Flower Power

Cycling through the village this afternoon gave me the chance to stop and take some photographs of a patch of land we have both commented on every time we drive past. Not very long ago it was just a neglected wilderness. A new owner has moved into the attached property and has worked very hard on both the house and the land.

All this summer the land has looked well tended and colourful and the results, even at the end of October, are simply stunning....

 

And, as you can see from the photographs, it is no mean patch to tend...

The End of the Cosmos

After months of bearing flowers and amazing us with its rate of growth, the time came earlier this week for the uprooting of the cosmos plants.

These were supposed to grow to a maximum of 60cm but I guess no-one told the seeds that.  I am five foot six tall so you can see the heights they reached.

You may also be able to make out the thickness of the stems!

Whilst they weren't quite what I'd intended for up against the side of the house...

we can truly say they have given us pleasure day

and night....

.....since the first flowers appeared back in July.

And all for a pack of Lidl seeds costing less than 30 cents!

Why is Our Cosmos So Tall?

Planted as seedlings in a new border along the West facing side of the house, these plants have grown far taller than expected.

Typically the tall varieties of Cosmos grow to 150cm. Ours exceed 250cm and this has proved to be a distinct disadvantage. They have fallen prey to strong winds and we've had to pull out the worst casualties.

Having said that, the flowers keep on coming and they do look rather spectacular; silly yes, but certainly spectacular!

Any cosmos experts out there, we'd be very pleased to hear your thoughts on this.