Thirsty Gardeners!

 We're now into July when so much has been happening in the garden!  With the warm and humid weather, both grass and weeds have all been growing at 90mph.  After his knee surgery, I'm happy - if not relieved to say that my Under Gardener is once again mowing his patch!  Keeping pace with all the mowing & edging with all the other jobs has been challenging to say the least!

Potatoes are disappointing this year as they sat in cold and wet soil back in April so I just know that yields will be down on last year.  For the first time, wood pigeons have been savagely attacking the peas - the favourites, sigh!  However, onions, carrots & broad beans are all thriving and so far, no black fly.  I'm enjoying cutting carnations growing in the greenhouse for the house.  Dahlias are just coming into bloom with Eveline looking her purest best!

I was moved to use Adam Frost's idea (BBC Gardeners' World)  for a drinks rest.  Using some planters bought by the Under Gardener earlier in the year and some Sempervivums that spent the winter in the Pelargonium Theatre with some upturned clay saucers, I made two and put them either side of the seat in front of the studio.  It's well known that gardening is very thirsty work and, as pictured, they have already been put to excellent use!

Home Styled Broad Bean Supports.

 

 

Am rather pleased with my new broad bean supports!!  I drew out the design and our local agricultural engineers - JW Lanes made them. Being weighty metal bar, they sit in the post hooks and with the mini spheres welded on each end, there's no sharp sticky out pointy bits! A million times easier than wrestling with pig netting and fiddling around with canes and string - which always comes loose!  I shall of course allow them to rust naturally.

THE BIG REVEAL!

 

Never before have we seen more of Pear Tree Cottage!  Wisteria has ALWAYS been a garden favourite and this year we were an National Garden Scheme nominated Wisteria garden.  Time for our old Wisteria to rule again!  No more competing with a thuggish Jasminum nudiflorum and certainly not an old mildewed rose!  First it was removing the Jasmine - which took 2 Saturdays!  It was as high as the top of the window and obscured all of the Wisteria trunk.  The rose was a lovely old fashioned Albertine.  Sadly this old climber had no vigour whatsoever.  In a good year it would look fabulous for about a minute and a half.  For the rest of the year it was covered in mildew and its thorns tore the Wisteria.  Time to go!!  Now we have the whole of the house wall dedicated to the Wisteria and I must say, it looks SOO much better!  Simon has repainted the recently exposed areas and Chris, who a little sceptical at first, is fully on board with the new look!

The blue pots have been spaced out and the little stone seat at the top of the Lion Steps re-centred. 'Wisteria Walk' (as it has to be known!) looks really quite spacious.  As well as making Wisteria pruning much easier, we love having the old gnarled and twisted trunk of the Wisteria on full view.

Artistic Avian Architectural Upgrades!

 

Since the instillation of the new finial on the roof of the House for Hens, it was only right to repaint the house and roof. With all that's been going on here, Simon came to the rescue and has really smartened things up.   Maybe this explains last month's egg production of 116!!  They also have a new sculpture to admire - courtesy of Lindy.

The Henclosure has never looked so smart!!

Moving Dragons!!

 

Having moved the dragon posts lawn entrance to the lawn to the left by 1 yard, all is looking very settled.  It's been the best mini project and has made digging up and moving all the roses, lifting and relaying the turf totally worthwhile.  It's a big advantage to have the table sideways on and still have room to pass easily with a full wheelbarrow.  The new plants are establishing in the two borders either side of the well path.  The roses are budding up and the under planted Pulmonarias are all establishing.

I should have thought of it AGES ago!!  Even the dragons lprefer it!

Gardener's Day Off!!

 

  Head Gardener took a day off to visit another garden!! One she'd been meaning to visit forever - the gardens at Bryan's Ground (https://www.bryansground.co.uk/).  The house and gardens have been sold and today was the very last day the gardens were open under the present ownership. To say I was cutting things a tad fine would be true!! Accompanied by the most delightful birdsong on a glorious May day we explored these enchanting gardens. The hard work, humour, clever design, brilliant planting was so apparent at every turn.

Bryan's Ground Photo Album

IN THE GARDEN - Wisteria Hysteria & Architectural Appreciation!

 So much been happening in the garden & little time for blog posts!  The weather has been consistently appalling with gales, heavy rain and hail which blasted down like razor blades.  It was a wonder the Wisteria even lived!  Such a shame when it was in full bloom.  However it stood up to these rigours pretty well and was sheer joy.  this year we were a National Garden Scheme nominated Wisteria garden and, despite the weather, enjoyed having visitors who came to admire it.

So lovely that we decided to expose its truck which, hitherto had been completely obscured by a Jasminum nudiflorum.  This work is ongoing and some areas of the house wall will be in much need of painting.

Away from the Wisteria for a moment - a few weeks back, I was lucky enough to be given a really pretty aged copper finial (by a certain Chris Pugh) with a fabulous green patina.  Historically, these finials were used to protect the tops of telegraph poles from the weather. Last Saturday, Chris Genever came and it now stands tall and proud on the House for Hens.

Hopefully, the girls appreciate their major architectural upgrade!!