Cobweb

D IS FOR ?

DREAMCATCHER!
Dangling in a dingly~ dell this delightful dreamcatcher is to be found in a Cheshire garden which you can discover more about here and here.

Do not dally but dart over to ABC Wednesday now to download more about the letter D!

On Our Doorstep

It's curious how we often overlook what's more or less on our doorstep and somehow caught up with the demand of everyday life we don't always get round to visiting local attractions. This is something that we have resolved to try to remedy. So as I already touched upon in my last post, we recently went garden visiting in Cheshire. Here some further impressions and information about our walk round Mount Pleasant Gardens near Kelsall in Cheshire. This is an RHS recommended garden curently opening on Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays plus bank holiday Mondays from 12.00pm - 5.00pm. Opening is from the start of April to the end of September. The gardens have been developed since 1994 and shame to say this was our first visit.

There were several distinct areas to the 10 acres of gardens including a wildflower meadow, a tropical garden, a vegetable garden, a bog garden, water features as well as a recently created Japanese garden.

We were were slightly too late in the year to see some areas at the peak of their perfection. I imagine that the view down to the wildflower meadow would have been spectacular had we come just a few weeks before. The planting we saw was dominated by beautiful blue chicory but there was evidence of the tail end of poppies and various other wildflowers. We will have to return next summer.

Not surprisingly I enjoyed peeking at the vegetable garden. I particularly liked this planting of both red and white flowering runner beans ~

and positively drooled over these onions ~

Some of my perceptions of the garden were perhaps coloured by unfair comparisons - when it came to the Japanese garden I could not help but think of its near neighbour - the subtly and superbly planted Japanese garden at Tatton Park. The Japanese garden here seemed to be too fussy and as far as I was concerned did not evoke an air of tranquility but that could have just been my mood on the day - see my last post for a photo.

What made me pause though in this garden was not the planting for once but the carvings (both in wood and stone) that were dotted throughout the garden. Occasionally they were distracting but by and large they were sympathetic to their setting and enhanced the planting. Not only is there a resident artist but Mount Pleasant Gardens also holds an annual sculpture exhibition in September, which attracts artists from across the United Kingdom. The garden extends its opening hours during the exhibiton. The resident artist also holds sculpture workshops throughout the year. I know himself enjoys having a chisel in his paws - now  can I persuade him that he would like to attend such an event?

It was perhaps not the best day for garden visiting as the weather had become close and clammy. As the afternoon went on I became slightly grouchy which perhaps clouded my judgement as I wanted to speed up to get home to cool down. Hence I came away feeling that I would like to see the gardens again at other times of the year before coming to any firm conclusions. Having said that there was plenty to hold our interest and the visit was well worth the admission fee. Although we did not partake light refreshments are available. Some interesting pieces of art work were for sale and there is a small nursery sales area. I came away with a most striking blue salvia which sadly was unlabeled. Hopefully we might return next month when the sculpture exhibition is taking place.

This is the first in what I hope will be an occasional series of articles on what is on our doorstep. The next trip is already in the planning stage.

Crossroads

C IS FOR?

ALL THAT WAS MISSING WAS THE CHESHIRE CAT!

"One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. "Which road do I take?" she asked. Where do you want to go was his response. "I don't know", Alice answered. Then, said the cat "It does not matter". " ~ Lewis Carroll (the author of ' Alice in Wonderland' spent his childhood days in the Cheshire village of Daresbury)
~ A clear and sunny day last week saw himself and I setting off deep into the Cheshire countryside. First stop was a cheerful cafe where we enjoyed a most convivial lunch. We lingered outside chatting away as the sun gave way to clouds and it became uncomfortably clammy but this did not deter us from continuing on our way to a local open garden.

Once there we came across colourful planting schemes ~

Cascading currents of water ~

A wildflower meadow dotted with chicory and craftily placed chairs ~ 

As well as a collection of curious and creative carvings ~

Another chapter on this garden later this week but in the meantime this is your cue to exit stage left in the direction of ABC Wednesday, for a cameo of all matters connected to the letter C.

End of Month View ~ July 2011

After spending a good part of July away from home, garden and allotment  the settled weather of the last week has provided me with a good chance to catch up with a myriad of tasks. Sadly I did not like what greeted me in the new end of month of border. BINDWEED has reared its must ugly head in no uncertain terms ~ I could weep!  I can cope with the clover, thistles and other undesirables that have appeared but bindweed is another matter. This thug was not there last year so my suspicion is falling on the topsoil that came in during the spring. So there is a serious war to be waged.

In the meantime despite the bindweed most of the plants which were planted in May are flourishing. I did treat myself at the time to a couple of new hardy geraniums, a chocolate cosmos and a penstemon which has still to flower. The majority of the plants were either grown from seed, established from cuttings or were gifts from friends. It has been amazing to see how much growth dahlias 'Bishops Children' have put on in during the course of three months. They are a definite to be repeated.

However the plants that are giving me the greatest satisfaction at the moment though are dwarf French beans 'Stanley'. In a moment of madness I stuck a few spare bean plants in to fill some bare earth the day before we went on holiday. They were surplus and were initially heading for the compost heap. I puddled them in well and then forgot about them. They are doing better than the beans at the allotment, which have received tender loving care from my allotment neighbours and from me when I have been about. Sometimes it seems that plants thrive on tough love.

I am looking forward later on today to seeing how the end of July is treating other people's gardens and allotments over at 'The Patient Gardener's Weblog', where Helen kindly hosts the end of month view.

Slightly Blushing

One of the most exciting moments of the gardening year for me is when I see my tomatoes beginning to turn colour. Each year you begin to think that it will never ever happen and then by magic overnight there is a subtle but distinct change. Even then I have to go back for a second and even a third peek just to reassure myself. This year the first of my tomatoes began to blush a couple of days ago.

