Much Buzzing in the Lavender

There are SO very many bees in the garden - mostly on the Lavender, I've been trying to photograph them.  VERY difficult - too many and all too unpredictable!  Anyway there's definitely no shortage of bumble bees in Pear Tree Cottage garden

Another Successful Garden Visit

The weekend saw another garden visit - this time by the Black Pear Gardening Club of Worcester.  Chris swapped from afternoon to morning so at 8am prompt (yawn!), it was mission on!!  I mowed and edged, weeded, tidied whilst he trimmed the Berberis, cut the Yew hedge and even gave the sofa a haircut.  32 club members came on a sunny Saturday afternoon.  Lucky me!!  Dave & Di came over and served the teas and cakes and even washed up!!! Another £191.00 was made for the National Gardens Scheme.  Afterwards a bottle of fizz was duly enjoyed before a dinner of beef puff pastry pinwheels with Arran Pilot new potatoes, Greyhound cabbage and Early Onward peas all straight from the garden - deeeeeeliciousness!  A good and very worthwhile day all round.

Eggs for Sale!

PTC got a new eggs for sale sign today!  I bought the hardwood frame (I think it may have been a fire screen originally) for £5 from a junk shop in Wales and we cut out and painted a rectangle of ply and suspended it from 2 hooks.  Don't look too hard at the lettering: a calligrapher I may be but, a brush is much more difficult to handle and behaves nothing like a nib!  We hope that, as it's not all rigid, the wind won't blow it over.  My theory is that it should just swing to and fro in the wind. For now, it's on test and we'll see what out our customers think!  Talking of freedom, the girls were out on slug patrol in the garden yesterday but, as we have a party of garden club visitors expected tomorrow afternoon, I didn't leave them out too long because I know what a mess they make!

Loads of Lovely Lavender!

The lavender is looking especially pretty and is absolutely alive with bees and hover flies.  I must pick some for lavender shortbread.  Our lavender border began life as self set seedlings in Mrs. Slingsby's gravel.  Chris's job was to remove all the unwanted seedlings and we got lucky!!

Garden Produce

The Under Gardener digging potatoes

Delicious Arran Pilots

After 2 days of rain and a group of garden visitors expected on Saturday, we were glad to see clear skies so that mowing, edging and a major greenhouse tidy up could be completed. 

The blue skies and sunshine made harvesting home grown vegetables even more of a pleasure.  We picked the first of our peas whilst we've been eating our new potatoes fro several weeks now.  Our broad beans are perfection and I'm not saying that because they're my most favourite vegetable in the universe!  The grapes are super sweet but have loads of big pips.  Tomatoes are just beginning to turn.  Podding peas with a G&T while watching the sun go down was nearly as enjoyable as eating them when they were cooked!

Grapes, peas, new potatoes & broad beans

Sutton's Early Onwards

Fig Fantasy!

The fig tree is absolutely covered in figs and has put on loads of growth this season.  The huge leaves mean that we have a lovely shady spot up on the top terrace. What a pity I don't like figs.  When the the over ripe ones fall and explode onto the stone beneath, they look like mice corpses rotting in the sun!  In variably, they're all covered in flies which add even more authenticity.  Luckily, my friend: Maureen loves figs so, with luck and a fair wind,  she should be in for a real treat this year!

The Hostas in the galvanised tanks are thriving beneath the Bay tree and you'd never know that the furthest ones have only been there since open gardens. How lucky to be given all 3 of these tanks.  They make perfect planters. Actually, I was given a fourth in which I store rainwater in the greenhouse.  I did think about using these for that purpose but, as I also have a couple of oak barrels, I decided to plant them up.  They cheer up what has become known as the Creosote Yard.  This area is a kind of work yard where various projects such as construction and painting take place.

Pruning Curtains

I purposely allow the Wisteria and Albertine clamber around the windows at this time of year.  They make perfect exterior curtains and I love to see the filtered, cool green light in the house.  It also helps to reduce fabric and furniture fading in the strong summer sunlight.  These exterior curtains also keep the rooms much cooler. When the sun moves round, it will be the perfect time to cut back the whippy tendrils of the Wisteria.  They won't get their next pruning until February when the side shoots will be cut back again to 3 - 5 buds.  I expect the sparrows will then steal all the juicy fat flower buds as they always do - sigh!  In the dark days of winter, the windows are freed from their green fetters and the weak winter sunlight allowed to flood back in.  My photos don't do justice to my system!