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.

Walking in the New Forest – part one

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date October 29, 2015
2 Comments on Walking in the New Forest – part one

We decided we would take an Autumn break so went down to the New Forest for a short mid-week break. We loaded the car with coats, waterproofs and warm clothes thinking we were planning for whatever the weather had in store for us. We got it totally wrong for as we went further southward the weather improved and we ended up enjoying warm sunny weather. A real treat!

We have driven through or past the New Forest, Britain’s smallest National Park, several times and vowed we would holiday there some day. So as we arrived we had great expectations and we were not to be disappointed.

The New Forest proved to present the unexpected. Traffic jams and delays were not caused by vehicles but by livestock, cattle, pigs, donkeys and of course the famous New Forest Ponies. So here are a few shots of the many critters we encountered as we drove around the forest.

Our first day excursion was to a Forestry Commission area of woods and heathland with way-marked walks winding through it.

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We set off firstly in search of the Knightwood Oak the oldest oak in the New Forest which reached maturity during the reign of Henry VIII. We followed the posts marking the way, rather beautiful way markers carved in wood.

Among the hundreds of oak trees here we passed two other significant oaks on the way, celebrating important moments in the forest’s history. Firstly the Queen’s Oak was planted by Queen Elizabeth II to commemorate the 900th anniversary of the founding of the forest by William I in 1079. Secondly the Deputy Surveyor’s Oak planted to mark the contribution of a former Deputy Surveyor of the forest, Donn Small. The second oak was planted as a sapling from the Knightwood Oak itself. The ancient oak itself was surrounded by a chestnut paling fence to keep the public away from falling branches and to prevent the public from getting too close to the tree.

Although this was a forest of mature trees there were signs of regeneration throughout, little saplings of all the main species of trees, so its future looks secure.

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At the other end of the age scale we were pleased to see that dead and dying trees were being left for the benefit of wildlife, insects, birds and of course the many fungi that live in woodlands breaking down and decomposing dead wood.

In my next post about the New Forest we will continue walking this walk deeper into the woodland and across heathland until we found our way back to the car park.

Tags cattle, donkeys, forestry, Forestry Commission, fungi, Hampshire, pigs, ponies, texture, textured bark, textures, The New Forest, toadstools, woodland, woodland walks, woodlands

autumn autumn colours birds colours flowering bulbs garden photography garden wildlife gardening grasses half-hardy perennials hardy perennials house martins light light quality migration ornamental grasses ornamental trees and shrubs Shropshire swallows trees

My Garden Journal – September

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date October 24, 2015

The September pages of my garden journal sees the first signs of autumn creeping in, colours changing, light creeping in at a lower level and our summer migrant birdlife disappearing. The skies are empty and quiet now that the Swallows and Martins have left us for warmer climes. We are missing the sight and sounds of Warblers flitting among the trees and shrubs but hopefully some Garden Warblers and Chiffchaffs will decide to stay with us. Climate change seems to be encouraging more migrants to remain in the UK all year through.

Being a British gardener I start by talking about the weather! “The “Met Office” weathermen tell us that September is the first month of Autumn, but we hope it will be the continuation of Summer. This year September is unlike Summer, and is not even an Indian Summer. It is a dismal month of heavy skies and rain. Every flower that fights its way through the gloom is a ray of sunshine.”

Next comes my usual piece of writing from Jenny Joseph’s little book, “Lead by the Nose”.

For September, it is harvesting and clearing what is there on the one hand, with a great deal of sharp acrid savoury smells from dead-heading, disentangling, weeding, cutting down leaf and stalk, digging up roots.”

I move on to consider a special group of plants which Jude and I love in our garden, the airy, whispy plants that can’t help but move in the gentlest of breezes, the “Windcatchers”.

“September has been a windy month, which has accentuated the part played by the “Windcatchers”, those special plants which display the ability to catch the slightest breeze and dance in it. These are the tall grasses, Stipa gigantea, Miscanthus sinensis and the Molinias and Calamagrostis, the airy flowering perennials especially Verbena bonariensis and Gaura lindheimeri. Gauras have variety names that suggest their windcatching skills, “Whirling Butterflies” and “Summer Breeze”.

