A bucketful of blooms

I can't believe how the flowers keep on giving! Its amazing and I'm also  giving away to neighbours as well.
I shall miss them when the season is gone and the garden no longer has these beauties around.

Sarah Raven's Cutting garden Journal - a book review

I was recently sent this beautiful book to review. I'm ashamed to say I haven't had the time to review and post so here it is.

First I'd like to say that its a lovely size, covers many different flowers and there is plenty of space to add your own growing successes (hopefully) it's always good to make notes of good and bad experiences with anything we grow.  Personally I LOVE growing my own flowers and my garden at home is full to the brim of cutting flowers and for the last couple of years I've actually devoted a huge area of the allotment for cutting beds as well. So this book is truly a bonus.

Here are some photos from the book. I love it that each months start pages have a different colour and dainty pattern, it's such a pretty book. There are lots of planning ideas and help with putting flowers together to make a beautiful posy of a bouquet plus which vase to choose to display your proudly grown blooms. Who needs the florist shop when you can grow your own for the price of a packet of seeds.

It's lovely to make your own from home grown

Mmmm I just made three batches of Italian, tomato and Basil sauce, all made with homegrown tomatoes, onions, and Basil plus Italian herbs and a good red wine. All ready for the freezer for when I need a quick base to an Italian dish.  Just the jam to make now as I've frozen bags of blueberries, raspberries and strawberries.

Why growing your own flowers is amazing

 I have always tried to grow flowers in the garden that I can cut for the house ! But this year I also made a cutting bed especially for that purpose. Its been amazing having virtually free cut flowers all through the house.  I say virtually because of course there is the seeds, compost, feed then manure for the beds, so there is a cost involved, but nothing like the cost it would be to buy flowers in abundance from the florist or market.  I have been sent a lovely book to review written by Sarah Raven  called 'Cutting garden journal'  I will share it in a post soon as I have to read, digest, take photos for you and then give my personal review.  In the meantime  here is a couple of photos of bouquets I've picked for the house today.

Could this be carrot love ?

My carrots this year have been the oddest shapes ! Still delicious but so weird. I put it down to the fact that I had to move them from one overcrowded bed to another larger bed. I've never done that before and I don't think they liked being moved.  However when I dug these up I had such a laugh as they were hugging each other ! Could this be carrot love ?

As I said they came in all sorts of weird shapes and these two looked even funnier when parted. My grandchildren thought they were hilarious.