Raindrops and Roses

WOT a good job our hay is drying under cover. The rain has varied between light, heavy, persistent and equatorial with only a 20 minute break all day!  I don't mind much needed soaking rain but it's so unseasonably cold for July. 14 degrees C is hardly usual for a summer's day! Whilst the garden and the new fruit trees needed a good soaking, the geraniums and roses all hate it! This year, we have a massive crop of apples which I haven't got around to thinning out yet.  Last year, we had hardly any so a bumper crop is very welcome indeed!  We hope to juice and bottle the results again as well as freeze enough for culinary purposes. Hopefully there will be enough to keep the Under Gardener in apple sauce throughout the winter months!

Doing Away with Damaged Dogwoods

Having mown the hay, we took a long hard look at the Aspen Grove and the damaged Dogwoods which had suffered so much wind damage and just didn't look right any more.  Their big leaves mean much wind resistance and so many had just broken off.  Also,they seemed to be overtaking the Aspens themselves and just didn't look 'woodlandy'.  Initially, neither of us said anything  but both Chris and I were thinking exactly the same thing, they had served a purpose but were now redundant.   We won't be short of winter colour as we have many more around the pond.  Having mulled over all these thoughts: it was out with the axe and spade!  Half an hour later they had disappeared and the Aspen grove looks better for it.  We hope to get some more wood chip and mulch next week.  As for now, it looks altogether 'cleaner' without untidy leggy Dogwoods.  Who needs 'em???!!

Invisible Pruning?

Pruned or not?

Pruned or not?

It's a tricky situation when a perfect specimen of a Prunus Serrula grows so big it begins to obscure a fabulous view.  It has the most fabulous bark.  It looks strikingly elegant in winter with the sun reflecting on the polished nut brown bark and shining brightly through the papery whisps.  BUT from where we sit on the terrace, beyond it is a wonderful view of Woodbury Hill. We couldn't even contemplate losing the tree so; how best to prune it with out seeing any evidence? Because of the prevailing wind, its a little one sided so we decided to tread very carefully, try to even it up and carefully thin its canopy - thus reducing  its spread. Our idea was: put simply to have the best of both worlds! To be able to enjoy the view by looking though its boughs and beneath its canopy.  Well - can you spot the difference? (Apologies for the fact that none of the photos are taken from the best angle.)

A lighter & airier tree?

Making Hay.

After all the excitement of our silver medal status, it was time to get back to work and make hay while the sun shines - literally. Time to mow our meadow grass on a rare sunny Saturday!  It's the same old gripe in so much as, all we read about is to have a trendy meadow area with NEVER a suggestion how to make use of it when its cut!   Even finding a power scythe to hire is a tricky business but, we turned to HSS Hire and, for the grand sum of £68.75 plus £10 each way for delivery & pick up, we found one!  I should mention the deposit of £300.00 returned when the equipment is returned.  Also, this year, I had to go into the depot and provide ID - a complete pain!  These are so rarely required not many hire companies stock them and I'm hoping that HSS won't decide to phase them out.  We've been down the strimming road and it just chops up the grass, strews it everywhere and renders it useless for anything but composting.  We like to make hay!  We use it for the chickens' nest boxes and we make garden kneelers by stuffing old compost bags with it and tying the tops.  We also have had previous successes and even won 3rd prize for our meadow hay at our local show!

All safely gathered in!

Anyway, having mowed the grass and turned it once, at the end of the day we lugged it into the garage and spread it out to dry knowing that heavy rain followed by more heavy rain would be its fate.  Yes!  I know I wasn't brought up to make hay by this method but: needs must!!  The garage doors can all be opened where drafts blow through freely and any morning sun shines in.  

Oh.  Just one more gripe to all you garden writers!  Now is NOT a good time of year to visit wild meadow gardens!!  Why?  Because all the rain has flattened the long grass and it looks horrendous!

Silver Medal Winning Lawn Mower Arrives!

Great excitement today as our silver medal prize in Britain's Best Gardeners' Garden arrived and we are now the very proud owners of a sparkling brand new Premium Cobra MX51SPH lawn mower!!  It just so happened that the lower lawn was just ready for mowing so it was put to instant and immediate use.  It's MUCH lighter that its Haytor predecessor and cuts like a dream. Having a Honda engine, it's SO easy to start and they are renowned for their easy starting reliability.  It has a very handy compartment (much like a glove compartment in a car) for storage.  Surely such a useful feature HAS to have been designed by a female?  We could hardly have won anything nicer or, in our case, more useful. 

