Tuesday Thirteen

Yes, a Tuesday where I have got time to do my thirteen list! I haven't done one in weeks. I have been doing my "half hour" system and I am nearly done with my jobs. I have hoovered right through now and I have washing in the machine and I even have a loaf of bread going in the bread maker. We are having Carbonara tonight made from left over chicken. Home made bread goes quite well with that. Hopefully it will work out OK this time!!

Anyway..... Tuesday Thirteen. My 13 favourite flowers in no particular order.......

1. Lilly. I love these for their big flowers and bright colours. I can't stand the smell of them though. I have some in my garden which Alfie likes to poke his nose into. I always know because he ends up with big yellow stains round his face!

2. Freesia. These look so delicate and pretty and smell lovely.

3. Gerbera Daisy. Big beautiful Daisy in lots of colours, Lovely.

4. Rose. I like yellow Roses best. Or white, not quite so keen on red ones! How comes Roses don't seem to smell any more? My Mum used to have Rose bushes when I was little and they smelt lovely.

5. Daffodil. What is it Wordsworth said? "A host of golden Daffodils". There is nothing nicer than seeing Daffodils growing wild in the hedge rows. I like the old fashioned, single trumpet ones best although all the new modern varieties are pretty.

6. Tulip. I love Tulips in really dark colours. They never seem to last long though. If I have some in a vase, then I pierce the stem just below the head with a pin. I read that this will make them last longer and it seems to.

7. Hydrangea. I like the pink ones best and love their big showey flower heads. I have one in a pot in my garden that last year looked fantastic, but this year it only has a couple of meagre blooms. I think maybe I should have cut it back more in the autumn?? I don't know much about gardening!

8. Pansies. These are just so beautiful and I remember them in our garden when I was young. I really like the purple ones and the bigger the better. I have quite a lot in my garden this year and they lasted through the winter.

9. Orchids. The most exotic flower. I like the tiny ones.

10. Geraniums. I love these as I seem to be able to grow them without too many problems. My hanging baskets have lots of them in all different colours and they just bloom the whole summer. I have got one that is called a Chocolate Geranium. It has very dark red, brown, leaves with only a small amount of green. It has just started flowering and the flowers are an orangey, red.

11. Forget Me Knots. Tiny, pretty, blue flowers that always remind me of our front garden when I was a small child.

12. Lavender. I have several different kinds of Lavender and I love them for their smell. I even have a white variety. We got them from the Norfolk Lavender farm, which we have visited several times over the years. It is the biggest producer of English Lavender and has a distillery where they produce their own essential oil.

13. Fuchsias. These are really pretty and I have lots this year in my baskets and pots.

The photos are all of flowers that are growing in my garden at the moment. They are either in pots or hanging baskets.