ABOUT CROATIA AND IT’S FLORA,FAUNA, FOOD AND ART (2)

Croatia, land of sun, sea and a LOT of rocks ! We loved it !

WE VISITED A MUSEUM OF SEASHELL’S, IT WAS IMPRESSIVE !! THERE ARE SO MANY BEAUTIFULL SHELL’S. YOU CAN FIND SEASHELL’S ON BELGIAN BEACHES TOO OFCOURSE BUT THEY ARE TINY.  COULDN’T FIND MANY ON THE BEACH IN CROATIA  EITHER. THIS MUSEUM HAD SHELL’S FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.

A BIT OF ART YOU COULD BUY IN THE MUSEUM

MORE ART, I THINK THEY ARE REALLY CUTE, DON’T YOU ?

FRESH FRUIT EVERYWHERE

THE WOMEN MADE SLINGS WITH ALL SORTS OF PEPPERS AND AT THE BOTTOM A SMALL BOTTLE WITH OLIVE OIL, THE PERFECT GIFT FOR TAKING HOME

THERE WERE NOT SO MANY FLOWERS ON THE WINDOWSILL’S NOR IN THE GARDENS, PROBABLY COS THE PLANTS WERE REALLY EXPENSIVE !

I SO WANTED TO BUY THE CACTUS ON THE RIGHT AND THE ONE ON THE LEFT BUT I DIDN’T WANT TO CARRY IT ALL THE WAY ARROUND THE VILLAGE SO I THOUGHT WE GO BACK FOR THEM AFTER OUR VISIT BUT THEN THE SHOP WAS CLOSED !!! THAT’S WHEN WE FOUND OUT THEY HAD SIESTA FROM 12 TILL 15 H !!! BUMMER !!!

WE WENT TO SEE SOME AQUARIUMS, THE YELLOW THINGS ARE SPONGES

STINGRAYS, THEY HAVE SUCH FUNNY FACES !

A NICE MODERN FOUNTAIN

A HOUSE ON A HILL WITH LOTS OF CYPRESSUS

HERE I SPOTTED A LARGE OPUNTIA ON THE TERRACE, THERE WERE NOT MANY CACTI TO BE SEEN, BUT I SAW A FEW OPUNTIA’S

BEGONIA

BEGONIA

More about our trip to croatia in my next blog.

Have a great weekend all ! thanks for stopping by and enjoy your garden !

ABOUT CROATIA AND IT’S FLORA,FAUNA,FOOD AND ART (1)

We went to Croatia for a short holiday and as usual, wherever we go my main intrest is to see what plants they have and what tree’s and shrubs and most important of all ; do they have cacti or succulents I can take home with me or some beautifull pots for my plants.

It was our first visit to Croatia so I didn’t have a clue about what to expect. Croatia is located at the Adriatic sea in the south of Europe, it used to be part of Yougoslavia. What I saw was a mixture between Spain and Italy with about the same tree’s and plants and loads and loads of rocks in all sizes. The temperature was arround 25 C°(mid September) so this was really nice, not too hot and not too cool.

We went by car, so when you drive from Belgium to Croatia you drive trough the following countries ; Germany, Austria and Slovenia.

SOUTH GERMANY, CLEAR BLUE SKY AND FOG IN THE MORNING

ON THE HIGHWAY IN SOUTH GERMANY, FOG BETWEEN THE MOUNTAINS

WHEN YOU LOOK IN THE MIDDLE, AT THE BACK, YOU CAN SEE THE FIRST SNOW HAS ALREADY FALLEN, AS YOU CAN SEE MOST OF THE MOUNTAINS (THE ALPS)ARE COVERED WITH TREE’S, MOST OF THEM ARE FIRS

I FOUND THIS LITTLE FELLOW IN FRONT OF A RESTAURANT NEAR THE HIGHWAY IN GERMANY

THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN IN AUSTRIA, YOU CAN SEE THE MOUNTAINS (THE ALPS) ARE HIGHER HERE AND BARER  THAN IN GERMANY BUT ALSO HAD A BIT OF FRESH SNOW

THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST PICTURES I TOOK IN CROATIA, THE PLACE IS OVERCROWDED WITH SMALL LIZZARDS, THIS ONE IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST WE SAW, MOST OF THEM ARE SMALLER BUT AREN’T THEY CUTE !!!?

HERE’S ANOTHER ONE, THEY WERE EVERYWHERE, EVEN ON THE BEACH ! THE REALLY TINY ONES WERE BROWN SO I THINK THEY WERE JUVENILES OR FEMALES

THE SEA AND THE SKY WERE SOOO BLUE, THE BEACH WAS COVERED IN ROCKS, TINY ONES AND BIG ONES AND RIGHT BEHIND THE BEACH WERE PINE TREE’S FOR SHADE

THE WHOLE COAST LINE IS COVERED IN ROCKS, IN AND OUT OF THE WATER SO IT WAS NOT EASY TO GET IN THE WATER FOR A SWIM BUT THE WATER WAS REALLY CLEAN, UNFORTUNATELY THERE WERE VERY LITTLE SHELL’S TO BE FOUND, I LOVE SEASHELL’S !!!

