Tag: gardening

A Modern Cottage Garden in Herefordshire

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date August 21, 2013
8 Comments on A Modern Cottage Garden in Herefordshire

Church Cottage was the place we were seeking as we trundled down a narrow rutted country lane not far from Ross -on-Wye. Look for a definition of an English Cottage Garden and the main elements will be lawns with borders full of randomly planted perennials put together with no thought given to colour. The gardens at Church Cottage were so different. The garden was the creation of a garden designer who described herself as a plantaholic.

We were soon absorbed in the soft planting and enjoyed the many calm places to sit and rest.

It seemed that the wildlife appreciated this garden as much as we did.

After a quiet sit with tea and cake listening to the birds in every bush, tree and overhead and watching clouds of butterflies exploring the borders we set off for a most enjoyable wander.

It soon became apparent that this garden was designed by a gardener with a great eye for combining colours beautifully.

There were archways, pathways and framed views to entice the visitors. Sometimes we were taken down a pathway as the design gave no choice but at other times choices were presented. Often equal choices. So visitors were sent and guided much of the time but on occasion the choice of route was totally up to the visitors themselves.

In just the same way as the powerful design of the garden took us on journeys, on occasion we were stopped in our tracks by interesting and enthralling objects or cameos.

But as in any garden the stars of the show were the plants and in this gardens some of the borders were exceptionally beautifully planted. There were outstanding plant groupings.

This was a garden that appealed to us when we read the info in the Yellow Book and although it was further away than our usual day trips we just had a feeling it would be worthwhile. It was hard to find – but it was so worth the effort. We loved it!

Tags garden designers gardens, garden photography, garden wildlife, gardening, Herefordshire, Herefordshire gardens, NGS

allotments Britain in Bloom community gardening flower show fruit and veg garden design garden photography gardening gardens open to the public grow your own half-hardy perennials renovation Shrewsbury Shropshire town gardens townscapes

A town riverside walk

Although we live close to our county town of Shrewsbury we go for months between visits to the banks of the River Severn, in whose loops the town sits snuggly. In the summer the council garnish the river banks with bright coloured plants in all sorts of containers and hanging baskets.

I am not that keen on these brightly coloured bedding annuals but they seem to fit in with their setting so well here. Mother nature herself adds a little subtle planting herself with wild flowers growing close to the water and wonderful waterfalls of reflections.

Our footbridge an old Victorian suspension bridge has recently been completely refurbished and it is looking smart in its new green suit. The builders greatest challenge was to make sure that after the make-over the old bridge retained her sway. As you walk across her she sways from side to side!

This weekend is time for the famous Shrewsbury Flower Show so when we reached the open parkland spaces alongside the river we found signs of the village of tents and rows of arena seats appearing at a great rate of knots. It seemed to be growing up around us as we walked towards the little sunken garden called The Dingle.We now anticipate our day out at the show on Saturday most eagerly. We hope to go in the afternoon and stay until closing time with the magnificent firework display over the river.

And so to the Dingle herself, which is not my cup of tea at all, but it is enjoyed by thousands every year. It is all a bit garish for my taste, but I do admit that it takes a great deal of skill to create and maintain it. It certainly gives pride to the town. Come on a tour with us and see what you think.

We wandered back into the town centre to have a look at how the town council had decorated the Square as part of their “Britain in Bloom” campaign. All the allotment sites in and around the town had planted up mini-allotments small enough to fit on a pallet and these were collected up and put in the square. Local artists crafted two scarecrows from metal to give an extra dimension.

Each post marking loading bays along the High Street had been given a topknot of Ipomaea in two foliage colours. Very subtle and very effective.

Tags allotments, Britain in Bloom, community gardening, foliage, fruit and veg, fruit and vegetable growing, garden photography, garden wildlife, gardening, grow your own, scarecrows, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, town parks

garden design garden photography gardening outdoor sculpture recycling Shropshire succulents wise watering

A Ladder Garden

Our garden is too full – we have nowhere left to grow the plants we keep finding and wanting to take under our gardening wings. So we need ideas for more gardens. We are going up!

