I have posted about my visits before, but it is such a wonderful garden, it deserves to be featured again.
It has been such an awful gardening year, and every garden has suffered in one way or another, but you wouldn't think so judging from the way this garden looks.

 The whole garden was a mass of butterflies (which I haven't seen many of this year) and many different varieties of bees.  In fact, if you stood still, the only sound was buzzing.  Bliss!

 The gardens near the house have been planted with drifts of plants and grasses, which gives a variety of both colour and texture.

 The spaces have been carefully designed to give vistas and focal points, which lead through the different areas in the garden.

Hard landscaping has been carefully used throughout, to enhance the different areas and give them their own personality.  The planting here was just white and blue - nemesia in pots and agapanthus.

Chris was really taken by the display of dahlias around the house and particularly liked this one, with the vibrant orange set off by the dark leaves.

Whereas this richly coloured cosmos stopped me in my tracks - my cosmos at home are still growing and not really flowering very well (unlike these).

Although orange is not usually a colour that I am attracted to, I couldn't help being drawn to these fiery heleniums.

The echinacea purpurea was looking fantastic and had attracted masses of bees.

A quieter area of the garden with delicate cosmos foliage, birch trees and more late summer planting including yellow kniphofia (red hot pokers).

 One of the vistas, with a lavender path leading past an obelisk garden with pleached trees on the left and smaller, more intimate gardens on the right.  The focal point was an urn planted with scarlet geraniums.

 One of my favourite parts of the garden is the Cathedral Garden, with three components - grass, hedge and pleached trees.  A really calming and meditative space.

Finally, my favourite photo from today's visit.  A mass of the orange heleniums with a white echinacea behind. 
After visiting the garden, we visited the green burial site http://www.brightwatergreenburial.co.uk/index.php?pid=4    that is owned by the garden owners.  It is a very quiet and peaceful place and Chris and I are giving this idea much thought.  I like the idea of a green burial and a biodegradable casket, with a native tree planted for you if you would like it and a wildflower meadow there too.  Definitely to be considered.