NGS Open Gardens 26.V.MMXIX

On a fairly indifferent day and following a miserable rainy start, the weather slowly improved and eventually the sun cme out. Chris, who had noticed yesterday (when it was too late to do anything) that the stone seat was completely hidden by overgrown Jasmine arrived early this morning in order to trim it and all before he set off for a day's tree work!  THAT is dedication!! Thanks so much, Chris!

Braving the drizzle, the first visitors actually arrived early - catching me with a garden rake in one and a thistle in the other!!  Too tricky to hide both behind my back!

Visitors enjoying the summerhouse.

Visitors kept on arriving and with today's team consisting of Lindy, Sue and Lyn, they were rushed of their feet serving teas and washing up. Maureen had a change of duty and was our chauffeuse for the afternoon. Using her own car as the shuttle bus, she drove the less able from the car park, up the hill to the garden.  In total, we had 88 visitors, 4 dogs and the real star of the occasion was a 1927 Alvis!!  We made a staggering £661.00. 

Exploring the main lawn.

A HUMONGOUS thank you to all our helpers.  We truly appreciate your support and without you, we simply couldn't have raised this money.  Congratulations to you all!

Oh, and Chris: many visitors enjoyed sitting on the stone seat this afternoon, but, none more than a disabled gentleman who was unable to walk round the garden but was helped to that very seat where he enjoyed taking in views of the garden and further across the valley to the hills beyond and all in the sunshine! 

However, we did miss Chris's prowess with my camera and resulting photos.  With one exception, these were taken by Al.

Star car by far!    The 1927 Alvis.

Much May Maintenance!

Partially draining the pond

It's not just been about opening plant theatres!  Preparing for the Open Garden season means lots of maintenance jobs like flushing out the pond and cleaning the filter - again!  There's been weeding, pruning, trimming, planting out,not to mention endless mowing & edging!

Since a rabbit breached defences and scoffed all the Genever Sweet Peas, I've replanted with some Sarah Raven plants.

Much has been happening in the greenhouse, with potting up cuttings, potting on Pelargoniums and hardening off plants in cold frames ready for their season out in the elements!

The vegetable garden is, at long last coming together!  With such a cold start, things are late but pea germination has been MUCH better than last year.  Everything is squashed up together as I was determined to put in a row of Chrysanthemums for late cutting.  Do I need a bigger vegetable patch I wonder??

I also chose a freezing cold day to go to the Malvern Spring Show and practically contracted hypothermia on the NGS stand!  I did return with a few purchases - namely a Festuca for Easter Island Man and a rusty sculpture!

Better get back to work!!

The Gardens of Wichenford 2019

A little slide show of Pat & Brian Finch's gorgeous garden down the lane.  They will be serving lunches and hosting a full bar in these fabulous surroundings!!  Pity they're so camera shy!!!

Garden Theatre Opening!

GALA PREMIERE THEATRE OPENING!

PEAR TREE COTTAGE PLANT THEATRE

Curtains rose for the very first time at the Pelargonium Palace Theatre today as a cast of miniature and dwarf Pelargoniums made its way along the red carpet to their new venue!

Let hope Jack Frost doesn't put in an appearance as they could take an early bow & then it would be curtains!!

Wisteria Moments.

One word. 

WISTERIA!!  For the first time in 9 years, we stopped the birds from stripping the flower buds.  It turns out that birds don't like Mozart or Beethoven.  That is, they don't like all their CD's hanging on the Wisteria.  They weren't overly keen on the plastic owls or the agricultural bird scarer either.  However, they didn't mind having their food station moved to the other side of the house!

The result of discouraging our thieving gannets is unrivalled SUCCESS!  After years of Wisteria annihilation, we have waterfalls of purple perfume flooding down the walls running for 36 yards around the house. When the windows are opened, the perfume floods in.   We even have purple curtains! Never have I taken more photos of one single plant!!  If I could, I'd share the perfume!

No Smoke but lots of Mirrors!

1 pot becomes 4!