THE HOUSES WERE COLOURFULL TOO AS YOU CAN SEE

HOUSES IN A VILLAGE CALLED UMAG

BIRDS ON THE ROCKS IN FRONT OF THE BEACH

SUCCULENTS, YOU CAN ALREADY SEE THE FALLEN LEAFS OF THE TREE’S , A SIGN OF AUTUMN

MORE SUCCULENTS

I SAW A LOT OF MORNING GLORY, I THINK THIS IS A BEAUTIFULL COLOUR

A PRETTY SMALL RED ROSE WITH A DELICATE PERFUME

ANOTHER RED ROSE

THERE WERE LOADS AND LOADS OF OLIVE TREE’S

TRACHYCARPUS TREE’S EVERYWHERE, IN ALL SIZES

This is all for today but I will continue soon as I have lots more to show you.

Have a nice day, enjoy your garden and thanks for stopping by !

NEW PLANT FOR MY COLLECTION

I’m back from my holiday in Croatia, I took my laptop and camera with me so I could continue my blog but I forgot the little cable I need to transfer the photo’s from the camera to my computer !

I haven’t got much time today as we just arrived home but I bought a new plant for my succulent collection over there in Croatia and I took some pics for you to see. It just says succulent on the label so I don’t have a name for this plant so if any of you recognise it please let me know ! It has a lot of pups too !!!

Have a great day all and enjoy your garden !

LATE BLOOMERS

THIS  IS A GIFT FROM MY BIRDS, THEY DROPPED ONE OF THE SEEDS I GAVE THEM AND IT DEVELOPPED INTO A BEAUTIFULL FLOWER

MICHAELMAS DAISY’S, I AM NOT SO KEEN ON THEM AS THEY DEVELLOP A LOT !!! OF UNDERGROUND RUNNERS, IT’S A WEED I CAN’T GET RID OFF BUT AS THE BUTTERFLIES AND THE BEE’S LOVE IT SO MUCH I ALLOW IT INTO MY GARDEN, I PULL EVERY SHOOT OUT IN AUTUMN BUT EVERY  TINY PIECE OF ROOT LEFT IN THE GROUND MAKES A NEW PLANT IN SPRING !!!

ROSA THE PILGRIM (AUSTIN ROSE) BLOOMS ON AND OFF FROM JUNE TILL THE FIRST FROST, SMELLS LOVELY

ANOTHER LATE BLOOMER, TRICYRTIS HIRTUS ALSO CALLED : THE POOR MAN’S ORCHID, I LOVE IT !!!

KIRENGOSHOMA PALMATA, IN THE BACKGROUND YOU SEE THE REMAINS OF A FERN

ASPLENIUM NIDUS, AN EVERGEEN FERN AND VERY WINTERHARDY ALTHOUGH IT’S LEAVES  ARE  IN WINTER NOT AS BEAUTIFULL AS IN SUMMER

FUCHSIA’S ALLWAYS GOOD FOR SOME AUTUMN COLOUR, IN THE BACK YOU CAN SEE THE REMAINS OF SOME CLEMATIS

ANOTHER GIFT OF MY BIRDS, THIS SUNFLOWER IS HUGE !! THE BUD IS STILL SMALL BUT I HOPE IT WILL BECOME HUGE TOO. ON THE LEFT AGAINST THE FENCE YOU CAN SEE A LOT OF BIRD DROPPINGS, EVERY MORNING THE BIRDS SIT THERE AND WAIT UNTILL I FEED THEM

I BOUGHT SOME YELLOW ASTERS, THEY LOOK SO SUNNY ! HAVE TO GIVE THEM A BIGGER POT SO I CAN PUT THEM NEAR THE FRONTDOOR TO WELCOME MY CLIENTS AND MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS

AS YOU CAN SEE MY FIGS ARE GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER BUT WILL THEY GET RIPE ???

THESE SEDUMS ATTRACT A LOT OF BUTTERFLIES AND BEE’S, I LOVE TO SIT ON THE TERRACE AND SEE THEM COME AND GO BUT THEY ARE HARD TO CATCH ON CAMERA

In a few days we will be leaving for our holliday in Croatia, nature is beautifull overthere so I hope to make a lot of pictures for my blog.

Take care and have fun in your garden guys !

CACTI AND SUCCULENTS

Mornings and evenings are cool, even cold and mornings are wet but during the day we have real nice and sunny weather but the days are getting short now, it is only 20 pm and it is almost dark. At the end of October we get back to wintertime, I don’t like that at all ! I’m not a fan of Christmas and New year, give me Easter instead ! At least that means flowering season is there again.

I’ve taken pictures of some of my indoor cacti and succulents.

THESE ARE SOME OF MY INDOOR CACTI AND SUCCULENTS, I PREFER TO BUY THEM SMALL SO THAT I CAN HAVE MANY, I ALSO HAVE TO PUT THEM SOMEWHERE HIGH SO THE GRANDKIDS WON’T GET HURT

THESE ARE ALSO INDOOR CACTI AND SUCCULENTS, I TOOK THIS PICTURE OUTSIDE AS I JUST GAVE THEM A BIT OF WATER AND A BIT OF A CLEAN UP

SOME ALOE’S, THEY ARE REALLY THOUGH PLANTS !

I RECEIVED THIS LITTLE HOUSE AND GARDEN AS A PRESENT, THE CACTUS ON THE RIGHT WAS PLANTED IN THS LITTLE GARDEN, THE SOIL WAS COVERED WITH LITTLE PEBBLES AND THE PEBBLES WERE GLUED TOGETHER !!!!!!! CAN YOU IMAGINE ! I COULDN’T EVEN WATER THE PLANT ! SO I TOOK EVERYTHING OUT, PLANTED THE CACTUS IN FRESH SOIL, WATERED IT AND PUT SOME  TINY AGAVE PUPS IN THE LITTLE GARDEN.

Have a great weekend all and enjoy your garden !