The photos below show what a beautiful plant Verbena bonariensis is with its bright purple flower heads nodding in the breeze atop its stiff thin stems. It is a true wildlife magnet too attracting Butterflies and Moths, Bees and Hoverflies and many other flying insects. As the light fades in the evening the flowers glow and their scent intensifies to attract night flying insects and a miriad of Moths.

The movement of grasses and their big cousins the Bamboos also adds sounds to our garden, rustling, tinkling and sounds like those of the seashore, shifting sands, rolling pebbles and retreating waves.”

Grasses are such an important element in our garden and help create an all year round garden. From their fresh green leaves emerging in the spring right through to their flowers and on to their seedheads which stand right through the winter.

Surprises are the subject of my next page.

“Surprises are always fun in the garden, those little things not planned for or expected. Here are two surprises for September in our garden.

We were pleasantly surprised at the rich autumnal colours of our Euphorbia griffithii “Dixter” which grows in our Beth Chatto garden, and how this damaged Verbascum repaired itself.”

My watercolour paintings of Acer rufinerve and Phlomis russeliana feature on the next page titled “Seedpods for September”. These seeds are capsules of promise, time capsules. The wing-like Acer seeds are shaped and moulded to allow a gentle descent in the wind, each maple key parachuting down to find a place to germinate. The pompom seedheads of the Phlomis are tightly packed balls of rough textured seeds designed to stick to any passing creature who will wander off and drop it away from the parent plant where it can find space to become a herbaceous plant with hairy heart shaped leaves and yellow-orange balls of flowers.

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We now move on to the end of the month when the weather surprised us as it changed for the better, change to good gardening weather and good weather for appreciating gardens.

“As the month came to its end we were suddenly treated to an “Indian Summer”. The skies were clearest blue, the sun shone and temperatures went back up. The garden loved it as much as the gardeners! Our two varieties of Schizostylus, “The Major” and “Alba”are flowering better than ever before.”

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“Two real stars of the autumn garden are our two Salvias that are too tender for us to leave out over our winters, so we grow them in pots and bring them indoors as soon as the cold nights appear. They are Salvia “Amistad” with its bright purple and black flowers and Salvia confertiflora with its long spikes of red and salmon flowers.”

So that is my journal all about our garden in September. I am already writing and painting my entry for October so that will be the next episode of “My Garden Journal”.

Tags autumn, autumn colours, autumn gardens, birds, garden photography, gardening, grasses, light, light quality, ornamental grasses, ornamental trees, salvias, seeds, September

light light quality the sea the seaside the shore Wales

Seaside Textures

Every time we visit the seaside and take a walk along the sands we start collecting shells to decorate our Seaside Garden at home, and once we start looking we notice the amazing patterns and textures created on the sand as the tides retreat.

We recently drove over to Anglesey and after leaving the main road as it crossed over from the Welsh mainland we drove down lanes which got narrower and more secretive until we arrived at our favourite beach. On opening the car doors all we heard was silence occasionally broken by birdsong and the raucous calls of gulls. That is why it our favourite beach for a quiet walk. Come with us as we wander heads down seeking shells and finding the shapes and textures etched into the sand.

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Please enjoy this gallery of photos to help you share our wanderings.

The strangest shape and texture of all belonged to these beached jelly fish, their star like shape and jelly texture sitting lifeless on the sands. It looked as if the sun had fallen from the sky and was resting on the sand.

We stopped part way home to watch the sun set over the sea. What a great day out!

Tags Anglesey, beaches, North Wales, sand, sea, sea shore, seaside, shells, texture, textures, Wales

garden buildings garden design garden designers garden photography gardening gardens hardy perennials Herefordshire meadows outdoor sculpture sculpture Yellow Book Gardens

Montpelier Cottage – another Yellow Book garden

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date October 17, 2015
2 Comments on Montpelier Cottage – another Yellow Book garden

A warm bright day in early September was a great day to visit another National Garden Scheme, Yellow Book garden. Thus we drove once again into our neighbouring county of Herefordshire in search of Montpelier Cottage. The main roads turned into minor roads and the minor roads turned into lanes. The lanes got narrower and narrower until at last we found the yellow NGS sign on a gate into a field which for the day became a temporary car park.

