Throne Square!

 This magnificent additional plant throne arrived yesterday - courtesy of Chris Pugh!!  Full of woodworm and a torn seat meant immediate treatment was dispensed and a pot of Primulas installed.  Up on the top terrace, we now have a total of three thrones - all homes to plants and a seat for weary gardeners!!  

First Visitors of 2021!

 

Well actually not quite.  The very first were Kempsey Ladies Circle who visited last week.  Sadly for them it was one of the many Arctic April days with glacially low temperatures & biting north east winds.  These hardy enthusiasts deserved The Garden Explorers' Award of Courage!!  It was far too cold to think of using a camera! However, it transpired that had visited before in September 2016.  At least they saw the garden in its (winter during) spring livery!

Today, we welcomed two more visitors from Malvern who had the foresight to bring sunshine! Always a wise move.  Despite the still cool temperatures, they at least, were able to sit outside for their homemade teas and it was even warm enough for a quick photo shoot!  Sadly, they took the sunshine with them when they left so it's back to polar temperatures!

Statue Status!

 Ten ton Thumbelina & Hefty Hetty have had new homes built for them! This week, we had the pleasure of Chris Genever's company and he has built each statue a small brick pier on the diagonal.  With his usual attention to detail  and in order to compensate for the sloping ground, he has built one slightly lower than the other. To complete the classy look each has slightly overhanging blue bricks.  Owing to their obese weight, we have to wait a week before we ask Chris to install these heavyweights!

 

As if that wasn't enough and in FREEEEEZING weather conditions, he also placed mortar in all the joints along the brick path.  Before we had gravel and despite our best efforts, it always stuck to muddy boots and was lost when the path was swept.  The arbour seat is also looking very smart as 'one' has been out wielding the paintbrush.  Hopefully next week, all we back in place.

Weighty Wisteria!

 

Whilst working on other garden projects, Chris Genever happened to notice the the supporting Wisteria arch on the studio had collapsed under the weight of the Wisteria and was distorting his new guttering.  Following all the banter regarding the mystery of the broken gutter brackets, immediate action was called for!

Only a true genius would have thought of using copper tubing with a number of 'T' junctions to make a new one!  Having bent two lengths of tubing into corresponding arcs, he cut shorter lengths to make braces and soldered all the junctions.  Et voila! A really pretty and much stronger supporting arch for this fairly historic Wisteria.  After all this is a direct descendant and the Great-Great-Great-Great-Great grandchild of the famous Witley Court Wisteria!

Thank you Chris! 

EXPERT APPLE GRAFTING

 

Today, we were very lucky indeed to have Rob Holloway come and graft 3 different apple varieties on to a Lord Hindlip desert apple.  The new grafts are Bramley, Falstaff and an unidentified desert - either a Herefordshire Russet or a Cox's Orange Pippin.  It was totally fascinating watching an expert make it look so effortless.  Rob is our neighbour and the manager for Bulmer's cider apple orchards some of which surround our garden.  In fact it was Rob who grafted the Falstaff on to the Bramley some years ago. As for the unidentified graft - Rob didn't hold out much hope as it was rather too advanced and its buds had begun to open.  He gave it a 30% chance.

If all goes well with the grafts, we shall remove the original Bramley which is really ill placed.  For this year, we have removed one of its larger boughs allowing us to harvest  fruit for which we hope will be its last year.

A BIG thank you to Rob!  I reckon it's a glass of cider we should be raising this evening not gin!!

BEFORE & AFTER APPLE GRAFTING PHOTOS.

Smug Sunday!

 

Well!  After an "efficient Saturday", it was Smug Sunday!

 

A little bistro set that sits on the jetty had a makeover.  It was a skip rescue few years ago and despite several coats of preservative, it always looked bleached and neglected.  A coat of paint was called for and having given it 3 coats of Old English Green it looked so smart, I wish I'd taken a 'before' shot.  I could hardly place them back on the jetty without smartening that up too! 

 

Time to get the mowers out while the weather is so mild and dry. With the temperatures increasing and the extra hours of daylight, the grass is growing and greening up. Still on a high cut, the lawns and orchard were all trimmed and as we'd weeded the pond margins yesterday, I sharpened my favourite long handled edging tool and with edging shears went round neatening all the edges.  Lastly I hoed several more borders.

                Feeling Sunday smugness!

"Efficient Saturday!"

 A cool dull but dry Saturday meant that the Aspen Grove was edged, hoed and weeded before Chris arrived!  In fact, freshly baked raspberry & wild blackberry muffins appeared in the kitchen even before breakfast!! Greenhouse path borders and toolshed steps were also edged and the marjoram and sage borders in the Herb Garden were all tidied, weeded and forked over.  The birds were singing and the scent of blossom hung in the air - just the sort of encouragement needed!

Chris arrived with a load of black gold in the form of well rotted horse manure!!  This was duly barrowed to the vegetable patch and the dahlia border and then dug in.  Thyme Square borders were all weeded before moving down to the pond where all the margins were weeded and forked over.

Lastly, we attacked the pond side of the Sofa Border - a tad more of a gargantuan task to commence so late in the day.  We removed ivy from shrubs, Chris took out 2 dying shrubs and moved Prudence to a  central and more befitting place for such a modest but elegant statue!  No weeds were strewn on the grass and raked up afterwards.  Chris decreed they be placed directly in wheelbarrows announcing that this was an 'efficient Saturday!"

And so it really was!  

                                        Another big thank you to Chris - now time for a very well earned gin!!!!!