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.

Wonder Walls

We always enjoy discovering what plants manage to grow in walls and marvel at how they get a foothold and seek out enough food. You can imagine how delighted we were when we came across this 50 metre long wall which was a garden in itself.

This garden on a wall was at Sizergh Castle, a National Trust property in the southern end of the Lake District in Cumbria. there were other interesting “wall gardens” here too.

The wall runs the length of the Dutch Garden and is constructed of limestone. It is now home to many very happy looking plants. They are a sort of hanging garden!

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Along its top edge a narrow border adds an extra dimension to this wall. Forget-me-Nots in pink, white and the more usual blue provide splashes of colour. After enjoying the vast range of plants growing in the gaps, crevices and cracks of the wall a shelter with a comfortable seat provides a convenient resting place.

Within the gardens at Sizergh we found other examples of “hanging gardens”, one hanging from a flight of stone steps covered in alpine plants, presenting a colourful display. These decorative steps had been roped off to stop anyone using them and damaging the plants growing there. Many visitors stopped to take photographs of this mini-garden which I presume came about by accident. The plants probably self-seeded into the gaps between the stonework. Similarly plants have taken up residence on the side walls of the steps.

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In the kitchen garden at Sizergh the stone walls that make up the sides of the old cold frames also became a habitat for self-seeded little plants.

The walls around the kitchen garden gave the impression of more hanging gardens for us to enjoy. Many of the plants in these walls were wild flowers of hillsides and cliff faces or ones normally grown on rockeries. It was interesting seeing thes plants growing vertically instead of as mats on the ground.

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Ferns were particularly happy growing in the shade of the walls where they could establish themselves in cooler damper conditions found there.

These walls also had extra habitats added to them to encourage even more wildlife to shelter or set up home.

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For my final wall I include this stretch of the castle walls themselves where little creeping daisies, Erigeron karvinskianus had settled in happily showing off its flowers in white and many shades of pink.

We were amazed to find so many plants growing in these walls at Sizergh and wondered how many thousands of tiny critters we could not see as well as small mammals and birds were also sheltering or living there in their own secret miniature world.

Tags alpine gardening, Cumbria, gardens open to the public, NT, Sizergh Castle, The Lake District, The Lakes, The National Trust, wall plants

gardening hardy perennials nurseries

A Real Nursery – Halecat

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date July 10, 2015

While in the Lakes as we drove to the gardens of Brantwood we noticed a sign to Halecat. This rang a bell loudly for us, as we had intended to seek this lovely nursery out. Halecat is an independent nursery where the owners Tom and Abi grow most of their plants from seed. We had invited Tom to come to our Shropshire Hardy Plant Group to talk to us about getting the nursery established. He brought along an amazing selection of plants for sale. So having seen the sign we planned to visit a few days later.

Halecat Nursery was rescued from dereliction by Tom and Abi. They took on an old nursery that had been closed for years and slowly the woods that surround it had encroached into the site itself. Years of hard work and dedication has returned it to a working nursery.

We followed that sign down lanes that got narrower and narrower but soon found the nursery entrance. It looked like no other nursery we had ever seen before. Blackboards were full of information, informing the visitor what was in season now, what the nursery staff were up to and any nursery news. Unusual containers were full of equally interesting plants. A large sign invited you to the self serve cafe where you made your own drinks and put your money in an honesty box. It was all very friendly and inviting. We were pleased to notice that the nursery had won a Gold Medal and Best in Show award at the recent Holker Hall Garden Festival.

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When we arrived owners Tom and Abi were busy in one of the polytunnels potting on seedlings. A large bell was hanging outside the office for customers to ring when they wanted help or wished to be served. When it rang either Tom, Abi or one of their employees soon arrived on the scene.

Looking over the site we could see that the many raised sale areas were intermingled with display gardens. It had a very lively look about it. Several prospective purchasers wandered around the gravel paths. Plants were labeled with all the information a gardener could want to know, the plants soil requirements, aspect etc as well as an accurate description of the plants. We found many plants we had never come across before so these labels were most useful.

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Our visit emphasised how much better these independent nurseries are for the real gardener compared to the modern chain garden centres. Here at Halecat there were no gifts, no pet food, no clothing sections and no outlet shops. So refreshing! And above all the staff know about plants and gardening.