The cottage in its primrose yellow livery felt so welcoming.

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A sense of humour, important in any garden, soon became apparent at Montpelier Cottage.

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The gardeners here are the garden writer Noel Kingsbury and his wife Jo Eliot and they have been developing the garden for ten years. The garden style and plant combinations are experimental looking to find “the border between the wild and the cultivated” being inspired by American prairies and the wildflower meadows of Europe. As we knew Noel Kingsbury had been working closely for many years with garden designers and nurserymen Piet Oudolf and Henk Gerritsen, we were interested to see how this ten year old garden had developed.

As we followed the narrow path towards the back of the cottage the gardens came into view and we knew we were in for a colourful wander. The terrace of stone slabs overlooked the garden and sitting here enjoying a refreshing tea and tasty cake we could get views over most of the garden. Brightly coloured annuals and tender perennials grew vigorously in pots.

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When we had finished our refreshments we soon found a sign which invited us through a gap in a hedge. Alongside the gap a piece of sculpture created from beautiful blue glass caught our attention.

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As in any garden there are certain individual plants that stand out and here at Montpelier Cottage they were this deciduous Euonymous sporting a cerise and orange colourway, the deep ruby flowered Sanguisorba “Red Buttons”, the monochrome bamboo, the Rosa rugosa with big hips and the incredibly tall growing Hollyhocks.

But as with any garden it is the big picture that gives it its own style and presence. At Montpelier Cottage the garden boasted large areas of perennial planting through which paths were cut.

It was too late in the year to see the wildflower meadows at their flowery best so we hope to visit earlier in the year in 2016, but the kitchen garden was looking very productive.

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There are interesting rustic buildings which came into view as we wandered the paths through the garden.

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I shall finish my post about this unusual garden with a photo of a lovely slate sculpture and another piece of creativity by Mother Nature herself, weaving with Ivy stems. The final picture shows a beautiful use of shaped box.

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Tags hardy perennials, Herefordshire, Herefordshire gardens, meadows, National Garden Scheme, new perennial gardening, NGS, NGS gardens, Noel Kingsbury, wildflower meadows, Yellow Book, Yellow Book Gardens

arboreta garden photography ornamental trees and shrubs Shropshire trees

Richard’s Trees

We are lucky to have a good friend who has built up his own arboretum, a personal collection of the trees he loves, Elms, Liquidambers, Oaks, etc etc. But most of all our friend Richard loves Birches so he has built up a huge collection of Betulas from around the world. To get an invitation for a personal tour of Richard’s arboretum was a privilege and an exceptional honour.

So in mid-September we travelled a short distance to Ruyton-XI-Towns just north of Shrewsbury. Richard told us to look out for a lane outside the village and keep going along it until we spotted their yellow farmhouse. A beautiful bright red climbing rose greeted us as we entered their gravel driveway, and we soon received a very warm welcome from Richard and his wife Anne.

While touring the arboretum Richard’s knowledge and love for his trees became obvious to us. He knew the names of every tree and shrub, their botanic name, common name, their place of origin and even the name of the nursery or plantsmen from whom the trees had been sourced. He loved every tree and was proud of them too.

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Even though Richard could tell us the name of every tree he ensured that each was accurately and clearly labeled.

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Although he has collected many different trees his true love is the Betula family. Here is a small selection of this wonderful collection. As regular readers of my blog will know I am mad about Betulas so to be able to get close up to so many different ones from around the world was very special to me.

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But there was more to this arboretum than Birches. Just check out the selection below.

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That is just a small selection of the amazing range of trees to be found at Richard’s arboretum! There are so many delights you feel honoured to visit. To have a friend with his own arboretum is pretty special but to have a friend who also loves Betulas is even better. We have been invited back for another wonderful wander around Richard and Anne’s garden and arboretum in the autumn to see their trees in their autumnal costumes.

