Tag: garden photography

A Wander around our Garden in October

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date October 28, 2012
6 Comments on A Wander around our Garden in October

The tenth post in this series of wanders around our garden already! Just two to go! What shall I do for a monthly garden post instead next year? Any ideas for me?

October started off with days of endless heavy rain but after a fortnight it changed to steady drizzle. A bit of sun would be welcome right now.

The first frosts have visited us forcing us to bring the Aeoniums, Echeverias and our other tender plants under cover. We shall have to keep them safe in the “bubble wrapped” greenhouse, by giving them virtually no water and removing any dry or damaged foliage and when the temperatures drops below -15 C give them additional snug coverings of fleece and bubble-wrap. Another sign of autumn is the log delivery which was tipped off the back of a truck onto our drive mid-month. We sorted them and stacked them around the front door. The wonderfully evocative woody aroma of oak and birch trees mixes with the sweet scents of the woodland floor. The scents of the season.

We visited the gardens at our favourite nursery yesterday, The Dingle at Welshpool, a superb autumn garden on a sloping hillside leading down to lakes. (Look out for my post in the next week or so) As usual we returned with a few acquisitions – a tiny orange Kniphofia, Cornus canadensis and Clerondendron bungeii.

We have planted the Kniphofia with a trio of bronze-leaved grasses and near to our darkest blue Agapanthus. As the “poker” is flowering now, its head of tubular orange flowers glows alongside the Agapanthus’ developing seed heads of blue and pewter.

Sometimes autumn hues aren’t just provided by deciduous trees changing the colours of their leaves but by foliage on perennials, grasses and shrubs. Euphorbias are a fine example, as are grasses which have the added bonus of seed heads. Look out for the pic of our Pentstemon Huskers Red which always surprises with its deep red autumn explosions.

But amongst all this red hot foliage we mustn’t lose sight of the flowers that continue to add colour to the garden. There are now fewer so each one is a precious jewel.

I shall finish off with a few pics of autumn coloured leaves, just what you expect in October! And then take a look at one border and take a walk down just one of our many grass paths.

Tags autumn, autumn colours, colour, crocosmias, foliage, foliage plants, garden photography, grasses, October, ornamental trees, pentstemon, roses, shrubs

allotments autumn community gardening fruit and veg garden photography garden wildlife gardening grow your own hardy perennials Shropshire

A Wander around our Allotments in October

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date October 26, 2012
5 Comments on A Wander around our Allotments in October

Flooding and its problems have dominated our allotment month. For the third time this year our allotment site has been under water. Rotten potatoes, bark paths washed away, rows of seedlings washed onto other plots and onto pathways and items stored in sheds ruined. This is sadly becoming a regular occurence. We have a meeting with the town council next week so perhaps we can come away with some positive news for the allotment members.

But let’s concentrate on the positives of our lovely site. The people and the plants. This is our friend Sherlie with a monster cabbage!

Phil had never grown apples until four years ago when he asked me to help him set up a row of cordon apples and pears and teach him the necessary skills. Now look at what he has achieved this year!

Our wander with camera in hand took us through the Autumn Garden over to our plot and then across to the Winter Garden via the Spring and Summer Gardens.

The Autumn Garden, appropriately, is now looking wonderful with late season flowers looking colourful amongst foliage the colour of fire.

Butterflies, bees and hoverflies were flocking to the asters in this garden for the first fortnight this month but as the weather turned colder they rapidly disappeared. Buddlejas flower profusely around the site during the summer attracting beneficial insects and pollinators, but this orange one flowers in the autumn.

We grow a variety of Sorbus trees here and they provide wonderful foils for late flowering perennials.

The stars here though have to be the Echinacea.

Around the trees in the Birch Grove fairies have been at work. So many plot holders have been taking photos of their handywork.

On our own plot we are still picking autumn raspberries. The three varieties of kale we are growing are looking quite colourful as is a sole sunflower – the only sun to be seen up on the lotties at the moment. The day these pics were taken was dark and overcast.