 A VERY

  BIG 

thank you to the lovely people at Cobra for their generosity. 

 This mower has gone to the very best home!!

Click for more photos

PTC Salutes the Marines!

We are very proud to have been given a Royal Marines' flag and within 30 seconds Al ensured it was fluttering in the sunshine beneath the Union Jack - which, I notice, is looking a little the worse for wear.  Anyway - thank you, Ian.  It has already been commented upon by several visitors to the garden!

Garden Aerobatics!

We enjoyed another afternoon of aerobatics from a Pitts Special biplane which was put through its paces just the other side of Martley Hillside.  We even saw a Spitfire on its way home.  Honestly!  The things we see in our garden!!

Much Buzzing in the Lavender

There are SO very many bees in the garden - mostly on the Lavender, I've been trying to photograph them.  VERY difficult - too many and all too unpredictable!  Anyway there's definitely no shortage of bumble bees in Pear Tree Cottage garden

Another Successful Garden Visit

The weekend saw another garden visit - this time by the Black Pear Gardening Club of Worcester.  Chris swapped from afternoon to morning so at 8am prompt (yawn!), it was mission on!!  I mowed and edged, weeded, tidied whilst he trimmed the Berberis, cut the Yew hedge and even gave the sofa a haircut.  32 club members came on a sunny Saturday afternoon.  Lucky me!!  Dave & Di came over and served the teas and cakes and even washed up!!! Another £191.00 was made for the National Gardens Scheme.  Afterwards a bottle of fizz was duly enjoyed before a dinner of beef puff pastry pinwheels with Arran Pilot new potatoes, Greyhound cabbage and Early Onward peas all straight from the garden - deeeeeeliciousness!  A good and very worthwhile day all round.

Eggs for Sale!

PTC got a new eggs for sale sign today!  I bought the hardwood frame (I think it may have been a fire screen originally) for £5 from a junk shop in Wales and we cut out and painted a rectangle of ply and suspended it from 2 hooks.  Don't look too hard at the lettering: a calligrapher I may be but, a brush is much more difficult to handle and behaves nothing like a nib!  We hope that, as it's not all rigid, the wind won't blow it over.  My theory is that it should just swing to and fro in the wind. For now, it's on test and we'll see what out our customers think!  Talking of freedom, the girls were out on slug patrol in the garden yesterday but, as we have a party of garden club visitors expected tomorrow afternoon, I didn't leave them out too long because I know what a mess they make!

Loads of Lovely Lavender!

The lavender is looking especially pretty and is absolutely alive with bees and hover flies.  I must pick some for lavender shortbread.  Our lavender border began life as self set seedlings in Mrs. Slingsby's gravel.  Chris's job was to remove all the unwanted seedlings and we got lucky!!

Garden Produce

The Under Gardener digging potatoes

Delicious Arran Pilots

After 2 days of rain and a group of garden visitors expected on Saturday, we were glad to see clear skies so that mowing, edging and a major greenhouse tidy up could be completed. 

The blue skies and sunshine made harvesting home grown vegetables even more of a pleasure.  We picked the first of our peas whilst we've been eating our new potatoes fro several weeks now.  Our broad beans are perfection and I'm not saying that because they're my most favourite vegetable in the universe!  The grapes are super sweet but have loads of big pips.  Tomatoes are just beginning to turn.  Podding peas with a G&T while watching the sun go down was nearly as enjoyable as eating them when they were cooked!

Grapes, peas, new potatoes & broad beans

Sutton's Early Onwards

Fig Fantasy!

The fig tree is absolutely covered in figs and has put on loads of growth this season.  The huge leaves mean that we have a lovely shady spot up on the top terrace. What a pity I don't like figs.  When the the over ripe ones fall and explode onto the stone beneath, they look like mice corpses rotting in the sun!  In variably, they're all covered in flies which add even more authenticity.  Luckily, my friend: Maureen loves figs so, with luck and a fair wind,  she should be in for a real treat this year!

