Maillons

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Yay, it is fur collar weather, surely the most luxurious way to stay warm indoors as well as outdoors.

The old cherry tree

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There is an old cherry tree on the tiny plot of land behind the house. Despite the windy weather at the start of the month, there is still plenty of golden foliage, reminding me more of "Golden October" than mid November.

Daimyo for an important day

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I am woefully behind on posting but last Tuesday was a day that called for a special scarf.

The need for cashmere

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After a few long days of travelling in very foul weather conditions, the little gardener and I have arrived, unpacked and started to make contact with friends & family.

In a moment of madness I packed all my scarves that don't live in boxes; they reside in some luxury in mothproof zipped bags and maybe this was tempting me to fling all the bags into my suitcase.

Putting the gardens to bed for the winter

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The last few weeks have been a flurry of activity across all my gardens including my own.

A throwback to the 70's - Manège

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After the sartorial extravaganza of TF paired with zebra print, I indulged in a bit of 70's nostalgia tonight. Yes, the 1974 Philippe Ledoux design of Manège. 

I don't think it has been re-issued, so I think this is an original issue and the coloiurs so typical of the 70's would support my assumption.

All nice and simple, calm and collected. The cable knit sweater in a brown melange is a neutral base and the weave knot fits perfectly in this very neutral and unchallenging look. No need for jewellery really as there is hardware in gold neatly positioned in the corners.    

Weekend Eye Candy

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Dahlia 'Bora Bora'

Mixing patterns & styles: Tendresse Féline

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Sometimes it is lovely to get finished early enough at work and change into something a bit smarter for the school run. It is just cool enough to warrant a jacket to wear with my beloved Tendresse Féline.

Intense colour and a case of mistaken identity

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As we are moving into October, daylight and sunshine are becoming rarer here. It is with particular delight that I am now seeking out very bright colours to lift the spirit.

Stargazer lilies (?) are normally long finished by now. Forgive the alliteration but the bulbs for these beauties were found in a B & Q bargain bin for something like 25p a pack. The label was missing so I am not sure of the exact variety.

More September Flowers

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I have finished planting up the borders at another garden, a project that started in summer.

All photos are from summer planted plants, with all the wet weather they have bedded in very well.

H Au Galop

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I was very surprised and touched beyond words when a good friend of mine had hunted down a rather special birthday gift for me. Although we are very good friends but don't normally exchange much more than token for our birthdays;she must have remembered that I have a bit of collection of Hermès silk scarves going which we briefly considered when she was looking for purple scarf for a wedding outfit. Recently trawling Ebay she came across a little gavroche that she thought might suit.

September flowers

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As autumn is in the air, on a sunny day I could still be fooled into thinking it is summer.


There is still plenty of colour around. All pictures from the small town garden

Nature

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Over the last few years vacations for me and my husband have often been a bit of what is referred to locally as a 'busman's holiday'; we have often shuttled to and fro sorting out an elderly/poorly family member on either my side or my husband's side of the family.

We were fortunate enough, or maybe just plain selfish, to sneak off for a break in August without telling anyone, thus neatly avoiding helping with sorting out their gardens/repairing houses/dealing with tradesmen/picking up bills/cleaning/cooking/nursing....

We rented a small house just for us (and the little gardener of course), withing spitting distance of a massive nature reserve. Our prime concern was outside space for the little gardener to roam and play, great scenery, good walks on our doorstep, comfort when we returned.

Weekend Eye Candy

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Cosmos bipinnatus 'Purity'

Beating the post holiday blues

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I will post a little about the very unremarkable but totally enjoyable holiday soon but wanted to share today's look first.

I had packed a few scarves and gavroches for the holiday. Did I wear them? Nope, not even the shawl for cool evenings was worn. Shame on me!

Before the little gardener returns to school we had a final relaxing afternoon, enjoying the sunshine, our garden and making plans for a return visit. We both decided to glam it up a little, fairy wings for her and Cachemire Ancien for me.

