I thought you might like to see some more attractive garden photos than in my previous post! I have almost finished my clearing over the fence and thought a little break might be nice so today I went with a friend to the
Castle Garden Centre in Sherborne for lunch.
This lovely area was what greeted us in the car park - isn't it beautiful? If you click on any of my photos you will get them in larger format and be able to see the flowers here in more detail.
It struck me that this could be seen as what can be achieved when the world pulls together - a sort of metaphor for world peace perhaps.
This vertical wall of begonias is stunning isn't it?
Pretty buildings slumbering in the sunshine complete with beautiful hanging baskets.
My hanging baskets never looked like these and in fact this year I didn't plant any as at the time for planting we were having a drought and I thought it pointless now I wish I had had a little more faith!!
Aren't they stunning? We enjoyed a sandwich and a coffee sitting in
the sunshine here. Tomorrow I will don my heavy gloves and get over the
fence and finsih off that job but just for today I was enjoying these beauties.
I notice that my followers seem to be growing fewer in number - I wonder why and whether it matters? Do I need to have loads of followers - does having lots of followers make me a better blogger or is it like belonging to the popular gang at school? I know that there are some loyal friends who visit me regularly and I always appreciate your comments - you know who you are. The others probably come and go and although I know one cannot please all the people all the time I can't help feeling slightly sad that my writing isn't holding their attention as it once did - how do other bloggers deal with falling followers or shouldn't I mind?!!
Hi Jane
ReplyDeleteThat wild garden mix is beautiful and so are the hanging baskets! Looks like everything has caught up after a shaky start.
I wouldn't worry about the followers - mine come and go too - or, rather, the number goes up and down - I too sometimes delete blogs from my Reader list when I feel it is getting unwieldy.
Weather is cooler here now and very pleasant - should get some decent sleep tonight!
Lovely wildflowers - it's great to see so much interest in this type of gardening.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Pearly Queen. It's interesting to think about why you blog, and I know for myself that it is a writing compulsion and also to leave some sort of footprint.
I very rarely look at numbers, and tend to get a shock when I do!
Don't you worry about it Jane, you haven't changed so it's not down to you!! Sometimes when I get a lot of visits I get very few comments and then when the stats are down I find the comments are up, who knows the reasons for these things.
ReplyDeleteNow the gorgeous flowers ~ those hanging baskets are amazing and I love the wild flowers! :) Something else I love is the colour they have painted their doors and windows!!
Vivienne x
what wonderful hanging baskets, I wonder how they kept them so lovely after the horrible wet summer we had.
ReplyDeleteWhat did you have for lunch and was it as nice inside, as it looks outside?
Those hanging baskets are so beautiful - rather different to my pathetic specimens which are now really only hanging compost!
ReplyDeleteYou still seem to have a lot of followers so try not to be too disheartened. People come and go and I'm always surprised about which of the posts on my blog that get a greater number of comments.
Carry on Blogging, I say!
x
What a beautiful place to visit and glad it inspired you to get over the fence!
ReplyDeleteAs for the followers mine come and go too. I don't like it when the number goes down either but then I think I am doing this blog for me, yes it is lovely to have people read my ramblings but in the end I do it as a sort of journal and enjoy just sharing my life. Try not to worry about it.
xxx
The wildflower meadow area is lovely, I wish I had room in my garden to do something similar.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with continuing 'over the fence' it does look a big job to tackle.
Don't worry about the numbers of followers, I think we all go up and down. I also think people follow in more ways now, not sure what, but I get regularish comments from some people who aren't in my followers list! Carry on doing what you're doing, I always enjoy reading your blog :-)
Those impressive hanging baskets put mine to shame...
ReplyDeleteI think that everyone's on holiday or grabbing the summer weather before the onset of Autumn!
Remember that quite a lot of people follow through things like Google Reader and Bloglines, etc. So sometimes it is just people changing the way that they are following you.
ReplyDeleteI don't look at the numbers - just write what you want to and don't worry about anyone else!
I'm one of your new followers! For almost a year I had hardly any comments which didn't surprise me as Blogger wasn't updating that I'd posted - showing that I'd last posted a year ago. All of a sudden it seemed to rectify itself and people started to comment. It's nice when people do leave a comment as it feels worthwhile that you've taken time out to jot the goings on in your life. I suppose a blog is a bit like life itself - people come and go, they flit in and out of our lives. I wouldn't be disheartened.
