Treasures close to your heart - Sac à Bolduc

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Over at Aesthetic Alterations talk has been of treasures close to your heart. I pondered this for a while whilst tending to a neglected border. A few things came to mind.

DD's christening gown, a very simple affair but made with love (and skill!) by her paternal grandmother.

DS first coat, an incredibly soft and thick duffle coat from the softest denim I have ever encountered and lined with a bright check pattern. He probably outgrew it fifteen years ago but it is still in my wardrobe.

The shoebox of family photographs which I took to a framer some years ago. I really wanted a selction of them on permanent display in the house and he kindly framed a good dozen for me. Now DD can see the grandad she never knew, uncles which she hardly sees as we live in another country, and a way of life that no longer exists, at least in our part of the world.

Last but not least, a bag I made, the "Sac à Bolduc" from the title.
For a long time, I have been admiring the design of the Marwari bag. I prefer my bags leather lined if possible and closed on top. I also baulked at the price point for an essentially fabric lined bag. But I needed a simple small messenger-style bag for errands.
Having been collecting Hermes silk scarves (on and off) for many years I have accumulated a fair amount of the ribbon Hermes uses to fasten their boxes, the Bolduc.
When DH was recovering from an operation last year I spent a few weeks at home. To while away the evenings, the bolduc and the sewing machine came out and I made myself a Marwari/Bottega Veneta inspired bag. Never did I realise just how much ribbon would be needed. Fellow scarfies from around the globe came to my rescue and sent me more. Their sheer generosity and support for my design and craft project were so helpful for me at the time.
The result whilst not perfect is perfectly wearable with a "busy" side  and a "quite side" made from the reverse of the bolduc.

Catching up

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Today is beautiful and sunny, a summer's day straight from a picture book.

I remembered that I had put my name down for a Sunday flower rota and went to raid the garden for suitable offerings.

Strong contenders were Dahlia 'Olympic Fire' and 'Bora Bora'. I settled for  orange 'Olympic Fire' and teamed it with lavender.

Olympic Fire

'Bora Bora' is really showy, an orgy of pink and yellow. Whilst I like it, it does look best on its own and in large quantities which alas were not available.

Bora Bora

Don't be fooled by the size of the picture, the flower heads on this dahlia can easily reach the size of a baby's head.

Oriental poppies are a bit of in indulgence for me. Whilst incredibly beautiful to me, they do not flower very long and don't make good cut flowers. Once finished flowering, the foliage just becomes a mess and has to be cut right back. Still, when in flower, they are stunning, so they are with me for good. The variety I grow is 'Patty's Plum', as the name suggests a plum coloured variety.

In autumn last year I had taken root cuttings, applied slug pellets and for months I watched anxiously for signs of life. In winter I promptly forgot about them.
To my surprise I saw signs of growth in Spring - and plenty of evidence of abuse by slugs. I probably potted them on a bit too early (and really should have gone for P9 rather than 2ltr pots) and was much more on the ball with slug pellets. Slow to establish they now are proper little plants, ready to be planted out in autumn

My final job for today was more seed sowing. It is easy enought to be caught up with harvesting July's bounty to forget that if you want to eat your greens in autumn and winter you need to sow now. I have sown more

• lettuce 'Merveille de quatre saisons' (have grown this lots this year and am still not tired)
• oriental spinach 'Mikado' (not tried before)
• rocket (nearly too late for it)
• coriander (dito)
• mixed salad leaves 'Niche'

High summer favourites

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I got a chance to walk past the front of the local primary school today and noticed how the purple and yellow bed is looking up.

The bed is behind a wall, so I was looking for tall plants that can be seen by parents and children alike.

The verbena bonariensis, tall sunflowers and rudbeckias are fitting the bill just fine. School has just broken up for the summer but these beauties should still strut their stuff when school opens again in September.

Another bed has a mixture of rudbeckias. Two years ago I discovered a new cultivar, Rudbeckia x hirta 'Cherry Brandy'.

It was supposed to be an annual and after a failed germination attempt I bit the bullet and bought plug plants. They gave a great show throughout summer and autumn and whenever I worked in the school garden, a passer by would invariably enquire about them.

When it came to tidying the bed, some of the plants looked in good condition, so they got away with a haircut. So glad I left them in because they now form good sized clumps.

Sous le Cedre II

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I finally had a chance to break out my new to me Sous le Cedre.

It appears this scarf has not been worn much if at all and it is still rather stiff. I love the mosaic effect along the hem and the colours are spot on for me, so glad I did not pull the trigger on the orange base I saw many months ago.

Late July bounty

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July brought lots of loot in the rectory garden and today was no exception. I harvested the first potatoes, first apples and as the herbs badly needed a trim bundles of herbs for the kitchen.

The potatoes are volunteers from last year and they were driving me mad when the foliage appeared this Spring. Who can hold a grudge though when you lift these unexpected treasures (either Lady Balfour or Cara)? There are lots more but I will lift them five pounds or so at a time. From plot to plate in hours I hope.

Due to the unexpectedly warm April this year, apple harvest has begun in earnest and the rectory's eating apples are ready to be picked. I'm not sure which variety this is, I suspect it may be Discovery. Anyway, the fruits are plump, juicy, without blemish and oh so tasty. Good job I was asked to take a bucket home.

One of the more enjoyable jobs today was to shear the herbs which are overspilling their pots. Most herbs have done very well with the exception of basil which took several attempts to sow and is still rather ... measly.

Chives, tarragon, rosemary, thymes and oregano are all doing phantastic and are tied up in little bundles ready for the rectory kitchen.



