Post Comment Love 21 - 23 February

Hello there, and welcome back to this week’s #PoCoLo - a relaxed, friendly linky which I co-host with Suzanne, where you can link any blog post published in the last week. We know you’ll find some great posts to read, and maybe some new-to-you blogs too, so do pop over and visit some of the posts linked, comment and share some of that love.

Please don’t link up posts which are older as they will be removed from the linky, and if older posts are linked then please don’t feel that it’s necessary to comment on those. If you were here last week it was great to have you along, if you’re new here this week we’re pleased you’ve joined us.

This week my blog turned twelve (eek!) and I’ve had a day in London, the first in a while - and the first in a while where I’ve had a mooch around the shops too - though there was much more to my day than shopping! I was in London for just before 10am (which would be unusual for me even if I still lived in London) and spent most of the day at the Garden Press Event at my favourite show venue, The Business Design Centre in Islington.

After a day of garden related inspiration I hopped on the tube to Regent Street and had a mooch around Liberty, where I snapped these plates (and so much more - expect a post soon!). I’d hoped to buy some Falconware Enamel there, but was disappointed by the range they had in store - so I’ll be ordering online and sucking up the ‘what I think are expensive for the size of the items’ postage costs.

Have a good week.

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It starts with seeds...

* I was invited to the Garden Press Event, a one day show which connects garden product suppliers with garden media, therefore I’m marking my blog posts from the event as 'Ad’ though as usual my views and opinions are very much my own.

There’s nothing more satisfying than sowing a seed and watching it grow is there - but there’s so many seeds available, so knowing where to start can often be overwhelming. But one thing that’s clear is that the seed companies I spoke to this week at the event are going all out to entice us to buy their seeds.

So whether you want to grow vegetables, herbs or flowers why not take a look at these brands

Stocks & Green

Based in Colchester, Iben and Trevor have built Stocks & Green as a reflection of their deep-rooted passion for the world of horticulture and along with their seeds they aim to fill gardener’s lives with vibrant colour, delightful scents and fresh home grown food. And with a display like this, it was hard to resist.

Their range often features personal favourites to give the home gardener a good selection, but avoiding that overwhelm that I mentioned before. They’ve refreshed their seed pack imagery ahead of the show, and the images on their seed packets are stunning.

The back of the seed packets are equally clear and informative, and including the aftercare information is really helpful for gardeners new and old alike.

Among the new flowers for this year include the fluffy looking Papaver ‘Black Swan’ (Opium Poppy), the arching stems of pink firework like flowers of the ‘Cerise Pearls’ Persicaria, and in their vegetable range they’ve added the yellow courgette ‘Goldena’ and a favourite of mine the ‘Black Beauty’.

I left the show with two packs of seeds - a white Echinacea elegantly called ‘White Swan’ which they advise is ideal for pollinators and the young flowers look equally good in a vas, lasting over a week. I’m looking forward to sowing these (under cover between February and June) when the temperatures are more consistently warm, given that I don’t yet have a greenhouse.

The other packet of seeds is a new to me wildflower, but with a name like Fiddleneck and the bee on the front of the packet, how could I resist? The flowers attract bees, butterflies and ladybirds and the plants can also be dug into the soil as a soil improver. Growth is fast, so they can help prevent weeds, but these need to be sown where they are to grow, but can be planted between March and September, so I’ve a bit of time before I start these ones. I think I’ll grow these in an empty spot in our outside border, but probably away from the buddleia which is good at attracting butterflies to the garden.

Mr Fothergill’s

I’m sure this is a brand that you’ve heard of before, and for me it’s a tried and trusted provider of seeds, but they also have a couple of other ranges which you might not be aware of, but which I think are interesting. Each of these is aimed at a different audience as you’d expect, but each is encouraging people to get involved and grow more from seed, whatever their skill level and whatever their interest.

So if you want to grow flowers for cutting, the Johnsons range is likely to appeal to you - and their seed packs are truly stunning, looking less like a traditional seed pack would.

