May and Junes gardening life

There happened a lot since the beginning of May. It was a very big rush. Lot of things happening at the same time or needed to be done next day, it just to follow nature. When we walk around the garden with our morning coffee, you will always find a "job to do". But I think also that's all inclusive, when you take care of a garden, it will always call you. 

In the beginning of the month is stayed very cold, specially in the nights. Later on in June it went little warmer but finally around Midsommar we really had the first Swedish summer days. For the plants it was good weather anyway. not too warm, not too cold and heavy rain showers now and then. So everything is growing very very very fast. So much I can't keep up with the weeds. The bad thing is it will be more difficult to get rid of it because it will take even more time. But we will see. I have to split my time anyway. 

Of course I opened my plantmarket beginning of June. I collected a lot of plants while weeding and I had been sawing so enough to sell. And the weather hasn't been too dry (so it takes a lot of time to water all) or too wet (so we have so save the plants from drowning) until now so it goes with the flow. It only took some time before the people really bought some plants but now every now and then some payment is coming in digitally. 

A mole decided to make new routes and big buildings in our garden and destroyed a lot of the grass in front of the livingroom, near the apples trees. We started to discourage by removing his buildings daily and putting garlic water in his routes for some days. But when it didn't work we decided to try to catch it. We succeeded in only two days. Actually they are quit good looking guys. Next time they should dig in the 60 hectares around us. 

Again we managed, we chased away the Maqpies, they have a nest but not in our garden. We made a very long stave to reach the building of the nest and tried to destroy it several times. In the end they got tired of rebuilding. So now the other young small birds in our garden were not eaten and had more chance to survive. 

We got special visitors last weeks anyway. The Cranes with their youngster, very early in the morning (around 5) they just walking around our neighbors house, while we were sleeping just some meters aside. Looking for some nice frogs or pads....

Just found some smultrons in my garden, de small strawberries (around 1 cm, growing in the wild. I like to eat them when I passing by, they are very healthy. I saw also the first Cantharellen, very early this year. Mostly the appear end of July or even August. It must be the weather, high temperatures and lost of rain sometimes. Let's hope we get some Scandinavian high pressure area around soon, which will deliver a stabile weather period for some weeks. For now we had some very hot days suddenly. From cold weather to 34 degrees..... You can not do that much when it is so warm, nice to go swimming in the lake of course. I'v been there now more often then last year in a summerseason 😄. 

Thanks for now, nice to see you next time!

Last garden season

The leaves are falling. We have been cleaning the grass for some days now. I think around 50 wheelbarrows (So no need for the gym this week again). Temperature is still upp and down, doesn't know really what to decide but it is mostly up to 7. So the last flowers showing their best, also those who never had the change because of early frost. We only had a little touch of frost last weeks. The grass is still growing, I still have to cut. But I'm nearly ready for winter. All the pots are in, as the furniture is. Some plants I want to keep over so they went inside the house. Making my last round for picking weeds because they are rooting very well in wet relatively warm weather. It will give me disadvantage on weeds in spring. 

The leafs turn bright before they fall, in the last sunny hours. Nature is stepping back. It's autumn again. Soon it will be dark, foggy and grey for weeks, no sun at all. They call it "Smålansk dimma". Today it is very dark and raining constantly. Time to overthink. To refresh. To charge the battery and collect some power again for next season. I feel it is the season of the soul now. Go back inside and enjoy a warm yogi tea, take a blanket, stare into the wood fire and relax. 

Looking back to the summer season of 2023 I had been open very weekend in summertime. Unfortunately it wasn't worth efforts, time and costs. It brought to less visitors, though I spent very much time on social media to get peoples attention. So this season my focus was on the big national events of gardening (Tusentradgarden in June en Tidningen Land garden Event) and the regional events of Lingonställen in Västra Småland. In between I would open up spontaneous when it was good garden weather. Looking back on this last season, this was a though cookie, a real difficult one. The weather was totally unreliable. When you have to go with the nature flow it was very nearly impossible to follow up and down.