A little bit of extra colour can be found in the leaves of our blackberry bramble.

The crops that we will be harvesting during the winter and early spring are coming along nicely. Leeks, parsnips, carrots and celeriac.

The Winter Garden is an oasis of brightness with most of the colours coming from foliage.

I shall finish my October wander with some great news. Three Bowbrook Allotment Community gardeners were invited to the Mayor’s Award Ceremony earlier in the month. Dave, on the left, received his certificate and cup for the Best Front Garden in Shrewsbury and Sue and Paul collected their award for Best Half Allotment in Shrewsbury. Well done to them!

Tags allotments, apples, asters, autumn, community gardening, dogwoods, fruit and vegetable growing, garden photography, grasses, grown your own, organic gardening, ornamental trees, winter gardens

fruit and veg garden design garden photography gardening gardens open to the public grow your own outdoor sculpture photography

The Other Hampton Court – Part 2

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date October 20, 2012
9 Comments on The Other Hampton Court – Part 2

Back to the Hampton Court Garden – not the one in London but the one in north Herefordshire.

The structure designed into the gardens here entices us to move on, to follow paths, to enter gateways, to sit and rest and to look at views.

Within the design plants sit comfortable and happy in their surroundings.

This wonderful garden is also about fun, that essential element that acts as the vehicle for children to become involved with gardens and gardening.

Not just children though – adults need fun in the garden too, especially Jude, the Undergardener.

Sculpture is an important feature of Hampton Court and is enjoyed by all ages. This piece features stained glass within a wooden obelisk,

Within the orchard this sculpture of a hare in its rusty finish attracts everyone for its beauty and charm.

We shall leave Hampton Court in the orchard a collection of heritage fruit trees and meadows, and with a wander around the potager.

And a piece of unintentional outdoor sculpture.

Tags fruit and veg, fruit and vegetable growing, garden photography, gardening, grown your own, Hampton Court, Herefordshire, Herefordshire gardens

fruit and veg garden design garden photography gardening gardens open to the public grow your own outdoor sculpture photography

The other Hampton Court – Part 1

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date October 11, 2012
1 Comment on The other Hampton Court – Part 1

Just a hour’s drive away, following the A49 south into north Herefordshire, is the “other” Hampton Court. It is much smaller and less well-known than its London namesake, but we love it. It is a garden of many moods from a formal Dutch style canal garden, a potager, herbaceous borders, sweeping expanses of lawn with towering Cypress trees, a riverside walk to a dingle with grotto and pool. Who could ask for more?

We went down for a visit in September taking friends Tony and Jean with us and their granddaughter, Lucy. They are our daughter’s in-laws and niece. Jean has loved gardens for ages, Tony is excited about recently discovering them and Lucy, just 2 years old, simply loves being outside and looking at everything around her.

Naturally we arranged to meet up with them in the coffee shop situated in the beautiful orangery. The lawns outside were decorated with sculptures for all tastes.

DSC_0007-11 — The saxophone playing sculpture serenading visitors enjoying coffee and cakes in the Orangery.

The Tree of Wishes provided insight into children’s thoughts and imagination.

One unusual piece of sculpture was “The Tree of Wishes” upon which children hung their wishes written on cards. They made inspirational reading, some sad, some happy and some that just made us think. “I wish my Mum was Happy”. “I want to play for Man United when I grow up.” “I wish I had a sister.”

DSC_0009-8 — Jude takes Lucy for a walk around the pool in the canal garden.

DSC_0010-9 — And on that pool lived a dragon!

Throughout the garden interesting bespoke buildings delight and surprise.

DSC_0017-6 — This beautiful building is one of a pair in the Dutch Garden

DSC_0012-13 — The beauty is in the detail.

Down by the pool at the bottom of the Dingle hides this thatched beauty.

And again the detail is worthy of a pic or two.

The best garden buildings of course are those with enticing seats.

