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Stopping at my favourite garden centre

It’s the ideal time, here on the West Coast, to plant garlic in the garden, and so I popped over to Southlands, one of my most favourite garden centres, to get a few bulbs.

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There’s nothing quite like fresh, homegrown garlic. Anyone growing it? This year I harvested a few bulbs, (it was a trial year and I only planted a very small amount), but the flavour of my homegrown garlic has been amazing. This year I went to three different kinds, including a Mexican variety which promises to be potent.

I guess I just have to make sure everyone eats it along with me, or there’ll be no talking to me face to face…lol.

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I got my garlic bulbs and had a stroll around the nursery.

Look at these amazing vintage pink flamingos! I’d say they’re right past kitsch and out the other side into the chic area of garden decoration. πŸ˜€ I love them.

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One trend I’ve been noticing lately here in the North West is a huge import of all sorts of semi tropical succulents. They’re becoming the easy, must have of the garden.

I love them.

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I’ve always loved them, even before they were “fashionable”.

I tend to do really naughty things, like import a little leaf or piece of branch or tiny rosette from San Francisco, my friend Catherine’s plant in Oxfordshire, a random front garden in Mexico. No succulent is safe…lol.

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But can you blame me? They really are so very lovely.

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Clove thinks they look like land-bound sea anemones.

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I was absolutely stopped in my tracks by this one reaching its flower up to the sun. How spectacular is the geen pinkness of it?

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It’s part of this spectacular arrangement.

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But it’s normal for the wonderfully artistic team at Southlands, and what would you expect from a nursery who find and bring in land-bound sea anemones.

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Comments: 6

  • September 17, 2014
    reply

    Wow that was some Succulent display. I don’t think I’ve every seen one that large before. I have some Hens n Chicks but that’s about it. Although I do think they are really neat plants and don’t require a tremendous amount of care. I liked the Pink Flamingo’s.

  • daryledelstein

    September 18, 2014
    reply

    my mother was a fairly good cook but she only used garlic for seasoning .. one evening i asked if she’d included garlic in our dessert and she said ‘garlic is good for you’ and i said ‘but mom everything begins to taste the same if you don’t use other seasonings’ .. did she try new herbs? yes but ….

  • September 19, 2014
    reply

    The succulents are beautiful! Have never grown garlic here…I should do so one year! πŸ™‚

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