An English cottage and garden

The Rose Walk

Carole and Mike — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 12:06:47 +0000

I have been busy planting up a new bed. It sits either side of the path that goes to the kitchen garden. I have left a large gap though on either side for the tractor to mow and also to help promote the avenue effect that I am looking for as you walk along it and then turn down into the orchard. Hard to imagine now, I know but you will see when I post the pictures in the summer. I have ordered David Austin Roses, my favourite and I finished putting them in yesterday. This afternoon I shall have to do the clearing up after myself! I have put one of the pictures of my efforts in the projects section of our web site. Now this job has been done I shall go back to stripping the boarders out. It had to wait as getting the new roses into the ground was the priority.

November!!!

Carole and Mike — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:19:08 +0000

I just can not believe that it is November. I know it sounds silly but I am starting to think of next June and all there is to do between now and then. I have just finished working on the bed by the chamomile bank and as always happens when you "re-arrange" a bed you have plants left over and now I shall be spending tomorrow potting them up to sell for the National Garden Scheme. The under gardener is meanwhile painting the garage between the rain showers and having to shred all that is being cut down from the boarders but with the now shorter days the pressure is on to get things completed within the time frame. Deep breath I think and a hot bath is called for!

Stumpery

Carole and Mike — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:06:16 +0100

I have all but finished the stumpery. The last of the planting up will be done tomorrow if the rain stays away. The under gardener is busy painting the garage ready for next years open day and I have marked out where the turf is to be removed for the new rose walk. The roses are ordered, David Austin, of course! They should be here by the end of November so we will have to get stripping very soon. Turf that is.

Stumpery.

Carole and Mike — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:25:09 +0100

I have started work on the stumpery, or in our case it is more of a loggery. I spent a good deal of time digging the ground over having treated it for ground elder and then adding compost. Next went over the membrane to stop any of the afore mentioned elder making a come back. I was under a bit of pressure to get started with this as there we some Christmas rose plants which were to be moved and this is the best time to do that. Happily they are now all in place. The ferns, pulmanaria and perennial foxgloves are now placed ready to go in. The hosters will wait till the spring in some cases but other will be lifted and divided shortly. I am very pleased with the result as this part of the woodland looked good when the daffs were out but a bit dull the rest of the time. Pictures will be posted under projects.

Rain!

Carole and Mike — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:36:22 +0100

We appear to have been plunged into winter. Last week I was in short sleeved tops and this week a body warmer and fleece. There is still a good deal of colour in the garden but I am now starting to go around each of the bed and have a good tidy up and sort out. I find this very satisfying as I make plans for the next spring. When the rain starts to ease off I shall start on the new stumpery! Or in our case a loggery! Stumps are expensive and I decided to put the money into ferns rather than stumps, which could be added later and we have plenty of good sized logs from work done on the trees and I have also be promised two VERY big logs to place in the loggery. Monday will see my buying a membrane for the ground which in this part of the garden we house the national collection of ground elder. When this is in place I can start to plant all the plants which I have been collecting over the last few weeks. I do like to do a mass planting when I have a project in mind so that I get an instant effect and as I am not able to buy everything in one go I start collecting plants way in advance. Will put the pictures on the site, hope you like them.

October

Carole and Mike — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:06:13 +0100

I cannot believe it is October all ready. We have set the date for our Open Garden for the National Garden Scheme for the 21st of June 2009. There is a lot of work to do before then what with a new rose walk, and the stumpery to be put into place but for now I had just better go and clear up the leaves!!

Bad Foot.

Carole and Mike — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 12:50:43 +0100

For the last three weeks I have been struggling with a foot that has been operated on. A lump in the base of my toes which has made walking increasingly difficult over the last twelve months but now it has been removed. The under gardener has been mowing the lawns and keeping the cottage tidy whilst I have been watching "murder she wrote!" Now I can say with the stitches out the foot is well on its way to being batter so now I am off to dead head the dahlias!!

Garden of the Year competition.

Carole and Mike — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:20:17 +0100

After having to wait for over two weeks after the judgeing the day finally came with the under gardener and I went off to Shrewsbury Flower Show and to the reception being held there by the Shropshire Star newspaper. We were over the moon to receive third pace in the over 1/3 of an acre category. This yielded a wonderful cut glass rose bowl and £50 in vouchers (that will soon be spent). We were told that we "lost out" to the two other gardens because as yet there are parts of the garden still maturing. Well next year we will try again and boy do I have plans before next years competition. Watch this space!!

