Monday 21 December 2009

Wednesday 9 December 2009

Victorian Front Garden Design

I get a lot of hits on my Web site from people searching for information on Victorian front gardens. So here are some thoughts on designing a Victorian front garden.

At first sight it looks simple. The spaces are mostly small and so the formula is the same every time isn’t it? Well, on the surface, yes, but each garden is different. No matter how small the garden there’s always room for error and in small spaces precision is particularly important. Even the smallest garden can have strange quirks that don’t become apparent until you’ve carefully measured and drawn them up. It doesn’t matter if the garden is only a few square metres I always do a plan.

The front garden gives a vital first impression of the rest of the house; the detail and quality of the finishes are exposed to extra scrutiny because the garden is on constant public display. Particular attention is needed to get the important features, such as the tiled pathway, railings and gate absolutely right.

Laying a Victorian tiled pathway is not the same as laying normal paving slabs. You must source the tiles from a good quality supplier and get a specialist to lay them – there are contractors who specialize in laying Victorian mosaic tiles. The pathway is an important part of recreating the authentic Victorian look, so choose your pattern with care. Don’t copy exactly other gardens in your street; a little individuality will differentiate your house from its neighbours. Choose a different colour scheme or pattern and your house will stand out from the rest whilst still adhering to the Victorian aesthetic.

The railings are usually the most expensive part of the garden. If you can’t afford cast iron you can compromise and have the railings (bars) made up in mild steel, but source a really unusual finial (head) from the extensive catalogue at James Hoyle - they also have a massive range of urns which can be used on intermediate posts or gate posts. There are loads of companies who will weld and assemble and install the railings once you’ve chosen your bars, heads and urns.

Most Victorian houses only have enough space in their front gardens for a couple of pots and a standard tree. If you have a larger front garden and are going to include a bit more planting then keep it simple, for example, clipped topiary, box edging, standard evergreen trees, Lavender and Santolina for an easily maintained classic look. Don’t confuse the smart Victorian town house front garden with the Victorian cottage garden.

If you are re-building perimeter walls remember they are supporting your gorgeous new bespoke railings and shoddy brickwork and cheap bricks will ruin the finished garden. So, get a good contractor who can show you a portfolio of projects including brick walls and choose a good quality brick that matches the house brick. It is not necessary to go to the expense of using re-claimed bricks, although they do look fabulous, there are some really good copies – get a sample and look at it next to the house brick in daylight. The ratio of walls to railings that I think works best is around one third wall to two thirds railings – so, if your wall is 45cm high the railings should be 90cm high. Just scale this up or down if you want a higher finished height, although be careful not to make the walls and railings too high in a small garden or it will look out of scale with the house.

If the York stone threshold is being replaced it’s worth the extra expense of sourcing a piece of reclaimed York stone – it’s the small details like this that will really make the finished garden. The paving used for the rest of the garden is a matter of personal choice, but I’ve found that a dark slab such a black Slate, black Limestone, or black Basalt works best.

I will be completing the construction of another Victorian front garden in Chiswick, London early next year, so keep an eye on my Web site for the pictures.

Tuesday 1 December 2009

Winter Planting Inspiration

If you're looking for some inspiration for winter planting, Dunham Massey in Cheshire is the largest winter garden in the UK. It's seven acres of gardens contain almot 700 plant varieties that will create interest from autumn until spring.

Thursday 26 November 2009

Hellebores

If you haven't already done this remove the old leaves of your Hellebores. Why would I want to do this, I hear you ask. Well, last year's leaves will start looking really tatty next year if they haven't already and will eventually die off leaving a nasty mess at the base of the plant. Hellebores can also get a fungal infection which shows as a black spot on the leaf and if you don't get rid of the infected foliage it can damage the whole plant. Also, if there is a thick canopy of old leaves you cannot see the new flowerheads. The plant will look a bit bald for a while, but you will be able to see and appreciate fully the flower buds as they emerge and open usually just after Christmas. You'll soon get a new crop of glossy, healthy leaves.

