BIG Boy's Toys !

Another dry day for garden work when Chris arrived with his beast of a stump grinder!  I could immediately see he meant BUSINESS!  We had 2 tree stumps to grind out and down in the Henclosure, another 4 big Bamboos.  

Having watched it make mincemeat of the first apple tree stump, I was itching to have a little go!  My turn came with the cherry stump.  It was more of a nibble but at least I was allowed to have a go!  Chris, of course, handled it like a pro and it was soon on to the bamboos.  What would have undoubtedly taken the whole day if he had been digging by hand, took  just over an hour!  What an amazing machine.

More soil was removed and the entire Henclosure levelled in readiness for a thick carpet of woodchip.  Now I'm wondering what to plant in the way of low evergreen and far less invasive shrubs.

Actually a Sarcococca springs to mind.  I wonder if one would survive chickens???

Back to 'Earth'!

 

Despite basking in the glory of our surprise win, garden work has been continuing pretty much as usual for the time of year.  It's been back down to earth literally!  The lower border has been transformed!  All the flopping gernaiums have been removed and all the Euonymous and Box have been clipped and underplanted with Persicaria affinis - much lower growing and more compact and dense.  It's all ready for mulching with compost if ever leaf clearing finishes!

The Dragon Borders have been cut down and cleared as have the borders in the Herb Garden.  I even topped the main lawn - making the most of this dry and sunny spell.  Unusual in November!  The tulips are all in their post and the wallflowers are all planted.  Apart from Lower Border work, Chris has missed a few Saturdays, unusually.   I've just been working alone - well not quite as I've had Robins for company!

The colours have been and still are (for now) AMAZING and we've really been enjoying the autumn changes.  The Acers never fail to impress and this year are exceptional!  The photo below is an Acer palmatum Seiryu I brought from my previous garden and planted 16 years ago.

Midlands Regional Winner - THE NATION'S FAVOURITE GARDEN COMPETITION!

 WELL!!  Can you believe it??  We can't!!  We were amazed - truly!  Our Under Gardener was bowled over to learn that we were even a finalist - particularly as I hadn't bothered to tell him the garden had been entered!  All the other regional winners are sitting in their beautiful sunny gardens for their videos but it was a really filthy day here so I'm sitting in a pretty dark and very echo-eee greenhouse!  Yes of course it's cheesy.  I'm not used to talking to a camera.  Anyway it's super exiting and we're looking forward to the arrival of our plaque.  Let's hope it enables us to make even more money for charity!!

A big BIG thank you to both our voters and our loyal supporters!!

Radical but Super-Efficient Saturday!

 

Having been away for a couple of weeks, there was no stopping Chris this weekend!  He strimmed all the meadow grass, raked it up and lugged it to the compost heap,  I weeded and edged around the tree bases and then it was time for the big change!  Out with a really badly placed apple tree (now grafted and growing away happily on its neighbour) and out with a fruitless, miserable and diseased cherry tree! 

 Both were obscuring our fabulous views across the valley and both will now help keep us warm over winter!  We're now awaiting the arrival of Chris avec stump grinder.  In the meantime, a bird house sits on the cherry stump and a mini theatre with players on the apple stump!

Here we have before and after and our restored view!!

Harvesting our First Szechuan Peppercorns!

 

Chris wouldn't allow the first ever Szechuan peppercorn harvest to happen without photographic evidence!!  They are now drying on the kitchen windowsill.

This extremely thorny shrub was planted about 2 years ago and was bought in a sale for £3 when it was about 18" tall.  It not only recovered from its pot bound state but has thrived.

The REALLY Perfumed Garden!

 

Colours are beginning to change and leaf drop has well and truly begun.  It's very definitely autumn now! 

I'm so pleased to have so much scent in the garden at this time of year.  We have an Eleagnus down by the Compost Yard which is a joy to walk past.    Along the Fernery Path is a Heptacodium which is just blasting out fragrance from its tiny flowers! Actually, both these shrubs have such tiny flowers and yet the perfume just blasts out!  Totally worth bottling!  

Also by the back door is an elevated pot of Cyclamen - not quite at nose height but, again a seriously wonderful whiff when passing.  I promise you - another perfume worth bottling!

Adding Accessories to the Outdoor Kitchen!

 I've been given a few more accessories for what's fast becoming an outdoor kitchen in the Herb Garden.  Since the old cast iron range was installed, I've acquired an old enamelled saucepan, some old cast iron scales and weight, a flat iron and, most recently, a little brass kettle!  The Pelargonium which has provided the flames all summer long is due to spend the winter back in the safety of the greenhouse and remerge next year.  Now I need to think of something to mimic flames over winter!  Ideas?

Accessorising the mini outdoor kitchen!