As you must have guessed, we didn’t come away empty handed. We found room in the car for a few special plants. The temptation was simply too great!

We came away with Polygonum , Nepeta s, Pentstemen, a tiny Iris sibirica and an alpine Aquilegia

Tags Cumbria, Halecat Nursery, independent nurseries, nurseries

birds colours garden photography garden wildlife gardening gardens hardy perennials roses Shropshire Yellow Book Gardens

My Garden Journal – June

Half way through the year and here we are again to have a look at my garden journal for the month of June. My special Moleskine embossed with the word “greenbenchramblings” is now on its way to being half full.

In my first page for June I wrote “Garden writers talk of the “June gap”, a time when fewer flowers bloom than in other summer months. Luckily for us we have spotted no gaps in our garden.

For us June is a month of Roses, of Day Lilies, of Geraniums, of Snap Dragons and so much more. It is the month of scents too. Whenever humidity rises scents become richer and invade every part of our garden, so much so that we find it hard to identify individual scents and from where they arise”

I filled the second page with a gallery of rose photos. Enjoy navigating through my set of Rose pics.

On page 3 we find this month’s quote from Jenny Joseph. “My quote from Jenny Joseph’s little delight of a book looks at how scent changes with the weather”

“Though the over-riding smell of sunlit June is a mixture of Philadelphus and Strawberries, if it gets too hot there is an arid, dusty smell, the smell of rank stinging nettles. If we get rain after dry heat at this time, an almost delirious richness comes from all the wet foliage.”

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We have a highly scented Philadelphus shrub arching over the path to our Shade Border, but it is in reality growing in our neighbours’ garden. We train the long flowering stems over the path so that we pass through a tunnel of rich sweet scent.

On the opposite page I wrote about the creatures seen by the wildlife pond in mid-June, Dragonflies, Damselflies and Pond Skaters.

“Dragonfly and Damselfly larvae creep slowly up stems of pond plants and metamorphose from the ugly to the beautiful. Pond Skaters skim in twitching movements across the surface of the water without breaking through.”

I enjoyed painting our most beautiful Damselfly which we see often on summer days flitting around our garden and often coming into the house to see us!

Page 5 features one of our favourite families of herbaceous perennials, the Geraniums. We have many different varieties and cultivars flowering in many of our borders.

“Geraniums are any lover of perennial plants favourites. So many shades of pink and blue on flowers of varying size and detail of petal”.

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On my next page I looked at the bird life in our June garden,

“Our garden in June is subject to regular invasions of fledgling birds, Blue Tits, Great Tits and Long-tailed Tits along with Finches Green and Gold. They beg for food noisily and even ask us for food as we get on with our gardening chores.”

I then picked myself up on the use of the term “gardening chores”,

“It strikes me as odd that we speak of gardening chores or jobs and tasks. Gardening is a delight.

To accompany these words I painted a water colour of a fledgling Blue Tit, looking a little like a faded version of its parents.

Pages 7 and 8 of my June journal featured a bit of pond dipping and a look at a special Rose.

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“A warm evening in late June was a perfect time to get out my pond-dipping net and sample tray. A few scoops and the tray was full of life.”

I painted a Water Measurer and the larva of a Common Newt. Both these creatures appeared in numbers in every scoop I made with the net. Even if just a few of these young Newts reach adulthood it will help manage the slug population and perhaps reduce the number of holes in our Hosta leaves.

My final entry in my garden journal for the month of June was a look at a special Rose which we discovered just last year. We were initially attracted to its beautiful buds and rich chocolate brownish red blooms. We discovered it was called Dark Chocolate and it has the added benefit of a rich scent.

“We have an unusually coloured rose growing in our “Secret Garden” called Rosa “Hot Chocolate”. The colour is a deep brick-red with hints of the darkest brown. Its scent is rich, fruity but with a hint of dark chocolate. The buds of Hot Chocolate are one of the most beautiful of all roses.”

And that is my journal for June.