I have started to shear the lavender as it was barring the entrance to the greenhouse and I have potted up some young strawberry plants.

Dahlias

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Dahlias are in vogue again. Deservedly so as I think as they have so much to give for relatively little effort.

This year the dahlias have been flowering since end of June and will continue to do so until first frost, probably some time in October.

Here's an old variety Arabian Night. I bought tubers probably 5 years ago and have steadily increased my stock. For the first time this year I have noticed that some of the petals are pure white.

When given LTC including regular watering, this dahlia will grow to 5 foot hence the tall bamboo stakes.

Arabian Night in AW garden July 2011

Bulbs

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Yes, summer is barely here and my thoughts are turning to Spring next year. A bit like in the fashion world ....

I tend to order my bulbs in August for an early September delivery. Bulb planting for anything but tulips then takes place throughout September and should be complete by early October. Tulip bulbs are stored cool and dry until much later in the year, early to mid November in my case.

Tending many gardens (and often ordering bulbs for friends) I keep a list to organise what varieties I will be ordering, what quantities are needed and who is to get how many. With all bulbs delivered in one batch, storing the tulip bulbs has become a bit of a challenge, so the plan for this year is to buy the tulips later, preferably when they go on sale.

For now my wishlist is for Anemone blanda, daffodils, erythronium and some species tulips.

I will be trialling a white flowered variety of erythronium and have chosen three varieties of daffodils to give colour (and cut flowers) from late February to May.

My personal favourite has to be Narcissi 'Manly' described as "with double cream-yellow flowers of waterlily form"

Narcissi Manly (photo credit: Rose Cottage Plants)



Another favourite spring flowering bulb is the species tulip Tulipa turkestanica. On very slender stems grow several nodding flowerheads which open wide on a sunny day.

Tulipa turkestanica (photo credit: Rose Cottage Plants)

Lest I forget

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It would not be the first time that I forget sow peas for autumn and to take cuttings of penstemons.

The rain forecast for this afternoon did not materialise so I loaded a frame of root trainers with pea 'Ambassador', a variety to be sown in July, ready for picking in October. I had already sown a big batch at the start of the month with great success but they went to the veg plot in the rectory. As I like peas just as much as my clients, I am glad I remembered to sow them today. Four books of root trainers seemed a bit measly (plus the spacers that I finally acquired don't work very well), so I filled the whole frame.

Pea 'Ambassador'

The other job that I have on occasion forgotten, is to take cuttings of penstemons. I am particularly fond of Penstemon 'Raven', a tall variety with large dark purple flowers. Alas it is not as hardy as some cultivars. As I use this variety in several gardens and struggled in Spring to replace plants lost to the harsh winter, I am upping my odds this time by taken cuttings from side shoots. They were inserted in fresh potting compost within minutes of being cut, watered and put in a ziplock bag to conserve moisture. Fingers crossed they will root.



Sous le Cedre I

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An exciting arrival was patiently waiting for me when I got home at lunch time. I fell in love with Sous le Cedre quite some time ago and am particularly drawn to the mosaic border. This being a design from 1998 it is of course no longer to be found in store.

I am pleased to say that this beauty arrived safely from Japan and is in excellent condition. It is raining, so I won't wear it straight away but here is a sneak look at it.

Sous le Cedre

Thalictrum delavayi 'Album'

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I have to praise the humble meadow rue or in this case the cultivar Thalictrum delavayi 'Album'. It lends itself to a relaxed planting schemen and I like to pair it with Calamagrostis × acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'. Given the right conditions, mainly not deep shade and the odd good soaking, both plants will grow to 1.5m and more.

They both sway gently in a breeze and whilst Thalictrum may need staking I avoid this by planting it with the Calamagrostis. There's something very graceful and uplifting about the mass of tiny starshaped white flowers.

Before the flowers open fully they look like tiny pearls.

Underplanting with hostas, hellebores, epimedium and erysimum.

Advertising works

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On the short journey back home a few days ago I listened to a local radio station, a rare feast for me. It must have been fate because an advertisement was being played, urging listeners to check their smoke alarms weekly.

Hand on heart, how often do you check yours? I'm ashamed to say, that I all too often rely on the smoke alarm to emit the annoying regular beep to warn of the low battery status.

So tonight DH checked and lo and behold the alarm was not working. Maybe we missed the low battery warning when we were away early in the month? I did not even wait for the next grocery shop, I went to the shops tonight and got a new battery.

Smoke alarms save lives but only when they are working properly. Hopefully we will never need it. But for once I am happy that advertising works.

Border Update

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The rectory has a small stretch of northfacing border next to a much used garden path that is looking very tired. A couple of big laurels give a green backdrop throughout the year but the front has only masses of Tellima Grandiflora to offer. They look pretty when in flower but for 11 months of the year they do nothing for me.

photo credit: findmeplants.co.uk

I have made a preparing the border today for autumn planting. The soil is not too hard despite not having been cultivated in many years, slightly stony perhaps. I could lift out most of the Tellimas with just a border fork, leaving a few behind for old times' sake. I had previously started to deadhead them and needed to finish this job off. Work had to stop unexpectedly as I inadvertently disturbed a bee colony which must have taken up residence in the mulch I applied last year. I will stick with the half finished job for now and hope the bees will have moved on by planting time.

Sweet Peas

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I adore the scent of old fashioned sweet peas but don't always make room in my own garden to grow them. Luckily the vicar's wife loves them too and insists on them every year.

With the severe winter hitting us a second time last year, I decided to not sow them in the autumn. This of course meant that the first flowers did not appear until early July. They are finally blooming though and I picked some to take home. The dining room is filled with their delicious and delicate scent.