Hellebores, Epimedium, Brunnera and Euphorbia in my garden Spring 2009

Whale art - yes, really!

I loved the Cow Parade concept - life size fibreglass cows painted by artists and architects and exhibited around cities as art. Each one was different and they are now being sold for thousands of pounds.

As I may have mentioned we've just returned from our holiday in Tenerife and the Loro Parque Foundation has adapted the cows as art concept for fundraising, resulting in these lovely decorated fibreglass whales. They are currently on display in Tenerife airport. I want one!

Monday 23 November 2009

News flash - garden designer is fair weather gardener!

This horrible, wet weather is keeping me out of the garden at the moment and there's loads of tidying up to do - I hate looking out at it, it's depressing. I did manage to make a quick trip to the allotment over the weekend, my first since getting back from sunny Tenerife. I really went to pick the last of my Borlotti beans, which I make into a lovely warm salad with Avocado, sliced mushrooms (raw), soft goat's cheese and a simple lemon juice and Olive oil dressing - it's delicious. However, I was happy to see that my Broad Beans, planted a little earlier than specified in late October, are three inches high, and virtually all my garlic has come up.

I've never managed to get organised enough to plant crops that like to overwinter, although I did do garlic last year and found that I hadn't planted enough - we eat a lot of it and so this year I did about four times as much. I also had a horrible disappointment this year with my Broad Beans which I absolutely love, so I planted some in October to see what would happen. It's really great to see something happening on the plot at this time of year. I'll still do my Broad Beans in spring as well, but this means I'll have some to freeze as well - hopefully!

Friday 20 November 2009

Holiday at last ............

I’m delighted to report that although we’re in the midst of a massive recession I’ve had an amazing year for business – I think, my best to date. Although this is gratifying, it’s also worn me out so I headed off wearily on my annual pilgrimage to Tenerife. I got back a couple of days ago and I must say it didn’t disappoint.

I know Tenerife has a horrid reputation for cheap package holidays and all the tackiness that goes with them. There is that side to it, of course. However, judging Tenerife by what goes on in Playa de Las Americas is like coming here and only visiting Scunthorpe (haha, I’m allowed to say that as my other half is from there) and thinking that it represents the whole of the UK.

I love Tenerife and here’s why. It’s got great weather (I hate the cold) and you don’t have to travel far or pay a fortune to get some of this even during the Winter. It’s got some gorgeous scenery, although driving to see it can be terrifying. There’s enough to do, combined with a bit of general relaxing in the sunshine to easily fill up two weeks. Where we stay in Los Christianos if you're selective there are some really nice restaurants.

However, as a garden designer it’s the indigenous flora that interests me most. There is the obligatory effervescence of Bougainvillea, cascading in great clashing clumps over every vertical surface. I probably don’t even need to mention the ubiquitous feathery plumes of Phoenix Canariensis, one of many species of palm that grow in Tenerife. There are plants that we grow in the UK such as Hibiscus and some really unusual species of Euphorbia. I’m always delighted to see plants which we can only grow indoors such as Monstrera (cheese plants), Draceana, Ficus benjamina and Strelizia (Bird of Paradise plant) flourish in the perfect climate. I love Plumbago and it’s a real treat to see it running wild and adding its subtle sky blue blossoms to the gaudy palette. There are huge cacti and loads of interesting succulents perfectly suited to the hot, arid conditions of the South of the island.

Here’s a few images:-



Washingtonia Robusta



Phoenix dactilifera, Yucca, Phoenix Canariensis



Topiary Tenerife style



Bougainvillea




Acalypha, Yucca & Phoenix Canariensis

Thursday 17 September 2009

Sculpture

Have a look at these amazing modern sculptures - I particularly love this one.

