A day at Malvern Spring Garden Show

Lovely but is it really a garden?

............TV Made it look better than reality

Head Gardener and Chief Blogger took a day off from gardening and did battle with plummeting temperatures, slashing rain, and gusting winds to visit the Malvern Spring Garden Show.  I'd been working in The tickets were a whoppingly scandalous £38 on the gate - GULP.  Luckily I'd booked ahead and paid £29 - still very expensive.  One had to feel sorry for stall holders who wares were being blown over with violently flapping canvas and poor plants and trees lying flat in rows under the slashing rain.  We found some sunshine in which to quaff a jug of Pimms before the weather deteriorated and even managed to time lunch before the queues hit.  I didn't find the gardens particularly good but I did like the old boat shed. It displayed such a really convincing theme of dereliction, it was difficult to even class it as a garden! We saw the beeb and their camera team with Jo Swift bustling with importance - even though last week's episode of their nationwide ever popular Gardener's World was ditched for the minority sport of snooker.  Typical!  A few more photos taken with my camera can be seen at:
https://picasaweb.google.com/100788191989823327785/SpringGardenShow2013?authkey=Gv1sRgCML6o9XExaLatAE

Things are waking up in The Fernery

Most of the ferns had already had last year's fronds removed a few weeks ago but the Aspleniums were left until this afternoon.  It was a bit like opening Christmas presents.  As the old dead and crisp brown fronds were gently cut away, new fronds could be seen unfurling beneath.  It was pleasant work on a warm and sunny May afternoon with the scent of cherry and pear blossom hanging heavy in the air and a robin singing competitively in an Acer above me with a thrush on the highest bough of a conifer and to complete the trio, a distant cuckoo in the valley woodland.  As I worked, I pondered how nice it might be if I didn't know anything about gardening as if I knew nothing at all, I wouldn't worry about all the things that desperately needed doing! Mmm?

New stepping stones in the Fernery Path

Sunset Sundial

Another Pugh eBay find and a day out in York

End of another busy Saturday in the garden as usual - 'nuff said!

Spring at last!

The Woodland Border

Magnolia

How could I resist posting a few spring shots after such a long and vicious winter?  Never has blossom been quite so welcome!  Pity I can't photograph the fragrance.

Elsie surveying the Rock Culvert

New Hosta emerging

Cherry blossom

The Annual Tree Fern Move

We were very honoured to have 'Young' Ian's help again with the traditional tree fern move this year as he was on weekend leave from The Commando Training Centre at Lympstone where he's training to be a Royal Marine.  (Chris always refers to him as Young Ian and they were the pair who built a near perfect igloo in all the snow!)  He didn't even have time to stay for any refreshments! We did suggest that if his own folks couldn't attend the next family day, we'd stand in for them! (hint!)

I've had the fern for about 14 years now and each year it gets heavier and heavier and HEAVIER!  It spends the winters on a specially designed and built plant stand which is elevated.  That way, we can walk underneath it and it doesn't totally fill the conservatory.

Chris and Ian lift it off its stand..

... and carry it outside..

For now, it remains growing in one of Al's specially built containers which was copied from a Victorian original.  To carry it, they used a couple of broom sticks and we kept our fingers crossed they didn't break under the strain!

..to its home ...

...for the summer

Day & Night in the Herb Garden

For about 5 years, I've had this big old mirror sitting in the studio catching dust and then I came up with an idea.  A day and night symmetry theme in the Herb Garden..... and some help from a certain Chris Genever!  Blog followers will know that the stained glass was an original feature in the Herb Garden - as was the niche.  Anyway, this is what we came up with!  A frame to match the stained glass and, with a bit of fiddling, some matching stick on lead work.  Hey presto - a day and night theme!

'Mirror, mirror on the wall...'

The Androlia window illuminated by night

Night & Day!!

New Flock of Four

On Thursday evening, we took delivery of a new flock of four

Marigold, Persephone, Winifred & Sophia

All are different hybrids and from the left, we have a Marigold, a Partridge Star, a White Star and a Speckledy.  They are 17 weeks old and, as you can see, only have baby combs.  Their names are Marigold (not very original, I know) Persephone (Percy for short) Winifred and Sophia.  All have quite different characters and as wild as a hawk, we have Winifred.  She's very flighty and always chasing bumble bees and sparrows - half running and half flying at top speed!  All girls lay eggs of differing colours: cream, speckled, china white and brown.  This way, we'll know exactly who's doing what!  Already we have collected 3 perfectly formed small brown eggs.  There's been a little  little disorderly behaviour as they're still sorting out the pecking order but nothing too serious.  All have taken to their pole house immediately and found their roosting places on the very first night without the need for any help or guidance.  It just proves that, in nature, their instinct is to roost up and off the ground.

Percy

Sophia

In readiness for their arrival all houses, feeders and troughs were all painted, disinfected, creosoted and cleaned inside and out with new wood chip in the Hennery so it was a busy few days.  Of course, we went back to Sarah of Newland Poultry.  Sarah has a fabulous set up with all types of birds and housing in wonderful surroundings.  Her husband designs and builds the most practical and prettiest hen houses (as well as shepherds' huts!) - it's well worth dropping in to see her Poultry Palaces or even just to buy eggs!  Check out her brilliant website: http://www.newlandpoultry.com/