Getting organised

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Way back in the summer I picked up a new address book and I have been looking for a cover ever since. It was an indulgence that replaced a necessity; my old address book came as part of a management type diary from a job around 1997, so you can imagine in what state it was.

I used the run up to Christmas and the traditional card writing to transfer addresses from the old inserts and scraps of paper to the new address book. Incidentally I wrote fewer cards this year, having followed Stephen Cottrell's excellent advice...

Getting into the spirit of Christmas

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The last few weeks have been busier than anticipated. Due to illness in the family, the little gardener and I made hasty arrangements to fly to Germany. As there was not much time to lose we ended up having different airports for all our departures and arrivals, meaning extra help from friends to take and collect us.

This was no time for a scarf extravaganza and I wore my Brazil GM every single day, the GM's are fine in foul weather.

Nostalgia

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In the run up to Christmas, it is nice to take some time out and reminisce. One of my scarves is a favourite for this time of year: Les Plaisirs du Froid.

It depicts a scene from an era long past, where people would go for a ride in a sleigh or ice skate on a frozen lake.

Holly - from park to scarf

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I have to come back to a photo taken recently at the Jardins des Plantes:

 

It features variegated holly and it so reminds me of one of my "seasonal scarves", Neige d'Antan II.

 

But is it art? You bet it is, twofold even

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A little seasonal foray into nature, art, sculpture and silk scarves. 

This is my last post about the JDP, linking Castanea sativa (sweet chestnut)

to a Hermès scarf design, A Vos Crayons.

A vos crayons (Leigh P. Cook, 2004/5) photo credit: luxury-scarves

Brave? Foolish? Would I do it again? Mais oui!

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After weeks of wear (in rotation with many other scarves, I hasten to add), I decided to wash my cashmere poncho/stole type thing. And for good measure, add my GM dip dye as well.

Not only did I consider washing, I considered machine washing. Thinking about the size and how much water the stole would hold, made me realize that even my kitchen sink (think butler style) was too small.

Christmas find

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For today's post I am returning to a charming little shop in the rue de Seine where I already got my Christmas candle.  

Lifting dahlias

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A brief return to the roots of this blog... 

Thinking back to this time last year, the Uk was gripped by fierce frosts. This year's autumn has been much gentler with a slow descent into winter. This has meant, that my dahlias have only just been lifted.

The last lot to be dug up was in the mystery garden and I had remembered to bring a fully charged camera along.

"Magical" Paris

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The theme for this week on the scarf board is Sun, Moon & Stars.

I don't think I possess anything that fits the bill; I need to scrutinize a few scarves in detail but I remember a scarf (sadly not in my possession) called La Magie. 

I am trying to find a good quality photo that I can use because it is a charming design, possibly better framed than knotted. If you can help, please get in touch. Thank you.

La Magie (Claudia Stuhlhofer 1999) photo credit: luxury-scarves, Zurich

New depths

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This week is perfect for wearing cashmere shawls. As it is bitterly cold first thing in the morning, I am layering the shawl with a cashmere wrap cardigan, a souvenir from an earlier Paris trip.

Grands Fonds (Great depths) seems to have a huge following but I fell in love with the colours of this shawl first and I like the GF II design for a GM. I am strangely drawn to the big bubbles...

RIP Renee / Qalamdam

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I received some sad news last night. Known as Mrs U-turn on my blog, my lovely client Renee, has died. Suddenly if not completely unexpectedly.  

It is difficult to express just how much I will miss this wonderful lady who was gracious, friendly, kind and compassionate. She bore her illness with dignity and would deflect any enquiry about her health with a question about my family or myself or a query about her garden.

Cashmere & Candles

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Cashmere/silk week:

Apologies for the poor picture, the drizzly weather is spoiling any attempt to take a flattering photograph.

If I had to choose my favourite cashmere/silk scarf, it would be this one:

Pierres d'Orient et d'Occident

 

Paris - Hothouses

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Another post dating back to last Wednesday's visit to the JdP, this time focussing on the hothouses/tropical greenhouses. Look out for today's scarf matching the travel theme...

Whilst entrance to the garden is free, a small fee is payable for entrance to the greenhouses. Having been to Kew Gardens and the Eden project before, these were much smaller but worthwhile nonetheless. 

 

The little gardener was very taken with these houses, especially one that reminded her of pirates hiding their treasure in caves.

Paris - Jardin des Plantes

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As the gardening year comes to an end for me, I long to have a break. This year proved no exception: I have been pushing myself for the best part of the year and after a particularly nasty bout of backache (thankfully finally sorted by a lovely osteopath), I was very much looking forward to a short trip to Paris.