The Hostas in the galvanised tanks are thriving beneath the Bay tree and you'd never know that the furthest ones have only been there since open gardens. How lucky to be given all 3 of these tanks.  They make perfect planters. Actually, I was given a fourth in which I store rainwater in the greenhouse.  I did think about using these for that purpose but, as I also have a couple of oak barrels, I decided to plant them up.  They cheer up what has become known as the Creosote Yard.  This area is a kind of work yard where various projects such as construction and painting take place.

Pruning Curtains

I purposely allow the Wisteria and Albertine clamber around the windows at this time of year.  They make perfect exterior curtains and I love to see the filtered, cool green light in the house.  It also helps to reduce fabric and furniture fading in the strong summer sunlight.  These exterior curtains also keep the rooms much cooler. When the sun moves round, it will be the perfect time to cut back the whippy tendrils of the Wisteria.  They won't get their next pruning until February when the side shoots will be cut back again to 3 - 5 buds.  I expect the sparrows will then steal all the juicy fat flower buds as they always do - sigh!  In the dark days of winter, the windows are freed from their green fetters and the weak winter sunlight allowed to flood back in.  My photos don't do justice to my system!

'Ground Cover' -V- 'Under Planting.'

Indecent exposure?

Words mean what they say! 

A tongue in cheek look at 'ground cover' versus 'under planting.' 

Do we always need to cover every inch of soil?  Is there anything wrong with the appearance of freshly tilled earth?  Modern garden designers and T.V. celeb gardeners are always bandying the words ground cover as if there was some sort of horticultural law against the indecent appearance of naked earth.

My Daddy always hated the dreaded words: 'ground cover' and I must say, I never use those words either.  Many of his ways have rubbed off and saying 'under planting' is one of them! He was a man of the soil as his living depended on it.  Neither he nor I are or were offended by bare earth.  For me, 'ground cover' suggests something creeping, sinister or invasive.  'Under planting' sounds altogether lighter. 

Is it so offensive to have a neat lawn edging a small area of freshly turned and weed free soil?  Yes I know!  Bare soil invites weeds but how long does it take to pop over it with a hoe until adjacent Bergenias (or whatever) fill the gap?  Less time than it takes to drag out, plug in a hoover, vacuum the carpet and then put it all away again!  I suppose, in the end, it's all just playing with words!

......................................................................or is it??????

Roses for Noses!

Port Sunlight

Port Sunlight in the foreground

This has been such a good year for roses, I thought I'd post a few photos.  The Paul's Himalayan Musk is not the only one with high ideas.  Rambling Rector is at least 35 feet high and cascading down the old pear tree.  Soon the lawn will be covered in its white petals.  The shrub roses have bloomed well and no excessive rain to spoil them.  With roses on both sides of the lawn now, we have certainly noticed their heady perfume when just waking across the lawn.  We underplanted the shrub roses with Golden Marjoram.  Since the photo was taken the beech hedge behind the roses has been trimmed and the Golden Marjoram cut down to maintain its dense mounds.  In a few weeks, we will be able to enjoy its dense mounds once again.  It too has a delicious scent when the mower just brushes past.  At open gardens, there were more questions about the Golden Marjoram than any other plant!

Rambling Rector

Albertine

The old Albertine over the sitting room window is a real old faithful. Every year it's a mass of bloom for about 5 minutes and for that brief time is a real show.  Every year it's guaranteed to get a good dose of mildew regardless of the weather!!  Every year after blooming and with a good dose of mildew, it looks really shabby!  

Rambling Rector behind the kiosk

......with a cherry on top!

Head Gardener and Chief Blogger is unable to work in the garden for an entire week due to a temporary incapacitation. Luckily it's Wimbledon fortnight and Murray won again!

Following the purchase of our Cherry Aid sleeves Chris was able to pick our little crop of perfectly ripe cherries from our young tree.  Last year, the blackbirds literary ate every single cherry and there's nothing nicer than eating freshly picked cherries then having a cherry stone spitting competition to see who could get one in the bird bath from a seated position.  Modesty forbids me from divulging the winner's name!

The ones that missed the bird bath!!

BREAKING NEWS

We have learnt today that Pear Tree Cottage Garden has won the silver medal in Britain's Best Gardeners' Garden!!  We understand that we have won £300,00 worth of Cobra garden products. Somehow, I think we'll choose a new lawn mower - on the grounds we deserve one!