Autumn Colour

I'm not keen on the end of summer. I love the hot weather and hate the thought that I'll have to wait ages until it starts to warm up again. The start of September always makes me feel like it's all downhill from now until next March, a relentless round of leaf collection and disposal, cutting down sludgy, dead plants and pressure washing slimy paving slabs. The gorgeous, blowsy colour of late spring and summer is so sublime that I always get a bit down in the dumps. But there's always something to look at in a well planned garden and the herbaceous planting in my front garden continues to please me. Here's a photo of Cimcifuga (Actea), Aster frikartii 'Monch', Sedum spectabile 'Brilliant', Helenium 'Wyndley', Echinops 'Veitch's Blue', and Echinacea purpurea blooming their heads off outside my front door.

Sunday 13 September 2009

Nate Frizzell

When I was training to be a garden designer I was advised to keep my 'visual vocabulary' honed by looking at the work of artists, architects and designers in other fields. It's great advice, but I don't always get the time to visit galleries, walk around looking at gorgeous building, and read magazines, let alone go out and find new, interesting artists. Fortunately for me my partner, Spencer, is very interested in contemporary art and design and has unearthed several really interesting artists - see my previous post about Tessar Lo.

Nate Frizzell is another amazing young artist that Spencer and I really love. Have a look at the creation of this amazing painting Nest, a print of which is hanging on our wall as I write - see image below.

Also, take a look at his transformation of a recycling bin into a piece of art.

Spencer and Linsey's copy of Nest

Henley Show

Yesterday I went to Henley Show, it's one of my favourite things to do all year. I'm not a big fan of large, county-type shows where you can't move for other people bustling you out of the way and pushy sellers harassing you for business - I do empathise, but really give a girl some space! However, I love Henley show, its small, but big enough to potter around for a few hours. The weather is always gorgeous - I've been going for years now and have never got wet (OK, once, but right at the very end as we were leaving). Yesterday was no exception, it was one of the nicest days of the recent, so called summer.

I always go and talk to the Llamas, of course, see my previous post about Llama trekking. They didn't disappoint - I had a good chat with Rupert and he was happy to be stroked and generally interfered with. I love seeing all the different types of livestock - the cattle are always amazing, so gentle and some of them so huge! We also talked to the goats, ducks and chickens, although I must complain about a shortage of pigs - I love pigs. The problem is it just makes me want to sell up, buy a smallholding somewhere remote and knit my own underwear (or whatever)!

I really miss having my own horses, so I spent plenty of time watching the various horse classes and being amazed at their willingness to comply with our bidding - 'You want me to jump over that massive coloured construction? OK, then!'.

I loved every minute. It made me forget about work, which has been manic all year and shows no sign of abating (not that I'm complaining, you understand), and just simply relax and enjoy myself doing nothing in particular. It's a very necessary thing to do if, like me, you're a bit of a worrier and find it impossible to switch off.

Here are some photos that I took on my way round:-

Rupert Llama



Who'd have thought there were so many different types of chicken??



Judging the poultry



Friendly cows



Vintage cars



Pygmy goat



Gorgeous Suffolk Punch



Produce tent - yummy!

Thursday 10 September 2009

Garden Opening Party

I was invited by my clients Patrick and Linda to the official opening of their garden in Crowthorne - it's actually not quite finished yet, but any excuse to down a few bottles of excellent red wine and some delicious food. So, thanks Linda and Pat for the invite. I've loved working on this garden which I designed quite some time ago. It's been a long time in the development stage, but is finally complete apart from a bit more planting.

I'll be putting up the before and after shots on my Web site very soon. In the meantime, here are some photos from the party.

Formal Area



Deck with arbour, firepit and architectural planting



Stream



Herbaceous planting - it'll look much better next year......



Patio with guests



Path from deck to rear garden with view of stream



Linda & Pat - thanks you two!

Saturday 5 September 2009

Client's with a sense of humour - whatever next!

