greenbenchramblings

Are you sitting comfortably? Part 11 of a very occasional series.

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date March 29, 2017
2 Comments on Are you sitting comfortably? Part 11 of a very occasional series.

Here we are back with a new selection of interesting and unusual garden seats, our 11th collection.

To start with I will share with you a selection of garden seats we discovered in the wonderful huge gardens at Bodnant, a National Trust Property in North Wales and then move on to another of their properties but this time much nearer home in the West Midlands, Hanbury Hall. All these seats were discovered within a week in November. We hope you enjoy the selection we have chosen for you.

Bodnant Garden

These three simple slate benches are beautifully placed matching their background of strata slate layers and the grey stone paving. They look very different whether they are wet or dry. They are pale greys when dry but much darker and glossier when wet. Their chunky design fits their place so well.

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Inside the garden we wandered through the new Winter Garden and down towards the dingle, a wooded steep valley with a stream running through it. All the seats were quite ordinary designs manufactured from wood, including one that is reminiscent of an Edwin Lutzen’s design, but they were made special by their placements either raised up, surrounded by harmonious plantings and all giving beautiful views across the garden. These view points allowed us to look at close up garden plantings, larger borders or even long views along the valley or over tree tops.

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These last two pics show seating deeper in wooded areas and illustrate how well seats sit in their environment when manufactured in the natural material of the place itself. Special secretive seating where birdsong shares the space with you.

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Hanbury Hall

Again the seats at Hanbury were often very simple and ordinaary in design but they are situated in very special places, special buildings, within special planting.

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So we have shared with you our selection of garden seats that we enjoyed in November. We hope you enjoyed sharing them with us. We enjoyed trying most of them out!

Tags Bodnant, Bodnant Garden, garden seating, garden seats, Hanbury Hall, Natiional Trust Gardens, National Trust, North Wales, Welsh gardens

colours garden photography gardening light light quality photography

Simply Beautiful 8 – Subtle Shades

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date March 26, 2017
2 Comments on Simply Beautiful 8 – Subtle Shades

What an unbelievably subtle and beautifully understated little flower! Checking over the greenhouse today and there on one of Jude’s mixed Primula auricula seedlings was this one little beauty. How clever Mother Nature is, thinking of pairing cinnamon and lemon yellow. she then considered texture and added a dusting of castor sugar and a light sparkle of frost crystals. Into the centre she dropped a trio of circles in shades of green forming a little bull’s eye.

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Taking a peek behind the Auricula’s bloom the same colours appear but in a very less organised fashion. The light on the stems catch the whiteness of the farina which turns it into silver dust. Simply beautiful!

Tags auricicula, colour, colour combinations, colour in the garden, primula auricula, primulas

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Starlings under the Pier

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date March 23, 2017

Aberwyswyth on the mid Welsh-coast is a seaside resort and a very traditional small seaside town, with promenade, castle, Georgian hotels all along the sea front and a pier pointing out to sea.

This pier is there for the entertainment of holiday-makers and day-trippers alike but many of these human visitors do not realise that many more starlings visit early each evening that humans during the day.

As light falls tens of thousands of these black glossy birds put on a great aerial display, a show in the sky above the waves, an extravaganza! A murmuration no less – one of the wonders of the natural world far superior to anything man can create.

architecture light light quality photography the sea the seaside the shore Uncategorized

Oh we do like to be beside the seaside! A Crazy Lighthouse

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date March 20, 2017
2 Comments on Oh we do like to be beside the seaside! A Crazy Lighthouse

We do love to be beside the seaside and love the surprises it gives us! When we visited Burnham-on-Sea we were in for a real treat, a big colourful surprise which took us totally by surprise. It was a lighthouse on the beach but not only that, it was wooden lighthouse!

We knew one existed somewhere as we remember seeing it on a BBC series called “Coast” but didn’t realise it was at Burnham until we spotted it in the distance as we were taking in the sea air promenading aimlessly along the soft sandy beach. We walked towards it seeing more detail as we got closer.

The first picture shows the point at which we stopped to decide if we could get to it and back again in the time we had and of course before the tide slowly returned to maroon the lighthouse back at sea. The second picture shows me photographing the lighthouse just as we reached a point close enough to fully appreciate its strange beauty.

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The third photo records the moment that the lighthouse filled the viewfinder.

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When we got close enough to touch the wooden boards of the lighthouse we looked upwards and then realised how tall it actually was and how bright the red and white clapboards were glaring in the sun and against the deep blue of the October sky.

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Its reflections in the saltwater pool beneath it were crisp and sharply outlined.

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To enjoy our visit to see the crazy lighthouse please enjoy my gallery of illustrating our amble across the sands. As usual click on the first photo and then navigate using the arrows.