Take an old rickety wooden ladder, too old and battered to trust. We cut it in half and fixed it against the sides of two of our sheds.

We found this strange collection of objects at various interesting outlets nearby. Two French wire baskets, a cast iron drain pipe top and a kettle used by gypsies to boil water over open fires.

And now for the planting! We need plants that require little looking after and won’t be constantly calling out to be watered. Succulents are the answer.

A little job well done I think! A little bit of garden sculpture. Some recycling and some re-using. Now we can just enjoy them as we pass by or visit the sheds.

Tags garden photography, gardening, outdoor sculpture, re-using, recycling, succulents, wise watering

community gardening fruit and veg gardening grow your own half-hardy perennials hardy perennials herbs meadows nurseries ornamental trees and shrubs Shrewsbury Shropshire shrubs trees

BAC evening out.

A new nursery that has opened this year on the outskirts of Shrewsbury, emailed Jude, the Undergardener recently inviting members of our allotment community to visit them one evening after closing time for a tour of the nursery.

So earlier this week 20 of us arrived in the car park of “Love Plants” and gathered together anticipating an enjoyable evening talking plants. They have a very classy sign!

Susan spotted an interesting plant before she even reached the door. There were so many treats inside. Although we primarily went for a tour behind the scenes most of us were tempted by a few specimens each. Mrs Greenbench, the Undergardener managed to fill a trolley with Hemerocalis, Achillea and Echinacea.

Tim, the Plants Manager, gave us a quick talk about how the garden centre came about. We were delighted to know that plants were supplied by our favourite nurseries, The dingle and The Derwen, both near Welshpool and part of the same company. The Dingle is a pure nursery and its partner The Derwen more of a small garden centre. With these three outlets close by we have access to plenty of quality plants.

All the perennials were laid out in alphabetical order and they were impressive specimens. Likewise the shrubs. The first area visitors find is an area featuring plants currently in flower or with good foliage colour.

There is a good selection of seeds, herbs and fruit and veg plants.

The nursery is sited within a caravan sales centre and even between the caravans meadows have been sown. Topiary specimens impressed as did the new shade area.

Before leaving I spoke to Tim about the possibility of a joint venture where Love Plants could sponsor a new garden within our communal gardens back at BAC and the three linked plant centres supplying the plants. This looks like being an exciting project. Watch this space!

Tags allotments, community gardening, fruit and vegetable growing, gardening, grown your own, meadows, nurseries, ornamental trees, Shrewsbury, shrubs

birds climbing plants colours fruit and veg garden design garden photography garden wildlife gardening grow your own hardy perennials herbs ornamental trees and shrubs village gardens

A cottage garden with a difference.

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date August 3, 2013
5 Comments on A cottage garden with a difference.

We visited my sister, Penny and her husband, Tony this week and enjoyed a lazy afternoon sat on the terrace under a large awning escaping the afternoon sun as the temperature rose well into the 30’s again. From their front garden, situated beneath Bredon Hill in Gloucestershire, you would believe that a traditional cottage garden awaited you around the back but prepare to be surprised.

The front is a gravel drive and turning point with neatly mown grass areas and gravel gardens, featuring a beautiful stone birdbath.

Move around the back and a wide inviting paved terrace greets you, and the pervading warm scents of herbs emphasises the feeling of welcome. The aroma of coffee brewing and comfy seating under the awning made us feel so welcome. This is good garden design!

Sit and enjoy your brew and wide steps constructed of recycled railway sleepers infilled with gravel entice you deeper into the garden through a lovely Japanese influenced archway

The archway sets the scene of what is to come, or at least in part. But relaxing over coffee and cake afforded us the opportunity to spot little details and elements of decoration and humour. An over-sized ceramic hand acts as a bird feeder, a terra-cotta green man watches us from the nearby fence and a recycled wood burner too large for the house has become a garden heater.