I've just secured a fab new client with an acre of garden to design in Winkfield Row - lovely! When I first meet a new client my main aim is to try and understand how they want to use their garden, what style they're looking for, how they want to garden to feel. I ask them loads of questions and one I always ask is what would you absolutely hate to see in your garden. This client gave me the best answer to the question I've ever received - 'my ex-wife'!

I think we're going to get on very well .......

Sunday 30 August 2009

Favourite Roses

Rosa 'Graham Thomas' has just been voted the world's favourite rose at the 2009 Wold Rose Convention in Vancouver. It is beautiful.

I am not especially fond of roses grown as shrubs, although a hedge of shrub roses such as Rosa 'Hyde Hall' can look stunning. What I really hate are those dreary rose gardens where badly pruned, disease riddled, sad looking specimens are grown alone without the interest of other surrounding plants. Horrid!

However, I am very fond of climbing roses. Trained over an arch or pergola, grown up trellis, and, of course, around a front door they look fabulous. Roses can be combined with other climbing plants so that when they're not flowering you still get colour and scent.

I recently constructed a pergola in my mother's garden, with the help of my brother and his hard-working kids - my newphews and niece. I planted it up with a mixture of climbers, but my Mum loves roses, so we planted a different one on each pergola post. This was the first time I'd used Graham Thomas and it has been amazing - by far the most flowers of all the others in its first season, and a really pretty yellow. I also used some of my other favourite climbing roses, all David Austen:-

Falstaff - a blowsy, double deep, rich red with an amazing fragrance.
Crown Princess Margarets - double flowered, apricot orange, very fragrant.
A Shopshire Lad - peachy pink, very scented.
Iceberg - white climber with a light scent.

Friday 28 August 2009

George Pelecanos

I first read a George Pelecanos novel on holiday in Italy in 2000. It was the second book in the 'Washington Quartet' series and I absolutely loved it. I have since read everything he's written. Each year I save up his most recently published novel and read it on holiday.

So, I've been a Pelecanos devotee for almost a decade and am rather peeved that everyone else seems to be jumping on the bandwagon. Geoerge Pelecanos has suddenly become part of the zeitgeist. He was a co-writer and producer of several episodes of cult TV show The Wire - which I also loved and watched from its first screening. Now, even President Obama's getting in the act.

Read the Washington Quartet which starts with The Big Blowdown and continues with King Suckerman, The Sweet Forever and Shame the Devil. They're amazing. You'll be totally hooked.

Thursday 27 August 2009

A day in the life of a garden designer

I love being a garden designer. ‘Why’s that, Linsey?’ I hear you ask. Well, today I spent most of my time collecting plants from a wholesale nursery – what’s not to love? For those of you not familiar with such an establishment, wholesale nurseries are where us garden designers and other garden trade types get our plants. I’m never happier than when I’m mooching around a nursery looking at plants. I use several wholesalers, but today I was at North Hill in Chobham, it’s just a brilliant, Aladdin’s cave of a place.

Wholesale nurseries are not open to the general public and are rather less tidy and organised than a garden centre - definitely no frills. Some of the plants are not looking their best, not all the plants are labelled – you really need to know what you are looking for and at. Part of the fun and interest for me is in finding new plants, or chancing upon a combination that would never have suggested itself naturally.

I really enjoy chatting to the knowledgeable plantsmen and women who run and staff the nurseries. John and Rob at North Hill are a mine of useful information and always good for a bit of banter.

After loading up, I delivered the plants to site and set them out ready for planting. So, my day was pretty perfect – even the weather was great. I probably don't need to point out that it beats sitting in an office.

Here are some shots of the nursery.









John doing a little dance for the camera



Rob pricing my plants



Not sure how I'm going to fit them all in my van.......

Monday 24 August 2009

Sustainable Oak Fencing

If you're looking for something different to the bog standard trellis or fencing panels check out this sustainable Oak fencing by Quercus. It's really beautiful, adds an extra texure to the garden, can be made to measure and is environmentally friendly.