I hope you enjoyed sharing our discovery of the lovely eccentric construction on the beach. We love being at the seaside, wandering beaches or discovering the character of shoreland towns. Surprises like this lighthouse add to the experience.

Tags Burnham-on-Sea, lighthouse, sea, sea shore, sea side, seascapes

architecture buildings landscapes reflections the sea the seaside the shore

Oh we do like to be beside the seaside! – Burnham-on-Sea

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date March 18, 2017

We do love to be beside the seaside, beside the sea, as followers of my blog have probably realised already. Is is great when we discover another seaside town as we did recently on a visit to countryside along the Somerset and Devon border. We were looking at a few gardens down there and fancied some time beside the sea so made our way to Burnham-on-Sea to see what we would find there.

We are always delighted and excited if we learn that the seaside town we are visiting has a pier so Burnham was onto a winner where we were concerned. We also like to see a sense of humour wherever we go and to see B-on-S boasting that it has the smallest pier in the UK rather than the more usual longest, oldest etc. So that was our first port of call, off in search of the tiny pier. We soon spotted its white roof glaring in the sunshine in strong contrast to the deep blue sky.

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Walking along the promenade we could look down onto the beach to sea what the sandy beach lovers were getting up to. As usual people at the seaside become creative as they discover their creative streak even if it is for just one day.

Play leaders were busy providing entertainment for families of young children with games all things pirate and even had a pirate ship mock up on the sands. The ice cream man realised the potential business opportunity of parking on the sand nearby.

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Come for a walk along the promenade with us now and see what was happening through the lens of my trusty Nikon.

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We walked back along the sands rather than retracing our steps along the prom. This gave a very different perspective and afforded the opportunity to take a close look at the sand and the patterns in it.

The most amazing and surprising discovery on the sands was the colourful wooden lighthouse. In my next post I will share my photos of this incredible construction. Burnham-on-Sea was a surprising place and provided us with a most enjoyable day out with added surprises!

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Tags beach, beaches, Burnham-on-Sea, Devon, lighthouse, piers, sand, sand art, sea, sea shore, seascapes, seashore, seaside, shortest pier

autumn colours colours garden photography gardening gardens gardens open to the public

Simply Beautiful 8 – Tetrapanax leaves

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date March 12, 2017

Tetrapanax papyfera Rex is a wonderful albeit rather tender foliage plant with large exotic looking leaves. In winter the leaves darken before falling and look simply beautiful.

Tags autumn colours, changing colours, foliage, foliage colour, foliage plants, leaf colour, leaf colours, tetrapanax

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Kinny’s Patch

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date March 10, 2017

Kinny’s Patch – a few acres of valley on the English and Welsh border – is a very special place where wildlife shares its home with a little collection of domestic animals. Kinny has been a friend of Jude, the Undergardener, since their early childhood, a long special friendship. They went to infant school together and followed education experiences right through to the end of teacher training college.

We see a lot of Kinny meeting up about once a month with a small group of special college friends for coffees, meals and catch up times. In February we all met up at Kinny’s bungalow for coffee and cake, enjoyed a meal at her local hostelry and then went off to meet her animal friends who lived a short way away.

We were greeted by the chickens, loudly and enthusiastically, with the cockerels particularly tuneful. Overhead Buzzards mewed and soared gracefully and the calls of songbirds was all around.

Our presence was soon spotted by the flock of Alpacas across the field. They were not really interested in us but the food we had with us. They were a multitude of colours and sported a fine variety of hair styles.

One was very aloof and turned its back on us as it wandered away to a safe distance.

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The last animals in Kinny’s menagerie were a couple of horses, both quite elderly and rationed the time they wanted to be stroked. A fine end to our day out on the Welsh border.

Tags alpacas, small holding

log piles logs National Trust outdoor sculpture The National Trust trees woodland woodlands

Tree Trunks at Attingham

On our monthly wanders through the parkland at Attingham Park, the closest National Trust property to us here in Plealey, we spot many dead trees left standing to benefit wildlife, insects and birds in particular. But we simply enj0y their shapes as they decay and the textures created as fungi and small creatures eat them and erode them away.

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We came across a pair of old diseased beech trees both of which had been worked on by tree surgeons. One looked as if it had been made safe to be left for the wildlife of the woods but the other treated in a manner that would save it for years to come.

When we went closer to look at this stump of an old rotting tree we noticed that someone who has passed before us had added a few pieces of wood creating a piece of outdoor sculpture. A surprise for us and other visitors lucky enough to spot it. And a little humour!