Tags fruit and veg, fruit and vegetable growing, garden photography, gardening, grown your own, Hampton Court Gardens, Herefordshire, Herefordshire gardens, organic gardening

allotments community gardening fruit and veg garden design garden photography garden wildlife gardening grow your own hardy perennials natural pest control

A Wander Around the Allotments in September

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date October 2, 2012
4 Comments on A Wander Around the Allotments in September

This is the month of harvesting and preparing the soil recently vacated by crops that have been dug, cut, pulled and picked,ready for next year’s new crops.

As we wander around the allotments now it is noticeably colourful – flowers abound with almost all plot holders growing some for picking, to enhance their plot or to attract beneficial predatory or pollinating insects.

Some plots feature the more expected allotment flowers grown for cutting, such as Sweetpeas, Dahlias. Chrysanths and Gladioli.

And of course productive plants give floral displays before the fruit, pods and berries appear.

Many plot holders grow a variety of flowering plants as companion plants to attract beneficial insects, both as pollinators and predators, or to benefit crops or act as barriers.

In our communal borders, designed to look good for the plot holders and visitors as well as serving to attract wildlife, late summer flowers are adding a feast of colour and scent.

On some plots the gardeners have such a good sense of design that their vegetable raised beds look structured and colourful without the need of flowers.

Some flowers on our lottie site had to serve a very different purpose recently. Annie, one of our neighbouring plot holders sadly passed away after a long illness. It was decided that as Annie loved the allotments so much that Jill, who represented the site at the funeral, should create a big bouquet made up of flowers cut from the plots. It was a bright, colourful, cheerful and summery and perfectly reflected Annie’s personality. We will miss her.

Tags allotments, community gardening, fruit and veg, fruit and vegetable growing, garden photography, garden wildlife, gardening, grown your own, insects

autumn birds garden design garden photography garden wildlife gardening hardy perennials ornamental grasses ornamental trees and shrubs photography poppies roses Shropshire

A Wander Around Our Garden in September

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date September 27, 2012
2 Comments on A Wander Around Our Garden in September

September is a month I love for the richness of its colours which are intensified by the lower light of early Autumn. But It is a month I dislike as it marks the end of summer and initiates the dropping of temperatures. I enjoy watching the fruits and berries ripening and their changing colour. I am saddened by the silence in the sky as Swallows and House Martins leave us for warmer climes. Leaves begin to show signs of changing their colours too and in September we are given hints of what is to come.

Throughout the September garden we find individual buds and flowers hanging on after the thrusts of the summer lush display. Droplets of moisture sit on the blooms as the first frosts melt away.

These little gems of individual blooms which are flowering out of season add so much colour to the borders, flowering alongside those plants which are traditionally the true flowers of September. Two flowers which we look forward to in early autumn are Lobelia tupa and Salvia uliginosa which display unusual colours and shapes.

The light in September creates a different atmosphere, no longer the direct overhead light of the summer. Now there is increased contrast between light and shadow.

Our grasses begin to come into their own in September. Their seedheads glow and their colours get paler and more silvery.

I shall finish my September wander with a few plant portraits.

The garden is still full of colour, texture and patterns but is missing the life flying above it. The Swallows, House Martins and Hobby have left the daytime sky quieter. At night we miss the cries and calls of the Little Owls even though at times we curse them for keeping us awake.

Tags birds, foliage, foliage plants, garden photography, garden wildlife, gardening, grasses, greenhouse gardening, ornamental trees, roses, September, summer migrants

allotments community gardening fruit and veg garden photography garden wildlife gardening grow your own

September Lottie Working Party

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date September 23, 2012
4 Comments on September Lottie Working Party

On a warm, bright Saturday morning we met at the allotments for a working party. We had lots of tasks and achieved most of them simply because everyone worked tirelessly. These working parties are so important as they not only keep the site looking good but they are good social events. Every tea or coffee break becomes an excuse for lots of talk and laughter.

Some of the committee members and their partners gave time during the week before to get some of the jobs ticked off our September task list. Jude and I re-vitalised the willow features, pruning, trimming, weaving and re-making the doorway and windows of the Willow dome and weaving in recent long growths on the Willow Tunnel.

