Sitting Pretty

                                                                                                                                                 

                                            

                       

We've had a lot of action/working shots in the garden recently so, here's one of a random Hosta sitting on an old chair in a quiet shady spot!

Messing in the Myrtle

Fragrant Fuzziness

Our Myrtle (Communis) is now 3 or 4 years old and, after a couple of early savage winters had taken their toll; it looked pathetically burnt so I pruned it hard back.  Last year it greened up, looked much healthier and had  a few sparse blooms.  THIS year, it's amazing and yet it's been outside in a west facing pot for the past 2 years facing all that mother nature threw at it - which was plenty earlier this year!  It's an absolute mass of bloom and fragrant fuzziness.  No wonder all royal brides have a few springs of this in their wedding bouquets!

Love those stamens!

Fernery Path Diversion

Cordelia in her new spot

Cordelia's old spot and route for diverted path

So there we were!  Another Saturday - another tidy up!  This time in the top lawn border - working away as usual when, Chris hatched this plan to move Cordelia to behind the Philadelphus, cut back the hedge and re-route the Fernery path the far side of the Acer in what has been completed wasted space.  Brilliant!  We needn't worry about exposed roots between stepping stones as the roots wouldn't be exposed the other side of the tree and a whole lot more space would be gained!  Of course it will need a bit of juggling and moving of ferns.  Work began immediately and Chris cut back the hedge and removed an old Hawthorn.  The hedge looks a little bare at present but will green up given time.  The worst job was digging out the ivy around the rick stone on which Cordelia stands and replanting it in the same orientation.  That was really tricky!  I now need to replace the rotten posts which support Cordelia's trellis panels, acquire a few square yards of turf and also buy a few more stepping stones but I think the plan is a good 'un!  

Pampered Posers Preen & Perch

New preening perch

Enjoying the cool shade in the Hennery

Since the girls have so much Bamboo growing in the Henclosure and it's so vigorous and invasive, we decided to cut down one clump and, in its place, position the old steerage hoe for them to perch and preen on.  They put it into immediate use and the next morning were all sitting there preening themselves - such vanity!! With No 2 shelter, the Hennery itself and all the other bamboos, they have all the shade in the world. 

Unlike the last 4, these girls actually use the Hennery to shelter from the rain instead of standing around in the pouring rain looking very bedraggled and silly!  The other difference is that these 4 eat the new Bamboo shoots so we are going to have to run some protection around the individual clumps of golden and black bamboos as it would be a shame to lose either one of these two.  The last lot of hens never once touched Bamboo.

Marigold lays an egg.

Art in the Garden

Well I did say that we had 3 lady artists in the Herb garden yesterday.  This was a present from Judy Foulsham.

Summer Pruning - Carmichael Style!

Ashley discarding a large dead bough

The battery powered cherry picker

Another radical day in the garden!  This time pruning the dead growth from 2 aging pear trees.  Ashley Carmichael was the hero of the moment.  He not only brought over his cherry picker but stayed all day as Chief Pilot and Officer in Charge of discarding very heavy branches (displaying an exceptionally high level of accuracy!)  Chris, of course, was also at the helm - working away with with chainsaw in hand and our very own Under Gardener on ground clearance.  As Operational Director on the ground, I was the general runabout with an eye on traffic control in the lane and I did manage to take a few shots of the garden from somewhat unusual angles (see link.)  It was an amazing little machine and apart from beeping loudly if not 100% level was remarkably quiet as it was powered by batteries.  It weighed 3 tons and its boom meant that it had a surprisingly long reach. 

Having already lost a large dead branch last week, we no longer live in fear of high winds bringing down further dead boughs. We're hoping that both trees miraculously find a new surge of life but, at their age, I think it highly unlikely.  Note the Wild Service tree (Sorbus Torminalis) left of Wol's pear tree planted to replace the dying pear - sniff!  Whilst all this was going on, we had 3 lady artists painting in the Herb Garden.  Hopefully, when they return next week, things will be a tad quieter and less chaotic!

For more photos:

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

The top lawn & Wol's newly pruned tree

Jettisoned dead wood.

Weekend Blitz

Under Gardener demonstrates simultaneous watering & dead heading!

Things were getting a little out of hand in the Sofa Border and around the pond so - time to blitz.  The Under Gardener was entrusted to remove peas and broad beans from the veg patch but he managed to keep up with all the burning and provide 2 meals for us all as well!!  Meanwhile, Chris and I lost count of the numbers of full wheelbarrows that kept trundling down to the bonfire,  All the Lysimachia was cut down from around the pond and a general weed and tidy up.  The holly and the Acer were both trimmed and all Dogwoods overhanging the grass.  The trees in the Sofa Border were 'brashed' and an old Cytisus removed and the Berberis had a haircut.  Late flowering shrubs had a summer prune the border had a good weed through. This has let in more light and more air and opened up a view across the border beneath the trees.

More light without the Cytisus.

It was then time to attack the Lamium in 'The Border With Nothing In It' (so named after a critical comment by Chris).  This was a real pain of a job and since it was never planted there, shouldn't have been allowed to suffocate so much of the area - and won't again! The last job was to move the old steerage hoe was moved to the Hen Pen and this morning three of the girls were all perched on first thing this morning.

Tidied pond edges