Overdue Chicken Chat

Head Gardener, Chief Blogger and Senior Hen Keeper has to admit to an oversight!!  Back in July - the 2nd to be precise, we took ownership of 4 new girls.  They arrived aged 15 weeks.  see the photo Who's Who in the Hen House.  I can report that all 4 girls have totally settled in and are happy to be hand fed.  They are all now laying well and we have eggs to spare for sale.  There were a couple of incidents earlier involving escapees but, all have now had their flight feathers trimmed and there have been no subsequent incidents!

Clara, Bathsheba, Simone & Rosalind.

The two favourites are Clara and Bathsheba as both compete with each other when it comes to being picked up!

Twilight Garden by Candlelight 2020

The lead up to our candlelit garden event could hardly have been worse!  It rained solidly for 4 preceding days and, only the day before did the weather pick up.  That meant frantic mowing and edging wet grass, panicky spot weeding and strimming and trimming at the 11th hour!

At 7am on the day, Chris rolled up and dug out a path at the top of the former Aspen Grove and even edged the seating area.  What a truly great star he is!  We rushed around doing all sorts of seriously last minute jobs. 

Other stars of the day (and there were plenty) were Pat Finch and her husband Brian.  They arrived with Landrover and trailer full of tables, chairs, cakes, nibbles, cups, table cloths, urns......you name it.  She even brought plants to sell! We've never been so posh and never had table cloths before!  The dining tables looked really pretty with their green and white gingham cloths fluttering in the breeze, an arrangement of herbs, a candle and Chris's hand made wooden tea light holders.  Pat and Sandra put an extensive plant sale together at the end of the drive whilst in the garage were long tables complete with snowy white table cloths laden with delicious cakes, drinks and even individual packs of homemade cheesy nibbles to accompany the wines and Pimms.

At 6pm Chris & Ian appeared and lit 100's of tealights and placed them around the garden.  They set up the laser light which proved unusually popular!  It looked really magical!!  

In the meantime Lindy, Pauline, Lyn helped wrap and serve cakes and drinks with Pat and Sandra with Paul as Head of Plant Sales! Malc helped with just about everything which

included providing parking assistance and one way directional advice!

I have to mention Richard Goldman who gave up several hours to come and play the piano so romantically for visitors sitting out on the terrace.  His serenading was loved by one and all!

It was a great success and the grand total for day raised was a whopping £733.16!! Truly amazing considering the viral restrictions and the need for purchasing tickets online!  After all, we're just one very rural cottage garden.

I simply have to mention Pat and Brian again as, not only did they help clear up and take all the borrowed furniture back but Pat even laundered the cloths!!!  Now that really was above and beyond the call of duty.  We owe a huge debt of gratitude to all who helped out and supported us plus the neighbours who provided such perfect parking facilities.

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More Lovely Visitors.

Sunday saw another group of visitors from the West Midlands Gardeners.  The rain held off and even the sun came out for a really lovely group of genuine garden enthusiasts.  They even brought their own photographer who too these shots.  It's always so fascinating to see what catches the eye of a visiting photographer - and we also had some group shots! 

They all travelled from Halesowen, Moseley, Dudley and Stourbridge areas.  Not all made the meeting time as one poor lady got very lost and found herself in Alfrick!  She found us eventually and enjoyed  tasting some of our pears.  More funds raised for the National Garden Scheme!!

Vegetable Bonanza

Onions: Stuttgart Giant

With our Twilight Garden by Candlelight getting worryingly close, there's much to do in the garden especially with Head Gardener on light duties.  As well as strimming and trimming, Chris has found himself mowing - an unusual activity for him at PTC! The orchard has never has such smart stripes before!

Determined to keep busy in the garden, Head Gardener cleaned and trimmed the home grown onions which had been lifted a few weeks earlier prior to drying in the greenhouse.  Having tidied them all, it was time to string them using binder twine as strung onions are really heavy.  Every year, I wish I had room to grow more!  We have finished eating 4 rows of potatoes, 1 row of peas, 1 row of broad beans and 2 rows of lettuces.  

At present, we're munching our way through 2 rows of runner beans, 1 row of spring onions, 1 row of beetroot and 2 rows carrots.- AND there are only 2 of us!!

Simon Brings Sunshine!

After all Simon's hard work at P.T.C., he deserved nice sunny weather for his friends and family to visit the garden and it was most definitely NOT a promising start.  Leaden skies and steady rain made Woodbury Hill invisible in the mists.  As the morning wore on the skies began to brighten and having dried all the chairs, it seemed risky setting out cushions.  Not so.  By arrival time at 2pm the sun was shining! 

After exploring the garden, they were able to enjoy tea and cake in warm sunshine..... that was until 4pm when very dark clouds were gathering and it began to rain again.  Everyone very kindly helped gather up cushions and trays before the thunder began to rumble.  I reckon they timed things to total perfection - a clear couple of hours sunshine just when it was needed most!  We thank them all for their kind support.  It was a real pleasure to meet them and we do hope they will return!

Keeping the Colour Going.

Pots on the Top Terrace.

Pelargonium Stadt Bern

It's that time of year when I wish I had 2 pairs of hands!  That way, I could dead head and water at the same time!  With this oppressive heat watering pots seems never ending and dead heading is so important to keep the colour going.  I've been very pleased with most of the Pelargoniums and very glad I propagated so many - enough to fill every container in the garden!  With garden centres being closed, I would have had a mass of empty pots and containers with  zero colour!  As well as loads of Frank Headley's which are SUCH good dooers, I've been really pleased with Stadt Bern for the sheer vibrancy of its red.