The day of the working party started off with a surprise fog which rapidly cleared as the sun warmed and chased it off. The plants of the meadows had been decorated by spiders who had created webs to which Mother Nature had added jewels of dew. As we began work, Jude strimmed the Turf Spiral while the air was still cool and remants of fog hung over the plots.

The Winter Garden was given a big tidy up. We weeded, forked it over and mulched but the biggest job of all was pruning and cutting down the shrubs.

All the Buddleia Beds were also tidied in the same way, as was the Summer Garden.

The Withy Bed was weeded and its woodchip mulch was renewed.

The hardest job of all though was sorting out the communal compost area and taking the compost to where it was needed around the site. We have to empty all of this area in readiness for when the development of the extension to our site starts in October.

Geoff offered to sort out a tap standpipe which was becoming messy and spoilt the look of the area where it was housed. So with saw, screwdrivers, drills and recycled wood great improvements were made.

And in addition to all this the site was generally tidied. The next working party will be in October when our main task will be giving the meadows their annual haircuts.

Tags allotments, autumn, community gardening, fruit and veg, fruit and vegetable growing, garden photography, gardening, grown your own, organic gardening

climbing plants garden design garden photography gardening hardy perennials Land Art ornamental trees and shrubs outdoor sculpture photography roses Shropshire trees

A day out with the Shropshire Hardy Plant Society

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date September 14, 2012
4 Comments on A day out with the Shropshire Hardy Plant Society

Today was a special day spent with friends from the Shropshire Branch of the Hardy Plant Society, with the morning spent visiting a plantsperson’s garden and the afternoon listening to a talk with photographs of a botanist’s garden.

The garden was called Stevenshill close to Wenlock Edge venue of our recent woodland walk featured in a recent post. The owners were so full of enthusiasm and plant knowledge, and the garden full of rare and colourful delights.

It had far-reaching views of Wenlock Edge and plenty of varied, comfortable places to sit and enjoy the scents and sights of the plants.

It was one of those gardens with lots of plants to confuse and mystify even the most experienced hardy planters. Lots of head scratching about unknown and forgotten plants. Luckily the garden’s owners have put lots of labels in and have good memories for plant names. Their plant sales table held some unusual specimens and many went home in the hands of hardy planters, including ourselves. We selected a hairy leaved bergenia, Bergenia ciliata and a shrubby Teucrium, Teucrium “Paradise Delight”. Now where are we going to place those?

Throughout the garden were sumptuous Agapanthus and deeply coloured, richly scented roses often strategically placed next to enticing seating.

This yellow rose graced an arbour over a seat in the hot border. It was strongly scented. With it was planted Clematis aromatica with its tiny simple purple flowers scented with mouth-watering vanilla.

Buddleias were scattered in the borders giving height and attracting hoards of butterflies.

A selection of sculpture gave another layer of interest, from this classical figure to sinuous modern metal pieces.

But the true stars of this garden were the plants.

After a break for tea and cakes we travelled over to Bicton Village Hall where we hold our meetings, where we were looking forward to a talk entitled “A Botanist’s Garden” presented by John Grimshaw who until recently was Head Gardener at Colebourne in Gloucestershire, a garden famous for its mass displays of unusual snowdrops. In the last few weeks he has moved to Yorkshire for a new challenge, to develop the arboretum at Castle Howard. The talk was as good as we had hoped for. John illustrated his talk with a Powerpoint presentation featuring photos of the highest quality. We came away enthused and carrying another plant, Sedum telephium “Arthur Branch”.

To find out more about John and to see some of his beautiful photos visit his Garden Diary blog, www.johngrimshawsgardendiary.blogspot.com.

Tags buddleias, clematis, foliage plants, garden photography, gardening, shrubs, trees

garden design garden photography gardening hardy perennials National Garden Scheme NGS ornamental trees and shrubs outdoor sculpture roses village gardens

A Little Leicestershire Gem

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date September 11, 2012
6 Comments on A Little Leicestershire Gem

Orchard House was open for the second time in its first year as a Yellow Book garden, and is special because it fits so much into such a small space. It is an excellent example of fitting lots of interesting plants and features within an effective design. The design encourages you to wander, to make decisions and stop to admire views and cameos.

