The green and rolling countryside of Worcestershire, England, is home to the cider apple orchards which surround the gardens of Pear Tree Cottage. They enjoy a sunny south westerly aspect with sweeping views across to Martley Hillside, Woodbury and Abberley clock tower. The Teme Valley lies just over the hill and, not far away, is the Herefordshire border. Although our climate is temperate, our seasons are often uncertain and always a challenge to a gardener! This began in 2010 & follows the weekly ups and downs of garden work chronicling both successes and failures but, above all, demonstrates the fun enjoyed by three people who regularly garden in all weathers
Have been doing some cucumber and vine tying in and pruning thanks to Chris G. for the loan of his portable staircase! Gone are the days of teetering around on the top step of a wobbly pair of steps that were too low! These 'super steps' have extra wide rungs and are rock steady so ideal for messing about high up in the apex of a greenhouse. These are so tall, I don't even need to stand at the very top. The cucumbers which are trained above the far door were hanging down below the door frame and so were in urgent need of elevation! Genuine binder twine was called in to play to ensure a rustic edge!
Head Gardener took a day off yesterday and paid a visit to Hergest Croft gardens (here) We loved the architecture and the faded glory of this garden with its extensive collection of mature trees and shrubs. I especially enjoyed the old conservatory (and its contents!) and some of the views were just glorious. More photos here
Yes, it was time for the annual Yew hedge cut! Time consuming it may be but,whereas the native mixed hedge which surrounds the rest of the garden needs cutting every couple of weeks at this time of year, the Yew is cut only once a year. I know many people like to cut Yew later in the year but, now we no longer need a machete to fight our way along the terrace path between the Wistereria, Jasmine and hedge. Out with the shaggy shapes and in with clean sharp lines. Now, spare a thought for Chris teetering around on a pair of steps with a heavy pole cutter all afternoon!
This hedge was originally about a foot lower than its lowest point and I had this idea to cut dips and pillars. Having done that, Chris had the idea to leave a leader to grow up allowing is to do shapes. We all came up with ideas for the shapes.
Thanks to the clever people at Cherry Aid and their protective nets, we were able to enjoy a delicious crop of cherries. The branches were covered just as the cherries began to show signs of ripening and beneath the diaphanous fabric - away from greedy beaks, they continued to ripen to perfection. The sleeves have velcro fastenings down the sides and draw string openings at each end. The blackbirds had to make do with the wild cherries on a neighbouring tree!
It's impossible to garden in a heatwave! This gardener has been busy unpacking her new GTech rechargeable cordless hedge trimmer. This is what was in the box. I realise that Chris is OIC hedges here at PTC but, I felt I needed something light weight I could use for light trimming such as shaping shrubs and trimming perennials which have finished flowering. If and when the temperatures drop a little, I plan to try it out on some hardy geraniums that are over. Clumps of fresh green leaves soon reappear and a second flush of flowers, if we're lucky.
In the meantime, this is all I fancy doing in these temperatures and it's FAR too hot to contemplate a visit to the greenhouse - sneaky or otherwise!!
Have been doing some cucumber and vine tying in and pruning thanks to Chris G. for the loan of his portable staircase! Gone are the days of teetering around on the top step of a wobbly pair of steps that were too low! These 'super steps' have extra wide rungs and are rock steady so ideal for messing about high up in the apex of a greenhouse. These are so tall, I don't even need to stand at the very top. The cucumbers which are trained above the far door were hanging down below the door frame and so were in urgent need of elevation! Genuine binder twine was called in to play to ensure a rustic edge!
Luckily I chose a cool and cloudy summer's day!