Gardening Courses at Barnsdale

Want to learn a bit more about gardening? Always wanted to know how to build a wall or lay a patio? Check out the gardening courses being held at Geoff Hamilton's famous garden at Barnsdale.

Saturday 22 August 2009

Future Gardens

Need some inspiration, or just want a day out? Visit the Future Gardens display at Butterfly World in St Albans.

Monday 17 August 2009

Spring Flowering Bulbs

My thoughts are turning to bulbs – now is the time to order and get planting. I always include winter and spring flowering bulbs in my planting schemes. It’s a great way of ensuring some interest and colour early in the year, as well as adding some extra structure to a scheme.

The earliest are, of course, snowdrops and there are so many great varieties, even doubles – the best way is to buy them as plants ‘in the green’ at the end of the season, but I’ve had plenty of luck planting bulbs. I always include some Anemone blanda, also known as Windflowers – they have delicate cut foliage and beautiful flowers from white, through pale pink to bright blues – try planting around the base of an ornamental tree. Crocus is another gorgeous early flowering bulb that can bring a swathe of colour into the garden. However, be warned the squirrels find them delicious and usually dig all of them up in my garden! Any Crocus not eaten by the squirrels are usually pecked off by the birds – they seem to love the white and yellow flowering ones.

Tulips look great in a border. I keep away from the bright, municipal colours like reds and yellows – although it’s purely a matter of taste. I like to plant Queen of the Night which is a very deep, almost black purple, then upwards through the purple colour spectrum through to pale sugar pink. Negrita is a lovely deep mauve as is Purple Prince. Shirley and Douglas Bader are both good for the pink end of the spectrum.

Make sure you include some alliums, their architectural domes are a must in the late spring garden. I like Allium ‘Purple Sensation’.

I’m not keen on daffodils in borders – their foliage leaves the border looking scruffy for ages after the flowers are gone. All the other bulbs mentioned will disappear into the border until they come up again the following season, and any residual foliage is covered quickly by emerging plants. I like to plant daffodils in pots – I have dozens of pots of them that I hide during the summer and bring out again, always adding a couple more pots each year, when they are poking their heads above the soil.

Have a look at these sites Gee Tee
and J Parker for a great range of spring flowering bulbs.

Blue Parrot Tulips

Friday 14 August 2009

My Garden - Bracknell, Berkshire

I awarded myself a day off today, well, sort of. I have been designing a garden for clients in Silchester, Berkshire and it’s going well. Rather too well, in fact. So, I decided to take a break and come back to it tomorrow just in case I’m missing something obvious.

I did a little light plant shopping in Chobham, Surrey, ostensibly, for my Crowthorne client, but whilst I was there I couldn’t resist this rather pretty Buddleja ‘Apollo Blue’. Now, I’m a bit ambivalent about Buddleja – when they are, as is often the case, not correctly pruned and deadheaded they look hideous, but when looked after properly and smothered in butterflies they look gorgeous. I have a problem place by my shed at the top of the garden under a tree, so I thought it might brighten up the space as well as encouraging more insects into the garden.



The benefits of a bit of pottering in the garden cannot be overstated. Because I had given myself a bit of time to tidy up and generally mooch around, I spotted this sweet little white Cyclamen growing amongst Euphorbia Robbiae. I don’t actually remember planting it – I am suspicious that the squirrels have moved it from elsewhere in the garden. Anyway, it looks really pretty.



Something else giving me great pleasure in the garden at the moment is this Aster frikartii ‘Monch’. Also growing in a slightly tricky place where nothing else seemed happy. I planted it in the spring hoping to plug a gap in the border at the front garden and it’s repaid me handsomely.

Friday 7 August 2009

Alfresco dining

It looks as though we’re going to have some nice weather this weekend and I, for one, will be spending as much time outside as possible. I especially like to cook and eat outside - I find it very relaxing, just like being on holiday.

