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!

Gales in June!

Damage & debris

The Top Lawn

The Top Lawn

Yet another flattened foxglove

High winds in June do so much more damage than they can possibly do in winter and this week has just proved it.  With all the trees in full leaf, there's SO much more wind resistance. Leaves and branches were torn from trees, foxgloves flattened and the lawn covered in debris - SIGH!

Still at least it the gales didn't arrive for open gardens.  Today was an exercise in damage limitation, mowing and generally clearing, and tying up.  Even the Wisteria around the conservatory had been ripped off.  After a mow round, things looked a little better although I did feel sorry for the roses!

It seems that a rose garden has evolved quite by accident. It's too pretentious to call it that and so it's known simply as the Top lawn!  

The Lower Border

Cedar Wood Dutch Light Greenhouse for sale on Ebay

Our dear old greenhouse could be yours!

Click this link for full details.

Interior

Exterior

Summer Colour!

Vyvyan Pennell

Graham Thomas

Mrs N. Thompson

Great names and all in flower now!

Ernest Markham

Artisan Anemometer?

I just had to share pictures of Chris's latest creation in solid oak with brass fittings because it's just so lovely!! A rotating and flying duck!! Who wouldn't want one of these? Some people are just too clever!

Peeping Tom at Open Gardens?

Di chatting to visitors

Lindy & Eve serving in their new aprons

Relaxing  between the showers

Flash Gordon is undone!

Just a few more of Dave's photos taken at yesterday's open gardens. Don't be fooled by the sunshine!  It was, in fact, a freezing cold blustery and showery day!

On another note and, as a matter of interest; the Head Gardener would just like to know who was responsible for untying Flash Gordon's red bow!!! Would the culprit please own up?