Masses of flowers at Dunham Massey.

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Pauline

I had the choice of where we stopped on the way home after our weekend away and chose the National Trust property Dunham Massey, which is between the city of Manchester and the peace of the Cheshire plains. and not too far from the M6 motorway which would bring us home once more. The 18th Century house became the Stamford Military Hospital during the 1st World War and was used for the war wounded. I had read that they now had a winter woodland garden, so it seemed just the place for us to visit.

Masses of daffs or rather tiny narcissus!

Masses of tiny narcissus!

This was the sight that greeted us as we entered the woodland area. The garden was only started 5 years ago so someone has done such a lot of planting. This area used to be the pony paddock in days gone by when there were children living here. Continue reading →

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Hellebore Heaven.

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Pauline

We were up in the North West last weekend for the undergardener’s cousin’s 80th Birthday. Unknown to me, the undergardener had googled “Hellebores” and found the National Collection of Hellebores was just off the M6 Motorway in Staffordshire and convenient to where we were heading. You don’t always get it right when you google an address…….

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The Woodland in Winter.

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Pauline

I don’t think it is any secret that the woodland is my favourite part of this garden, at least for the first half of the year. When we moved here it was just the huge ancient trees with lots of brambles and nettles beneath! Slowly, after we had cleared the weeds away, we began adding bulbs and woodland plants. I was inspired originally by Beth Chatto’s book on Woodland Gardening, what a help all her books have been as I’ve been making the garden here.

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A mixed bag for February.

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Pauline

As usual I have a few photos taken during this last month that wouldn’t make a post by themselves, but by putting them together they make a mixed bag for February. I’ll start with a couple of sunrises, they have been spectacular this month, but you have to be up early to catch them.

Half six in the morning.

Half six in the morning.

This looked a really angry sky when I first parted the curtains, but it was followed by a lovely cold but sunny day. Continue reading →

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The end of Snowdrops?

Posted on February 27, 2016 by Pauline

Just for a year I hasten to add! The snowdrops are coming to an end earlier than usual, due no doubt to the strange, warm weather we have had during Jan/Feb. The early “specials” were very early, then the wild ones flowered at almost their usual time and the “late” ones are all now flowering, early again. We usually have snowdrops flowering till the end of March, but this year they are going to be over a lot sooner.

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It doesn’t need to be sunny, just warmer.

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Pauline

I found out the other day that crocus don’t actually need sunshine to open their flowers wide, they just need the temperature to rise a bit. Our temperatures had been at around  +4/5 C for some time, when they suddenly shot up to +13 C, such a difference.

Crocus tommasinianus

Crocus tommasinianus

While the temperatures were low, the flowers stayed tightly closed. It was as if they knew that there wouldn’t be any bees around to pollinate them and therefore they would stay closed to protect their pollen and nectar. Continue reading →

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Hope springs eternal. GBFD February.

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Pauline

Once again it is time to be looking round the garden for any foliage which takes the eye. Everywhere there are signs of new life, leaves pushing upwards from the soil and leaves sprouting forth from bare branches. The leaves that I have been keeping an eye on these past few weeks are in the woodland.

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Bloom Day in February.

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Pauline

I went out yesterday to take photos for today’s post for GBBD, thank goodness I did as we had a hard frost last night and flowers are not looking too happy this morning. I could only go round half the garden. Anywhere that meant I had to go on the grass ( except the back lawn over to the woodland) was out of bounds as it is so boggy, even though it is frozen,I might disappear, never to be seen again!.

Starting by the back door, the Chaenomeles is still flowering and has been for months now. Not quite so many flowers, but still plenty of buds.

Starting by the back door, the Chaenomeles is still flowering and has been for months now. Not quite so many flowers, but still plenty of buds.

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Conservatory colour carries on.

Posted on February 13, 2016 by Pauline

Colour is still showing in the bulbs and plants which we have in the cool conservatory, they have now been joined by Hippeastrum and Narcissus,  some of the early ones to flower have now finished and will soon be planted in the garden, at least they will be when the rain stops and the garden dries out a bit!

Narcissus Tete a Tete.

Narcissus Tete a Tete.

N. Tete a Tete that are planted in the garden were flowering before the ones I put in a pot in the conservatory, if you look closely, you will see that this one has 3 flowers on the one stalk. Continue reading →

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I blame Imogen.

Posted on February 8, 2016 by Pauline

Imogen is the name of the latest storm to hit the UK, she came rushing across the Atlantic on Friday night and hit the west coast and dumped so much rain on top of us when she met land. Once again the west coast is flooded, the weekend had non stop rain for 2 days with accompanying gales. Going to the next town this morning, I had to make 2 detours because of fallen trees.

Cherubeer garden.

Snowdrops at Cherubeer garden.

Not the ideal time for garden visiting, but yesterday was the only chance we would get as the garden is only open one other Sunday and I think the snowdrops would be over by then as they are a few weeks ahead of their usual flowering time.

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