With all the doom and gloom about the weather it’s easy to believe that the summer’s over, but don’t despair, we often get a gorgeous Indian summer – remember last year, it was amazing right up to the end of October. Plenty of time to get out and enjoy your garden

I’ve built two seating areas in my garden and both are sheltered enough to eat outside even when it’s not blazing sunshine. You may have to put on an extra sweater, but it’s always worth it. The secret is to create areas that protect you from the elements, but are also private so that you’re not overlooked and can feel psychologically relaxed.

I use pergolas, screens of round posts combined with tall grasses, hedges, and walls. If you create a structure over your seating area, such as a pergola, you can have a detachable canvas cover that enables you to sit out even if it’s raining. Shade sails look great and can be taken down when you’re not using them. A simple awning attached to the house will also work. If you have the budget you can build walls and combine with wooden structures to create interesting outdoor rooms within your garden. The possibilities are endless.

Add some fairy lights snaking up the pergola, into the planting, into the canopy of a parasol, or underneath your canvas awning and you can create a magical outdoor dining space – you’ll never want to eat inside again.



Seating area at the top of my garden with radial pergola and mosaic paving.

Saturday 25 July 2009

Golden Marjoram a magnet for bees and butterflies

I've allowed my golden Marjoram to flower and not only does it look pretty but its alive with bees, butterflies, hover flies and other beneficial insects. I cut off some of the flower spikes so that I've got a fresh supply of leaves to use in cooking, but leave the rest of the flowers on. I grow a lot of a couple of golden Marjoram plants as it looks great in the borders, the flowers are pretty and its good for putting in all sorts of dishes. I love the fact that it's also so popular with wildlife.

World's Top Ten Ugly Plants

Actually I really like some of them Birthworts and Monkey Cups are excellent - see what you think.

Tuesday 21 July 2009

Don't visit Sissinghurst?

This is quite interesting Sissinghurst

My Plot Runneth Over

Every year I forget what a fruitful season this is. I visited my allotment today for the first time in a week and it’s gone completely mental.

I learnt my lesson in my first year of allotmenting (I might have just made this word up) that one or two courgette plants are plenty for two people, even if you like courgettes a lot. So I have grown one yellow and one green plant. Even so the Bracknell Courgette Mountain is beginning to re-establish itself – it first emerged the first year I had my plot when I grew four plants which resulted in a legendary courgette glut and many, many jars of courgette pickle.

One of my best successes has been the Rainbow Chard which I grew for the first time this year. Not only does it look pretty – I’m a big fan of this, and grow four different types of beans black (Blauhilde), yellow (Goldfield), Green (Cobra), and stripey (Borlotti) which not only taste great but look gorgeous – but it’s totally delicious. The pigeons and slugs seem to leave it alone and it seems to do better and taste at least as good as Spinach which I love. I put in two 1.5m long rows which I’ve been picking since April and it’s still going strong.

I picked some beetroot and am going to make a Goat’s Cheese and Beetroot tart which I found in the Guardian weekend magazine - sounds yummy! I’ve also taken to roasting my beetroot – it is a bit of a fiddle because you have to individually foil wrap them and roast them for two hours, but it preserves more of the goodness and flavour than boiling or steaming – very tasty.

Monday 6 July 2009

Tropical Colour

If you fancy adding a bit of low-maintenance colour to your garden try some Hemerocallis. They are easy to grow, flower from late June onwards and are perfect for creating a tropical look when teamed with palms, grasses, bananas and bamboos. Available in a wide range of colours from white, bright oranges and yellows, pinks, through to divine deep purples. You can get some with frilly, picotee edges that are particularly interesting. They don't seem to suffer from the dreaded Lily Beetle and will multiply year on year. They only flower for one day, hence their common name - Day Lily, but when on day's flowers have gone there are plenty to replace them the following day.

Here is Hemerocallis 'Destined to See' flowering in my garden.

Sunday 5 July 2009

Llama Trekking

People choose to celebrate their birthdays in various ways, and this year I’ve chosen something totally different. My ongoing birthday festivities have been complex and self-indulgent, but the highlight was a day spent Llama trekking in Northamptonshire.