Tags climbing roses, damselflies, garden journal, garden pond, garden pools, garden wildlife, June, newts, roses

climbing plants colours flowering bulbs fruit and veg garden photography gardens gardens open to the public hardy perennials irises kitchen gardens meadows National Trust ornamental trees and shrubs poppies Shropshire The National Trust trees walled gardens

Croft Castle month by month – Part 6 June

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date July 6, 2015
4 Comments on Croft Castle month by month – Part 6 June

We arrived for our June exploration of the gardens at the National Trust property, Croft Castle, with great expectations as the sun shone, the sky was blue and the temperature warm. We were not disappointed in any way! After our usual coffee and cakes we made our way to the main feature of the garden, the Walled Garden. On the way we enjoyed finding some very colourful plants with the added extra, scent.

On entering the Walled Garden the colour and scent continued. Our first glance through the doorway promised a great deal to see and smell.

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Poppies were on top form! Beautiful!

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As we ambled up the gentle slope studying the plants in the border against the wall we noticed that the vines were now in full leaf with tiny bunches of flowers forming, the promise of a healthy grape harvest to come. Irises blooming in the borders opposite bloomed with much more complex and colourful flowers.

As usual we passed through the blue gate to see what was going on in the gardeners’ working area, but not much was going on. We were pleased to see the Cobaea back in flower. It lives up to its common name, the “Cup and Saucer Plant”.

Our old favourite, the Cornus cousa was white over with flower-like bracts and beneath it Nancy, Liz and Clementine the Pekin Bantams we met earlier were enjoying their new home.

The ancient apple orchard and the mixed borders hugging the red-brick walls were full of colour, scent and texture. The walled garden had truly come to life!

More borders have come to life this month in the central area of the walled garden among and around the old gnarled fruit trees. A meadow of poppies, a rose garden and mixed borders all add to the effect.

We left the walled garden through a gateway with a shrubby area with Foxgloves enjoying its shade.

The Secret Garden was at its peak, soft colours, gentle perfumes and a multitude of greens.

Around the front of the residence at Croft Castle we looked over the wall to admire the vast area of meadowland. Deep pink Centranthus bordered the base of the walls giving a bright margin between wall and meadow.

We are half way through our year of monthly visits to the gardens of Croft Castle. Our next visit in July will hopefully be bright, warm and sunny too, giving us even more to look forward to.

Tags cornus, Croft Castle., fruit and vegetable growing, gardens open to the public, Hereford, Herefordshire, Herefordshire gardens, meadows, National Trust, The National Trust, walled garden, walled gardens

arboreta garden design garden photography garden ponds garden pools gardens gardens open to the public Italian style gardens meadows ornamental trees and shrubs shrubs trees water garden water in the garden

A Week in the Lake District – Part 7 – Holker Hall

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date July 4, 2015

I had recently read a book on the original creation and the more recent re-design of the gardens at Holker Hall so I was really looking forward to visiting it to see it for real. The book made mention of many rare and interesting trees being planted which made me extra keen to visit.

We hoped it would reach our expectations as it was the last day of our week in the Lake District. We looked forward to a gentle stroll around a peaceful, atmospheric garden. We were not disappointed in any way! Holker’s gardens were full of variety and surprises, with a careful balance of the formal and informal.

As we entered the garden we were presented with this vista, a vista full of promises to come.

Taking each pathway off from the central path we discovered beautiful examples of formality, neatly cut grass, hedges carefully clipped and seats neatly tucked into niches.

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But formality cannot work without carefully chosen and well-grown plants.

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As we moved away from the formality of the first section of the garden we found gentle meadows which presented a complete contrast.

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The meadows contained surprises, a stone circle, a maze, seats of single blocks of slate and the most beautiful sundial.

It was hot wandering out in the open space of the meadows so it felt good to wander around shaded areas and an Italianate water garden.

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One of the reasons to visit Holker Hall is the collection of rare and unusual trees. They were underplanted with meadows of grasses and wildflowers which gave the wooded area the character of a real William Robinson styled wild garden

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We were amazed by the number of interesting trees at Holker and enjoyed discovering several champion trees. There were so many special places throughout the gardens where shrubs and trees were sensitively grouped to set them off in the best light.