The day of our visit dawned wet – very wet. As we arrived at the garden it was pouring with rain, so we waited in the shelter of the car for some respite. However after ten minutes there was no sign of the downpour giving over so we donned waterproofs and defied it.

At the cottage off a narrow lane there was no sign that a garden awaited us. The houses fronted straight onto the lane, with no front garden at all. But we knew we were in for a treat as this little welcoming cameo greeted us alongside the entrance to a narrow pathway leading around the back of the cottages.

We were not to be disappointed for as we turned the corner we were greeted by colour and richness of planting, dotted with little features to draw the eye.

This little garden gem in a village in Leicestershire proves that it is not the size of the garden that matters. It is the size of the gardener’s heart and imagination. One aspect of this gardener’s character is his sense of humour shown by the sign on the gate to his composting area.

Tags garden photography, gardening, grasses, Leicestershire, NGS, roses

allotments fruit and veg garden design garden photography garden wildlife gardening grow your own hardy perennials ornamental grasses ornamental trees and shrubs outdoor sculpture photography roses trees wildlife

Barnsdale – a garden of memories

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date September 8, 2012
8 Comments on Barnsdale – a garden of memories

We return to Barnsdale Gardens every few years on a trip down memory lane. Barnsdale was the garden of TV gardener Geoff Hamilton the nation’s favourite gardener for many years. He was the gardener on the BBC’s “Gardeners World” programme so he visited many gardeners’ homes every Friday evening for years. He was the first truly organic TV gardener and as such he promoted these sound garden principles and backed them up by conducting experiments and sharing the results on his show.

As well as Gardeners World he made several series of gardening programmes based on making gardens such as “The Cottage Garden” and “The Paradise Garden”.

He sadly died at a young age when taking part in a sponsored cycle ride for charity, but he has never been forgotten.

The Barnsdale Gardens still display all the model gardens Geoff made and others have been added since his death. The garden and the nursery attached are run by his son and daughter-in-law. His other son created this bronze sculpture that graces the garden.

The trees that we saw Geoff plant many years ago are now impressive specimens and display interesting bark colours and textures.

One of his favourite flowers was the Day Lily and many remain in the gardens still. Coming a close second as his most popular garden plant must be the rose.

A popular feature of “Gardeners World” was Geoff’s do-it-yourself projects – he was always making furniture and garden features, to try to save his viewers money. Below is his garden bench with matching herb coffee table made from recycled pallets with old roof slates built in as coasters.

He also constructed this compost bin disguised as a beehive and accompanying garden store, both created from recycled wood.

He even made a water feature from an old copper water cylinder!

Although he encouraged gardeners to construct things for their own gardens he also extolled the virtues of craftsmen and his garden diaplays many works by craftsmen local to Barnsdale. In particular he brought locally made furniture into the garden.

Productive gardening – fruit, veg and herbs – played a big part in his programmes, magazine articles and books. Several of his productive plots are still at Barnsdale, such as an allotment, the Ornamental Kitchen Garden, an Elizabethan Vegetable Garden. the Fruit Orchard, an Apple Arch and Herb Garden.

Geoff was definitely ahead of his time, encouraging organic principals and attracting insects into the garden. he recognised them as pollinators and predators of garden pests.

He featured plants such as Achilleas, Heleniums and other hot coloured flowers, and using lots of different grasses. These are all popular now.

Since Geoff’s untimely death the garden has continued to develop. His son, Nick and daughter-in-law have created new gardens so now Barnsdale is described as “39 inspiring gardens, all in one place”

A sign of just how popular and influential Geoff Hamilton was is the fact that his book on Organic Gardening is still in print and has been updated and revised on several occasions. He was a great believer in the importance of compost and found all sorts of ways of making it efficiently. How about this brick-made composter. The bricks would absorb warmth from the sun and heat up the composting material inside and speed up its decomposition.