This one crashed in a storm

In the beginning of the season we were "blessed" with several downpours what flushed away everything. It damaged a lot of stuff. Several times my garden turned out to be a swimmingpool. A lot of plants had difficulties growing and flowering because of too much water and too less sun. Suddenly it could also happen that the temperatures did rise extremely and we had to run and water them daily for saving the falling down and die. Later in summer it stayed unstable and wet, though we got more summer feeling in August. But then the holidays time in Sweden was over already.

The humidity was (actually the total year) extremely high for Sweden, around 70% on the average. In former years we were always very happy with the dry circumstances, around 40-50%. So it feels more and more we are living in a worldwide greenhouse. A lot of plants reacted on this weather by getting diseases, so they needed special treatments. The tomato's and chilis had a disastrous season, mostly rotten nearly no harvest at all. The weeds grew unbelievable fast, it was hard to keep upp with them so they would not over grow my plants. But I still was lucky because we had no snails here (yet). I heard many people complaining because they were so many and ate everything in their garden.

On the most important day of this year, the Tusentradgarden (a very big garden event in Sweden, once in two years) it was a total disaster. it was sooo much rain, one big downpour (very heavy rainfall for hours),  the whole day. It was around 30mm. I had to close the garden because otherwise the grass and robotlines would be ruined. The years before I had around 60 visitors. Now I have to wait another two years for next time. 

The spontaneous openings were difficult too. Often the weather in the "summertime" weekends were too wet or to cold to sit outside. Sometimes it was even stormy. When it finally was a nice day people choose not to come and visit us. After lots of rain people in the beginning of the Swedish holidays they were so happy to enjoy the final sunshine that they went to the beach. Which I can understand of course. But at the same I was disappointed they didn't come and visite me. Lots of work, costs and time for nothing, very much demotivating. It feels like blowing away lots of energy what I could have used for a lot of other things.

The only good garden day was the Tidningen Lands Event in the middle of July 2024. Like it should be normally. Nice summer weather and around 55 visitors. We sold coffee, cakes and plants. We had a lot of garden talks and it gave energy back. 

So now -in autumn time- I need to think about the future. It is such a pity. I have been following my heart. Build up my dream in some years. I was happy baking cakes. I should like to meet people, share my love and knowledge for gardening. I keep hoping every time, but I have to be hones. t. It is not worth the efforts and I haven't got the energy anymore to keep on trying. So with pain in my heart I know I have to stop with the open garden with fika. 

At the same time is the garden my energy for living. For me it's like emptying my overstimulated head and finding my soul again. So next year I will keep it for myself and make it my hobby again. Only the plant market will continue next year. The rest of the summertime I'm free to do whatever is on my bucketlist. I need to find something new. But most important is feel free and enjoy life now!

 

What's next summertime

Land Oppen Trädgård

Next time Open Garden will be the weekend of the 20th and 21th of July 2024. The Land event is on the 21th of July. Because were are open already on Sunday (10-18), we will also open up on Saturday the 20th too (10-18). The preparing work is the same 😜. Of course we will fix the homemade cakes and fill upp the plantmarket. 

Spontaneous opening

Maybe there is a spontaneous opening before. When we have time to bake a cake and we are working in the garden anyway, we can easy open the garden at the same time. But of course, the difficult part seems to be the unstable weather this year. Would be nice, just no more endless rain and finally time to enjoy the summer weather to fill up the energy. 

Tusentradgarden 2024

It has been a really good experience the years before. It's so nice to meet people with the same interest and to talk about gardening with people you don't know. That's why we joined this time too. We had very high expectations, because it's only once in two years, despite of some discussions every year. It should be very nice to join every year. 

The garden was tip top. No more weeds, old flowers taken out, all the grass was cut and even the sides were trimmed. We planned our trips around this date months before and shortened our family visit because the garden needed to be ready in time. We had been working for weeks before the event of the year. We were so happy we managed all, though everything was growing fast and the unstable weather was a challenge (sometimes very hot sometimes very cold and wet). But in the end we were ready too.