Hippy chic(k)

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Before I embark on another family mission, I have a day of errands and packing to look forward to. A good opportunity to get out of work togs and into something a little less "chores".

As it is too hot for full on silk and a halter would be decidedly out of place for the day ahead, I am settling for a tunic dress with a silk sash. Yes, the trusty Trésors Retrouvés gets another outing. For ultimate hippy chic and comfort this will be teamed with patent Birkenstocks; persons with a sense of humor bypass and fashionistas need not click through ;)

Have a lovely day!

The small town garden in August

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This week took me back to the small town garden. Nicely maturing (it is in its fourth year), it is on the whole very low maintenance.

My only job for this month was to cut back the lavender border, deadhead the roses and trim the lawn edges. 

  

Teal

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My love affair with teal continues ....

... maybe because it is a colour that I don't come across in gardens
... maybe because it is a shade that suits my colouring
... maybe because it combines so well with grey/taupe/gold/silver/coral/etc
... maybe because I have a teal gavroche

 

Small fry

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Some of my clients, used to a season of rain, have become complacent about watering and the crops are not near as bountiful as a result. Others have a tiny veg plot but are keen to grow lots of different things and hardly ever get a huge crop of any one kind.

You can tell I grew up living frugally as I am not fazed by a small crop (although of course prefer a big bounty!).

Weekend Eye Candy

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Agapanthus 'Jack's Blue'

Neutrals - Peuple du Vent

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Gavroches are my summer go to silks and most years I rotate the silk stash around in spring to allow easy access to those small squares. This year though I have not bothered to do so until now.

Last weekend saw the first outing of the season of my Peuple du vent gavroche. 

High summer colour at home

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All the rain has meant lots of growth in the garden. The dahlias are looking great now and benefit from the sturdy stakes.

Dahlia 'Olympic Fire'

I have grown 'Olympic Fire' for the second year now and it is performing well. I like the contrast of the dark stems with the bright warm orange petals. I would really like to pair this with an orange variety of Helenium some time for a big orange display.

The sweet smell of success

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I am reconciled with the weather, the recent days have been full of sun but a light breeze has made work very pleasurable.

Spring sown sweet peas are now putting on a superb display and as there is no one at the school to admire them, a big bunch had to come home with me. After all, the more you cut them, the better they flower.

In praise of Gaura

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There's lots to admire in the various gardens and if the weather brightens up as forecast for next week, I have to make taking better photos a priority.

For now I am delighted with the way Gaura lindheimerii 'Whirling Butterflies' lightens up a dull day:

Mixing patterns & styles ... Les Dômes Célestes

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It is July and continues to be wet and cold enough most evenings to bring out the cashmere shawls.

Like last Friday I am being "rained off" and spending time at home/running errands. As I fancy a change from the shawls, I am opting for my one and only plissé, Les Dômes Célestes. 

Molluscs

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So what do I do when it is wet, wet wet?

Much client work can still be done as long is it does not involve lawns and I have also planted up a long border because I can (sort of) guarantee that the plants will settle in very nicely.

Today is a day of heavy rain and short dry spells, so I can catch up with a few essential jobs in my own garden.

Tendresse Féline

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I think I promised an action picture of Tendresse Féline. Styles with the patterned dress and also (due the drop in temperature) with a short sleeved black fitted jacket.

I thoroughly enjoyed wearing this out to lunch but would have preferred to slip into something a bit more summery. On a practical note, the Stylo riding boots were the most appropriate footwear with it, keeping feet and legs dry. The ballerinas travelled in my handbag...

Rain

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Rain does not only stop play at Wimbledon, it also stops work or at least limits what can be done. It also limits photographs.

The rectory had a short visit only yesterday and even then I had to work in light rain and seek shelter during some short & heavy downpours.

Beating July chills ... Jonques et Sampans

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Sunshine today but the next few days are expected to be full of rain... I am wrapped up for today's cooler weather already with one of my old favourites, Jonques et Sampans in delightfully neutral colours.