Gardening Competition

Carole and Mike — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:00:00 +0100

For the past two years we have entered a gardening competition for the Shropshire Star Paper. Each time we have reached the semi-finals but no further. Whilst driving up to Shrewsbury, last August, to the Percy Thrower Garden Centre to receive our prize we decided that this year we would not enter. This all went out of the window when two seperate people urged us to enter and this year we made the final!! Roy Lancaster came to judge the garden which was just the biggest thrill, though I would have dearly loved to be asking him questions rather than answering his. Next Saturday we shall be going to Shrewsbury Flower Show for this years presentation. Fingers crossed.

hanging baskets

Carole and Mike — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:19:45 +0100

I have done hanging baskets for the past five years and I love them. However I do notice how the professional ones appear to last longer. I have this year put a plastic liner inside the basket not just on the bottom section but right up to the top. This did make pushing the plants through a bit more time consuming but the effect has been worth it with the baskets being full and overflowing without any plants dying off. Note to self for next year!

The party's over!

Carole and Mike — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 20:58:18 +0100

Well it is all over for another year. The sun shone but the wind blew and blew. I asked the vicar if there was a message in this as last year the garden was dashed to the ground by the rain consistently before we opened and this year it would appear that the wind was trying to blow the garden into another county! So many of the people of the village turned out to look at or to help with the garden. The gardening club members came and manned the plant stall and we raised nearly £900 for the National Garden Scheme. The down side of all this is that I have felt like a zombie for the last few days. I have very evidently fallen off my adrenaline mountain. Well I am sure tomorrow I shall be back in the saddle and when I look at the plants still waiting to go into the ground I know I must get my skates on.

The last lap

Carole and Mike — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 14:00:00 +0100

With just over a week to go till we open I hesitate to say but I think we are on track. Friends and neighbours and bringing extra plants for us to sell on the day, and offers of help and cakes are coming thick and fast. Non of these offers are declined. The difficulty with the plants is that I invariably find a few that I rather fancy myself and end up putting quite a lot of money in the plant kitty towards those I have purchased. This is something the under gardener is quite in ignorance of. Hope he does not read this.

Filling holes.

Carole and Mike — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:00:00 +0100

I am busy filling holes left by plants that have gone over. I have grown on a good number of Dahlias for this purpose. I also grew from seed a lot of grasses. In the past I have stayed away from these but this year I am using them to fill in as and when necessary. Extra plants are waiting to go into the gravel garden and I have spent a good deal of time weeding the woodland!!! crazy I know but some areas have just go to be kept under control. Other patches I just took the strimmer to them and then raked up the debris. Unlike last year the weather is on our side, in fact a little rain now would be useful but I am afraid to mention it as last year when I said this it never stopped raining.

The Shropshire Star

Carole and Mike — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:49:00 +0100

We have just spent a very pleasant afternoon showing the garden to Martin Ford of the Shropshire Star paper. He had been here before when we were lucky enough to get to the semi final of the "Best Gardener in Shropshire" competition. This time he is doing an article for the paper to appear on the Wednesday before we open for charity. The sun shone and I have to say the garden had some of its best clothes on! After tea and cakes ( got to bake many more cakes in the next few days) Martin left and the under gardener and I can rest easy, till tomorrow!

The final countdown!

Carole and Mike — Sun, 25 May 2008 07:12:04 +0100

With now less than a month to go we have all but completed the projects that we set ourselves. The under gardener has been perfecting the Arbour Seating area and I will post pictures as soon as the final touches are in place. I am about to lift all the daffs from one area of the woodland garden to create an area of stumps, hostas and ferns. With a problem here of ground elda, much better than last year but still some left I am going to cover the area with membrane having treated for the last of the ground elder and then plant through the membrane. We are off to a plant sale in Saturday and I am hopeful in being able to buy the plants that I shall need to complete this area. With this done we just have to keep the place tidy and our finger crossed for the weather.

Four weeks to go!

