The Conservatory View

I have been working on another winter patio area of interest beneath the bare acer. It's directly outside the conservatory door and looks good, I think. There's a combination of pansy, viola, some variety of spiky grass and ivy. The home-made wooden planter is pretty bare but it comes in useful. I will mix in several pots of daffodil and narcissi as soon as they begin to shoot up, and I will do an update photo in Jan/Feb. Likely, I'll give a fresh view of this by also moving pots around whenever I feel like a change of scenery.

View from the conservatory chair

On cold, wet, windy days I like nothing better than to spend some time sitting in the conservatory. It is south-facing and cozy. Last winter, I looked out to an almost empty patio, and I vowed to make things different this year. Last month I planted pansies, violas and cyclamen on the central area, and was very pleased with  the outcome. This week I completed a section under the bare acer, and I feel that it fits in very nicely.

I think this is carex, but not entirely sure. I must investigate

I had to dig up the spiky grass plant from the front garden because it had become very bedraggled. It should have been divided many years ago, so most of what was on view was old, dead, rotted material. When I managed to tidy it up, I ended up with 11 smaller plants and proceeded to replant three in the very spot I had dug from. The remaining eight were potted up and are now moved to the patio area.

This ivy has been used to grow 12 more

The ivy was purchased this week, and immediately I took twelve small cuttings from it. Hopefully, hey will survive infancy in the glasshouse, while the parent plant has been left sitting atop my home-made planter.

Pansies and violas

The little corner is now alive. The pansies and violas provide some colour, while the ornamental grasses and ivy give the area shape and form. Together they have added greatly to the patio area, and will provide me with interest through the winter. I will have to make certain that I find more time to sit admiring them, especially if the days turn wet, cold and windy.

Collage of all four photogaphs

Paraig is the author of Petals by Paraig. He loves winter colour, making timber garden troughs and sitting in the conservatory. He also loves moving plants around, but not on cold, wet, windy days.