Hope you are faring better weatherwise!

Weekend Eye Candy

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Hosta undulata Albomarginata (Thomas Hogg)

Climbing roses and clematis

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I'm a sucker for some nice climbers; it probably stems from my days of gardening a tiny plot and maximising the space, so if I can get two climbers in the space of one and extend my flowering period and/or colour choices than that's a good thing.

Mixing styles & patterns ... Torana

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What a washout this June proves to be. The few days when it is fine and dry, I am working on site up to 10 hours. On rainy days like today I am trying to not stress over work that just cannot be done. There is now not only a backlog for existing clients but a waiting list for new ones.

It is also not much weather for wearing silks as rain and printed silk just don't get on. Today is an exception: a day dedicated to researching pond plants (an area I am woefully short of expertise), stocking up on varying supplies and border plans to complete. 

In order to cheer myself I was raiding the scarf drawers for a suitable gavroche to wear with a patterned top: Torana was my lucky find!

At home - the cool border in early summer

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The cool blue border is filling out nicely, so much so that the iris will need to be divided shortly.

Rosa 'Benjamin Britten'

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One of my favourites and superb for cutting, too.

Despite the variable weather, this rose is performing well with no damage by pests or disease. Just look at the healthy foliage.

 

Weekend Eye Candy

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Rosa 'Fantin-Latour'

June is the month of ....

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Roses!

Rosa 'Queen of Sweden'

This has been a long absence from the blog universe, family visits for me mean time for family and relaxation and abstaining from computers. Once I was back there was my garden and about a dozen others to fret over and enjoy in equal measure. I think it will take me about a fortnight to check on them all. 

Taupe & black or Neutrals but not as we know them

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A sartorial post for a change, persons of a nervous disposition may wish to not read on:)

Preparing for the Jubilee Weekend

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The rectory is hosting a big summer party for its two church congregations. Normally this takes place in July but with the The Queen's Diamond Jubilee imminent, the summer party takes place this weekend instead.

I shall miss it all as I am taking a break abroad.

Wednesday saw me spending a frantic six hours cutting all three lawns, trimming the edges, weeding and sweeping, plus making an extra effort from a safety point of view. With more than a hundred visitors expected, it is particularly important to remove trip hazards, top all those bamboo canes and tie in that pesky thorny rose ('Albertine') that will - if not secured to the housewall - launch in windy conditions an attack on unsuspecting diners on the patio.

Planting out dahlias

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After last frosts it is time to plant out potted up dahlias. During the last few years this was early to mid May for me, driven as much by needing the space in my (former) study for seedlings as by the weather conditions.

Papaver Palaver

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Early summer is here and oriental poppies are thriving. For a cool colour scheme, "Patty's Plum" is a fabulous choice. The flowers are huge and very showy and once established there will be a dozen or more flowers on each plant, opening one after the other.

Weekend Eye Candy

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Transition

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The front (like the back) of Mrs U-turn's plot features amongst much else a small circular bed.

Requested: tree peony

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I did not manage to return to the small town garden and suspect that the tree peony will past its best by the time I return.

However, a fuchsia pink monster lives with me and here is a close up of it instead, still showcasing the bright and long golden stamens.

From the Men's Department/Leather Forever

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Carefully avoiding the day of rail strikes last week, I did end up seeing the fabulous Hermès Leather Forever exhibition at the Royal Academy. For more details, see here.

Twister or Think Pink

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... or where is Johnny Depp when you really really need him?




I was very excited when a parcel turned up early in the week. 

You win some, you lose some

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The small town garden is a jolly sight for most parts of the year. I had called round at the beginning of April and all was well at the front: the Angel's Fishing Rod (Dierama Pulcherrimum) had survived the winter and the tulip foliage was plentiful and healthy. These are the original tulips planted when the front was overhauled and this would be their third spring.

Soothing Greens

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Yesterday was probably the nicest day for a while, breezy and blustery but filled with sunshine. Sadly DH was at work all day but I took the little gardener for a bike ride.