Carole and Mike — Thu, 22 May 2008 16:40:19 +0100

I have a "rolling" list of things to do before we open to the public, one day it feels as though everything is under control and the next day it is not. It is raining right now but there is plenty to do in the greenhouse and I am just putting off doing anything today as I am getting a little tired but I know as soon as I get stuck in a new lease of energy will crop up. I have sourced a real barrel from a local firm that make cider and I have said I will collect it next week. It is to go by the garage to collect rain water. The one side already has a water butt, which is plastic and not on show, quite serviceable but not very good to look at, this will look good and will be on show. That is after we have drilled some holes in it and the down pipe of the guttering. The under gardener was quite disappointed that the barrel did not come full!

Greenhouse

Carole and Mike — Fri, 16 May 2008 09:41:49 +0100

During the warm spell one of the jobs I have completed is the complete stripping out and cleaning of the greenhouse. This takes a LONG time. I always get soaked when cleaning the window and taking everything in and then putting it all back is quite a job. I am pleased that it is only twice a year. I decided to put the shading up at the same time and this has turned out to be a good move. You can see the results on the Spring page. The "holding pens" at the side of the greenhouse also came in for a good tidy and now are stacked with the plants which we will be offering for sale on our open day. Well I am off now to do the hanging baskets, all the plants have grown on well and it is a job I so enjoy doing, especially in a clean greenhouse!

Sunshine.

Carole and Mike — Tue, 13 May 2008 10:34:05 +0100

I am sitting in the under gardener's study and I cannot believe the difference in the garden that I can see from the window. The Beech hedge which did not have anything but brown leaves on it a week ago is now a wonderful shade of green. All the Alliums are standing tall and I spent a good deal of time yesterday staking things to make sure that they do not topple over. I am rather pleased with myself for doing this as each year I leave it just a little too late and something flops onto something else and I could kick myself, but not this year. I got some rough cut steaks from a local supplier and painted them all the same shade of blue/green so that they look good as they protrude above the plants ( not my idea, got it from Gardener's World! ). Better go and finish the job. See you!

A May morning

Carole and Mike — Thu, 08 May 2008 07:51:44 +0100

It is a wonderful morning and I have just been walking round the garden with the Dobie inspecting the work we did yesterday. The lawns were cut and edged and lawn sand applied and the orchard was also cut and all relevant areas strimmed and made tidy. It really looks good with the trees now well on their way to full glory but it was the fragrance of the lilac, the coronilla with its yellow flowers and wonderful fragrance and the Viburnum Juddii all doing their thing. Now I think I had better go and finish clearing our the green house and cleaning the glass. Oh joy.

Bank Holiday

Carole and Mike — Mon, 05 May 2008 11:53:29 +0100

It is Bank Holiday Monday and there is the most enormous pile of bark chipping at the top of the drive. On Friday we had the Cherry Trees pruned, I watched with some horror as a couple of young men did this job, one on the ground and one swinging in the branches cutting as directed by his colleague. The company come several times in the year to tidy up the trees and clip some of the hedges that we cannot do ourselves and on this visit they brought the bank chippings which is destine for around the whips that were planted just two years ago around the edges of the kitchen garden and the rest will be put under the newish beach hedge and the path through the woodland garden. I am writing this now as I am trying to put off a job that I am not looking forward to. Wish me luck!

Finished!

Carole and Mike — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:55:19 +0100

Yesterday we finished the pergola. It really looks good. There are pictures of it on the website under projects. I now have a barrow full of plants to put into the ground now to add extra interest. I have bought the rose Rambling Rector to go over the pergola and with the mock orange which is already in place plus a clematis (yet to be purchased) and a winter flowering honeysuckle it should be covered in no time. So now I am off to go planting - Oh joy.

Seeds - again!

Carole and Mike — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:44:44 +0100

I have done it again. Some of the seeds I have sown have done so well that I am not quite sure where I shall be putting everything when it comes time for pricking out. I had hoped to take the bobble wrapping off the greenhouse by now but it has gone very cold again so it will have to wait for a while I think. We have been asked to open the garden a couple of extra times this year for gardening clubs to wonder at will. We are both thrilled at the requests despite the extra work it will involve and of course it will bring in extra money for the National Garden Scheme so that will be a big bonus.

Busy

Carole and Mike — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:39:03 +0100

Now we are in April the under gardener is busy at work on a pergola which is to be sighted at the entrance of the woodland. With the different levels of ground here this is not going to be easy, not to mention the difficulty of digging holes for the down posts which will have to be dug around tree roots. However I think the finished result will look very good. The wood has be purchased and we have borrowed a special spade to dig post holes with so now we are all set.

