Six on Saturday: 11 July 20

Tags

Aster laterflorus Lady in Black, clematis Arabella, crimson glory vine, gardens open for charity, Leucanthemum x superbum, National Garden Scheme, NGS, Nigella seed head, Shasta Daisy, six on saturday, The frustrated Gardener, the watch house, Vitis coignetiae

Good morning. I hope this finds you well. It has been a week of mixed weather here with lots of rain. Great for plants but soggy, sticky work for us gardeners. I have yet to find waterproofs that are suited to garden work ie tough enough and that allow the wearer to breathe rather than feel she or he is in a plastic bag. Send me your tips if you have any solutions.

On to the six to share with The Propagator and you of course.

The Watch House

Hold up, I hear you cry, that’s not your garden Dorris. Correct. It’s not. It belongs to The frustrated Gardener I made my first garden visit of 2020. The National Garden Scheme has opened some of its gardens for by appointment visits. This is a charity which supports nurses and healthcare workers to the tune of over £3million last year. It is a charity to support at the best of times and more so during a pandemic.

The Watch House in Broadstairs Kent is actually two separate gardens: the jungle garden and the gin and tonic garden. Before visiting I have to confess that lockdown had sapped my garden joie de vivre. An hour or so immersed in these gardens chatting to Dan and the Beau with my sister was just the tonic. I left fully enthused, with ideas running around in my head, trying to remember the detail and the names of some of these incredible plants. If you are able I would encourage you to make a visit and support a very worthy charity.

Crimson glory vine

Back to the weather, the warm temperatures and rain has possibly unleashed a beast. This is Vitis coignetiae and it appears to be making a bid for garden domination. Serious haircut needed and I am not just referring to me.

In the last seven days these have opened. I do love a daisy.

Shasta daisies

Leucanthemum x superbum. These are such easy flowers. They can require staking if grown in part shade as they will lean forward towards the light. These ones are in gravel on an old overrflow parking spot. They get chopped to the ground in autumn and that is it. Treat them mean, they seem to thrive.

The Nigella have gone over but what they leave behind is strikingly beautiful, pods for a vase or to dry.

Clematis Arabella

This is a new addition to the garden. It is a non clinging type, herbaceous. It has just started flowering and is scrambling amongst Aster laterflorus Lady in Black.

Clematis Arrabella and Aster Lady in Black

Verbena bonariensis grows like a weed in my garden but I don’t care, it’s such a pretty colour and the butterflies adore it. Here it is with the gorgeous David Austin Roses Brother Cadfael. A pretty shade of pink with a gentle rose scent.

Rose Brother Cadfael and Verbena bonariensis

Roses are in full swing in July and this beauty is full of blooms.

Rose Lark Asceding

There are three plants here which make a real show. Close up it is a healthy plant, no black spot and such pretty flowers.

I hope you have a good weekend, wherever you are and thanks for reading. If you can arrange to visit an open garden to support the NGS please do. D.

Six on Saturday: National Garden Scheme

Tags

Aeoniums, apple juice, Calamagrostis brachytricha, Calamagrostis x acutiflora Karl Foerster, Carers Trust, Cercis canadensis, Cerciscanadensis Forest pansy, grasses, Horatio's Garden, Hospice UK, Leonard Cheshire, Macmillan Cancer Support, Maggie's Centres, Marie Curie, MS Society, National Garden Scheme, NGS, Parkinson's UK, Perennial, Queens Nursing Institute, six on saturday, stipa tenuissima, Verbena bonariensis

Tomorrow my garden is open in aid of the National Garden Scheme, NGS.  For those who do not know, the NGS is a registered charity which in 2017 raised a whopping £3.1m, not bad from open gardens and selling tea and cakes,  This was divided amongst the following charities: Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK, Carers Trust, Queen’s Nursing institute, Parkinson’s UK, Perennial, MS Society, Maggie’s Centres, Leonard Cheshire, Horatio’s Garden and not amongst gardeners as one friend thought.

