Light Duties & NGS Update

Chris secures his old cedar ladders

Chief Blogger and gardener has been on light duties this week due to a slight incapacitation which means she has been able to participate in matters horticultural in a supervisory capacity only. It was more akin to Clerk of the Works!

Supervisory duties included overseeing trimming of the conifers by the oak tree and the erection of some antique cedar wood ladders up the (somewhat naked) side of the  conifer giving Chris's Paul's Himalayan Musk its very own unique climbing frame.  The ladders were massively long - too long for the conifer so we decided to place them side by side and Chris secured them with discreetly drilled screws and wires disguised with a length of rusty old chain.  Previously, the ladder was rather lost in the conifer down by the compost heap and the Golden Hop trying to climb it was being overtaken by the Leylandii it was meant to smother.  Of course, you do have to imagine and established rambler smothered with perfumed blooms cascading down the ladders and that means being patient and admiring the ladders for now!

The Pear Gate

That done, it was down to the Pear Gate and tie in the wild Dog Rose over the oak arch and prune out the excess. Mixed Narcisuss bulbs were planted (Chris's most hated job!) in clumps in the rose border -  the plan being that when the Narcissus die down the untidy leaves will be hidden by the Geraniums (Johnson's Blue).  A few more clumps were planted in the Sofa Border at the foot of Octavius and beneath the Berberis's.  That finished, it was on to Chris's latest project: his secret seating area between the Laurel and the new shed - photos to follow.  Chris found the lengths of Western Red Cedar which were used to retain the drive bank before it was widened and then stored safe in the knowledge that they would come in for something else in the garden! The perfect materials for re-recycling and building steps to Chris's clever chainsaw carved chairs.  By driving in short posts and nailing on the Cedar lengths - bark side outermost, he made the bottom step first and back filled with the soil levelled from the next step until all four were finished.  The remaining lengths were laid as a threshold at the base in order to invite exploration.

Back of Top Lawn Border

Top Lawn Border from the front.

Other Saturday news was that PTC had a visit from the NGS County Volunteers & Photographers: Alan & Lyn Nokes. They certainly picked a lovely sunny autumn day to visit PTC.  After a coffee and a stroll around, it was decided to use a photo I'd taken earlier in the year so I put a small selection on a memory stick.  It was lucky the weather was so perfect and I was glad that at least the top lawn border was full of colour - mostly Rudbeckia's and Genever Dahlias oh, and the Bishops were looking pretty good too.  The sun was really highlighting Rob Holloway's apple crops in the surrounding Bulmer's orchards which added to the 'mellow fruitfulness' picture and they seemed to like the garden.

NB. Our shed expert and master builder is away sunning himself in Spain this week so no progress on the bike shed this Saturday.

Stoke Bliss 2012

UNEXPECTED SUCCESSES

Despite the usual busy garden day, we found time to take over a few exhibits to compete at this year's Stoke Bliss Agricultural Improvement Society Annual Show & Ploughing Match - by getting up at 6:30am (YAWN!) Anyway, it was well worth it as, weatherwise, it was the most perfect day and, as well as vintage tractors, there were a couple of pairs of horses ploughing.  The corn stubble was shining beneath blue skies in the autumn sunshine and who forgot their camera?  Thank goodness for a mobile phone.

We had a few successes at the show this year too!  The cherry tomatoes won first prize!! That in itself was a first!!  This years results were:

Five Cherry tomatoes:                        1st
Three Dessert Apples:                        2nd
Single Specimen Rose:                       2nd
Five Dahlias (one variety):                  3rd
Vase of Mixed Foliage:                       3^rd
Collection of herbs in Water:              3rd
Photography Section:

                   Skies:                              1^st
                   Black & White:                1st

Munstead Rose

Foliage arrangement

This has been very worst year for our veg patch as, being a raised bed with lovely free draining soil, meant that with the constant heavy rains of summer, all the nutrients leached out and were lost.  Consequently nothing thrived. Runner beans were sparse, leggy and poor.  Onions were just not worth planting and even my Chrysanths are leggy and poverty stricken.  The moral of this story is MANURE and plenty of it later this year!  Nevertheless, it was very pleasing to think that despite a higher standard and a poor season, such results were obtained!

Katy apples

I should say that the dahlias were a Genever/Thompson effort as after all, Chris gave us the tubers and also the tomato plants so I cannot claim all credit here!  Some credit should also go to our neighbouring apple expert: Rob Holloway for the winning apples!

We dragged both Chris's over for an excellent roast pork lunch only to hear complaints about no work being done!!  Anyway it was a great coincidence to meet the very builder who built our kitchen, bathroom and utility when Pear Tree Cottage was lived in by the former Chief Constable of Worcestershire County Police: Eric Abbott.  He even remembered capping our lovely chimney with a concrete slab to keep out the rain back in the 1960's.  We had to tell him that we had it removed for something a little more in keeping!  By the way, he was there as a ploughing competitor!!

We did manage to finish boarding the end of the shed and put in the insulation and ply lining on 3 inside walls.  Chris P. in the meantime, levelled all the soil from beneath the shed and, with his chainsaw, carved 2 beautiful seats out of the old Hawthorn stumps placing them both in the  little shady nook between the Laurel and the Berberis and planted them with Ferns and Symphytum.

