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I spent Friday shifting piles of heavy turf from the top lawn to a smart new turf stack in the meadow - the opening salvo for our winter development project plan - of which more later. A very strenuous task but once I got going it felt good and was
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After two weeks of glorious sunshine, summer signalled its end with two cold nights - enough for ice on Debbie's car in south Manchester. We had no frost here - we are closer to the sea and to sea level, but still cold enough for us to bring
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Perhaps it was the gentian in the stock bed that first caught my eye, but I suddenly noticed how many blue plants are in flower right now. And with so many yellows still about it gives the garden a fresh look, quite different from the hot partnerships of a couple
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I have my RHS Advanced practical exam on Thursday. This will involve an hour of digging and plot work, an hour of speed work in the potting shed and an hour in the lab. So waking this morning with my back muscles in spasm and unable to bend was a
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The top fruit harvest is like having your birthday on Christmas day. Nothing for 12 months and then all the bounty arrives in one day. A few days ago I was squeezing pears and fondling plums, picking off the odd one that was ripe and anticipating the glut. This morning
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So much for the mild, dry weather promised by the forecasters. This week has been persisently drizzly, cool and unencouraging to visitors and plant buyers alike. Still, an invitation to attend the Hardy Plant Society's Autumn convention at Keele lent a cheery note to the week, even if
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It seems early to be feeling reflective since the gardens and nursery are open for another 5 weeks yet, but I am in a definite 'end of season' mood. With very few exceptions, all the plants in the garden have revealed their hand by now and the early
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I've emailed this one off to the RHS, but for those of you who enjoy the challenge: It appears to be a Rudbeckia, but the stem, leaves and petals are furry and we can't find one that matches that description. It also happens to be wonderfully
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I know many gardeners shy away from yellow. Purples and blues are chic, refined, and 'educated'. Yellows and oranges are brash, vulgar and mass-market. Isn't that how the mantra goes? No such pretention here. In one area of the garden 'Mammoth' sunflowers tower above
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Ok, two new quests. The first is a hardy geranium. It looks like oxanium 'Walter's Gift', but the petal background is white rather than pale pink and the veining is even more pronounced. The leaves have little dark marks between the lobes, but otherwise green. Habit
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One of the best colour combinations in the garden right now. Inula hookeri against a yellow edged holly - a great, but probably lucky pairing. Dahlia 'David Howard' Dahlia 'Arabian Night' Sometime in mid July the pastels of early summer gave way to the rich golds
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It's been over a week since my last update and it feels like months. Sunday was our second NGS day of the year and we spent last week in a sprint to get ready. Debbie and Peter focussed on the garden, while Janet and Tracey worked with me