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Gardening
Namsnanny and Gilly. You're very kind about the garden. The thing that's idyllic is the weather conditions (normally!) that exist to keep everything just so and of course the ability to grow some things that we could never do in the UK. Only rarely do we have rain or conditions to flatten or spoil the flowers and plants and, of course, the atmosphere is pretty much perfect to sit out in. But the garden is not very big - mostly gravel, a small lawn, loads of seating spaces and a pool and barbecue.The soil is really hard work so we have a lot of things in pots. Also a courtyard for seating/eating and more pot plants. However, there's absolutely nothing to beat a pretty English garden, IMO. All that green (from the rain 
) and interesting light, and softness. If you go for softness in colour and form here, it becomes almost invisible in the bright light. You can understand that this is why buildings and planting here in the South is often in strong colours, which look so good in the heat - but you wouldn't want in the cooler light of Northern Europe.
Can give you advice on Aeoniums, gilly. They were completely new to me but I so lusted after one I saw in our local Sailing Club. I couldn't stop looking at its almost black leaves in the summer and how unusual it was. No one could even tell me what it was !! So, a friend on the committee got a "rosette" cutting for me, just stuck it in a pot and looked after it until it was rooted and passed it on to me as a surprise.
It has been fed and watered and been outside all through last summer and the winter. It grew to an amazing size, was potted on twice, and would have been even bigger had it not been blown over in some gales - 3 times! This resulted in about 5 rosettes being broken off. I was so annoyed. However, into 3 pots, they are now big plants themselves and one I have given back to the kind friend who first acquired the cutting for me. I shall attempt to post a pic' or 2 to show you. All I did - had no choice, was to stick the broken off rosette (plus stem) into a pot of soil and leave it somewhere sheltered, watering when drying out, until it was strong and growing again. Your plant will grow very quickly, you'll be amazed. But I wouldn't be too quick to take pieces off it, because as soon as the weather warms enough, your plants will have put on more growth - which is easy to see - and be able to better withstand being divided or messed about with.
I'm am a great believer in MiracleGro and always pick some up when we get to the UK. It's not expensive, it doubles the size of plants and flowers, is easy to use and I've saved so many plants from disaster or neglect in the past. It really is a miracle in the garden!
We often grow succulents and pot them on. I have containers full of them because they are decorative and very forgiving. If bits break off, I just stick them back into a pot and wait.....
Hope you persevere with the gardening, gilly - I find it so calming and distracting. You always get a sense of accomplishment from what you do and, of course, there's always somewhere lovely to sit and collect your thoughts - especially in these awful times. x. (Photos to follows!)
I'd like to move this Iris to be closer to the Allium because I think the colours just enhance each other.
So I'm labelling all the Iris as they bloom, because I know I will forget which one is which when it comes to moving it!
With that in mind I've been washing all plastic milk bottles, and cutting up to make tags to label them with!
The third photo shows one Iris has a problem. I'm not sure what it is. There are no snail trails around.
Any one have any ideas?
)Beautiful rose Wwmk2 … does it work as hard as she does 
?
Lisagran …. is that Nelly Moser? Lovely clear colours!
Granyflower ...Sarah Raven has a lovely web site doesn't she? Such artful combinations.
How are the Dahlia cuttings coming on? I've got one or two but they are only little at the mo. So I'm fussing over them, as I really want them to succeed.
Thank you for your advice on the Aeoniums GrandmaFrench yours are absolutely wonderful . I have had to put a couple of small stakes in mine as living close to the North Sea it does get a bit of a battering from the wind . I have started feeding mine with MiracleGro too.
My little garden is the only thing keeping me sane right now .
I’m terrible at keeping labels / plant names! I found these.....
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