August 2020 – GWENNIESGARDENWORLD

August 31, 2020

NINE

Today I received a message from WordPress to let me know I have been blogging for 9 years. I can hardly believe it ! When I started this blog I was hoping I could at least keep it up for 1 year. A big thank you to all my followers and viewers !!!

**CALLISTEMON OR BOTTLEBRUSH TREE (picture taken in Arizona)**

Have a great week !

August 30, 2020

SILENT SUNDAY

August 29, 2020August 29, 2020

A BIT OF SWEETNESS.

**SMALL VIOLETS DISSEMINATED BETWEEN SUCCULENTS**

I think these little violets are super cute. Now that most of the succulents are no longer in bloom, the violets came up to give my pots a bit of color. The violets disseminated all over the garden, but mostly in my pots with succulents.

Have a great weekend and enjoy your garden if you can.

August 26, 2020

IT’S FIG TIME !

The figs are ripening, not all at once but everyday a few. It looks like a good fig-year, last year I had very few figs as we had a couple of late frosts. Normally a fig gives 3 harvests a year in hot countries with long Summers but here in the North of Europe just the first harvest gets ripe, that is when the first lot doesn’t freeze off in early Spring. Tiny figs appear in Autumn so when we get severe frosts in Winter or early in Spring the first harvest is gone. The tree gets figs but they don’t get ripe enough over here.

They taste lovely with a bit of dried ham or with a bit of cream cheese, or both ! Or you can make jam, just fig jam or combined with one or two other fruits.

**THIS IS NOT THE WELL KNOWN BROWN TURKEY BUT THIS** **FIG IS CALLED “WHITE OF MARSEILLE**“

**THESE FIGS JUST GET A BIT OF A BLUSH WHEN THEY ARE RIPE.**

Did any of you grow fruit in the garden this year?

I hope you are all doing okay !!

August 23, 2020

SILENT SUNDAY

**BUD OF THE ASTER NOVAE ANGLIAE PURPLE DOME**

August 16, 2020

SILENT SUNDAY

**AGAVE IN A BEAUTIFUL POT (found in apark in Arizona)**

August 12, 2020August 12, 2020

MY NEW GARDEN HELPER

**HERE SHE IS PLAYING WITH MY OTHER GARDEN HELPER** **OZZY (9 YEARS OLD)**when awake she is a little terror !!!

Normally I adopt my dogs but I needed a small breed, because of my bad back , Ozzy is way too heavy for me to handle. In March I lost my other Maltese and I was heartbroken. I wanted another Maltese as they are lightweight and gentle, easy dogs who don’t need long walks. Little did I know….what a little monster we brought home !! In my wildest dreams I could not have imagined it. I have had many dogs in my life but this one is nothing like all the others. She weighed 600 grams (= 21 ounces) when we bought her at 9 weeks old, so she was tiny and supercute. She is now almost 4 months old and she brings my whole garden inside, every leaf, flowers, branches , fruit….but if there aren’t any loose on the soil she pulls them off the plants. She can’t leave Ozzy alone, she jumps on him, bites his ears and paws and he is not man enough to handle her so he begs to go to the bathroom to have a bit of time alone in peace and quite. We love her to bits but we hope she’ll calm down in time.

At the moment we are in the middle of a heathwave, the garden looks awefull and so do I.

I hope you are all ok and keeping safe.

August 9, 2020

SILENT SUNDAY

**FUCHSIA TRIPHILLA GARTENMEISTER BONSTED**T

August 7, 2020August 7, 2020

SOUVENIR DE FRANCE

In September 2017 we went to the south of France for a holiday and when we visited a gardencenter there I found a cactus that I really wanted to have and as it was small it was easy to take it home in the car without damaging it.

**THIS IS HOW IT LOOKED WHEN WE BOUGHT IT . OPUNTIA INDICA BURBANK.**

Much to my surprise it grew a new disk in the Summer of 2018.

And in 2019 it got another disk.

**TINY AT THE BEGINNING BUT GROWING VERY FAST.**

This year, no new disk, I don’t know why, it is healty and growing good, those brown spots are normal. I was hoping for a new disk and maybe a flower or 2.

The following pictures were taken only a few days ago.

But this plant with only 3 disks is soooo very heavy I can’t lift it anymore, luckily I have a husband and a son. In Winter it stays in an unheated greenhouse cos it doesn’t like wet weather but in Spring it comes out again and gets the sunniest spot in the garden. Each time I look at it it reminds me of France.

Why I wanted this cactus ? There are lots of these cacti in the south of France, some turned into really big “bushes” with bright yellow flowers and edible fruits. It can take frost as long as the soil is dry. And last but not least it is almost spineless. There are other opuntia’s that are more beautifull but they all have a lot of spines, I have grandkids and dogs so that would be too dangerous.

At the moment we have a heathwave and the end is not in sight. So I have a lot of watering to do in the garden and especially the plants in pots need a good watering every day. But my French opuntia loves it.

Have a great weekend all and keep safe !

August 5, 2020