Marguerites or how to fit a hedge into a wheelbarrow

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I am rather fond of these Marguerites 'Paris White' grown from seed in the Spring. Although we some minor night frosts, they are still in flower and a gorgeous sight in late November.

They have now grown into huge bushes and although they are usually grown as annuals in our climate I feel very tempted overwinter them. I could leave them a little longer but that might just be tempting fate as I will be away for most of the week.

This mini hedge is made up of 5 plants:

The rectory in November

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No pictures again as the weather continues to be damp and cool.

The battle with leaves at the rectory is nearly won! The leaf composting bin that was constructed in early autumn is nearly too small and it measures 1.25m square. All the leaves that I am dumping have gone through a shredder with a compression ratio of 15:1, so you get an idea just how much foliage is being shed in the rectory garden.

I have cleared out the greenhouse and given it a bit of a clean inside and outside. As there was moss growing between the glass panes and the frame, I had to take out glass panels from the roof to get the moss removed. It is not exactly sparkly but a lot better.

This winter I will try to overwinter the marguerites (grown from seed in the Spring) as they are fine bushes indeed. I have lifted them, cut them back and potted up in fresh compost. They are supposed to overwinter in an unheated greenhouse, so I am hoping for the best.

There has been a good supply of blackberries this year but the brambles have taken over parts of the garden, so I have been ruthless with cutting them back and feeding the canes through the chipper. One heaped wheelbarrow equates to two buckets of shredded green waste. A very satisfying job and my new thinsulate thornproof gloves came up trumps, only two thorns got me.

We had the first night frost last night but the dahlias are still standing although I am willing them to blacken. They are really past their best and I am keen to lift and store them.

As the gardening year draws to an end, I always feel a bit sad and I find myself with time on my hands. Luckily I have a little trip to the city of lights coming up next week, perfect for some rest and catching up with family. I may pack my secateurs as well as a shopping list.

 

At home in November

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My own little garden still manages to bring a smile to my face at this time of year   but I suspect it is a fluke, a one off courtesy of the warm spell that started a few weeks ago and is only just abetting.

For a start I have managed to cut flowers for the house! And no, we are not talking early Christmas decorations here but summer stunner...

Top Tulips

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I was asked here a while back about my favourite tulip. Since perusing tulip catalogues is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine or should I say a much loved research task, this is a difficult question for me. There are simply so many that I like, I will share my current favourites with you.

Weekend Eye Candy

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Cotinus 'Grace'

The Hunt for Red October

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or better the hunt for golden October continued with a perfect walk in Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire.

 
The current mild weather surely has nature confused and the first flower that greeted me was this tiny bellflower (?)

Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire

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The exceptionally fine and mild autumn weather plus the fact that today school was closed for the little gardener meant an opportunity for us to explore Hardwick Hall at autumn time.

There are two Hardwick Halls to be precise. The old one is now a ruin which can still be visited (the above photo shows the view from it) and the "new" one, a fine Elizabethan mansion complete with extensive grounds.

More blues - Iris

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Still being plagued by a head cold, there has not been much gardening for me this week. I have however given the quest for good blues some more thought and found this gem.

 

Feeling blue - Hardy Plumbago

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My recent posts and your comments have prompted me to look out for some more blues for you.

Looking forward to March....

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You could be forgiven to think that this is something that got stuck to my shoe when walking the dog, but I can assure you, it is not!

Weekend Eye Candy

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Dahlia 'Bora Bora'

Cloches - second attempt

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The recent cold spell has led to some air frost at night and I have been lucky that my salad has not been killed off yet.

High time to think of protecting it.

After my failed attempt with a commercial variety, see here,

Sent to Coventry ! Ryton Gardens

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The sunny weather tempted the little gardener and me to visit Ryton Gardens, the home of Garden Organic, on Sunday.

Weekend Eye Candy

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Ghislaine de Féligonde

 

The Rectory in October

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I was chatting with the owners a few weeks ago about what they want me to grow in the two small kitchen gardens and the answer was "lots of onions and garlic".

This made me laugh out loud. It is easy to do and I had already ordered two sorts of garlic and three types of onion sets for them. But also because I found it funny in a subversive way.

Lilac

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Just when my white climbing rose 'Mme Alfred Carriere' has finished for the year to entice me with her scent, out pops a little fragrant surprise.

In the bag

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Another non-gardening post but very much close to my heart.

