The green and rolling countryside of Worcestershire, England, is home to the cider apple orchards which surround the gardens of Pear Tree Cottage. They enjoy a sunny south westerly aspect with sweeping views across to Martley Hillside, Woodbury and Abberley clock tower. The Teme Valley lies just over the hill and, not far away, is the Herefordshire border. Although our climate is temperate, our seasons are often uncertain and always a challenge to a gardener! This began in 2010 & follows the weekly ups and downs of garden work chronicling both successes and failures but, above all, demonstrates the fun enjoyed by three people who regularly garden in all weathers

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10 September 2017

September Saturday Slog!

Not much tree but lots of hill!
Despite a distinctly autumnal feel, there's been quite a few things going on the garden this week. The last of the Yew got its annual haircut.  Last week, we did the random Yew hedge which Chris hates doing! Teetering around on the top of a pair of steps whilst wielding a pair of shears isn't the easiest but it's good for my pecs!

Random hedge trimming
This week, he trimmed the Yew tree by the greenhouse alone but only because I was busy making the bacon sandwiches! Next on the list was revisiting the Tibetan cherry which was pollarded a few weeks ago. There has been so MUCH debate about this tree which was obscuring Woodbury Hill in its entirety. I knew that it didn't enough space for growth before Woodbury would again be obscured in no time at all so; this time, we've done a more radical pollard - more in the French style. If after regrowth, it looks too awful, we'll remove the remaining trunk. After all there's a Witch Hazel behind it and we've planted over 35 trees in this garden which is surrounded by a further 24,000 apple trees! Incidentally, summer pruning is meant to help prevent silver leaf.
The afternoon was spent picking half the apple crop from our trees and Chris made a start on power washing the flag stones as the algae makes them deadly when they're wet at this time of year. I made a start of Geranium reduction and waged war against whitefly in the greenhouse. Another typically varied Saturday!

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