ReplyDeleteI love those hannging baskets!
June
Those wildflowers are simply stunning as are the hanging baskets. They must be strong baskets to hold all those plants.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing,
Anne xx
I'm afraid I'm a lurker, but always visit.
ReplyDeleteI did no baskets this year, not because of a drought, but because we had lots of rain.
The wildflowers are beautiful, what a fabulous sight.
ReplyDeleteI love hanging baskets with all the mixed flowers, it always reminds me of the UK as we don't generally do that here, especially as it is too hot and humid in summer for them to survive.
I have tried commenting 4 times but apparently the characters I type are incorrect for some reason, so much as I try, I cannot comment.
ReplyDeleteI clicked on those car park flowers and sat looking and looking. How beautiful! Our council has planted verges and roundabouts similarly and they have been a sheer joy. Re hanging baskets: there is a real art in being able to plant them to get a stunning display - not an art I have, that's for sure! I am with Relatively Retiring re the blogging and followers etc.
ReplyDeleteGosh that is gorgeous - I wish I had the space for a wild flower meadow.
ReplyDeleteNina x
I missed your efforts in the hedgerow and I'm very impressed - keep going - I guess our native plants haven't been put off by the weather, many of our shallots have rotted off, so not many to pickle this year. As for the wild flower meadow, what a treat, and those hanging baskets are beautiful. I agree that planting them up and keeping them going is a real gift, but those are certainly worth the effort. Best wishes to Mr M, hope he is beginning to feel better.
ReplyDeleteOh I love that wild flower patch - its just what I want instead of that jungle of brambles and nettles in my garden right now! Yes, I need those heavy duty gloves too Jane.
ReplyDeleteI know, it is kind of depressing when I post something I've made and get just a couple of comments (thanks so much for your lovely comments Jane!). I try not to mind too much as I do get pleasure from looking back at my blog myself to see what I've made in the past and where I've been. I'm just thinking of it as an online diary. If I really feel the need for a bit of encouragement comment-wise, I find doing a challenge brings in lots more visits and a few more comments. Oh, and I have two sisters who I know visit every time I post but NEVER comment!!
What a gorgeous collection of flowers Jane. I wonder if that was a mix made up by the garden centre or whether it is available to all? I would certainly be keen to plant that sort of mix next year as the effect is so lovely. As to that followers thing... it always surprises me that the comments dwindle in comparison to the followers. I only follow a limited number and try to make a sensible comment but my blog started as a way of keeping a record of things for myself so the numbers don't worry me too much. Keep going as you are and those of us out here in the ether will be well pleased!
ReplyDeleteSuch lovely photos...lucky you to see it all in real life :-) The wildflower meadow is delicious!
ReplyDeleteWow, those wilds flowers are glorious!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't worry about your follower numbers, as Pomona said people follow in new and different ways all the time. Some stop blogging themselves. Write for you and the blog friends you know are going nowhere x
You do flowers so well in England - even when there's been hardly any sun! Lovely baskets and pots of them everywhere makes everything so pretty.
ReplyDeleteHope Mr Marigold is feeling a bit better.
Cheers
Beautiful flowers Jane! I especially like the wildflowers but the hanging baskets look splendid! I lost a follower this week and at first it bothered me. I then thought that maybe they haven't read my blog for months anyway and there are regular readers and commenters who are not followers so it is swings and roundabouts. Have a lovely weekend. x
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful pictures....I love wildflower meadows like these, and those hanging baskets are amazing (I love those little bright blue flowers with the red middles especially!) Don't worry about the stats, Jane.....just enjoy writing your blog and know that you have readers who enjoy it :)
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely weekend.
Helen x
Such beautiful fields of wildflowers! And yes, those hanging baskets are very stunning; what a combination of color and bloom. So very pretty.
ReplyDeleteFollowers come and go it seems. I usually ignore that list but sometimes I go exploring to see who is following me. So many I have never actually heard from comment wise...I wonder what that's all about. Sometimes I wonder why these strangers are "following" me...!
I thought that I had commented on this post but - it must be invisible!
ReplyDeleteLovely flowers, I wish my patch was that good.
I am still one of your followers even if I don't always comment I always read and enjoy.
Oh goodness, that annual wildflower meadow is WONDERFUL. It reminds me of the Olympic Park. What gorgeous images.
ReplyDelete