No action pictures as my camera was charging but I took some quick "on the hanger" shots for you to see how well different shades of green can work together.

Weekend Eye Candy

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Trillium Erectum

Kelmarsh Hall in Early May

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Drawn by the Hardy Plant Fair (and the chickens which live in the kitchen garden), I returned to Kelmarsh Hall last weekend, little gardener in tow.

 

Spring Greens and the Tax Return

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It has become a bit of a habit of mine to reward myself when my tax return is completed. 

The thought of a lovely item to add to my wardrobe surely spurs me on and this year the return was done double quick. Less because of money burning a hole in my pocket, more a case of rain on my parade of borders.

Orange Princess

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Shame about the rainy weather when I took this photograph as it really does not do its object justice.

This gem of a tulip is 'Orange Princess', a sport from the fabulous 'Princess Irene'. It is a frilly, double tulip which flowers in April/May and has a gorgeous warm nasturtium-orange colouring with garnet markings.

Rhubarb Meringue Cake

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Jeanne had asked for a recipe for the rhubarb meringue cake. Here goes. 


Happy baking and eating!

  

Under wraps

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The rainy weather during April has meant a lot of changes of schedule for my gardens. Not that I have that much of a schedule but seasonal tasks tend to get done at a certain time in the year and it has all gone a bit to pot.

I find that I am behind on some tasks at the rectory, notably the lawns. Luckily the vicar's wife will push the mower round if there is a dry spell but it wasn't until today that I finally applied a spring weed & feed product. And cut new lawn edges. And trimmed those that were still in good nick.

On other tasks I am ahead of myself. 

Weekend Eye Candy

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Can I wear taupe with grey?

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Rhetoric question of course but poignant nonetheless.    


With DH not working yesterday and no chance of any productive outdoor work on my part, DH and I decided to go to the pictures in the morning. Spur of the moment, you understand, "Salon Fishing in the Yemen" if you must know.

Most pressing question: what to wear? Silk was out of the question but cold and damp lends itself to a shawl. I was in varying shades of grey this morning but the shawl that shrieked loudest to me was Tours de Cles. Mine is the beige/taupe/red colourway and I had never dared to pair this with grey.

 It works (I think) and the red cheered me up no end. One to be repeated.

 

Music to my ears ...

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Still raining and I am getting to spend time at home when I would normally be out weeding and sowing.

Time for something a bit different: music. I had been stressing over my beloved Bose wave radio/cd player for the best part of a year. The CD side had stopped functioning properly and had become very hit and miss as to when it deemed to oblige my hankering for music. 

Orange Sun

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I have been dodging the (much needed) showers for much of last week, hence the lack of pictures. 

So when last week the sun came out after heavy rain, I happened to be working and had my camera in the car, I got to take this picture of Tulip 'Orange Sun'.  

Weekend Eye Candy

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Tulip 'Ballade'/Narcissi 'Manly'

Spring at Easton Walled Gardens

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This is a belated Easter post when I had a chance to see Easton Walled Gardens. I had hoped for some fine sunny weather but to no avail. At least we were spared the rain that has been blessing us for nearly a week and which stops me with finally moving sweet peas and broad beans from the cold frame to their spot in the garden.

More yellow ... in the garden

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After the long Easter break (complete with utterly drab, wet and cold weather) I am out and about again.

Most of the daffodils bar the very late varieties (more of that another time) have gone over but my craving for some sunshine yellow in the borders finds fulfilment in the form of Erythronium 'Pagoda'.

Weekend Eye Candy

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First cherry blossom

Je t'aime un peu, beaucoup, passionnément ... yellow!

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As most of the glorious yellow daffodils have already gone over, I was looking for something else in yellow to share with you. I hope you won't be disappointed that I am sharing a little silk love today: Amours, an Annie Faivre design from 1999. 

Nomen est omen - this scarf is all about love. And there is a lot that draws me to this scarf, for a start it features flowers.

