I’ve only ever seen goldfinches feeding on burdock seeds (Arctium) in the garden before. This morning I saw them both on nettle seed heads and then on these unharvested […]
Fruit / Seed
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Chaenomeles cathayensis
A packet of seed arrived from a friend in a botanical garden that I trade with occasionally today. Chaenomeles cathayensis! I think there’s enough seed here to turn […]
Birds
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This is an EX-Arctic Parrot
Waxwings (sidensvans) are sometimes known as Arctic Parrots due to their amazing colours. Just before I got up this morning a heard a thud on a window. I […]
Berries / Drying
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Wood dried elderberries
Elderberries dried over my wood stove! Post Views: 112
Fjord views
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Secondhand sunlight
At this time of year, no direct sunlight hits my house and garden, but the sun is still above the horizon in some places where the hills don’t […]
Dandelions
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In homage to the Taraxagod
A religious moment at the Dragalevtsi Monastery, just outside Sofia, Bulgaria last weekend ;) Post Views: 131
Birds
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Goldfinches / Stillits
A small flock of 9 goldfinches in my garden this morning, a winter visitor here (it’s unknown where they breed) and a species that would not be in […]
Perennials / Seed
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The ALE seed shop
A good Canadian source of many of the plants in my book! http://asterlanedibles.ca/seeds.html Post Views: 188
Climbers
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Basella harvest
Basella / Ceylon Spinach used in a risotto tonight! Pot grown inside… Post Views: 149
Forest Gardening / Perennials
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Letter from the Prince
It’s not every day one finds a letter from Prince Charles in the mailbox :) I met two of the gardeners at Highgrove after my talk at Croome […]
Potato / Root crops
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Potato diversity
Just 4 years ago, I was growing over 20 different potatoes as in this picture. Since then, I’ve cut down significantly mainly due to the fact that many […]
Beans
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Black flowered broad bean
This beautiful black flowered broad bean (fava) / bondebønne appeared in my garden in 2011. I isolated the seed, but sadly lost it and nothing like this has […]
Perennials / Root crops
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Bulbils on my Horseradish?
UPDATE 1st June 2016: 3 of the bulbils had rooted :) I haven’t noticed these on horseradish before? On the flower stems are […]
Climbers / Perennials
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Autumn spring habby
Hablitzia, the Caucasian spinach / stjernemelde thinks it’s spring in autumn, the most optimistic plant out there…always puts me in a good mood… Post Views: 135
Perennials / Root crops
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Stampede=Dayneutral=Dwarf Sunray=Bianca
Stampede is a North American Jerusalem Artichoke variety , the name alluding to the fact that it is fast growing . Here’s the description in Cornucopia II. […]
Birds
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Greenfinches on burdock
Greenfinches / Grønnfink are hard at work in the garden foraging burdock seeds…building up their fat reserves for the winter. I’ve grown burdock for my years both as […]
Berries
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Berries 17th October 2015
Sambucus nigra cultivars “Samyl” and “Samnor” – Ripe elderberries were impossible here until these new Danish cultivars arrived…ripe even in a bad summer! Otherwise: Aralia cordata (Udo) and […]
Book
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Around the world in 80 plants shopping list
Some tips on where to source plants from my book! How many are you growing? Even I am not growing all 80 at the moment :) https://mortaltree.wordpress.com/2015/01/01/around-the-world-in-80-plants-shopping-list/ Post […]
Birds
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Siberian hazelcrackers
Siberian Nutcrackers are busy again in the garden this morning collecting hazelnuts and flying past with their pouches full to store them in the forest for the winter.. […]
Berries / Edimentals
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The Strawberry-Raspberry
Rubus illecebrosus Eng: Strawberry-Raspberry Norw: Jordbærhindbær This late maturing berry is rather bland tasting until it is absolutely ripe! The size of the flowers and the berries puts […]
Malvik / Onions
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20 Runner Beans is better than nothing!
This is about the total yield of my runner beans this cool summer, but the first garlic (Alexandra) looks promising! Post Views: 126
Book reviews
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80 shades of plants: a review in the Annals of Botany blog!
Well, I’m flattered that my book was even reviewed in Nigel Chaffey’s veritable Annals of Botany blog, which I’ve followed for some years! Over the moon it should be […]
Fruit / Perennials / Uncategorized
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Balcony view
Looking down from the bedroom balcony on to a bed I know as “SSHB” (south side house bed, of course!). Here we see Akebia quinata attempting it’s world […]