It's Today!!

The Day Before.

Last minute jobs included repairs to both garden & well lighting. Roy was here bright and early and we had bright lights again when he left! Although it doesn't look it, the well is nearly 50' deep and well worth some lighting.

After mowing and edging the entire garden, cleaning  and arranging 2 sets of garden furniture, the bonsai  blokes arrived in the shape of Chris, Carl & Malcolm. In no time at all, the garage was transformed.  Elegantly covered benches were in place surrounded by back drops all ready to receive their fabulous bonsai specimens.

Just in time to finish dead heading - another 3 trips to the compost heap and in the house at 8.15pm ...Zzzzzzzz!

One day left before open gardens.

"This week, I 'ave bin mostly.....!!"

                                                       .....tidying and cleaning in the tool and potting sheds! Well, to be fair, not all week but today. One good thing about open gardens is the fact that it makes sure that ordinary maintenance jobs get done! Even the windows have been cleaned! Fences, seats, water butts even the barn have all been creosoted. Plastic pots have been sorted, stacked and tidied away. Terracotta pots have been cleaned, their cast iron guttering cleaned and treated and the pots sorted and stacked.

Tomorrow means mowing and edging everywhere, cleaning tables and chairs...........& a zillion other things!

A Real Yewlogy!

The mirror door.

Not a surprise in sight!

One hedge hiding 3 surprises! We have a mirror door, a window aperture and some secret steps all hidden in a yew hedge. No three features can be seen from one aspect but they're all there - hiding and waiting to surprise the unwary! The mirror door is just a garden feature. However, the aperture ensure that the utility room has access to light and the secret steps provide a shortcut from the barbecue terrace to the pond and Henclosure.

The shaping of the Yew hedge itself was started 2 years ago. In time we hope to mimic the random cushioned shapes achieved at Powys Castle and Bramton Bryan. By comparison, ours will be in miniature and, given the huge age of their hedges; we still have a very long way to go to achieve a compact and dense appearance. 

One day.........sigh!!

Looking through 2 windows!

The secret steps.

Our Hartley Botanic

A few professional photos of our much loved greenhouse taken by Hugh Palmer http://www.hughpalmer.com who has been commissioned by Hartley Botanic themselves.  Chris Genever's beautifully precise brickwork was the main attraction!

Shed of the Year Finals

Popped down to Bow, East London for Channel 4's filming of The Shed of the Year finals at the weekend. Obviously, I'm not at liberty to tell you the outcome of the Pear Hut entry prior to the programme's transmission dates. However, well done to the team at Plum Pictures for making us feel so welcome and looking after us so well - even if they did work us very hard............yawns!!

The Pear Hut

Shed of the Year 2017

Lighting by DSM Electrical and his team!