Tags arboreta, arboretum, betula, betulas, birch, birches, coloured bark, garden trees, ornamental trees, trees

autumn autumn colours colours flowering bulbs garden photography gardens gardens open to the public hardy perennials light light quality National Trust ornamental trees and shrubs roses The National Trust walled gardens

Croft Castle Month by Month – September

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date October 7, 2015
2 Comments on Croft Castle Month by Month – September

So here we are with the ninth post in my series about Croft Castle gardens throughout the year, where I shall report on our September visit to this Herefordshire National Trust property.

The long border was sparkling with colour in the sunlight. The sun was beginning to sit lower in the sky so whites looked as wonderful as bright colours. Cyclamen shone jewel-like in the shadow of the ancient trees. Grasses glistened!

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Once inside the walled garden we immediately noticed how large areas of colour were absent but plant partnerships in twos and threes gave brightness throughout.

Sweetpeas are always a delight but to see these beauties this late in the season really pleased the eye. And of course the nose!

This rich blue colour surprised us when we had a close and realised these gems were not flowers at all but berries. This grass like plant with the blue berries is a Dianella, a plant we have been trying to get established on our gravel garden for a few seasons now. Seeing how special they can be made us more determined to get it right.

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Fuschias are not a favourite of our’s but within these walls we enjoyed the simple small flowers of the more natural varieties.

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The diminuitive flowers of this Fuschia had blooms less than a centimetre long but its beauty was in the detail.

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I love rich deep colours in the garden but they seem especially intense in the early autumn months, so I was attracted by these Dahlias and our favourite Verbena bonariensis.

In the entrance to the glasshouses the climbing Cobaea was in full bloom and the plant covered a huge area. Close-up we could appreciate its complexity and incredible beauty. The tomatoes growing in the glasshouse were looking as late to develop as our own, but their Chrysanths were already in flower whereas ours are just budding up.

The Secret Garden sparkled in the sunshine with every leaf and petal catching the light.

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For bright cheerfulness in the autumn garden you can’t beat the Rudbeckias.

As we made our way back to the car after our most enjoyable garden wanderings two signs of autumn caught our eye, the deep pink of the Sedum flower heads and the colour appearing on the clump of mature trees close to the main gate out of the garden. Next visit will be sometime in October when we expect to see autumn taking over the borders and clumps of trees.

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Tags autumn, autumn colours, autumn gardens, Croft Castle., foliage, foliage plants, hardy perennials, Herefordshire, Herefordshire gardens, perennials, roses, The National Trust

architecture buildings Church architecture Herefordshire town gardens townscapes

The Little Town of Ledbury

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date October 4, 2015
2 Comments on The Little Town of Ledbury

We have driven through the Herefordshire market town of Ledbury, which nestles below the Malvern Hills, many times over the years and as we drive along its long wide main street we always vow to stop and have a wander around one day.

Well in early September we did just that and we were so glad we did! Interesting buildings, old and new were to be found round every corner, down every alleyway and in every narrow street. There was an amazing sense of pride in the town and a sense of creativity to be found in the galleries and design shops. This pride was not just of the town’s past but in its present.

Even as we got out of the car after parking up, there were signs of the town’s rich architectural heritage and indications of the town’s pride in it.

Once on the main street which runs through the centre of the town the huge range of ages and styles of architecture was obvious in whichever direction we glanced.

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Occasionally we came across a sign of modern architecture glued to the old and it looked refreshing and sat comfortably alongside its elders.

Luckily for us if we wandered behind the main street frontage and searched its alleyways and malls we found plenty of coffee shops to choose from. Suitably refreshed after our usual coffee and cake we continued our voyage of discovery.

Wandering down a narrow side street we found ourselves looking into a garden, a place presented to the town as a place of peace and quiet with attractive, colourful flower borders and several benches to rest on and appreciate the attractive surroundings. We wandered through the “Walled Garden” and found a narrow walled walkway which led us to the church.

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After a wander around the church we continued our walk around the streets of this historic town discovering even more architectural gems. This town is so photogenic!

But within, inside, below, above and behind all this architecture hides some beautiful little details, which I discovered through my viewfinder. Please enjoy this gallery of close-ups, secrets and details.

The best place to find these details was by getting away from the shoppers and the business of the main streets and looking into the alleyways and behind doors and gates. I shall finish this celebration of the character of the Herefordshire market town of Ledbury by sharing the photos I took looking into such places.