Footwear

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A few months ago my trusty Le Chameau wellies finally gave up. I must have had them for close to ten years and only about a year ago or so, the rubber had started to crack which I could repair myself with an appropriate product.

Earlier this year though the Vibram sole, chosen for heavy duty walking and digging, cracked and that was the end of the boots.

Since I became self employed my work footwear has consisted of the Le Chameau wellies for wet weather and some lace up safety boots for anything that could damage my feet or where I needed extra support, think operating machinery, lugging stuff or climbing ladders.

My main beef with the lace ups was that they did take long to dry out when wet and when researching wellies, the picture was dire: the quality of most makes is now incredibly poor, and if you can trust farmers reviews, even Hunters are no longer what they used to be.

So what is a girl to do?

Buy a fashion forward pair of wellies that will last me a few weeks?
Spend a fortune on Hunters and risk disappointment?
Buy those £££ Ilse Jacobsen boots and look like Sarah Raven?

The postman always rings twice - part three

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You may have guessed that the postman rang twice indeed, please allow a little poetic license to also include the very nice men from John Lewis and the chap from UPS.

Of course all the items mentioned arrived on the day and I truly felt like a child at Christmas, heck make that Christmas and birthday rolled into one!

The mystery garden

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I last blogged about this garden about a month ago here. Because the lower part of the garden, which is still very much a work in progress, is so baffling, I am labelling this the "mystery garden".

Weekend Eye Candy

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Nerine Bowdenii

PS: ignore the variegated foliage, it is of the neighbouring Weigela

Have a lovely weekend!

More bulbs ....well sort of

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I missed the postman a few days ago as he usually calls round midday, right when I am most likely at work.

Another card was left that and there's a parcel to be collected.

The postman always rings twice - part two

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The last few days have passed by in a flurry and helped by some extremely fine weather I have started to tackle spring bulb planting.

Late autumn splendour - roses

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Today was an absolute joy: after heavy rainfall during the night, the sun broke through the clouds just as I was getting ready for work.

I had a morning appointment with Mrs U-turn which mainly involved deadheading roses, tying in climbing roses and some weeding. I also lifted her last potatoes and carrots.

I really want to sing the praise of roses here because we have had and continue to have the best rose season for quite some time.

Weekend Eye Candy

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The long awaited gingerlily blossom ...

The postmas always rings twice....part one

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I have to come back to Wednesday as the day started well enough.

It was my day at the rectory and I had been busy finishing off the summer pruning on the very neglected apple trees, when I spotted a man wearing a helmet and a harness. I was getting very excited, yes, I'm afraid the helmet and harness did it.

Turning colder - gloves

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With cooler weather approaching I have gone through my glove drawer to check my stocks, I have several pairs for all sorts of conditions but probably shop for gloves two or three times a year. My clients are showing much interest in my gloves and I may well end up supplying not just fine plants but also

I blame it on Dimitri

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Not a gardening post this time but a foodie one....

A few days ago my husband and I finally had an opportunity to have a belated birthday dinner out. I had jokingly suggested that I might get my lobster this time after various failed attempts in the past (including on our honeymoon).

Tomatoes

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For the last couple of weeks I have finally been able to harvest tomatoes at home. Not having a greenhouse is a real drawback for me: not only do I face a long wait until the first tomatoes form, I can also only grow those varieties suitable for outdoor cultivation.

Weekend Eye Candy

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Seed pods of Dierama Pulcherrimum in the small town garden.

Have a good weekend.

Mellowing

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Today I paid the small town garden a flying visit. I have blogged about this little gem before here.

It is still stunning now, I hope you agree.

Enforced rest

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I was rushing on Saturday and being less careful than normal, I sliced into my left index finger. So now I sport a bandaged finger which will of course not accommodate gloves nor will I be able to work as normal.

Cherries

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Cherries in September? Main bien sur...anything is possible for the patient gardener.They are of course nothing other then Les Merises.

With a big smile on my face I have been waiting for the arrival of some very special cherries this week.

At home

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Early autumn brings some unadulterated joy to me in my own garden, too. Apart from harvesting (carrots and tomatoes are particularly plentiful this year), there are several ornamentals which always draw me close.

Weekend Eye Candy

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New England Aster 'Violetta'

A very tall variety for the back of the border, may need staking.

"Did you have a nice birthday?"

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Yes, I did, but it was very different from previous years.

For a start this arrived:

More divisions - hostas

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Hostas can be divided in Spring or Autumn. If you are familiar with plant division then this post may just serve as a timely reminder. If you are not, then here is a quick step by step.