Trees that have to be felled when they are in a dangerous place are felled, cut into logs which are stacked to create log piles for wildilfe.

The slow decay and death of trees keeps the woodland changing for ever. They support many forms of wildlife before rotting away beneath the power of fungi to return to the woodland floor adding nutrients and humus to the soil.

Tags Attingham Park, National Trust, The National Trust, trees, woodland, woodlands

colours garden photography gardening gardens gardens open to the public National Trust ornamental trees and shrubs Shrewsbury Shropshire shrubs The National Trust trees Winter Gardening winter gardens woodland woodlands

A Walk in the Park – February at Attingham Park – Part 2

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date March 4, 2017
2 Comments on A Walk in the Park – February at Attingham Park – Part 2

After enjoying time exploring the walled garden and its outbuildings we continued our wanderings towards the beginning of “The Mile Walk”, passing along the way this tree half covered by orange lichen, which looked so colourful on this dull day.

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On the way we noticed how much moss was growing at the bases of the mature trees and how bright their green colours were. Of course we enjoyed the white sparkles of snowdrops on the way.

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There is a wide variety of coniferous evergreens growing close to the path, collected centuries ago under the guidance of Lord Berwick, a keen tree and shrub collector. We looked closely at the freshest of branches to compare colours and shapes.

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It is only in the depth of winter that we can really appreciate the beautifully gnarled lower stem structure of rhododendron bushes.

Old tree trunks hollowed out over centuries always bring the child out in us. We were drawn to it as soon as we spotted it along the riverbank.

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Closer study revealed wide varieties of texture and pattern.

It is always good to find a little humour in gardens and parks. This worm was enjoying nibbling away at the big apple. What a great way to take advantage of an old uprooted tree stump. The final photo shows a seat which we imagines was rarely used particularly as it was just a few feet from the river!

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Our next visit to Attingham Park will be in March so we are already looking forward to searching for changes. Of course we will be full of anticipation knowing that the new coffee shop is getting close to its opening date!

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Tags Attingham Park, gardens of Shropshire, gardens of the National Trust, mosses, National Trust, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, shrubs in winter, snowdrops, texture, textured bark, The National Trust, winter, winter garden, winter gardening, winter shrubs

birds flowering bulbs fruit and veg garden buildings garden photography gardening gardens gardens open to the public kitchen gardens National Trust Shrewsbury Shropshire spring bulbs The National Trust walled gardens walled kitchen gardens winter gardens woodland woodlands

A Walk in the Park – February at Attingham Park – Part 1

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date March 2, 2017
2 Comments on A Walk in the Park – February at Attingham Park – Part 1

It is mid-February and time for our second visit to Attingham Park, our nearest National Trust property. We awoke on the day of our planned visit to a dark overcast sky and light rain hanging in the air, but we set off nonetheless, determined that the weather would not spoil our plans. We started with a quick coffee break but the rain had not improved when we set off on the actual walk to the walled garden and onwards along “The Mile Walk”.

We were on the look out for signs of fresh growth and early signs of wildlife activity. We were not expecting to find much change in the walled garden. Leaf buds were opening on several trees and shrubs, the first signs of fresh growth, as well as a few very early flowers on shrubs.

As we left the coffee shop in the courtyard we made our way towards the walled garden following the soft bark path beneath extremely tall trees, where odd leaves brown from autumn were still caught in their lower branches. Up above in the uppermost branches Jackdaws were busy tidying up their nests from last year and noisily chattering away as they did so.

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Snowdrops carpeted the floor beneath tall trees looking at their brightest in the shade of hollies which are a feature of the woodland garden here. After enjoying the snowdrops and the variety of hollies we soon found ourselves in the protection of the Walled Garden.

The volunteer gardeners had been working hard skillfully pruning the fruit and we really enjoyed appreciating their skills. A neat layer of compost provided a warm protective mulch and gave an extra level of neatness.

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In the very centre of the four segments of the walled garden a dipping well is conveniently placed. Alongside waits an old wheeled water bucket cart beautifully crafted in iron and galvanised metal. Today it is more decorative then functional.

New life was showing in the herbaceous borders running along both sides of the main centre path.

As we moved into the glasshouse yard bright blue splashes of colour showed strongly in the borders and in pots, diminutive Iris reticulata.

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We never fail to be impressed by the workmanship evident wherever old glasshouses have been restored to their former glory.

We exited the walled garden via the doorway leading to the orchard, which also gave us access to the lean-to buildings outside the walls themselves. We explored each building and recess to discover old clay pots, the old boiler and an apple store.

So leaving the warmer atmosphere found within the walled garden, we returned to the path that would take us to The Mile Walk. That will be the subject of my Attingham Park February walk part two.