Great progress has been made on the plant theatre. All the mirror glass is now fitted and also the surrounding beading. Chris carefully replicated all the angles and hide the tiny chip I managed to inflict!  He also cut some leftover oak to hide the edges of the ply backing.  I just need to carefully stain these additions and burn its name on the already made blank sign!  Alas it's far to cold to put out any Pelargoniums but I couldn't resist popping a couple of pots of pansies on until the weather eventually warms up.....whenever that will be!

Chris has very cleverly ensured that, should we have any avian residents, the front panel can just be lifted off in order to clean the interior.

Maybe I should say a word about the mirrors. Not only is the raised border in front of the plant theatre reflected but the mirrors at either end of the shelves give that effect of infinity. By angling these mirrors, the length of each shelf is vastly increased. The last advantage is of course, the number of plants resting on the shelves are increased!  The only BIG disadvantage is that I can't photograph it from centre front without seeing my own image!

I've placed a recycled seat in front of it - well, it is a theatre!!

Elsewhere

Gale damamge'

He didn't quite get the photographer!

Meanwhile, our regular Saturday Chris battled with the gales while wielding a pole cutter and and a pressure washer!  By the end of the day the boundaries were looking very smart and the granite path gleaming.  The rest of the garden was strewn with leaves and branches all ripped off in the high winds. Having managed to prevent avian predation in the buds for the first time, Wisteria racaemes were littering the terrace path. Such a sorry sight.  That's gardening for you!

Gleaming granite!

Getting More Theatrical!

My scaled blue print!

Checking for perfection!

A 2 Chris Saturday and freezing damaging gales in April!  Absolutely appalling weather conditions!

Wrapped up in 2 fleeces and a scarf in I could hardly believe the change from last week when it was too hot in a short sleeved shirt.  Anyway, we set to work on Phase II of the plant theatre/dovecote.  To keep out of trouble with our master builder, I'd drawn a plan and using an 'S' hook worked out how we could draw perpendular hanging shapes.  Scallops don't lend themselves so well to slopes and the expert had advised a more vertical take on my curves!

Ensuring symmetry in lead.

Chris's eye for detail and precision means an perfect upstand against the wall - not shown on my scribbled picture as I hadn't thought of such a clever addition! With a lead roof, it now weighs a TON.  Hopefully phase III will see a front panel in the top triangle with apertures cut out and landing platforms for potential residents!

April Successes!

So much perfume.

Am feeling VERY smug!  Firstly, I managed to sow and plant ALL vegetables before the weather turned -perfect timing!  Secondly, I've managed to keep the birds off the Wisteria and we have MASSES of flowers opening!!  HURRAH!  In the past, the birds have stripped off all the flower buds leaving nothing but bare branches.  Guess what.  Now we have storms and wild weather forecast - SIGH!

Hoping the storms won't be too damaging.

Well timed shower!

Back to Work and a New Project!

Mowing finished

Having sneaked off down to Cornwall on a 4 day anniversary break, it was out of the car, change, and mow the lawns!!  Unpacking had to wait its turn and wasn't the priority! Lawns edged and mowed, time to sort the vegetable plot out.  Sowing and planting is later than I had hoped but after a few days of hard graft it's all done before the rain.  We came back to a lovely surprise - a mountain of oak wood chip on the drive.  That all had to be barrowed down to the Henclosure for the chickens to enjoy. Chris did the lion's share of lugging.

Both Chri's at work.

Trying it for position.

As well as all this, a new project was commenced!  On a 2 Chris Saturday, a plant theatre began to take shape. As usual, I was in trouble for not drawing the plans that were all in my head!  With 2 shelves for plants and the upper triangle doubling up as a dovecote - it's a dual purpose construction and will  hang on the conservatory wall where one an old Pyracantha grew,   We had some wonderful quarter sawn English oak left over so what nice material in the world to use?  We plan to make a little lead roof and place mirrors at each end of the shelves.  Meanwhile this is how it looks!

A coat of the 'good stuff!'