The deception couldn't be bigger. It was very nice weather before and the day after. But on the the 30th of June, the day it was open garden day heaven opened and send us heavy rains from early in the morning till late in the afternoon. We even got an orange varning because of al the rain falling down in very short time. Despite of this some very brave people came to visit me. Actually, they didn't meet a very happy garden owner, I'm sorry. I was too disappointed and sad. I wasn't making sense to sit inside, waiting for visitors and run out with an umbrella getting totally wet anyway (despite of the good clothes), walking in a lot of water showing muddy plants who had fallen down. I had to close the garden because it was like a swimmingpool, the water in the garden was too high to walk (it would damage), beside of that I only had a small cold shelter for the visitors. Most of the sitting places you could enjoy your coffee and cakes were outdoor. The day was totally lost, all the work and planning for nothing. And like you all know, not only the plants will grow, also the weeds and the grass. So we will have to keep on going maintaining. Hopefully it will be better next time, in 2026. But it is so far in future. Maybe I will join again, maybe will meet again.

But for sure, at least this season the garden is opened. After a short break we will pick up the garden work again. Next chance to come and visit us is the weekend of 20 and 21th of July 2024. Maybe we can meet this time? We will send a mail to heaven for some summer sun and a rain stop 😇. 

Can't wait to see you...😎

 

Tusen Trädgårdar 2024

As a lot of gardens in Sweden we will join and open up again. Next time is 30th of June 2024 (10-15). More information about our garden? Just keep on reading 😊. You will see our former web page. You only have to translate it because it's in Swedish 😜. But maybe you only want to enjoy the garden pictures.

Sjöbygget Skola, Vittaryd

Adress: STEGARYD SJOBYGGET 1, 34155 Vittaryd
Webbplats: https://arntzcreations.blogspot.com

Hej välkomna, är du nyfiken? Komma hit och titta in!  Jag har alltid tagit hand om min växter och trädgårdar i Nederländerna. Jag behöver ha lit grönt omkring, gillar att odla, njuta att se det utvecklas och jobba i trädgården. Så jag har börjat om igen. I början var trädgården helt överväxt och försummad (2016), det fanns överallt träd, kirskål och hallon.

Innan det har blivit semesterhus bodde en kvinna med gröna fingrar i Sjöbygget Skola i flera år. Hon fanns alltid ute, var kreativt med betong och hade en blommigt trädgård. Jag hittade flera små mormorsväxter från denna tiden (bland annat Kärlekört, Blåsippa och Ungersk Iris) och har hunnit växa de igen. Flera betong ornamenten finns fortfarande kvar, även om det var mer än 20 år sen. Nu är trädgården under uppbyggnad i några år. Jag har rensad bort ogräs, klippet ner högt gräs, grävt ut gamla rabatter och vår vänner sågade ner några tråd. Sen bli det dags att skapa nya rabatter och plantera nya plantor, träd och Bok häck.

Siste år var skugga lyckligtvis minskat eftersom de jättehöga gran i grannars skogen på baksidan var röjet. Till sist har vi förnyat grus, jobbat med kreativa prosjekt och odlat sticklingor till växtloppisen. För alla som vill följa med från början och står ut med att titta på trädgården, trots att delar behöver tid att växa lit mer. Ständig ska det blir fler växter och skapas nya projekt med minimalt budget och stor glädje. Visst finns fortfarande utmaningar också, som vilddjur, torr sommars och sur sandjord. Drömmen är att bygga upp et gammaldags blommigt torp på landet (som det en gång har varit) med mormorsväxter, hemmagjort fika och trevlig utsikt mot sjön Flyxen. Som ett lantligt och naturligt idyll i Småland. Kryddat med lit prärieträdgården sås. Eftersom jag gillar Piet Oudolf design, en känd Nederländsk trädgårdsmästare i Prärie trädgårdar.

I trädgården finns just nu bland annat: stor Blå Klocka, Plymspirea, Hässelort, Gullviva, Pipört, Rhododendron, Sippor av olika slag, Pioner, Salvia, Iris, Aster, Dagliljor, Borstnejlika, Julrosor, Akleja och naturlig Prästkragen. Dessutom finns också prärieväxter bland annat Aklejruta, Blodtopp, Kungsljus, Jättevallmo, Silverhavre, Tuvtåtel och Stipa Giganteum. Hopas vi ses!