I dragged along my trusty friends Alex and Catherine and, of course, my partner Spencer (actually he organised it) and we set off for the Northamptonshire countryside. We arrived at Catanga Farm, were given a talk on Llamas and told how to handle them. We then set off on a 2 hour hike around the beautiful countryside leading our Llamas. If you’ve never encountered a Llama you should immediately book a trek. It was completely brilliant. I know it sounds a bit strange, but if you don’t know anything else about me you should know that I love Llamas – they are beautiful, gentle creatures. They are a little shy and not quite as sociable or huggable as horses and donkeys, but once you get used to their idiosyncratic ways I guarantee you’ll be hooked.

After the trek we had a tour of the centre, and got to speak to some more Llamas including some very cute baby Llamas. We polished off our day with a Champagne picnic surrounded by fields of Llamas –perfect!

My gorgeous Llama 'Felix'



Me and Felix



So gorgeous I had to post his photo again....



Another cute Llama



Resting Llama



Baby Llama

Saturday 27 June 2009

Contemporary Art

My partner (Spencer) discovered the work of artist Tessar Lo 18 months ago. He comissioned a gorgeous piece of art from Tessar and we now have several other pieces of his work in the house. Check out his Web site.


Thursday 25 June 2009

Case Study - Large Garden in Surrey - Update 8

The left-hand side of the garden is now complete apart from the planting – one of the terraced borders is planted and there’s a new Bay hedge along the top boundary, but we’re leaving the rest until the Autumn. The sunken garden is almost complete apart from its turf. The old pergola has been extended and given a coat of black paint and is awaiting its new climbers. The lower patio is laid and the lawn has been dug over and is receiving a top dressing of sand and topsoil.

Work has started on the right-hand side terracing. The structural wall was already in place, and now the blockwork has gone up to create the various levels and steps. The new front wall has been constructed and is just waiting for its gates and railings. The timber retaining wall for the raised borders is also being constructed.

All that remains is to complete the rear garden right-hand side blockwork, then clad and pave the terraces; build the decked terrace from the summer house; lay the driveway paving; install railings to front and rear gardens; construct the raised beds bordering the road; planting and then, inevitably, snagging. I say ‘all’, there is still at least two months work to be done.








Wednesday 24 June 2009

Pesky Pigeons

The allotment is looking great and bearing a selection of fabulous fresh fruit and veg. However, on visiting to do some tidying up over the weekend I was greeted by six fat pigeons taking flight from in and around my plot. Not content with scoffing my spinach, rocket, and salad leaves those thieving avian rodents have stripped one of my blackcurrant bushes and started on the redcurrants. If I had a gun and it was permissible to shoot them I would do so – I can think of any number of delicious ways to enjoy pigeons, perhaps with a blackcurrant sauce!?

I have now netted round the fruit bushes and covered all my brassicas and lettuces with Agralan enviromesh which is excellent for protecting plants from all sorts of pests including airbone ones.

Saturday 13 June 2009

Relaxing in the garden - part 2

I'm not good at sitting around doing nothing, especially when there's allotments to weed, climbers to tie in, perennials to stake, borders to weed, and so on .......... Now don't get me wrong I enjoy doing all of these things (yes, really), but sometimes I need to be told. This week I was struck down by some hideous virus and have been forced to take it easy. So, here's me and my cat, Ellie, relaxing under the umberella with the scent of Rosa 'Rambling Rector' filling the air, reading Dennis Lehane (only me, not Ellie, its Pelecanos or nothing for her) and getting in the mood to go out to dinner with some friends this evening - doesn't get much better.



Enjoy the weekend.

Linsey

Thursday 11 June 2009

Relaxing in the garden

Here's a shot of my fiercest critic showing her appreciation of the new garden layout. Her majesty clearly approves of the new black Limestone paving, and doesn't seem to mind that the retaining wall is still waiting for its final coat of render.