Up the wide steps and through the black wooden archway is a cool shaded garden based on the principles of Japanese garden design. A buddha, a Koi pool,

The atmosphere here is so powerful, there is a feeling of calm and peacefulness. Again – good garden design. The play of light and shade, cool and warm, changes as you walk through from section to section. The planned tea house should add another rich element to the garden.

Glimpses through the boughs of the tree provide clues to what lies beyond, a little productive patch, with fruit trees and raised veg plots. The tomatoes, picked from the vine and eaten while still warmed by the sun were delicious, sweet but with just the right amount of a hint of acidity.

The male and female components of this pine were present at the same time, the cones seemingly glued direct to the trunk and the female flowers wrapped around the stem near the final whorl of leaves. A fascinating little tree.

When you retrace your steps back through a garden it is amazing how you find new surprises awaiting you. The light hits things from different directions and puts the spotlight on objects and surfaces that failed to catch my eye before.

The harsh mid-summer light added depth to shadows and textures emphasised.

Wildlife is welcome, encouraged and appreciated here too as shown by the presence of birdhouses. There is the constant hum and buzz of an ecologically sound space. Stay still and you will hear grass hoppers, bees and the yaffling of a Green Woodpecker, the constant chatter of Goldfinches and Linnets. Butterflies are abundant and entertain with their movement and colours. To prove the friendliness of the garden and the gardeners towards our wildlife a grass hopper landed on my back before alighting on the window behind me.

However good the overall design of a garden is, in the end the little details can add another layer of interest. Penny and Tony have the knack of selecting interesting items that catch the eye just when you think you have discovered the essence of the garden.

This is a great garden to spend an afternoon in, relax and catch up with our sister and brother-in-law. And they present a fine cup of coffee and most excellent lemon drizzle cake!

Tags apples, birds, foliage plants, fruit and veg, fruit and vegetable growing, garden photography, garden wildlife, gardening, grown your own, ornamental trees

bird watching birds colours garden design garden photography garden wildlife gardening gardens open to the public hardy perennials July nurseries ornamental trees and shrubs woodland

A little woodland garden and nursery

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date August 2, 2013
6 Comments on A little woodland garden and nursery

The idea of visiting a small woodland garden with nursery and tea shop seemed a good choice for a visit on a hot, humid day. So an hour up the A49 into south Cheshire, one of our neighbouring counties, saw us pulling into the shaded grassed car park belonging to Stonyford Cottage Gardens on the edge of the Delamere Forest.

This is a garden created around a large pool surrounded by woodland through which winding paths find their way over wooden bridges and at times boardwalks. Areas of woodland plants and waterside or bog plants give places to rest and appreciate brighter colours amongst all the shades of green. Iris ensata were glowing in their waterside shaded spots, some the most intense purple possible.

The purple-leaved Forest Pansy at times took on a bronze hue. We found an unusual flowering shrub, the blooms of which perfectly matched the leaves of this shrub. Sadly neither of us could remember the name of this flowering beauty. We found it once a few years in a specialist tree/shrub nursery and almost bought it, but we were unsure of the conditions it desired. We have regretted not being tempted by it ever since, especially when we come across it in flower like this!

In the centre of the woodland a hide with seating affords us a longer stop and we took in the sounds of the stream and of birdsong.

One of the beautiful aspects of a woodland setting for a garden is the richness of the light where dappled light plays on any rich colour it finds.

And of course we finished our day relishing tea and Bakewell Tart sat out in the shade of the trees in the tea garden. Sheer luxury!! This is what we retired for!

Tags Cheshire, foliage, foliage plants, garden photography, garden wildlife, gardening, nurseries, trees, woodland, woodland gardens

community gardening fruit and veg garden photography gardening gardens open to the public grow your own hardy perennials Hardy Plant Society herbs HPS kitchen gardens Land Art meadows National Garden Scheme NGS outdoor sculpture Shrewsbury Shropshire

Allotment Open Day 2013

Sunday July 14th was the day we opened our allotment community gardens for everyone to come and have a look at what we get up to, and to help raise money for charities under the auspices of the National Garden Scheme. We are proud to be part of this great scheme and we love seeing our lotties featured in their famous Yellow Book.