Landskap

Småland

Zon / Odlingsläge

5

Specialitet

Mormorsväxter

Genre

Privata trädgårdar

Always Fika time 😎

Plantmarket (växtloppis) is always open

 

When I'm working in the garden I will always find small baby plants growing near the bigger ones, the mamma's. Or plants are growing too big so I will have to split them to keep them healthy fur future.I have been collecting a lot of plants now, most of them are perennials. 

In wintertime I will always sow a lot of plants, to keep me busy with growing. I've been busy with surprise climbers (I found the seeds somewhere and planted them), Snapdragons, Solhat, Tobaccoplants (my favorites), Verbenas (very lucky because the old ones outside didn't survive the severe winter), Petunias and more. Just because I like it so much to be busy with growing plants. It gives me lots of energy, something I really need in the long wintertime. It makes me very happy to share them with you. It started beginning of June and a lot a people found their way to the plantmarket (växtloppis) already. The good thing is: It's always open. So when you are driving by, just take a look. 

I didn't tell you last time but in between the last posts I've been very busy outside of course. It turned out to be summer for a while in Sweden at least for some weeks. The garden just exploded in only three weeks. Right now everything is already one meter high. (It helps very much the hare is not getting in anymore). So it's growing weather over here (not really like in the Netherlands, it's too much rain....) for the time being and i will enjoy it fully. I'm outside every day, we have no biting insects yet and I have a goal (open garden and selling plants). Nothing more needed. I was very lucky I already weeded in the cold weeks in april, before this explosions. So the weeds are little behind and -for now- manageable. 

Of course,  the gras cutting for some hours every week will go on whole summer. The good thing is meanwhile I walk 3-4 km's on the average daily only in the garden. I combined it with running with the wheelbarrow filled with ground from the compost through the soft bottom, it were serious training sessions. So no more sports needed this times. Only little yoga to stretch my muscles again. When I need an easier job for a while there is always something to repot again. When you sow a lot of plant they need to be in a new -little bigger- pot soon. It would be easy to sow them in very big pots but it wouldn't work. I have been told plants grow better in smaller pots getter little more space each time. In a big pot they would drunk. In some way they need the sides to warm their roots... 

By the way. In the end, just before we left for a little holiday, mrs & mr. Magpie decided to bread somewhere else. Maybe we were talking to loud or coming to close in the Christmas tree disturbing them to often. Now they only visit us early in the morning, like they try to bully us back because we ruined their plans. But the young birds can grow up more save now, we saw already a lot of them around the house. 

Last weekend it changed, also lots of rain and thunderstorms. We will see how next weeks turn out to be. Will it be the same short summer like we had last year? And autumn after it? I really hope not🙏. You will know next time! 

Finally time to open up for Summer

 

You are invited to visit us this weekend, the first and second of June 2024. We will join the Lingonrundan in Västra Småland (lingonrundan.com). All sort of organisations open their doors. Feel welcome and take a look with some of them. 

We, in Sjöbygget Trädgården, have been working very hard last weeks to create a "balanced natural garden" in the middle of de woods of Småland near the Flyxen sea. It's an inspiration garden filled with grandma's plants. It is incredible how fast plants grow in only three weeks, when it's finally getting little warmer. We had winter till beginning of May.  

On this moment the Midsommarrose is flowering, the Rododendron, lots of Aklejas and some Iris are coming out too. Or do you just want to be outside enjoy the nice weather and relax with coffee and home baked cakes. You are very welcome to visit us and enjoy our place too!

PS: Before I forget to tell you, we have a small plantmarket with seedling and small plants for sale. 

Land öppen trädgård / Open garden

 

Javisst, vi ska bli med igen 😊...

You are very welcome to visit us outside of Vittaryd (also on Saturday 15 July 2023 by the way or the weekend before 😏). Just to walk around in the garden, enjoy the view on the lake or have a typical Swedish Fika på landet. 