The tomato in question is 'Losetto' which was a new introduction this year from Thompson and Morgan. It is an F1 variety and has been bred with blight resistance in mind. It has a cascading habit so is suitable for containers and can be grown under cover or outdoors in a sheltered sunny spot. I must admit I did not have my full wits about me when I bought the seed on a garden centre trip back in January, as if I had clocked the price before I got to the till, I think that they would have not come home with me. At £3.49 for six seeds these are rather expensive. One of my allotment friends happened to choose the same variety to try and had the misfortune to sneeze when sowing them, blowing one of the seeds away into obscurity. She was not amused.

I sowed my seeds in a heated propagator on 28th February. From there they moved to a heated sandbench in the greenhouse, where they continued to grow except for the occasional night in the house when the temperature was very low. This particular plant has had a bit of a nomadic life going from greenhouse at home to outside at the allotment and then back to the greenhouse at home.

I will have to reserve judgement though until the first tasting, which by the looks of things will not be too far off in the future. Have you grown any new to you tomatoes this year - if so any recommendations as yet or are you like me still waiting to have that first bite?

PS I am pleased to report that when I got to the allotment this morning I saw that its siblings are turning colour too.

"Don't Worry, Be Happy"

B IS FOR?

BEES ! ~ 

"The only reason for making a buzzing-noise that I know of is because you're a bee...The only reason for being a bee that I know of is making honey....and the only reason for making honey is so I can eat it." 

~ Winnie the Pooh in A.A. Milne's 'The House at Pooh Corner'

The atmosphere has been positively buzzing at the allotment this last week with the arrival of a bevy of bees - approximately 20,000 of them. These busy creatures were out and about in bright sunshine on Saturday afternoon so hence not a particularly brilliant photo.

Three plotholders have taken courses in beekeeping via the British Beekeepers Association and now with the council's approval, have located two hives on the allotment site. The hives are situated in a closed off area at one end of the allotment which is going to be especially landscaped for them with a pond, wildflower area and other planting to get them off to the very best start.

The bees can fly up to five kilometres from the hives so there is a chance that I may well see some of them flying about in my garden. Next year hopefully we can look forward to munching bread, butter and some beautiful local honey.

Be prepared to be bewitched and bewildered by the letter B over at ABC Wednesday.

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men .....

A IS FOR?

AFTER EIGHTS! - not as in the chocolate kind but as in dahlia 'Twynings After Eight'.

Alas my attempts to have an artistic arrangement of dahlias at the allotment this year have gone abjectly awry along with a lot of other aims. I do have some new to me dahlias though albeit still in pots at home. This particular variety is most appealing I think with its white flowers occasionally streaked with pink and its dark foliage.

Away to ABC Wednesday for more adventures featuring the letter A.

P.S. Again this time around I am going to attempt to keep to a horticultural theme but may occasionally go astray!

"Hi Lily"

 Z IS FOR?

"ZING, ZING, ZING WENT MY HEARTSTRINGS!" ~ when I saw my new lily finally open up its flowers for the first time on Sunday. I fell for Lilium LA Hybrid 'Eyeliner' when I came across mention of her on 'The Patient Gardener's Weblog' last year. Helen has posted about this delightful lily here and more recently here. Not wanting to risk the possibility of being disappointed I placed an order last autumn with Harts - a nursery specialising in the sale of lily bulbs.

Three well packaged bulbs arrived in a cardboard box in the depths of February. Duly planted in a pot (note to self - must plant in a bigger pot next year) there were soon signs of growth. A one woman vigilante patrol was mounted against the dreaded lily beetle, which was successful on the whole, bar one or two little nibbles of the foliage of one bulb. I caught two of the little beasties in the act of munching but no more damage thereafter. I was convinced that the buds might open whilst we were away on holiday but they teased and teased a while longer before revealing their true colours. I am quite smitten.

Zip over to ABC Wednesday for more on the letter Z!

Peeking Over The Fence

Y IS FOR?

YELLOW! - there were lots of enjoyable opportunities to peek into other people's allotments on our recent holiday. Here a vivid splash of colour from some most attractive looking courgettes. I would have liked to meet the plot holder to ask what variety they were and to have found out was lurking in that green bin but there was nobody about to ask.

If you would like to find out more about the letter Y you should visit ABC Wednesday post haste.

End Of Month View ~ June 2011

A brief report on the state of affairs as far as the end of the month view goes. After ten days away which typically coincided with the best spell of weather here for an age, we arrived back on Saturday as the sun was going down. Just time for a quick reccie of the garden including the very recently planted border which was showing more colour than we left home. Unfortunately the day lilies which were glowing in the twilight lived up to their name and the flowers dropped overnight. There were buds on the points of opening yesterday but they have not obliged yet. Instead a couple of current star performers in the border. Firstly above a glimpse of a penstemon which is one of the cuttings I took last year. So glad I did - the original perished in the winter. Not sure of the name -  maybe 'Apple Blossom' - suggestions welcome.

Secondly one of the dahlias 'Bishops Children' which I have grown from seed and will definitely be on the seed list again. They were planted out about a month ago when I was amazed to see little tubers already forming. I like the dark foliage. This is the first to open - others look as if they will be similar in colour whilst some are orange in bud.

In my absence a number of weed seedlings have sprung up in the border so time so urgent culling is called for. Meanwhile I am sad to report that the transplanted castor oil plant has turned up its toes - oh well it was worth a go but was not to be.

For more end of month views from flower gardens and veggie patches do visit The Patient Gardeners Weblog.