tiistai 30. kesäkuuta 2015

We won!

Sorry lily bugs, we won this round and the lilies are flowering and they even have most of their leaves intact. I hope we have killed every last of the bugs but I know that if I now go to the garden, I'll find one bugger somewhere.



maanantai 29. kesäkuuta 2015

Why does one call them summer flowers?

This have been the coldest summer ever and my summer flowers have done better than ever before. Even the violets I planted months ago are still as good as new.


sunnuntai 28. kesäkuuta 2015

Maybe next year

Today is the day of open gardens, read more here. We have opened our cottage garden for the last two years but this year we decided to pass. As I am a perfectionist, participating takes a lot of work. This year we have done a lot at Vårkulla instead. And today we'll visit a couple of gardens to see what others have made with their yards.

I would love to show off Vårkulla some day, but there is still a lot to do before I could even dream of participating.



lauantai 27. kesäkuuta 2015

Let it shine

Interesting day today, weatherwise. In the morning when we left Vårkulla it was cloudy but at the cottage it was full sunshine. My husband mowed the lawn and I dug up perennials for Vårkulla. When we came back here it has been raining a lot and it rained when we planted the perennials from the cottage. Now it is again full sunshine and the garden looks absolutely beautiful!


keskiviikko 24. kesäkuuta 2015

Midsummer magic

If you pick a bouquet of wild flowers in the midsummer night, magic things happen, right? Well, I picked a couple of bouquets and nothing happened...nobody even ironed the curtains...must be because I picked the flowers during the day and the flowers are from the garden, not from the meadow.



maanantai 22. kesäkuuta 2015

Lazy days

I just wonder why I have slaved away in the garden for the last ten years. This year I did almost nothing - just raked the old and dried away on one spring day and now cleaned the gravel areas for two days. And the result can be seen below...looks at least as good as when I have worked in the garden for hours a day for months.





sunnuntai 21. kesäkuuta 2015

Green and even greener

I love hostas (kuunlilja in Finnish). The flowers are not so impressive but the leaves even more so. And after a summer rain shower they are at their very best.




lauantai 20. kesäkuuta 2015

Morning in cottage garden

We are celebrating midsummer at the cottage. I do what I love doing: gardening. I started at 7.30 and will continue until my back can't take it any more. The men sit on the terrace and discuss what men do (cars?).

By the way, there aren't a lot of mosquitos and what little there are, my hair takes care of...best mosquito net ever is to have long hair hanging down and protecting your neck and throat.


perjantai 19. kesäkuuta 2015

Happy midsummer's eve!

As for a hobby, collecting old drink related stuff is fun. Even more fun than drinking! The tray with drink recipes is the newest addition to our collection.




torstai 18. kesäkuuta 2015

It bugs me

I used to hate bugs. I still hate lily bugs (they are pretty but eat all my lilies) but the others I know are mostly useful in the garden. Also, I just can't scream every time I see a bug in the garden as that would mean I'd be screaming all the time. So things aren't the same as they where when I was a pure city girl. And what do you know, now I find bugs ornamental and even bought a wrapping paper with bugs on it and use it as a decoration. Unheard of a few years back!




keskiviikko 17. kesäkuuta 2015

Almost over

The poppies have flowered longer than ever. The orange colour comes to its own when the sun doesn't shine, good to have some reason to enjoy cloudy weather.



maanantai 15. kesäkuuta 2015

sunnuntai 14. kesäkuuta 2015

Just go!

We went to Mustila Arboretum today. It was raining in the morning but after visiting my parents in Vääksy we drove back to Elimäki and the weather was perfect for a walk in the woods. If you like woodland gardens, a vist to Mustila is a must.



lauantai 13. kesäkuuta 2015

perjantai 12. kesäkuuta 2015

Something little to do

Oh my, there will be no trouble to find things to do in the next couple of weeks. A lumberman came to Vårkulla and fell three big birches. He sent us a couple of depressing pictures. Here is one of the trees...anybody out there willing to come and help? We are on vacation from this day on so you are welcome to come and visit - just don't expect to be able to while away in the sun sipping drinks.


tiistai 9. kesäkuuta 2015

Good ol' maple

I just love our big old maple. I am afraid we have to fell it some day but hopefully we'll live happily together for many years. Felling trees is a lot on my mind right now as we found a local man who does felling professionally and we have started to look at the trees and count their days..


maanantai 8. kesäkuuta 2015

Last days

The big birch is so gone! On next Friday the birch is going to fall - and two other big old birches as well. It costs a lot to fell these as one has to climb the trees to fell them but on the other hand we'll have enough logs for years to warm the sauna at the cottage: win some, loose some.


torstai 4. kesäkuuta 2015

Not so social climbers

Aristolochia macrophylla (piippuköynnös in Finnish) and Virginia creeper (villiviini) are at war. They are both very strong  and fill the rockery as widely as they can. The creeper is an original at our cottage - when we dug it out from the front of the houses I saved a little piece which is now several meters long and wide. I'd love to move both to Vårkulla but I don't yet have a  place for them. The creeper will be easy to move...I just need to cut a piece and plant it somewhere suitable. I am not sure how to move the other one, I think it doesn't start as easily from a cutting as the creeper. Well, the plants cost about 5 euros each so maybe I'll just buy a new one.




keskiviikko 3. kesäkuuta 2015

This says it all

Everything prohibited (kaikki kielletty in Finnish) - you need only one sign to say it all! I saw a poster with this text and decided to order an enamel sign stating the same. Even if the message is not very positive, it makes me smile. And I love the emalikilpi.fi's old fashioned design.


tiistai 2. kesäkuuta 2015

Cherry blossom time

We have three cherry trees and this year they are flowering as never before. I dug out all the weeds and put gravel around them last autumn and I guess this is my thanks. You are welcome, my lovelies.



maanantai 1. kesäkuuta 2015

In laws at their very best

My brother-in-law mowed the lawn at the cottage this weekend and in addition to that he brought with him three lovely glass jars from my mother-in-law (originally they are my husband's grandmother's). I must have chosen my husband right as the in-laws are nice and useful :)