I have worked flat out in the month of September, weeding, digging, trimming, edging, sweeping, deadheading and watering to prepare the garden as best as possible. I am on first name terms with the chaps at the dump.  Rather annoyingly then that the weather has decided to be somewhat inhospitable blowing in a gale and rain.  Undeterred I am hoping that a hardy group of gardening types and perhaps Aeonium fanciers will show up.

This splendid bunch have been donated by a very generous chap who prefers to remain anonymous and I shall be selling cuttings for folk to take home.  All in aid of NGS.  Absolute Aeonium heaven.

2.  There will be a selection of cards, old gardening magazines and apple juice for sale.  The apple juice has been pressed from the tree in my garden.

 

3. The roses may be almost finished but there are Cosmos and Zinnias. The main sight is perhaps the Verbena bonariensis.

It has self sown all around the garden and in the cracks in the paving.

4.  Blowing in the wind will be a mixture of grasses which are at their peak in early Autumn.

Calamagrostis Karl Foerster, Calamagrostis brachytricha and Stipa tenuissima

5. A small tree which is always admired, not least by me, Cercis canadensis

The red toned heart shaped leaves are delightful.

6.  There will be some shelter from the worst of the weather inside my rather grandly named summer house.  (It is neither summer nor a house).

Joining our host the Propagator who encourages us to list our top six from our gardens.  Thanks for reading.

Now if the weather would just be kind….

Thank you to all my helpers and cake makers, lenders of time and lenders of other bits and bobs, givers of general moral support.  I certainly would not be able to this without you.  Wishing you all a lovely weekend wherever you are.  D.

Little helping hands

Tags

garden visit, jobs to be done, NGS

Brother Dorris and his family visited from New Zealand for a few days. Yesterday, before they left for the airport they helped me do a few jobs in the garden.

The best little helper, helped me plant some seeds: Red Pak Choi, French breakfast radish and Calendula.

The best kind of help.

In the run up to my Open Garden at the end of September, in aid of The National Garden Scheme I have got a phenomenal amount to get done. This little bit of help has got me started on the task ahead.

Thanks. Have a safe trip back. D.

Wordless Wednesday: garden view

Tags

garden view, Hemerocallis, July, NGS, Verbena bonariensis, wordless wednesday

In a Vase on Monday: for an open garden

Tags

August, garden visit, in a vase on Monday, NGS, sunflowers, sweet peas, yellow

Yesterday I opened my garden for the first time for NGS. This was an ambitious plan on my part as the garden was a paddock when we arrived in 2014. There was nothing here thanks to the former residents, a herd of goats.

In 2018 I have battled with a wet, cold winter which left standing water on my low-lying, clay soil as recently as April, followed by the driest Summer for 57 years.

Then, on the week of opening my garden, Thames Water decided to shut the lane to my house and put diversions in place. The final insult however was that the forecast was for rain!

The (NGS yellow) sunflowers were a market purchase to greet visitors on arrival and decorate the tea room aka the garage.

Sweet peas and dahlias in various shades of pink which I grow at work for Ali. I brought some of these home to decorate the tea tables.

I am pleased to report the afternoon was a great success: the rain held off, lots of people visited and perhaps most fun of all was that our very own Cathy joined by the Golfer came along. Cathy as we know is very knowledgeable about plants and floated around the garden chatting to visitors, answering questions. Meanwhile the Golfer did a sterling job, stood at the top of the lane waving traffic down towards the parking.

It was a really good day and I thought my garden did alright by the visitors. We raised just under £1400. Thank you to everyone who came.

Thank you to all my lovely helpers

The charities supported by NGS provide crucial care.

In memory of friends lost:

Paul

Heather

Jez

Jo

Joel

Domonic

Danny

And for those currently undergoing care

Lucy and little Daisy, Get well soon!

In a Vase on Monday. Thanks for reading. D.