Equine competitors

For more photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/100788191989823327785/StokeBlissSuccesses2012

Lead on the Shed

Following more work on the 'Bike Shed' in the way of boarding, I have been trying my hand at a bit of leadwork.  Of course, I was shown how to do it by our resident Saturday expert!  It was a help using his pretty nifty tin snips.  I loved the idea of making little moustaches and bows by rolling up the in between pieces instead of removing them.  The depth of lead over the windows didn't lend itself to this treatment so I made do with alternate scallops and points.

50 Shades of Brown!

That done; it was time to try and disguise the bright orange stain. Sadly it's still pretty visible but at least it now has some decent preservative!  Now - how to disguise the plastic cat flap??

The Bike Shed

Lead panes & lead flashing

Ceiling boards with imitation lime wash

 Last weekend saw work resume on the bike shed and another two Chris Saturday.  After putting in the insulation, Chris screwed up (not literally!) the ceiling boards which I had already painted with a 50-50 dilution of emulsion surplus to requirements.  The idea was to achieve a lime wash effect.  Chris moved the upright sections to accommodate the leaded windows (bought on EBay).  We even found some left over lead which will help prevent rot by keeping out rain.

We desperately need to come up with a plan to disguise the plastic cat flap in the door and, so far, the idea is to cut out a couple of pears from some left over timber and ensure one is strategically placed!

Weekend progress

Of course you do need to imagine the original waney edge boards and lined walls painted in some of Farrow and Ball's best and maybe some scalloped details on the front!

Whilst Chris and I were engaged in shed construction, Chris Pugh set about trimming all the Lavenders, the Yew hedge, Hebes and Spireas.  Afterwards we planted a self set Buddleia, moved an Asplenium to make room for a new fern donated by Chris himself.

Comments from the Coop

We haven't heard much from the girls lately.  Well, all is tickety boo down in the Hennery.  Even the Henclosure has had a major tidy up.  The girls enjoyed our company whilst their Bamboos and Miscanthus had a trim.  It had got to the stage when a machete was needed just to collect the eggs.

Lulu climbs their ladder

Lulu posing

Tosca (in foreground) Lulu & Poppy

Black Betty

June saw the second anniversary of our hens.      We have had to say goodbye to Bluebelle, Priscilla and Amelia over their 2 year occupation but at present, these four are settled and content.  Black Betty is the only original making her the oldest.  From June to June we collected a total of 1281 eggs and I reckon that's pretty good going by anyone's standards.  After all, we only have 4 girls.  The current residents are Lulu (O.I.C. Pecking order) Black Betty, Poppy and Tosca.  Tosca is the biggest but as the youngest is definitely bottom of the Pecking Order.  Lulu is the the most tame and also the most talkative.  When eggs are collected and their newspapers changed, she often comes into the house to supervise the daily mucking out.

Eggsess (sorry!) eggs sell quickly and, at £1 for 6, they're a bargain.  Profits from sales pay for mash, corn, layers pellets and also treats like meal worms.  Half a dozen eggs labelled and tied with rafffia or ribbon make ideal presents and are nice to take to a dinner party.  Sales for 1 year totalled a surprising £71.00!  6 disappeared without payment but maybe some one forgot to put their pound in the piggy bank.

Feed consumption for a year is approximately 3 bags of corn, 2 mash and 1 bag of layers pellets.  All 3 cost about £8 per bag and of late we've been buying from Dodson and Horrell and taking advantage of their free delivery on orders exceeding £40.  That means we're well in pocket and any profits go into the garden - especially vegetable seeds.

June 2011 - June 2012
Total Eggs:  1281
Total Sales: £71.00

New Invention

Blogger's been a tad quiet of late!  Keeping up with the mowing has been the main reason.  I have never done quite so much summer mowing!  The wet summer has meant that, not only has the grass grown at an unprecedented rate but the frequency and severity of the  downpours has meant that the extra lush grass has been longer, wetter and heavier!  A patch of blue sky and it's been mowers on the starting grid.

AGT's Scoliotic Ramp!

Dare I even mention the word weeds?  They have been just rampant.  I still have dead forget-me-nots in borders.  Thank goodness Chris has kept on top of hedge cutting so at least they look respectable.  This Saturday was a major 'weed everywhere' day and kicked off with de-dandelioning and mowing Thyme Square.  It was quite the nicest smelling box of clippings ever.  As fast as Chris and I piled up the weeds around the border edges, Al barrowed it all to the compost heap.  Quite the perfect team effort.  Al was able to test his new invention to the full! A curved and folding compost heap ramp.

Summer arrives at PTC

OK!  So summer's arrived with a bang!!  Late but it's here.  Time to spring clean the summer house and sweep out an entire year's worth of cobwebs and their inhabitants.  Even the floor had another coat of stain.  The bike shed also saw some progress as it's new tin roof had a coat of undercoat and 2 coats of green oxide - even the underside of the overhang had a coat of Farrow and Ball's 'French Grey'.  The floor and also the wooden retaining boards had a coat of preservative in readiness for Chris's next visit.


Despite a whole winter's battle against plagues and infestations of whitefly, sooty mould and woolly aphids, the Brugmansia has come out smiling.  It even snubbed at the advances of sharpened secateurs and in the setting sun, it's easy to see why its name is Angels' Trumpets.