Another day - another garden

This time it was another visit to Stockton Bury.  It's just one of those gardens that one always has to back to.  It's so reassuringly permanent and yet never exactly the same!  Timeless beauty really does describe it just as it says on their website (http://www.stocktonbury.co.uk/)

Very busy bees!

Anyway, it was lunch on the lawn outside the tithe barn before a stroll around.  I know I've been banging on about the HUGE numbers of bees this summer despite all one reads in news papers BUT like PTC, Stockton Bury too was home to unusually large numbers of bees.  On the Eryngiums, there were plague proportions - as many as 4 to a bloom.  It was almost impossible to photograph flowers without snapping a bee.  I had never seen so many bees.  It's been just the same at PTC - zillions of bees everywhere!  For more Stockton Bury photos (and their bees!) look at: 

https://picasaweb.google.com/100788191989823327785/AnotherDayAtStocktonBury2672013

View from Des's Res!

The Grotto

Haymaking at Stockton Bury

Summerhouse gets another makeover

After a bit of a disaster trying to paint the summerhouse in time for open gardens in the pouring rain, Brian came back on Friday and with some new paint and warm sunshine - a complete transformation!!  Also Chris Genever called round on Saturday and very kindly sanded and chiselled away at the door frame enabling us to close the doors again. It was very lucky as; not only was I able to stain the bare wood but, the doors were firmly closed minutes before all the heavy rain arrived. I should perhaps point out that work on the summerhouse wasn't exactly the reason he called round but his visit did allow an opportunity for him to inspect his Dahlias and tomatoes - somehow there always seems so much to catch up on!

Before..........

...and after!

Martley Horticultural Society Visit PTC

Time for another tidy up for this evening's visit and cut back all Shirl's Osteospermums which, as the photo shows, had got a little out of hand and which had mostly finished blooming.  More hardy Geraniums and Alchemila Mollis were cut back and I finished mowing, edging and clipping back the Beech hedge by the Hen Pen as well as the verges and the orchard.  It was all a big rush to finish by 6.45pm.  Judith brought wine, glasses and nibbles earlier and I still wasn't quite ready somehow!   That might have something to do with the stop for a Pimms when she arrived! Anyway, it wasn't as scary as I thought and they seemed a pretty friendly bunch. There were a couple of familiar faces and I also met Dave Cropp, the author of a book on Martley's most famous gardener: T.W. Sanders who was awarded a medal by the King of Sweden was recognised by the Linnaean Society but gained no recognition in the UK despite having had a hand in the design of the gardens at the Palace of Versailles.  Anyway, despite the prediction of gathering storms the evening remained warm and sunny with yet another biblical sunset and they seemed to enjoy themselves and, more importantly, £104.00 was raised for St. Richard's Hospice.

These stragglers have now been clipped.

Prettiest Garden in Worcester!

Last night, PTC's gardeners took the evening off to visit Jacki and Sneaky Pete's really beautiful garden which opened for the evening for the NGS.  It was a lovely evening and...........WOW, it all looked so inviting and tranquil!  The planting is breathtaking and it's so secretive and shady.  I've always loved it to pieces.  In some ways, it was a bit of a reunion as there were both AOS and NGS friends and colleagues visiting so lots of chatting and catching up...........and delicious wine!!

Taking photos was a tad tricky as it was full of people and the evening light was low.  Their (not so) new folly is AMAZING and we loved the oak frame and the herringbone brickwork.  This garden is WELL worth a visit.  More photos (none of which do it any justice whatsoever) can be seen at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/100788191989823327785/JackiSneakyPeteSBeautifulGarden2472013

Invader in the Woodland Border

The mystery invasion!

Thank goodness for cooler cloudier weather which enabled work to commence in the Woodland Border.  My favourite border has been invaded by a mystery weed. I say mystery - thankfully it has now been identified by Steve (who gets a gold star award for weed identification) as Enchanters Nightshade (Circaea lutetiana) - a spreading and native woodland plant.  We don't mind native but spreading?  That's an understatement if ever I read one!  Thankfully its roots are fairly shallow and it it's not unattractive.  The trouble is with a garden group due to visit on Thursday evening, I can hardly remove the lot leaving a bare border!  Accordingly, we confined our work to the back of the border, brashing the Birches to emphasise their stature, removing dead Elderflower, Elms and brambles from the back and re-siting Chris's mushrooms.  There are thoughts that a seat beneath the Birches with a small winding path leading in might be a possibility - watch this space!  

As usual - it looks as if the photographer is skiving!

Having sorted out this border, and while the Under Gardener was having a bonfire; we then moved on to the Aspen Grove and brashed (isn't that a lovely word?) the Aspens ensuring their main trunks don't have lateral branches too low down.  It's something I've always done without knowing that there was a 'forestry' verb for if.  We cut down the avenue of Alchemilla Mollis leading to Pugh's Pew, strimmed and mowed the dead Mood Daisies and then planted out the home grown Cosmos - having cut down the hardy geraniums beneath the roses and given their border a general tidy up.  6:40pm and time for a quick blow round, clear up, put the tools away and .....................................

 

The view for the sundowners!

 

  

  ..........................  that much deserved sundowner!

Our very own fire breathing dragon

Another day of relentless hot sun is followed by another pretty sunset

Scorchio!

....and some people complain about seagulls!

We have a pigeon in the garden.  Not any pigeon.  This pigeon.  It is the fattest, most stupid, cheeky, brazen and lazy bird in the entire universe!  It took me ages to scare it enough into flying for this weird shot and then it just landed again nearby - glaring at me with serious attitude.  It spends every day eating and copulating (mostly in the Wisteria) - noisily!