I love this time of year when the flowers are out and the days long and warm (I may have mentioned this before?). Although saying that, it is pouring with rain as I type this and the cat has come in, dripping wet and looking for a lap to dry himself on. The laptop has been awkwardly and unceremoniously shoved to one side and I am typing slowly with one hand whilst gingerly stroking the top of his head with the other hand, getting soggier by the second. So glamorous!
Anyway, back to the flowers. These photos were taken earlier during the week when it wasn't bucketing down. Did any of you have that enormous storm on Tuesday night? Incredible wasn't it? It came over us at about midnight with tremendous claps of thunder that shook the window panes, lightening that flashed so often and so brightly that it was like having the lights on, and the rain filled up every water bucket several times over! So after all that rain and a couple of days of sunshine, it's no wonder that the gardens are looking happy and contented.
My beautiful Hydrangeas have finally flowered, and my 'blue' one is more pink than ever, creating a lovely mottled effect in the petals. They don't really like being constrained in a pot so I might see about replanting them in a flower bed once they've finished flowering, to give them a chance to spread out and grow big next year!
Dad has done a great job of planting lots of weird and wonderful plants this year. I have absolutely no idea what the pink spikey thing above is- any ideas? I do recognise the below flower as some kind of Dahlia though. We have a whole bunch of different kinds in the front garden which surely must be the envy of the neighbourhood!
It is the colours and shapes that are so amazing. It is constantly fuelling the mental bank of inspiration for colour combinations and possible stitches that could be used in my stitchscapes. Can you see the satin stitch petals and tight groups of various knots? Or maybe it could be blanket stitch cluster petals and pistil stitches instead?
These sorts of colours have already helped me with my Hollyhocks Stitchscape, mounted yesterday in the studio. I popped this photo in the flower mix to see if I could trick you into thinking they were real flowers! My favourite colour in this piece is the paler pink with dark pink centres, they have worked really well in my opinion. I shall have to try and come up with a design with an English country garden theme, with climbing bullion knot roses and dripping french knot Wisteria.
Whilst the images above the Hollyhocks are from my own garden, these ones are from the garden that my studio sits in. Different but still beautiful; Passion Flowers, Wisteria, Lupins, Hostas and Hibiscus!
Every inch of these gardens is sprinkled with colour, even the greens are greener than ever. The ponds have their own sparkle, and I discovered this beautiful Water Lily whilst rummaging through the undergrowth. Perhaps a Monet-esque, Water Lily stitchscape?
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