Harvesting our First Szechuan Peppercorns!

 

Chris wouldn't allow the first ever Szechuan peppercorn harvest to happen without photographic evidence!!  They are now drying on the kitchen windowsill.

This extremely thorny shrub was planted about 2 years ago and was bought in a sale for £3 when it was about 18" tall.  It not only recovered from its pot bound state but has thrived.

The REALLY Perfumed Garden!

 

Colours are beginning to change and leaf drop has well and truly begun.  It's very definitely autumn now! 

I'm so pleased to have so much scent in the garden at this time of year.  We have an Eleagnus down by the Compost Yard which is a joy to walk past.    Along the Fernery Path is a Heptacodium which is just blasting out fragrance from its tiny flowers! Actually, both these shrubs have such tiny flowers and yet the perfume just blasts out!  Totally worth bottling!  

Also by the back door is an elevated pot of Cyclamen - not quite at nose height but, again a seriously wonderful whiff when passing.  I promise you - another perfume worth bottling!

Adding Accessories to the Outdoor Kitchen!

 I've been given a few more accessories for what's fast becoming an outdoor kitchen in the Herb Garden.  Since the old cast iron range was installed, I've acquired an old enamelled saucepan, some old cast iron scales and weight, a flat iron and, most recently, a little brass kettle!  The Pelargonium which has provided the flames all summer long is due to spend the winter back in the safety of the greenhouse and remerge next year.  Now I need to think of something to mimic flames over winter!  Ideas?

Accessorising the mini outdoor kitchen!

Dragon Border Progress.

 The days are getting noticeably shorter but we've been lucky weatherwise enjoying warm sunny days.  The new Dragon Borders have been very successful and we've enjoyed prolonged colour since May.  As few things need moving around to optimise heights and planting a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia) at the front was never going to work!  However, the flowered its heart out and the bees loved it!  At the moment the Phlox are over and the Rudbeckia are fading. However, the  Hesperanthus are following on with a blaze of colour and the Penstemons are still going strong, A couple of low growing Michaelmas daisies are also ablaze and probably need moving further forward as does a Scabious.  Note to self: support the Hesperanthus MUCH earlier! Left photo taken this week. Right photo taken in August. 

Bottom photo demonstrates the wisdom of supporting plants early and not allowing them to flop on the grass!

MORE WINNING SUCCESSES !!

  We had a few successes in the homecraft and produce sections at this year's annual Stoke Bliss & District Ploughing Match,  We came home with a total of 3 x 1st's, 5 x 2nd's and 2 x 3rd's!  That's a  surprisingly respectable number of prize cards.

My homemade garden book won 1st in the homemade craft class!  This much used garden jobs book was made from unwanted ply which I decorated with pyrographic illustrations. As well as a first for 'Farm Life' in the photography class, I had another 1st for a floral arrangement.  I really did some panic picking to achieve all the colour.  Other successes were with watercolours, foliage plant and dahlias.

Despite these successes, we still desperately need your votes as the garden has been shortlisted in 

The Nation's Favourite Garden Competition.

 There is still time to vote here:

PEAR TREE COTTAGE GARDEN 

PTC's Twilight Garden by Candlelight MMXXI

 

What a few weeks it's been!!  Getting ready for our Twilight Garden by Candlelight event is always a hectic few weeks and this year has been no different!!  Chris has clipped perimeter hedges and between us we did the Yew hedges and topiary around the house - not to mention the Bay tree the day before!!  The Bay always makes the biggest mess but this year it rained all day when topiary clipping so everything stuck to everything else make clearing up and even bigger pain!!

Most of August the days have been dull cool and very cloudy and dark.  Luckily for us on the day of our big event, the sun came out!!  Visitors rolled up and when all the sums were done, we made a MASSIVE £2,099.00!! We beat our own personal best!! 

Now a VERY big thank you to Chris who not only ensured the garden was spic and span but together with Ollie and Ian he returned to place 500 tealights, lanterns and candles around the garden.  He also lit some Swedish log candles on the drive which were a great magnet for everyone!

As dusk fell, the garden was magically transformed into an absolute fairyland.  Visitors were both enchanted and entranced!  It certainly ensured that we secured a few more much needed votes (and in case you haven't already voted, you can: VOTE HERE ) 

Greg came up from Harpenden and took turns with Richard on the piano - whilst I couldn't hear the music, I did hear all the applause!! Of course we couldn't do this without all the help so freely given by friends and neighbours.  Our heartfelt thanks go out to them!  Well done team!!  

MORE PHOTOS HERE!

PEAR TREE COTTAGE GARDEN IN THE NEWS!

 I nearly forgot to say, we made the local newspaper again - see  Pear Tree Cottage Garden featured in the Worcester News Hopefully the article will translate into a few more MUCH needed votes! You can also vote here: Vote for Pear Tree Cottage Garden

Shortlisted in a Nationwide Competition

 Today we heard that the garden has been shortlisted in The Nation's Favourite Garden which is being run by the English Garden Magazine.  Our little rural cottage garden is up against the 'big boys' in the horticultural world as many great and glorious gardens are competing.  We desperately need votes and they can be cast here:  

VOTE HERE!

Participating in The Gardens of Wichenford 2021

 It goes without saying that the lead up to our biennial village open gardens is always hectic - to say the VERY least!!  We borrowed tables and chairs with accompanying cloths and napkins, urns and even a giant coffee percolator!!  We had been slaving in the garden for days and even managed to overcome a major pond problem as a pipe had partially fractured which lead to emergency repairs the day before.  Lawns were manicured, last minute spot weeding and much sweeping and tidying - despite high winds and scudding clouds.  Cake numbers started to mount up as friends made deliveries.

On the 1st day, the weather looked anything but settled but at least we had ladies to serve coffees and afternoon teas which was just as well as 177 visitors trickled through the garden gate.  This year, we chose to use disposable tableware which, again was a wise decision as, the following day, visitor numbers increased to 308!!  At the absolute 11th hour, several, local ladies came to our rescue, donned on aprons and served teas from the garage. 

On Saturday Richard Goldman played Greg's old (and now rare) yachting piano - much to the delight of visitors sitting on the terrace.  Click on the photo in this link: Richard on Greg's old piano. It sounded so fab and even attracted 4 ponies which arrived at the garden gate!!

As well as thanking every single person who made cakes, delivered cakes, parked cars, served teas: a special thank you to Janine Fox who provided the star prize for our garden Treasure Hunt and the one and only (often elusive) Chris Pugh - without whose help, the garden wouldn't look the way it does and who roped us into this open garden lark in the first place!!!!

Looking back, we were incredibly lucky with the weather and the event raised a staggering £6,400.00 for our local church and for the Nora Parsons Day Centre (which provides activities for our local elderly residents).  Once again - a MASSIVE thank you to all helpers - it simply couldn't be done without you!!  

Checkout the link below!

                                                   Photos from The Gardens of Wichenford

No Wheelbarrows were actually hurt !

 

Most of Saturday was spent hedge cutting, pot tidying and moving and then doing the dreaded pond work.  Chris donned on the waders and  looked as he's heading out into unknown and dangerous territory as he waded out!   did battle with overgrown water lilies, irises and oxygenating weed - Ceratophylum demersum alias Hornwort.  

It's a bit of a villain and practically filled the entire pond!  Having discovered that we ow an amphibious wheelbarrow, we filled 5 of them. All rubbish all ended up on the compost heap and, at the end of the day, with the pond water level topped up from the well, it all looked neat, tidy, clear and actually much larger!  The fish certainly have a lot more room and can actually be seen again.