Living in an Orchard

Living in an apple orchard at this time of year means that the apples glow like lights in the sunshine - when we have any! These trees - all 2,400 of them were planted 5 years ago for the production of Bulmer's cider.  They are equally striking when they're all in blossom and the scent is pure heaven.  Rob keeps his orchards perfectly manicured all year round and harvesting is happening as I type.

 For apples galore, check out:  https://picasaweb.google.com/100788191989823327785/ApplesGalore

Chris's Secret Stump Seating

Chris's Western Red Cedar Steps

Re-cycled Bike Shed

Just to the left of the new recycled cycling shed is Chris's new secret seating area.  It's so dark and shady, photographing it was a tad difficult.  How clever of him to sculpt 2 such lovely old and gnarly seats out of hawthorn stumps and then hide them away.  As if that wasn't clever enough, he built the little wooden steps leading to them and then positioned the seats ensuring the best views across the garden and then supported them with left over 'Barnsley' stone.  Surprisingly, they're very comfortable and the one on the right even has a G&T holder on its arm!  Annoyingly and being on light duties meant that I wasn't allowed to do a single thing to help in any of it.  Maybe this Saturday, we'll have a scout round and find a few more suitable plants to sneak in along both sides of the steps

Now all we need is the time and the weather to sit in them!  In the meantime, we have the satisfaction of another garden feature which looks as if it's been there for ages

Hawthorn Stump Seats

Getting Arty

Being on light duties means having time to play with a few photos!

See more playing at:  https://picasaweb.google.com/100788191989823327785/GettingArty

Looks like loads of lovely lemons!

PTC Lemon Crop

With the onset of cooler weather and a seriously good crop of lemons, it was time to move the lemon tree indoors.  Yes, it was late - very late and heavy and dark AND Al had kindly watered it earlier to ensure it was even heavier!  No matter; after a hearty supper of home cooked ham, jacket potatoes and salad followed by copious slabs of chocolate sponge and cream, both men had built up sufficient energy reserves to eventually lift it  into the conservatory where it will remain over winter.  Now all I need is a really good recipe for lemon marmalade - even I couldn't enjoy all these in G&T's!  Any recipe suggestions?

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??