At the rectory I had planted up three large empty containers with box and hostas and after several years one of the hostas is enormous.

This photograph was taken last summer:

Hosta undulata Albomarginata ('Thomas Hogg')

Divide and conquer - autumn division

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Autumn is a great time to divide many perennials and I really needed to get a move on as my wholesale nursery has just advised me that my order will be delivered this Thursday!

A new project

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I had been asked to have a look at a garden and to recommend some shrubs.

I am not quite sure what label to give this garden and in a moment you may be able to share my dilemma.

Weekend Eye Candy

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Dahlia 'Park Princess'

 Semi-cactus type, best when not in full sun all day.

Have a good weekend.

A new face

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A few days ago I blogged about the small town garden. Well I returned today and have hopefully some better pictures to share. I will also show how the tiny frontage looks.

Frost

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The last winter was particularly harsh and also remarkably early. We had our first proper frost around the 25th November and from then on we enjoyed (??) below zero centigrade degrees until well into the new year.

As a result many gardens suffered. In my own garden the damage was limited to

Cloches

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I have been hankering after some fine kitchen garden cloches and I firmly blame the recent drop in temperatures for my actions. Kitchen garden cloches are not just a "chic garden accessory" (advertising blurb not mine) but a necessity where I live.

photo credit: Crocus website

Spax not Spanx

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This small town garden was an early commission for a design and implementation. It is a fairly typical garden size for a newly built house and for a client downsizing it comes as a shock. My client however was determined to have a plant lover's paradise...

The initial brief was for the main garden at the back but subsequently the front has been revamped as well. That's for another day though.

For the backgarden project I was starting with a rather blank canvas and a few keepers:  a garden that was enclosed by fencing on three sides, a lawn in ok condition, a reasonably new deck and a garden shed in a corner. No planting to be kept as there was none apart from Rose 'Alnwick' in a pot which really needed more space.

There were three main challenges: access to the garden via a very narrow side path (too narrow for a standard wheelbarrow), heavy clay soil and an unexpectedly windy situation.

Weekend Eye Candy

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Aster × frikartii 'Mönch'

 Currently stunningly in bloom in Mrs U-turn's garden.

Feathers

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After the relentless rain yesterday - having checked the forecast again - I was ready to slot in a bit of work this morning.

Which was lucky because just at 8am sharp, the doorbell rang and the postman made an appearance, asking for my signature.

If you read the fine print in yesterday's musing you might have figured out the whole story already. Yes, my time spent on Ebay was fruitful and I managed to snap up a little something literally at the last minute. The seller was based in the UK and managed to post it the same day, advising me to expect a delivery on Tuesday. Royal Mail came up trumps though and there at 8:03am I was sitting down to breakfast with my family and this:

Weather

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I have never paid as much attention to the weather and in particular the forecast as in the last few years. It is determining the course of my day.

Pieris 'Forest Flame'

A few years ago, it would have influenced and sometimes determined what I would wear the next day and maybe whether I needed to get up half an hour earlier to get to work on time.

Labour of love part 3

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A day filled with errands (GCSE results for the handsome d*vil = thumbs up, MOT for the van = thumbs up, finalise autumn plant order with nursery = thumbs up), left me with some time to do another round of weeding and deadheading at the tin tabernacle.

Dahlia 'Eternal Snow'

The free lunch

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They say there's no such thing as a free lunch. Well, after today I beg to differ.

At last ....

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Despite the rain and gloom, a kitchen floor covered in flour and fingers sticky from icing about a hundred little biscuits, my day ended on a particularly happy note. I discovered a bud on a plant that has not flowered for three years.

If you are not a fellow gardener, don't care for ornamentals and are not bothered about scent, then do not trouble yourself with reading any further.

Taking steps

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For the longest time I have been eyeing the wide stone steps at the rectory.

I love the large rectangular paving stones which are no longer being made, they are totally right for this kind of garden. However, they were never laid properly, holly tree roots are close by and are causing movement to the ground and ivy has crept into the remains of the grouting. The steps have become uneven, impossible to weed or keep clean and they pose a trip hazard.

Butterflies

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The little gardener had been given a butterfly kit for her birthday but being a winter child it had been packed away until the weather was more condusive to watching butterflies grow up.

Labour of love part 2

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I have been holding back on this one for two reasons: first the pictures I took a few days ago did not turn out great at all and planting is not complete.

However since this is a kind of journal, I can share where we are at now with the big sunny border at St Michaels.