Vulgar? Not even common...

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This post is about another plant that is incredibly dear to me, the Pasqueflower. 

Heavens knows why its botanical name is Pulsatilla vulgaris, it must be a common sight somewhere. If you happen to know, please let me know as enquiring minds like to know these things.

Weekend Eye Candy

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New foliage on tree peony

Trésors Retrouvés revisited

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My post earlier this week about Trésors Retrouvés was very much put together in haste. At work the next day my thoughts kept coming back to it - aren't you glad I am not a heart surgeon or maybe an air traffic controller; unlike other professions, for parts of my working day I can mentally drift off a little...

Trésors Retrouvés with Camellia x williamsii 'Donation'

Starting off dahlias

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Dahlias are stars in the summer and autumn border and the smaller varieties do well in pots, too. Although you can plant the tubers straight into your border, I prefer to start mine off in pots for planting out after last frosts.

Trésors Retrouvés

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It is Annie Faivre week on the scarf board and I had a quick look through the drawers and boxes only to discover that I have a few of her designs, including this season's Trésors Retrouvés.

This design is based on Afghan artefacts, hidden at the start of the war, now rediscovered and displayed in the National Museum of Kabul.

Wearing the marron glacé/vanille/violine colourway.

Weekend Eye Candy

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Soirée de Gala

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Perfect silk weather the last few days has given me the opportunity to try out various items in my wardrobe with my newest Jean-Louis Clerc scarf Soirée de Gala. 

My current criteria for scarf purchase is love for the design, a coloration that attracts and flatters my skin tone and a match for at least a few items in my wardrobe. All sensible and even then I often hesitate and don't buy immediately because I want to spend my money wisely and not regret my purchase.

On reflection I am even happier that I did not leave London with the red 70 but traded it in for this scarf because I absolutely love it and it fits into my wardrobe. 

A few pictures of Soirée de Gala worn with different knots and different tops. 

The budget garden in March

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There has been a lot of change in the budget garden of late. Now that the tree surgeons have completed the work on the apple tree (a magnificent and prolific Bramley), I have time to finish work on the borders.

A few happy snapshots taken during my teabreak. Yes, this may be a budget garden but if I time my visit right, then Mr Budget Garden will be present and will offer tea and biscuits.... :)

More serendipity

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This weekend gave me a chance to meet up with a few more scarf and bag lovers in London.

I was in the market for a red scarf and was very undecided between the Rendez-vous Rive Gauche with a pale yellow contrast hem or the J'aime mon carré with accents of yellow, blue and pink. I left it until after lunch before I settled for Rendezvous-Rive Gauche but I was not experiencing my usual sense of elation after a scarf purchase.

Hose Pipe Ban

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It was only a matter of time until a hose pipe ban was becoming a distinct possibility. Yesterday it was announced that for much of the South East of the country a hosepipe ban would come into force by 5 April.

Lawn renovation

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I won't beat about the bush: this is actually a job a really don't enjoy! To bring back a great lawn is back breaking and the amount of effort required to get a good result is totally out of proportion. I usually convince the client to get a specialist in but at a push (if the lawn is tiny and I really like the client), I may do the job myself.

With work at Mrs Privet back garden on hold due to forthcoming building works, she got very frustrated about the lack of progress. The front however is a different story. A lawn the size of a postage stamp, but more moss and weed than grass, it also features more holes than my colander. On top of that it is prone to flooding.

Sous le Cedre III

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As sure as Spring follows winter, the skeletons of shrubs and trees around here are just starting to change. 

No longer are the stems mainly just a sea of from grey and brown albeit some gardens have the good grace to feature a few silver birches or dogwood shrubs. 
Now the landscape changes nearly daily, and from a distance there is a greenish, barely olive haze on some of those bare shrubs, a sign that buds have formed and started to break open.

Gipsy Girl

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Last week I returned to the Budget Garden. A cheery sight greeted me as soon as I got out of the car: