Source: Planting for the future
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Author: greenbenchramblings
A retired primary school head teacher, I now spend much of my time gardening in our quarter acre plot in rural Shropshire south of Shrewsbury. I share my garden with Jude my wife a newly retired teacher , eight assorted chickens and a plethora of wildlife. Jude does all the heavy work as I have a damaged spine and right leg. We also garden on an allotment nearby. We are interested in all things related to gardens, green issues and wildlife.
As promised, I now return to Attingham Park to look at the creative feature and the walled garden. I shall start with the “creative feature” we found and which fascinated us. In the children’s play field which adjoins the orchard we spotted a colourful feature at a distance which demanded a closer look.
Tall willow wands were attached to a wooden fence and they were decorated with coloured wall. Children had written their thoughts about Attingham Park on card labels and tied them to the uprights. We enjoyed reading them greatly.
We wandered through the orchard towards the Walled Garden and first off had a look around the bothy.
The vegetable and fruit crops were looking very fresh and healthy and the staff and volunteers were busy weeding and thinning out the rows of crops.
The most colourful crop of all though was the cut flower section where row upon row of flowers grown to display in the hall or for sale to visitors added stripes of colour to the walled garden.
Wandering through the gateway in the brick wall separating the two sections of the walled garden colour was everywhere we looked whatever direction we glanced in.
So the next visit we will be making for a wander around Attingham Park will be in October when Autumn will be making an appearance.
I like creating these little occasional series posts as they given extra elements to look out for when we visit garden, which we do often. So far I have posted about garden seats, entrances and archways then “Garden Walls and Steps”. Here is number three in a very occasional series of posts of “Garden Walls and Steps” for you to enjoy.
See you one of these days for the next in this very occasional series!
As summer moved on we made our August visit to Attingham Park for our monthly walk in the park. We decided to follow the Mile Walk in reverse for a change of view and as we were expecting rain later in the afternoon we kept to the shortest trail that we take. This turned out to be a wise decision because the rain started to fall when we had just a 5 minute walk back to the carpark. Our luck was in!
When we arrived we struggled to find a parking space as it was so busy being a mid-summer weekend afternoon but we found out later that it was also weekend when a special event was taking place, a Family Spectacular.
We decided to follow the One-Mile Walk in the opposite direction than the way we usually take and indeed against the signs. We are always amazed how following a path through a garden or the countryside in a reverse direction presents whole new experiences.
What struck us most as soon as we started the walk was the way the texture of tree bark was standing out. This mighty conifer was right at the start of our walk and showed it perfectly.
We also began to identify the shape of eyes on tree trunks where side boughs had fallen or been removed. This can be seen below in that same tree.
I will now share my texture photos with you in the form of a gallery and we can look at how much variety of texture and pattern we managed to find.
The almost circular scars left as a bough breaks away from the main trunk often form eye-like shapes, and on this walk we seemed to see so many. Enjoy a little selection below.
As we searched tree trunks for “eyes” we began to find other shapes and colours as well, some from Lichens and some created by the hands of woodsmen or gardeners. I will leave it up to you to work out how these creations happened.
An added and very unexpected element to our August visit was the discovery of painted stones. This stone decorated with a beautiful little flower we found in a scar of a tree and wondered what it was doing there. We soon discovered the answer by turning the stone over where we were advised to check out “Shropshire Stones” on Facebook. If you want to know more check it out.
Continuing on the creative front we made another interesting surprise discovery as we wandered through the children’s playing field on our way to the orchard and walled garden.
The Walled Garden was so colourful with the main feature being the flowers. We will look at the surprise in the playing field and the walled garden in Part 2.
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Simply Beautiful – 11
The succulents known as Sempervivum, common name House Leek, come in such a vast array of colours. We grow dozens of different ones but recently bought a new selection of six plants with a very subtle range of colours, reds, greens and browns. Simply beautiful!
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colours flowering bulbs garden design garden photography garden ponds garden pools garden wildlife gardening hardy perennials log piles logs National Garden Scheme natural pest control NGS ornamental trees and shrubs outdoor sculpture sculpture spring bulbs spring gardening village gardens water garden water in the garden wildlife woodland Yellow Book Gardens
Celebrating the Glory of Spring – the garden at a cottage called Cartref
I thought I would look back at a visit we made with friends, Pete and Sherlie in the spring to a garden called Cartref. It was a “pop up” NGS garden which is a garden that opens unplanned but that looks good so the owner wants to share it with other NGS, National Garden Scheme, visitors. It is a way of seeing gardens at their best. It is a new idea so we look forward to seeing if it continues to happen. We certainly hope so as we visited two this spring and loved them both.
We decided to celebrate the glory of spring by visiting this NGS garden, a one acre modern cottage garden with borders, woodland and ponds. The main features of the garden were the lovely colourful collection of tulips which were at their best when we visited.
Throughout the rest of the garden we found relaxed styles of gardening and in places emphasis on enhancing habitats for wildlife and attracting wildlife into the garden. The wildlife pond had an island reached by a narrow wooden bridge.
After this visit to the cottage garden at Cartref we decided that “pop up” open gardens were definitely a good idea because we felt we had seen Cartref at its best.
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A Walk in the Park – Attingham Park July
Here we are back at Attingham Park for another wander, this time to see what is going on in the walled garden and woodland pleasure gardens in July.
We arrived in the rain and carried on regardless. Foliage was glossy with moisture because of the steady drizzle, and large puddles had formed on the path.
The gardener’s cottage garden gave a little colourful cheer to the day, and water droplets hung on flowers and berries. The heritage rare breed cattle in the field at the start of the track ignored the drizzle and continued tearing at the grass heads down.
The walled garden gave protection and the day began to feel a little warmer as the rain stopped.
The beautiful, recently restored, vintage glasshouses are now becoming productive with melons, grapes, tomatoes, chillies and cucumbers.
We particularly liked the amazing textures of this melon and its subtle mix of greens.
As we entered the gardeners’ bothy we could instantly enjoy the fresh uplifting aroma of bunches of freshly picked lavender, and the sight of simple flower arrangements and freshly harvested lettuces.
After taking in the sights, scents and sounds offered by the walled garden we continued on our wanders, following the One Mile Walk trail.
Come with us as we take you along this track in a gallery of photos. As usual click on the first and navigate with the arrows. We will return for another wander in August.
We recently hosted a visit to our garden by students from our local school, who came to look at how we garden with wildlife in mind, how we attract wildlife of all sorts and create a balanced ecosystem. We all had a great time!
We began by looking at our live moth trap that had been in operation overnight. We studied the wide variety of moths that inhabit our garden overnight and slowly released them after encouraging each student to let a moth or two sit on their hands. Our overnight trapping was most successful with hundreds caught, with dozens of different species from the smallest micro moth up to our largest hawk moth. All were successfully released unharmed.
This Poplar Hawk Moth took a real liking to this young lady and stayed on her face for the whole visit. She even named him Steve!
We then enjoyed giving a guided tour of our patch, starting in the front garden and slowly moving through the whole patch, looking for plants that attract wild and identifying why and seeking out wildlife habitats and home made features.
A quick pond dip and the students were delighted to meet one of our frogs, a really impressive large one.
We then moved into the front garden and began a tour of our plot when we pointed out how we attract wildlife to our garden, highlighting plants that attract pollinators and all our home-made features, such as insect hotels and bird boxes. There was then time for a break when we all enjoyed tea, coffee and some of Jude’s home-made cakes. This was followed by a quiet time when the students explored the garden on their own and recorded what they had experienced in words and drawings.
The group had target pollinator species to find and several were found and identified during the morning including this Marmalade Hoverfly, in its orange and black striped pyjamas.
All too soon it was time for the group to leave us and wander down the road to board their coach, with a request to come again. We enjoyed the big waves we received as the bus drove off.
Jude and I have a soft spot for gardens with a Japanese feel to them, and we are lucky to have an excellent example in our home county of Shropshire and just a short drive away. We had heard of the garden at Westgate in Bridgnorth and always intended to pay a visit but circumstances had not allowed us to. But eventually we managed to make their National Garden Scheme open day in April.
It was well worth the wait! We loved it, the planting, the structure and its special atmosphere. The front garden however was of a very different feel altogether being a formal garden designed to match the age and style of the house. Foliage was the star there!
On the flight of steps nearby foliage again featured but this time succulents were the stars.
Moving around the house looking in small borders and corners we found interesting plants and objects that gave clues to the beauty of the Japanese section we were making our way towards. This area prepared us so well for the treat that lay ahead of us.
We stepped through an archway into a different world with an atmosphere of such peace that it made us feel so calm. The Japanese garden at Westgate was one of the best examples we have ever seen in an English garden. Come with us on a journey through such a special place. To view the gallery click on the first photo and navigate using the arrows.
So it is already time to share my July entries in my garden journal. This year in the garden seems to be moving on so quickly. I began my July report by writing, “The arrival of July moves us into the second half of the year and the summer is well established. Colours seem extra rich on bright days as petals shine glossily.”
“One family with flowers that glow are the Lychnis family. Below are two members of Lychnis, the variety L. chalcedonica and another variety L. coronaria.”
“Lychnis chalcedonica “Dusky Pink”
“Lychnis chalcedonica “Vesuvius” and Lychnis chalcedonica “Maltese Cross”
“Lychnis coronaria”
Over the page I move on to look at an unusual Foxglove, Digitalis parviflora “Milk Chocolate” and a berried shrub, Hypericum x inodorum.
“Plant of the month, July, is a special Foxglove or Digitalis, Digitalis parviflora Milk Chocolate.”
“No two flower heads are the same.”
“Densely packed flowers.”
“Most berrying shrubs begin to show colour in their berries in late summer through the autumn, but already by July our various cultivars of Hypericum x inodorum have brightly coloured and very glossy berries.”
The next plant family I feature in July is Linaria, of which we grow many varied cultivars.
“Members of the Linaria family are always welcome in our garden. We love the way they self seed and hybridise. They display a huge range of colours and petal markings. Linaria purpurea is much loved by bees and hoverflies.”
“Our garden is home to other more unusual Linarias too, all with their recognisable flower structure.”
“We also grow our native Toadflax, Linaria vulgaris, commonly known as “Butter and Eggs” because of the two shades of yellow that make up its flowers. Bees and butterflies love it!”
Next I looked at plants that are spiky in texture, of which we grow many in our patch as they seem to like our sunny aspect.
“Plants with spikes enjoyed warm, sunny summer days. We grow many eryngium family, the Sea Hollies, with bracts from the palest silver to the deepest metallic blues, of which E. Picos Blue is the bluest of all.”
Not all of our spiky plants are Eryngiums however. We also grow Silybum marianum and Echinops ritro.
One of the Eryngium family is a biennial and luckily a strong self seeder, E. giganteum Miss Wilmott’s Ghost.
Turning over the page we move on from spiky plants to two much softer more delicate looking plants.
“Seed heads are an important element of the Autumn and Winter garden, but this little beauty I found this week while working in the Spring Garden. They are Fritillaria meleagris seed pods. I painted them in watercolours using Japanese wolf hair brushes and fine tipped fibre tips.”
“July sees many of our Salvias coming into their own. We grow most in pots so they can be moved inside for the winter.” I used pencil crayons to draw Salvia Silkes Dream and Salvia x African Sky.
Bright pinks and reds dominate over the page where I featured Begonias and Pelargoniums. Enjoy the colours!
“Begonias and Pelargoniums also have to over-winter under cover so go into the cool end of the greenhouse.”
“Brightest of flowers.”
“Textured, marked and coloured foliage.”
Pelargoniums – “Crazy reds and pinks!”
And that is it for my garden journal for July. My next visit to my journal will be at the end of August, a month when keeping you garden looking good is pretty difficult so we shall see how we get on in our Avocet garden.