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Tags Cumbria, garden trees, Holker Hall, Italian garden style, meadows, shrubs, The Lake District, The Lakes, trees and shrubs, water in the garden, wildflower meadows

colours countryside flowering bulbs landscapes light light quality photography trees wildlife woodland woodlands

A Week in the Lake District – Part 6 – Bluebells

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date July 2, 2015
1 Comment on A Week in the Lake District – Part 6 – Bluebells

The Bluebells in our Shropshire garden were flowering and sharing their rich scent with us early in May, so we were more than a little surprised to find them only just coming into flower when we visited the Lake District a month later. While driving the perimeter road around the lake called Thirlmere, we followed the road as it moved into woodlands of tall trees elongated as they fought to reach the light.

Beneath the canopy, the play of light and shade fascinated us as explored the woods.

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As we explored further we noticed a haze of blue appearing among the fine grasses of the woodland floor. On close inspection we realised they were Bluebells, the wildflower of spring.

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Please enjoy this final set of photographs showing the richness of light in the woods around Thirlmere, one of the many bubbling streams and some of the wild plants growing there.

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Tags bluebells, Cumbria, Lakes, light, light quality, The Lake District, The Lakes, woodland, woods

birds colours garden design garden photography garden wildlife gardening gardens open to the public ornamental trees and shrubs trees woodland

A Week in the Lake District – Part 4 – Brantwood

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date June 30, 2015
3 Comments on A Week in the Lake District – Part 4 – Brantwood

I had read a book about the making of the gardens at Brantwood in the Lake District, so when we found ourselves nearby we were determined to make time for a visit. Brantwood was the home of John Ruskin who believed in gardening with wildlife so his garden is often described as one of the closest to the ideals propounded by William Robinson.

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We visited on a hot sunny day so were pleased that we were exploring a woodland garden. As with other places we visited in the Lake District we were astonished to hear so much birdsong, missing now in much of the UK due to modern agricultural practices. Thrushes both Song and Mistle, along with their cousins the Blackbird, seemed to sing loudly from every tree. Blackcaps, Robins, Wrens and Whitethroats performed with equal gusto from the layer of shrubs and bushes.

Every surface whether ground, tree trunk, wall or rock-face seemed to be home to plants. We had to look everywhere all around us to make sure we didn’t miss a hidden gem or two.

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From the highest parts of the garden we glimpsed on occasion views of Coniston Water. It is possible to arrive at Brantwood via the lake on a steam paddle boat.

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The woodland garden felt just as Ruskin wished it to when he wrote about gardening there. He wanted to look back at where he had been gardening and see no sign that he had been there, just the hand of nature.

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As we wandered the garden paths through the valleys, alongside streams and beneath trees we kept a look out for Ruskin’s seat, set in his favourite part of the garden. It was beautifully crafted from local slate and was now weathered and covered in lichen. I think this would please Ruskin if he could see it now.

Tags Brantwood, Cumbria, garden wildlife, gardening for wildlife, natural gardening, Ruskin, Ruskin's garden, The Lake District, The Lakes, the wildlife garden, woodland, woodland garden, woodland gardening

countryside lakes lakes and reservoirs Land Art landscapes light light quality National Trust outdoor sculpture

A Week in the Lake District – Part 5 – Buttermere and Crummockwater

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date June 27, 2015
2 Comments on A Week in the Lake District – Part 5 – Buttermere and Crummockwater

During our week in the Lake District we enjoyed visiting gardens as we do wherever we visit, but we loved the special landscape all around.

The area around Buttermere and Crummockwater particularly impressed us as we drove around exploring the district in the evenings when the light was adding an extra dimension. Even the views from the road were impressive.

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The breed of sheep specially adapted to the landscape and climate of the Lakes is the Herdwick, which I mentioned in my post about Beatrix Potter. The vast majority of sheep we saw in the area were Herdwicks so it was hard to believe that it was at one time an endangered breed.

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I hope you enjoy the following set of photos of the views as much as we enjoyed the views themselves.

The Lake District is full of surprises and this slate sculpture was a wonderful surprise!

