I'm posting these as we now have our chums on board and its vital they can see and read of what I do, to know what is here.
I laid the herringbone brick paths 22 years ago, they were all down probably within half a year of moving in.
Above, Frit meleagris, we also have the F. imperialis in the front garden, all pics on this post are of the back.
The boundary stone was rescued from a riverbed twenty or more years ago. I shudder to think what happens to this spectacular and imaginative loveliness when we leave this planet.....
Centre are the Erythronium dens-canis ie dogs tooth violets, Frit melaegris and seed raised oxlip.
Gardens evolve, the garden dictates what will grow ie light levels, moisture, soil structure. I merely poke stuff in and let the garden decide. I am keen on a healthy and sufficient layer of leaves and organic debris, theres certainly NO autumnal removal of leaves in this garden; birds, worms, invertebrates of all types cherish this more realistic soil system. And certainly never the crazy covering of soil that breeds all the things you do not want. Also homemade compost is not the universal good thing the radio and tv pundits wld have you believe, mulching with compost can easily destroy crocus bulbs.
The mower is a Honda, its over-heavy, slow running, not my favourite machine at all ! Only good thing I can say about it is that the wheels are big; but already it is rusting at what will be its 'weak points'.
Most of the above was rescued as thrown away by others. I nowadays never go to any garden centre; Jans Plants was my favourite, H'gate also twenty plus years ago before it grew. Why must a business grow? .. it seems these days on its much expanded and slick form its not making a profit yet its my belief that once you have the best or better business model ie good customer experience, etc surely keep it, but all that has been thrown away to become the mega-supermarket on the hill. In their defence they actually were in the position of ever increasing footfall ... Easter for example was astounding ... so the only way was 'up'.
Above is actually more than two feet tall even this early, the pic makes it look dwarf, a cultivated form of Doronicum ie leopards bane.
An indistinct unclear image, note frits centre, this two months ago was a sea of white from snowdrops then blue and purple with crocus, now its frits, oxlip and the beginning of tulips in flower.
Gardening is good training in realising how soon things will disappear and to enjoy them whilst you can..... this obviously prompts us to re-visit poets such as Herrick and Marvel ......
But at my back I always hear
Time's winged chariot hurrying near;
And yonder all before us lie
Deserts of vast eternity.
http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/marvell/coy.htm
An area that was a cuttings bed turned now to an area for flowers prompted by the disappearance of a much valued penpal; it has a pathway and plants not seen elsewhwre in the garden and gems from other gardeners ie Mrs Nields hellebore, roseroot, Canterbury bells and cyclamen, Mrs Carltons perennial phlox and C. tomassianus, Mrs Rennies Ophiopogon, auricula and P. denticulata, Yasmins oriental grass, and my own seed raised and bought Lilium regale which are seven foot spires topped with incredible white trumpets of astounding scent. As it was a rose cuttings bed we have also a moss rose and rosa Mundi whether we like it or not !
Above are seed raised from AGS seed at least a decade ago, they need a couple of weeks yet before looking their best.
Above is a well behaved corner at top R.H. ie NNW corner of the garden. Its remarkably weed free as is most of the garden despite the untouched 22 year wilderness next door, a place no-one goes, not even the birds. My aunties hellebore, Mrs Rennie primrose, Mrs Nields Heuchera and Epimedium and snowdrops from the town dump which luckily i brought here as its now had an eight inch thick track of hardcore material laid to get heavy equipment over to electricity pylons.
The devastation wrought by subsequent house owners on their newly purchased garden can and will be frightening, its because they don't know what they are looking at nor what a 'thing' can produce or is capable of in its twelve months of activity, they regard and denigrate it as just 'rubbish' or just a plant, that word 'just' often prefaces a vast sea of ignorance. When I did workshop work for other firms nearby i was always irritated by the use of the word 'just' ie "Can you just do that ..." ... "can you just do this ..." etc
'Just' could be ten hours .... and it was up to ME to get the price right, often against one bright spark that had this unceasing knee jerk reaction with "Thats a bit steep" ....
Standard apple at right, AGS seed grown Philadelphus, ivy for the wren.
In a few days this will be a sea of stunning red, opening flat if the light level is sufficient. All are tulips given to me by David and Gillian, underplanted with Buphthalmum from Miss Rennie, the latter have huge flat daisy like yellow flowers, stunning and provides late summer pollen for the bees, hoverflies etc.
Back to the dogs-tooth violets, irresistible ......
I've also had a white creeping viola that was collected from a certain to be swept away river bank up the Coquet say ten years ago, I feared it had disappeared but a few days ago its back into flowering after two or three years without.
Kerria japonica I think ..... I've made an effort to get this to flower better this year, several doses of Miraclgro seem to have done the trick, this is following the advice of Dr Dick a few years ago and certainly i find the results better than Phostrogen, she also kindly gave me her Pieris and many tulip bulbs. Her neighbour was very kind too, Mrs Forbes donated several gardening books inc my favourite the 1960's Readers Digest three volumes in slip case with their exquisite use of coloured line drawings as illustrations throughout, these drew on a much older style of botanical illustration, I have three sets now! and I can remember as a child being fascinated with all they contained. Other kids wld be running around shouting and screaming, i would be reading, exploring, learning, doing, making things .....
This is plum blossom and bizarrely its a disaster .... theres too much .. it signals that there will be masses of fruit forming which will be too congested hence weigh the branches down and rot because of its crowded nature. Its named variety Czar which is self-fertile, it doesn't need pollinating insects, just as well as there seems so few bees around this year, i never see tv news or any news but certainly bee numbers to my mind seem disastrously low.
it will have picked up the Miraclgro i have been using generally around the garden ... heck !
Czar blossom close-up, in the summer each flower will become a delicious plum.
Oxlip in profusion, it can vary, but certainly as we say up here 'its a bobby dazzler' ...
Anemone, not an easy plant, to my mind fickle and seems not easy from the bulbs sold in the autumn, therefore seemingly better bought 'in the green' ie as a live plant as with snowdrops ie Galanthus.
http://www.56.com/u42/v_MTExNjE4OTY3.html
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