Friday 11 June 2010

...and a few more





National Cake Scheme...






If you take an uninitiated friend with you to visit yellow book gardens, overeating of cake is certain. We visited 5 gardens in our area last sunday and oh dear, we had tea 4 times! It would have been 5 times, however one garden hadn't bothered to lay on anything except some warm, watered down, vile squash which had to be fetched by the visitors from a gloomy shed.
Ah, but the cakes on offer elsewhere were truly magnificent. Carrot, chocolate brownie, strawberry and cream sponge, lemon drizzle, refrigerator cake, scones with jam and cream! In case you are wondering we shared them, but this didn't lessen the rather regretful sick feeling which ensued all the way home. Unfortunately I didn't take photos of these gorgeous delights but shot the plants instead.

Thursday 3 June 2010

Summertime and the livin' is easy...






A perfectly lovely day, just me and my sweet girl. We took our cameras and headed for Kew, into Kew Palace's herb garden where the blue flowering flax matched the June sky. A location sure to inspire and satisfy the senses, just breathe.

Tuesday 1 June 2010

Blink..and the garden grows...






My garden would appear to be on speed! The much awaited iris started to flower, just one , but hours later every single bud had opened, on every single plant..yikes, slow down, at this rate my garden will be all over by bedtime...

Didn't we have a lovely time?






...The day we went to chelsea

Highs... overdosing on the excitement of seeing a shipload of gorgeous plants and inspiring show gardens
talking with nurseries and growing experts
having a photographic field day!
Lows... not enough time to see it all
the one who shall remain nameless but elbowed me in the face whilst pointing wildly at Claire Balding prancing round Andy's garden...yes dear, she is on tv, get over it!

Sunday 23 May 2010

Garden Goodies...






Oh what a wonderful day, china blue skies, not a cloud in sight and temperatures way above normal. A day for lazing in the garden, too hot to work, just kicking back and being...

Tuesday 18 May 2010

Now I'm on a roll...





My most favourite place for many years has been the Garden Museum at Lambeth. Completely entranced by the study of the Tradescants, plant hunters extrordinaire, I spent a lot of time based at the museum and have heard some wonderful evening lectures there.
The traditional knot garden is a little gem, perfect for an outdoor lunch with friends.

A rare sunny day at Wisley






Had a rare quiet and sunny day to catch up with Wisley, managed to spend no money, not eat cake and not get lost on Battleston Hill as I used to do when I was studying a group of plants during my training. Oh the awfulness of having to ask a gardener, passing by on his tractor, how the hell do you get out of here ?

More from Southside House





I visited with a gardening friend for their NGS open day and particularly loved the shell grotto, pet cemetery(!), roman temple and the semi-wildness of the site.

Sunday 16 May 2010

First Photos





Southside House, SW19

Out and about with a new camera...

Enthused by the sunny weather last month, I seized the chance to take my new camera out and about. No plant was safe...I proudly held up the foot traffic in many a garden as I crouched, bent, stretched and happily shot away! I realised that no-one knows if you are any good as a photographer or not, they can't see your work on show, but maybe my odd angles and strange grimaces as I squinted through the viewfinder gave the game away.

Tuesday 6 April 2010

Head Gardener


Meet the head gardener...
She is the boss and supervises my every move, in and out of the garden. A creature of habit and routine, she watches disdainfully as I dig up favourite haunts, add new and strange plants to her sunbathing spots and generally annoy her with my interferences.
Rather like a sheepdog, she warns me off by pushing at my legs until I move on. Keen on pruning, she helpfully rubs off the tiny figs whilst rubbing her whiskers on the bare wood, sleeps heavily on the alchemilla, ensuring it stays flattened at all times, and sharpens her claws carelessly along the rough surface of an ancient vine.
Preferred entry to the house is through my bedroom window, smartly bypassing the cutting edge, microchip-reading catflap, installed at great expense. From the window ledge she takes a gigantic leap onto the bed, not such fun in the middle of the night, a 12 lb furball landing on your head.
Still, she's the only staff i've got...

New beginnings.....

April 6th 2010, hopefully it won't be another 2 years before my next blog entry. If prizes were being given for lack of effort I would surely win hands down!
However, my interest in gardenlife is intact and carried onwards with a burst of enthusiasm brought on by some pale sunshine, a date which is surely spring and some signs of life in the garden.