You will find us at Sjöbygget 1, Vittaryd. (From Vittaryd church towards Skällandsö/Bolmen. After about 4 km the first red house at your left side (just after you see Flyxen lake). I'm looking forward to meet you,

With regards

Brün Arntz

Open garden 17 & 18 June 2023 (but Midsommarweekend closed)

 

It is still wonderfull in the garden. Allthough it have been very warm dry weeks. Now it's not longer allowed to water the garden and there is a firestop as well (so no BBQ and open fire anymore because of the firerisk). That means the grass has turned dry and yellow. The plants in pots survived till now because will have been carrying lot of watercans, even in the plantmarket at the streetside. It's a dilemma too, I want to be carefully with water too. But when all plants die I can close the garden for this year...

The lovely Finnlandrose -you see above- is already finished. A little quicker as normal, because of the heat. But now the peonia's started flowering, it's parfum is very strong and impressive. And what about the Papaver "Pattys Plum". All around the daisies (alias "prästkragor") are flowering, like they used to around Midsommar. It's unbelievable we reached the longest day again. But before I start thinking about Christmas I want to enjoy the summertime even the days will get shorter and darker.

Till now it looks like we managed to keep the hare out, at least not all the plants are eaten like last year. We are happy for that because we spent a lot of time to make chicken wire around the total garden twice ((the first round seemed to be not high enough or the hare learned how to jump 😜). 

Next weekend, the Midsommarweekend we will be closed for celebrating ourselves. We wish you a very happy Midsommar!

 

Open Garden Times

Next weeks in June, July & August we will have open garden nearly every weekend (on Saturday & Sunday from 11-16 o'clock). Of course it's depending on the weather too, because we only have outdoor places. So when we have time and the weather is good, we can open extra. But with very hot or rainy cold weather it's not making sense to open.
 

Outside the garden you will find a small plant garden with some seedlings and plant cutting I have been growing last weeks. I'm very proud to show my garden to people. I'm trying to make it look like former days with grandma's plants, like the Midsommar Rose or the Hungarian Iris. So feel free to walk around or just enjoy the surroundings form a comfortabel seat in the middel of the garden, close to the lake. We also serve some small coffee & cakes. 

Please follow the actual announcements the week before on this weblog, (Facebook) or Instagram (Sjobygget_Tradgard). Feel free to visit our private garden in one of these weekends. We are very happy to meet you 😉. 

Time for Lingonrunda 3 & 4 juni 2023

 

Soon it's time for Lingonrunda again. You are welcome on a lot of places (Lingonställen) in the Western part of Småland. It's a network with more then 100 places to visit. Among them are musea, shops, farmshops, arts & handcrafting, flowers, vegetables and design. Mostly small companies or enthousiasts with a hobby. The products are produced in the neighborhood. There is something to find for every one!

Sjöbygget Tradgården will join this event in June too!

Have a look on the website: www.lingonrundan.com. Some have opened the year around, some only in Summer but most of them open at the special event day. You will recognize them with a special flag.  

Suddenly it's summertime

Suddenly it's summertime al over the place... Four weeks ago it started, beginning of May, nice temperatures, very sunny and mostly blue skies. Perfect!

We have been working on hare prevention... Maybe you remember last year the hare has been eating al my Salvias, Campanula, Lathyrus and a lot of plants more. Even the Clematis what was already some meters high and would start flowering. Also the seedling I have been growing for months. So we made a totally new fence around the total garden. We thought we managed but after some weeks we found out that the hares had been learning to jump. So in a new round we made an higher fence, totally around the garden again (this time with the help of my brother and his son 🙏). Till now it seems to work but we keep our fingers crossed. 

Now, beginning of June, it's getting warmer and warmer even at night. I've already been swimming a lot of times in the lake around the corner. Also no midgets yet, maybe because of the dry weather. But the broms (sort of horseflies) already arrived 😬. They land very sneaky and before you know they start biting painfully. 

Also an other problem showed up again: it's sooo dry. The grass already got yellow. We need to water the plants very much and every day, so they can survive. Special the ones in pots, just planted or the ones in the plantmarket (växtloppis).