Seeds

Carole and Mike — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 19:46:48 +0000

It is about this time of year as all the seeds that were sown have started to poke their heads through the compost to view the outside world that I realise, as always, I have been far too adventurous and that I will have more than a tight squeeze to get everything when potted on into the greenhouse. It is just that when I am choosing what to sow I am always tempted into just one more packet, and of course you can never tell until you open them just how many seeds there will be or how well they will germinate. This year has been so far very successfully which is why I am facing this problem - again! We sell a good deal of plants when we open for the National Garden Scheme and I also sell plants to raise money for out Gardening Club but that does not solve the pressure of space NOW. All the experts are right when they say however big your greenhouse is you can always use a little more space.

Easter!

Carole and Mike — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:11:09 +0000

Can you believe that it is Easter so soon. My work rate in the last week has been slowed by twisting an ankle going downstairs but it is on the mend now so things are getting back to normal. I have just, and I do mean just, finished putting a new bed into the garden. It is a small bed to mirror one put in last Autumn which has in it three roses. This new bed now how three Red Hot Pokers in it that have grown too large for their previous position. I am pleased with the end result and it has left me with some turf which tomorrow will be used to "patch" areas where the Dobie bitch has been. Now that is what I call re-cycling!

High winds.

Carole and Mike — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:57:05 +0000

We are like others experiencing high winds which are causing some problems and a good deal of clearing up. This is proving a challenge as I have managed to badly twist my ankle rushing downstairs (to get out into the garden of course) and had to spend an afternoon with my foot in a bowl of iced water. It did the trick but not a nice experience. Much banged up I and the under gardener went to a reception for the Shropshire NGS where those who are opening their gardens meet and collect paperwork and just have a get together with the County Organiser. It bring it home just how close June is.

Pulmonaria

Carole and Mike — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:43:45 +0000

We have a lot of Pulmonaria in the woodland but the problem is it is growing with ground elder. I want to move it to other places in the garden but of course I do not want to move the ground elder as well. So I have dug it up and spent some time trying to disentangle it from the burgeoning elder. I have then split it and put it for the time being into pots so that I can monitor the progress. I was pleased that the three of four clumps I dug up have given me now 21 plants but time will tell if they are residing in those pots on their own!

The Bank!

Carole and Mike — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 10:48:58 +0000

No, not that kind of bank but the bank at the front of the cottage. Now fully cleared (with the help of the chainsaw) we await a wooden wall to be built and in the meantime I am pulling the ivy off it. Years and years of ivy off it and I am doing it a three trugs full a day, any more and I should go crazy. Most of the difficulty come from the fact it is at such a steep angle. I am, however, releasing all sorts of things such as wild primroses, ferns, bluebells and foxgloves so without much effort it will give quite a show on its own. I am putting all sorts of things to one side to plant up when it is full cleared and then the party can begin.

The Greenhouse.

Carole and Mike — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 22:09:57 +0000

It has been the most beautiful day here but very cold. Being more than a little fed up with chain saws the Under Gardener has had the day off and I have retreated into the greenhouse. This was in a very sorry state when we arrived and it was one of the first jobs to be tackled. I did have grand ideas about a new greenhouse but when I saw the prices I new I would never swing it. It is without doubt the powerhouse of the garden and I just love it. I spent this afternoon sowing seeds and potting on grasses that had self set themselves in the grave garden. They have grown a good deal over the winter as we do have a little heat in the greenhouse and they are now big plants. The problem I have at this time of year is that my aspirations are larger than the greenhouse and something has got to give. There is not another inch of room to be had but it is amazing what I do manage to squeeze in. I have found from experience to label and date everything and the old plant labels that have been discarded are brought in and soaked in bleached water for about 3 days when with a little jiff they will be as good as new!

Spring?

Carole and Mike — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 09:59:35 +0000

We have now all but finished clearing the bank and in doing this have "released" the snowdrops to the world. There are a good deal of them here and I shall lift and divide these clumps when they have gone over. The daffs are now about two inches tall and buds are on so many things that I am feeling quite giddy with the prospect that spring is around the corner. The lawns look uneven and as though a good trim would not come amiss but it is so wet that this is just not possible. The sun is shinning and I am off to prep air seed trays (after I have dusted round )