I love a Cosmos, and am very tempted by both the white ‘Purity’ and unusually for me, the red ‘Dazzler’ shown above.

But if it’s vegetables you want to grow, then the D.T.Brown range could be for you. This offers a smaller selection of vegetables, for example only three or four carrot varieties, but those varieties are ones that can be relied on whatever your experience. Each of these seed packets has a QR code on the back providing more information, and the recipe for the dish shown on the lower half of the seed packet, so it really is a sow - grow - eat approach.

And if you’re new to growing from seed then the Oh Sow Simple range would be a good place to start - these are varieties good for starting off, and can be grown in a container or directly where you want them to grow.

You need very little experience for growing seeds, as they are programmed to grow! Just give them warmth, water, something to grow in - as many growers will tell you watching them grow can be magical, so why not try it for yourself?

As it says on the image above - Sow - Grow - Enjoy!

Exploring more of the Courtauld Gallery

Whilst we were at the gallery for the Monet and London exhibition we made the most of seeing other exhibits and the spaces that held them

The staircase is pretty spectacular, and was conceived as a symbolic ‘journey to enlightenment’ - with visitors progressing upwards through the building and moving from the dark to light to reach the top-floor landing. We hadn’t realised that and went straight to the top, I guess fast forwarding and possibly missing the enlightenment on offer. It’s a narrow space and the rooms on each floor have narrow ceilings, so the stairs do rise quite steeply on the final stretch.

VASE OF FLOWERS - CLAUDE MONET

As we know Monet painted so much more than the views of the Thames, and just outside the exhibition we stopped alongside this painting which he started in 1881, but signed and sold around 1920. Clearly a different subject and brighter, more floral colours but equally as impressive.

A BAR AT THE FOLIES-BERGERÈ - EDOUARD MANET

This was the painting that was the most recognisable to me from our visit - which I learnt is considered one of the iconic paintings of modern life, and was completed a year before he died in 1883. And while the barmaid is recognisable, I’d not seen the legs and green boots of a trapeze artist in the top left corner, which the blurb says ‘hint at the exciting musical and circus acts entertaining the audience’.

LILIES IN A JAR, 1914 - MATTHEW SMITH

The painting above by Matthew Smith was painting in 1914. Entitled Lilies in a Jar was one of my favourites from the whole day, and he was encouraged by Henri Matisse to ‘paint in a more intense and liberated way’ which makes this still life anything but still - and I’d happily have this one at home.

BALCONY VIEW, IPING CHURCH - 1943 - IVON HITCHENS

The painting above by Ivon Hitchens was painted at the height of the Second World War and after his London home was bombed during the Blitz in 1940. He moved to West Sussex where he painted this view looking towards the church from the balcony of a house. I think this is one you could easily have in your own home, and one that you could spend time looking at, and looking at some more.

ADAM AND EVE, 1326 - LUCAS CRANACH THE ELDER

Another image which may be familiar, and most certainly the subject matter is - but also one that I wouldn’t have been able to name the artist of.

We moved onto the ceramics section and here it was the lustred ceramics that caught my eye. The lustred ceramics would have been a must-have luxury item in the fashionable Renaissance homes, and it’s easy to see why. Lustre is made when a glazed and fired ceramic is painted with metal oxide pigments and fired again at a low temperature with restricted air supply, and results in a metallic film that shimmers in candlelight.

Outside in the December early evening we were now heading off to complete our other plans, but not without stopping and admiring this new-to-us rainbow snake of seating in a part of the Strand which is now pedestrianised, and which I’m sure on warmer days will be much used by both visitors and people working in the area alike.

We enjoyed our visit to the Courtauld Gallery, so if you’re in London and looking for something to do then definitely put this one on your list, and soak up some culture new and old while you’re there. There’s nearly always something going on at Somerset House too - when we visited the Festive ice rink was in full swing, but in the summer it’s also a great place to sit and people watch, it’s just one of those places that is constantly changing and is better for that.

I’m hoping that next time we’re in the area, it’s much warmer so I can try out at least one of the colourful seats!