Tags Cumbria, Herdwick Sheep, Lakes, landscape photography., landscapes, The Lake District, The Lakes

buildings climbing plants colours fruit and veg garden photography gardens open to the public grow your own hardy perennials kitchen gardens National Trust The National Trust village gardens

A Week in the Lake District – Part 3 – Hill Top

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date June 23, 2015
1 Comment on A Week in the Lake District – Part 3 – Hill Top

We were looking forward to visiting the Lakeland home of the children’s author and artist, Beatrix Potter and discovering more about her life. We already knew she was far more than just the author of the Peter Rabbit series of books. She was a farmer, conservationist and wildlife artist and generous donor of land to the National Trust.

We followed narrow lanes to the village of Near Sawrey and squeezed the car into a tiny car park and purchased our timed tickets. Hill Top is very popular but also tiny so the National Trust have instigated a timed ticket system. A short wander through the village and we walked through a gate to find a blackboard with a lovely welcoming message chalked on it.

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We walked up the long garden path towards the cottage itself.

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The front of Hill Top was swathed in scented, white flowered Wisteria which brightened up its drab grey finish. Borders of typical cottage garden plants sat on both sides of the front porch. The cottage was originally a farmhouse built in the 17th Century and bought by Beatrix in 1905 using the proceeds from her first published book, the one and only “Tales of Peter Rabbit. The cottage featured in her children’s books.

Photography was not allowed in the cottage itself but walking from room to room it felt as if we were seeing it just as if Beatrix Potter had just popped into the garden to cut some flowers. Letters she had written were awaiting an envelope on her writing bureau and drawings and paintings were sat on her desk. Furniture seen by thousands of children for over a hundred years in illustrations in her Peter Rabbit series of books were in every room.

We moved back outside into the sunshine and found the little vegetable garden well known as the garden of Mr MacGregor. Hazel bean poles and an old wheelbarrow and watering cans seemed so familiar.

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From the vegetable garden we gained great views of the cottage.

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We wandered back down the sloping garden path and enjoyed the cottage garden flowers with their bright colours and rich scents.

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When Beatrix Potter died she left 14 farms and their land plus sheep that grazed on it to the National Trust. Since then the National Trust have continued to purchase large areas of the Lake District which helps keep it such a beautiful place for all to enjoy.

Wherever you go in the Lake District you see Herdwick Sheep grazing in the fields from lowland fields to upland fell sides. Beatrix Potter helped prevent this local and specially adapted breed of sheep from becoming extinct. She was the first female President of the Herdwick Sheep Society.

After visiting Hill Top we wandered back through the village and in a front garden we noticed a scarecrow based on Mr MacGregor. The villagers are obviously proud of their most famous past resident.

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Tags Beatrix Potter, Cumbria, fruit and vegetable growing, National Trust, Tales of Peter Rabbit, The Lake District, The National Trust

bird watching birds countryside lakes Land Art landscapes light light quality National Trust nature reserves photography The National Trust trees wildlife woodland woodlands

Aira Force – the walk back.

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date June 19, 2015
1 Comment on Aira Force – the walk back.

After enjoying the sights and sounds of the Aira Force water falls we followed the stream as it wandered through the wooded hilltops before we started our walk back down the valley. As we had been sat resting we were mesmerised by the songs and calls of so many birds in the trees and understory. This we would soon discover was to be a feature of our week in the Lakes – the sheer number of birds astounded us! At Aira Force we could hear Nuthatches, Treecreepers, Goldcrests, Coal Tits and all the thrushes, the Song Thrush, the Mistle Thrush and the Blackbird. We heard several warblers too and recognised a few such as the Wood Warbler, Garden Wabler and the Chiffchaff as well as their larger cousins the Redstart, Whitethroat and Blackcap. It made for an entertaining time and emphasised how important these areas of countryside managed by the National Trust are as nature reserves.

We changed direction and began the gentle descent. We enjoyed different views of places we had admired on our ascent.

We took a slight detour from the main path to a damp more open area where different plants were growing and even the air itself felt damp to our skin. We were tempted to follow this detour just because of this beautifully constructed stone track. We just had to follow it! It reminded us of the work by land artist Richard Long.

Our detour finally took us back to our original pathway and we enjoyed the sounds of the tumbling stream once more.

So we found ourselves back at our starting point having enjoyed a stimulating, beautiful wander up and down this wooded valley. The waterfall, Aira Force, was the icing on the cake! A great day out!