Tags alleys, architecture, buildings, church architecture, churches, Herefordshire, Ledbury, towns, townscape, townscapes

colours garden photography gardens gardens open to the public hardy perennials National Garden Scheme NGS photography sculpture Yellow Book Gardens

Aulden Farm Gardens – Part 2

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date October 1, 2015

As promised I am back with more photographs from our visit to the gardens at Aulden Farm in Herefordshire. Firstly I would love to share a gallery of photos of the many pieces of garden sculpture we enjoyed discovering among the plants in this wonderful garden.

This atmospheric garden was full of interesting plants used in original ways, in great combinations, in creative partnerships and set to catch the light. Two families of plants which enjoyed having the sun put them in the spotlight were the Persicarias and the Rudbeckias. I hope you like this photo gallery featuring just them.

We hope to return to this garden, surely one of the most beautiful and atmospheric of any we have visited, in the autumn when the light will be playing on the yellows, russets, reds and browns of that season.

Tags garden photography, garden sculpture, hardy perennials, hardy plants, Herefordshire, Herefordshire gardens, outdoor sculpture, Persicarias, Rudbeckias, sculpture

colours garden design garden photography gardening gardens gardens open to the public grasses hardy perennials light light quality National Garden Scheme NGS ornamental grasses ornamental trees and shrubs outdoor sculpture photography Yellow Book Gardens

Aulden Farm – another Yellow Book garden

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date September 28, 2015
1 Comment on Aulden Farm – another Yellow Book garden

We open our garden under the auspices of the National Garden Scheme and love to see our garden in its famous Yellow Book. But we also love to visit other gardens from the Yellow Book.

We recently visited Aulden Farm which is in Herefordshire, our neighbouring county and we were particularly keen to wander around this garden as it has a similar description to our own in their Yellow Book entry although it is much larger! “Informal country garden surrounding old farmhouse, three acres planted with wildlife in mind. Emphasis on structure and form, with a hint of quirkiness, a garden to explore with eclectic planting.”

We had a lovely drive through beautiful countryside before parking on the grass verge and wandering up the gravel drive leading to Aulden Farm’s garden. A gravel area surrounded by interesting planting was a great place to enjoy tea and homemade cakes.

Alongside the tea courtyard was a gravel garden in front of a beautiful barn close to tumbling down. Verbena bonariensis was the star in this garden and the afternoon lit it up dramatically. Butterflies were attracted to it as much as me and my camera. This was an area full of texture and interest too good for any photographer to miss.

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We eventually left behind our tea, cakes, verbenas and butterflies and wandered, suitably refreshed, through the shade garden where the low rays of the sun created pools of light and shade. from here we could choose different routes through the garden described in its own leaflet as “very relaxed, tranquil and some even say romantic, but that is for you to decide”. So we couldn’t wait to find out for ourselves.

Now come for a walk with us around this beautiful garden by enjoying my gallery. Please click on the first photo and navigate with the arrows.

I hope you enjoyed this photographic journey around this wonderful garden. Is it romantic? Yes, definitely so! This is a garden with atmosphere.

We left with an invitation to return whenever we wanted – bliss.

In my next couple of posts about Aulden Farm gardens I will share my images of two special families of plants that caught the beautiful light that day and my imagination, Persicarias and Rudbeckias and also a look at some of the wide ranging sculpture we enjoyed there.

colours garden design garden designers garden photography gardens gardens open to the public meadows

Return to Trentham Gardens

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date September 23, 2015
2 Comments on Return to Trentham Gardens

In mid-September we made a return visit to the gardens at Trentham which I featured monthly during 2014. This time we visited not specifically to enjoy the gardens themselves but to meet friends from university, friends we had not met since the early 1970’s.

While there our reminiscences were interrupted by the sheer beauty of a new area of planting, a meadow designed by Nigel Dunnett. The meadow was sown on a slope alongside woodland and even at this time of the year was full of colour and surprises.

Come on a journey around the meadow with us in my gallery below. As usual simply click on the first photo and move on by clicking on the arrows. If this new meadow looked this good in mid-September I can’t wait to go back next spring and summer to see what pictures they paint then.