We have just spent a lovely weekend visiting our son and daughter in law in London. Went for a relaxing walk at the nature reserve at Rickmansworth on the Saturday morning.
Planning a Rainbow.
I’m sure all gardeners have had moments when garden visiting, that have so inspired them, that they can’t wait to get home and start changing part of their own garden. This is how it was for me when on holiday this year and I saw all the beautiful drifts of candelabra primulas, starting with these at R.H.S. garden, Harlow Carr.
August roundup.
Just thought I would do a quick whizz around the garden to record what is still in flower, found there was more than I had anticipated.
Posted in News
Tagged Aeonium, agapanthus, Allium, Angelica, Anthemis, Arum, astilbe, Buddleja, clematis, Colchicum, Crepis incana, crocosmia, Cyclamen, Dahlia, Echinacae, Erigeron, Eupatorum, Evening primrose, Feverfew, Fuchsia, hydrangea, Inula, Japanese Anemone, Limonium, Liriope muscari, Penstemon, Rosa, Rudbeckia, Stipa, Tulbaghia, Verbascum, Verbena
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Feline invasion.
This post is for all the cat lovers that I know are out there. I think the word has gone round our village that any cats that come to the garden will appear on my blog ! Our latest visitor is this young black and white one.
Looking very aloof, but look at that shiny coat, does it use Pantene !!
Misty, moisty morning.
Autumn arrived here yesterday. When I looked out ,it was thick fog, couldn’t see to the end of the garden.
Temperamental Lilies !
Usually due to our wet, mild winters, lilies don’t do very well for me on our heavy clay. Because our soil is very sticky during the winter months, the bulbs usually just rot away, never to be seen again, in spite of specially preparing the site for them. Thanks to the freezing cold and snow last winter, instead of all the rain we would normally have had, the lilies seem to have done so much better.
Who’s this in my garden?
Each time I go into the garden, I seem to feel that I am not alone. Have you ever felt that someone is watching you, but you can’t manage to see them ?
Disaster strikes the Horse Chestnuts.
Horse Chestnut trees, Aesculus hippocastanum , are very large deciduous trees, 36m tall, found in the countryside, parks and gardens.They have bold divided leaves with white spires of flowers in the spring which later, in the autumn, turn into the fruit, horse chestnuts or conkers which have spiny outer casings.For quite some time now we have been reading that there is a problem in the UK with the Horse Chestnut leaf miner moth, Camerarie ohridella. It was first noticed in 1984 in Macedonia, a small country north of Greece, which has spread steadily across Europe , until it reached our shores. In 2002 it was discovered for the first time here in Wimbledon, and has taken another 9 yrs to reach us. The moth causes damage to the leaves but so far there is no evidence that it causes the death of the trees, however the fruits, conkers, are fewer and smaller.
Posted in Hints and Tips, News
Tagged Aesculus, Cameraria ohridella, Horse Chestnut, Leaf Miner Moth
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Sandpaper and Brillo pads courtesy of nature.
Thought you might be interested in a really ancient plant that is here in the garden, in my pond. Not ancient because it was planted here 20 yrs ago when we came – but ancient because it was growing on this planet when the dinosaurs were wandering about. And they would have been wandering here, we are very near to the Jurassic Coast ! I am talking about Equisetum hyemale – and before you all throw your hands up in horror at having such an invasive plant in the garden, let me assure you that it is safely corralled in a pot !!
Another Prima Donna.
I don’t know what the male equivalent is of “prima donna” , but Crocosmia “Lucifer” is certainly it ! I can’t go anywhere in the garden without it looking as if it is jumping up and down and shouting ” me, me, me – look at me !”