At home

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"I bet your own garden looks stunning" ... Yeah, right. It does, sometimes.

Weekend Eye Candy

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The first of the autumn raspberries. Hopefully cropping now to first frosts.

Raspberry 'Joan J'

Apfelstrudel

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A combination of heavy rain, lack of childcare and the possibility of meeting a friend all meant that this was to be a non-gardening day.

As I am being offered apples from several gardens, I am never short of a basketful or two. The current crop is 'Discovery', in essence a dessert apple but never mind that.

Tomorrow's dinner

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It's been a productive day at the rectory today and I have finally trimmed all the lawn edges, dug in the green manure (mustard seed) and weeded the lower veg plot.

Labour of love part 1

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For many years I have been attending a small church not far from where I live. It is a tiny tin tabernacle set on a large plot. And for a long time I have been quite good about ignoring what goes on on the outside.

Here's a taste

U-turns

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This post is about about a garden which I did not love at first (but I do now, U-turn #1).

It's owner has lived there for a long time. Many years ago she decided that she did not want to spend much time on her garden and had all the lawns taken up and gravelled over. More recently, as she is spending more time at home, she has become rather fed up with all that gravel and is craving colour (U-turn #2).

Tours de Cles

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This week's scarf theme is "Mixing prints and patterns", a real design challenge.

One that lets me combine two passions, flowers and silk. The theme also provides a much needed push to get out of work garb and into something more sartorial for Sunday.

Kelmarsh Hall with Mrs Privet

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Thursday evening was lovely: the weather was warm despite being overcast. It was my "date" with Mrs Privet and after a day's work in showery weather and some more moth exorcism I was very much looking forward to strolling through the gardens of a country house and we set off to Kelmarsh Hall




The silk road ... less travelled

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Rather than posting some pretty eye candy or waxing lyrical about the taste of the first french beans, I have been too busy on the domestic side to blog.

I got home and found another clothes moth on a roman blind. Last night I was convinced that this was no longer a coincidence and husband and I got down to business: dealing with clothes moths.

Back to the grindstone (nerd alert)

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.... or the sharpest tool in the shed?

If you are not into garden graft, then you may as well skip to the last paragraph.

Over the last few weeks I have spent many hours cutting new lawn edges and digging borders for autumn planting. The work has been progressively been getting harder. Blame it on the heat or my age? Boredom? Fatigue? Possibly but mainly it is a case of blunt tools.

Concerto

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A discussion about bargain scarves made me think about my Concerto gavroche today.

It is a lovely neutral, a buttermilk coloured background with accents of mint green and bright blue.

Concerto - worn cowboy style

The 'Nearly did not Happen' Garden Part 2

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Design time. Let's talk about colours.

Since this was a small garden, I suggested a two colour scheme. I drew inspiration from the few shrubs that were already in situ: a Leycesteria (very dark red) and Forsythia (bright yellow). One of the roses to be moved luckily had a label, so I could identify and look up the colour, badly needed since it was April, far too early for roses to flower. It proved to be Whisky Mac, a fairly bright yellow.

With my client being advanced in years but very young at heart, I suggested purple with yellow. I set to draw up a shortlist of suitable plants and armed with good quality photographs we met up.

For me this is an essential step and a bit of a shortcut. If I find the client does not approve, not much time is wasted at this stage as no plans have been drawn, plant numbers worked out and costed up.

I was lucky and my client loved the shortlist.

I shall spare you the finer details of how hard it was to prepare the site for planting, the planting and autumn bulb planting. Let's leave it with some pictures taken at planting stage, a few months after and finally after one year.

June 2010 - newly planted, new turf!

May 2011 Gorgeous Alliums with Iris 'St Crispin'

May 2010: Turf has held up very well despite hot and dry Spring

July 2011: Penstemon 'Raven' and Achillea 'Coronation Gold'

July 2011: Lavendula angustifolia and Achillea

July 2011: Dahlia 'Arabian Night'

The gaps between plants are gradually disappearing as plants are filling out to their eventual size. Work is now concentrating on cutting the lawn, trimming lawn edges, deadheading and feeding, all fun stuff in my book. Oh, and enjoying the view.

Hope you enjoy it as much as my client.

Weekend Eye Candy

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No long post today, just some summery eye candy from this week.



Dahlia 'Bora Bora (semi cactus)



Dahlia 'Red Velvet' ? (waterlily)

Rosa 'Cambridgeshire' (groundcover)

Sweet Peas

Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'

My favourite helper



Broad Bean 'Claudia'

Have a great weekend!