Theft of Moss

 

Here's a picture of our antique armillary sundial with its beautiful mossy surface.

Here's another and more recent photograph depicting missing moss.

Just how awful does that look? At first we thought it had been stolen by birds for nest building (which would have been tricky to prove!) but whilst being interviewed, a certain Under Gardener coughed under interrogation! Was it theft or was it criminal damage? There were excuses - of course but none that could possibly cut any ice or stand up in court. "Ignorance of the law is no excuse." Everyone KNOWS that any kind of antique garden statuary is always admired for the lichens and mosses that grow on them or, so we thought! We HATE the bleached appearance of modern sculptures and take time and trouble to positively encourage mosses and lichens to grow as quickly as possible. Painting on the well known recipe of yogurt, cow manure and sour milk aids their growth and is therefore much practised.

As a guilty plea has been recorded, the defendant has been bound over to keep the peace under section 1 (7) of the Justices of the Peace Act 1968. Our Under Gardener has had the errors of his ways pointed out - hopefully ensuring that there will be no future misdemeanours and certainly no further incidents involving illegal moss removal!!

The Luxury of an Old Sink.

Earth to plate in half an hour & no mess!

Scarlet Globes, Arran Pilots, Autumn Kings & Pantheons

Freshly washed & prepared.

A few years ago, we installed a very old (and pretty beat up) second hand sink by the back door tap. It didn't look up to much at the time and, indeed doesn't now. However, it's been worth its weight in gold - especially at this time of year. Root vegetables from the vegetable garden are lifted and placed immediately in the old sink where all the soil is washed off and preparation completed. No mess in the house whatsoever. 

The edges of sink are all chipped and it's really nothing to look at but it's so useful - not just for vegetables but also for cleaning out poultry troughs and drinkers. A piece of hose on the tap means that the sink can be swilled clean so easily. With a compost bucket nearby for the waste and carrot tops for the chickens everything is recycled - one way or another! We really wouldn't be without it and couldn't recommend installing one enough.

Wot's for dinner?

WE DID IT!!!

This was way more than expected & certainly more than we dared hope for. Our beneficiaries include St. Richard's Hospice, Marie Curie, The Nora Parsons Day Centre, Wichenford Church & Memorial Hall and the Ladybird Trust. Once again - heartfelt thanks to all who made donations especially those who helped & laboured away behind the scenes. Give yourselves a BIG pat on the back & enjoy a well deserved rest! 

A more personal thank you goes to the team who helped at Pear Tree Cottage. You know who you are and we couldn't have done it without your generosity of spirit!

       

Flavours & Fruits + Fragrance & Flowers - all in one greenhouse!

This week and on one side of the greenhouse, Jasmines and Heliotropes are providing the scent whilst zonal Pelargoniums come up with the colour! It's a pleasure to walk into the greenhouse just to sniff the perfume in the air.

Meanwhile on the other side of the path, we have edibles in the form or tomatoes. The Tigerellas are just beginning to colour up whilst overhead, the grapes are swelling and ripening.  If only I could speed up the ripening process!

Now - just why is one label out of place?

Jasminum Sambac

When an expert visits.

 A few garden photos taken by a professional garden photographer: Ian Thwaites who visited Pear Tree Cottage back in May - when the garden looked very different with the limey fresh greens of spring. Right now, the garden is looking pretty parched and we really need rain. It's always so interesting to see what catches someone else's eye. 

Loads of Lovely Lavender

Preparations for yummy Lavender shortbread need to begin early! Lavender flowers have just been picked and bunched and are now drying ready for storage. The most tedious job is de-flowering the stalks when it has dried! Sometimes I make Lavender sugar as well as keeping the dried flowers for shortbread. 

This year, Chris suggested we leave some to self seed in the gravel by the summerhouse. Our Lavender came from a late customer/friend of Chris's and is known as Mrs. Slingby's Lavender! The flowers were all covered in 100's of bees and hover flies and not all enjoyed being displaced!

Enjoying our reclaimed view

On a glorious summer's day, we have been enjoying our view of Woodbury Hill once again.  It was exposed yesterday by the pollarding of a Tibetan cherry. A difficult decision but we believe that  the view is worth tolerating a rather bare tree for a while. Difficult to believe that the tree bottom left completely obscured the entire hill!

Woodbury Hill in the summer sunshine

The Joy of Jasmines

Jasminum officinale clotted cream

Jasminum trachelospermum Asiaticum

Jasminum Sambac

Got a but of a Jasmine thing going at the moment.  We have Jasmine officinale clotted cream in full flower on the trellis and in the greenhouse, we have a couple of Arabian Jasmines - Sambac (the one used as a perfume base) as if that wasn't enough perfume, we also have a Jasmine trachelospermum Asiaticum. 

Pity these pictures can't transmit their heavenly fragrance!

Operation Woodbury View

Tibetan cherry but no view

Woodbury looms into view

Over the years our perfect specimen of a Tibetan cherry (prunus serrula) had grown and grown AND GROWN.  It obscured the entire view of Woodbury Hill.  

For those who enjoy a little history: Woodbury Hill is the furthest point reached by the self claimed Prince of Wales: Owen Glendower (Owain Glyndwr) who, in 1405 brought his army to fight the English before retreating back to Wales. 

For years, we talked about, pondered over, discussed and debated possibilities. Tree or view?  View or tree?

Woodbury Hill & a pollarded Tibetan cherry!

Two years ago, we thinned the crown but it made no difference. Our view had gone. It was a plain choice - tree or view. The choice was so difficult because it was such a fine specimen and such a perfect shape. The view won and because we have planted so many trees in the garden, we consoled ourselves. The decision was made to pollard our precious Tibetan cherry.  Knowing what was on the cards - Chris arrived bright and early and we set to work! As the crown was rediced the sun came out and the hill loomed back into view.

We know we will have to tolerate a tree with no canopy for a while but we can now see over it once again. Its the age old problem of right tree in the wrong place.

Before the clear up

Triumphant Chris!

Having done the pollarding, there was a huge amount of brash on the lawn requiring a massive clear up and poor Chris managed to break a pair of ear defenders but....

Woodbury won the day!

Broken ear defenders.