Silent Sunday: magnificent magnolia

Tags

gardens open for charity, kate Stuart smith, NGS, Serge Hill, Silent Sunday, yellow book

Friday: news flash💛

Tags

gardens open for charity, news flash, NGS, Thank goodness it's Friday, yellow book scheme

The National Garden Scheme have announced that in 2017 they raised a record £3.1million for charity. Crikey. 💛

Beneficiaries include Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK, Carer’s Trust, Queens Nursing Institution, Parkinson’s UK, Perennial and MS society.

As someone who is opening her garden for the first time I feel proud to be part of this extraordinarily brilliant fund raiser.

By heck £3.1million that’s a lot of people looking at gardens, quaffing coffee and cake.

I hope any local readers will join me on August 12th. Those of you who are further afield, do try to visit at least one garden in your local area.

Look for the Yellow Book. D.

In a Vase on Monday: floating

Tags

February, gardens open for charity, Hellebores, helleborus niger, Helleborus orientalis 'Harvington Hybrids', Helleborus viridis, in a vase on Monday, NGS

This morning is of course Monday, that much you know and it is bitterly cold again which you may not know if you are elsewhere in the world ( hello Brother Dorris) but it is thankfully bright. As it is Monday I am going to join Cathy with a bowl rather than a vase full of hellebores.

Hellebores never last very long if cut and brought into the house, yet floating the heads on shallow water seems to suit them better. Certainly we can observe the beauty of each flower much more easily like this rather than having to tip their shy heads towards us.

I should love to be able to tell you which varieties are here but they are not mine. Hold up, not mine ? You see I visited a delightful garden on Saturday, open for the National Garden Scheme. NGS.

Old Church Cottage is in a very pretty and historic spot, brimming with snowdrops and crocus, cyclamen and hellebores. More about that another time. On the table, welcoming visitors, was this bowl of blooms. Can I pinch that? Well I just did.

Have a great day and stay warm. D.

Tuesday view: planning

Tags

charity opening, garden plans, glorious twelfth, NGS, open garden, save the date, Tuesday View

On a Tuesday Cathy encourages us to share a view of our garden each week. I joined her when I could in 2017 and found it a really useful record of progress through the seasons. It is also interesting to see progress (aka having a nose) in other people’s gardens.

Autumn leaves

Winter snow

Late Summer sunshine

Spring has sprung

By recording the view you see the changes of the seasons, the difference the light makes and it helps to identify where changes are needed.

I shall be opening my garden for the National Garden Scheme in August 2018. The preparation will be significant and I already have a massive to do list. No panic allowed! So in 2018 I shall continue to share my Tuesday view, when I can. The view will be taken from the opposite end, looking back up the garden from the comfort of a bench inside the garden shelter. I like the frame it gives the view. It is from here that I am hoping visitors will want to stop a while to drink tea, eat cake and enjoy the view.

I hope you will join me and Cathy to track the year in your garden. Be sure to include a link to Cathy. Let me know what your plans are, it’s good to share. D.

52 Week Photo Challenge: water

Tags

52 Week Photo Challenge, corten steel, NGS, rust colours, Serge Hill, Tom Stuart-Smith, water

Water in the garden when done well is spectacular.

When not quite right it is almost embarrassing, think horse relieving itself.

One beautiful garden which uses water successfully is Serge Hill.  The family garden of designer Tom Stuart-Smith has corten steel tanks of water which serve to reflect the sky and surrounding planting.  The tanks are in a sunken courtyard surrounded by the walls, on three sides, of their home.

Serge Hill NGS open day

From the house I imagine the family look out across the surface of the water to see a beautiful reflected scene.

I have no idea how the water works, it appears to be still yet is certainly not stagnant.  It is not over flowing.  The reflective qualities of the water sat within the confines of the earthy tones of the steel, surrounded by ruby coloured Astrantia and orange Euphorbia is a very pleasing combination.

The 52 week photo challenge is water this week.  Take a look at Sandras arty blog to see some other water photographs https://daffodilwild.wordpress.com

Enjoy this glorious Summer weather, let’s hope it lasts a while.