Visitors were greeted by committee members Di and Jill, who took the entry fees and gave out tickets, trail sheets, children’s quiz sheets and competition voting forms (more about that later).

The allotmenteers had been busy the week prior to our opening mowing the grass, edging and weeding the communal borders and ensuring their own plots were looking at their best. And it did look good! As chairman I felt proud of what was achieved that week.

Bunting was hung from sheds and a pair of galvanised watering cans planted up with diascias and blue fescue grasses decorated the entrance to the central grass pathway. We made sure all information signs were clear and visible.

Some members even provided extra little sitting areas alongside their plots with shade over comfy seats. Phil and Doreen created an outdoor lounge. It looked brilliant and drew many admirers and many visitors stopped off for a rest and a chat.

A popular part of our day is the tea shop which we create around our communal huts enhanced with gazebos and an assortment of tables and chairs all brought in for the day by lottie members. Sherlie, an allotmenteer and florist, added beautiful floral decorations to the centre of each table. Members bake all week prior to the event and the array of cakes is stunning and oh so tempting.

A feature of our open days is the involvement of our visitors in selecting the winners of our annual site competitions. Each year we hold a scarecrow competition and the theme this year was occupations and as always our members’ imaginations ran wild. We were treated to the sight of a scarecrow undertaker, a pilot, a school crossing lady, a farm labourer, a lumberjack, a nurse, a doctor a tractor driver

I had the rather over-ambitious idea that I could make a “Biggles the Pilot” scarecrow, which was quite a task and needed the help of gardening mate Pete to put it up on top of our central arbor. Pete is a good foot taller than me!

We persuaded one of our newer members to open her shed for all to see as it has such a beautiful interior. We call it the “Chic Shed”. It is painted all white inside with a storage bench with padded seat on top, a lovely dresser and even colouring books, pencils and crayons etc for her granddaughter.

2013 07 15_1971

Another competition this year was a new one and again we asked our visitors to choose the winners. It was for land art/sculpture and it proved to be very popular with lots of pieces for our guests to consider.

Jude the Undergardener won this competition with her woven twisted willow.

2013 07 15_1959

For the children on our site we held a competition where we asked them to plant up an item of footwear, and we saw colourful flowers grown in slippers, boots and wellies. In the pictures below they are shown lined up in front of the two mini-allotments grown for display in the town square later.

As well as the tea shop we had a plants sale table where Jude, aka Mrs Greenbench or The Undergardener, sold plants she had raised from seeds and cuttings, both herbaceous perennials, herbs and vegetables. We had a display from Linton, one of Shropshire’s Master Composters who answered visitors’ queries concerning their composting.

So just how successful was the day? We had lots of visitors many of whom stayed all day and obviously enjoyed their walk around, helping us choose our competition winners and indulging in the offerings of the tea shop and the plant stall. We raised £1065 to send in to the National Garden Scheme, a figure of which we are most proud.

Tags allotments, community gardening, fruit and veg, gardening, land art, master composters, meadows, NGS, outdoor sculpture, scarecrows, Yellow Book

colours garden photography gardening hardy perennials photography

A Bouquet for July

This blog post could have the sub-title “One day in July” because all the featured pics were taken on the same day and in fact within an hour of each other. It was a photographer’s dream. The early morning mist burnt off and the light was suddenly magical. I rapidly grabbed the trusty Nikon and shot away, stopping only to change lens from standard 18-55 zoom to 70-300 zoom. I downloaded them into Photoshop and couldn’t wait to see if the results were as good as I hoped they were.

I was so pleased with this batch of pics, that I hardly binned any and didn’t visit the editing suite at all. I hope you agree that the light was indeed magical.

The rest I shall put in a gallery for you to peruse. Just click on a photo and click the arrow to look at the photos. And enjoy the early morning light in our garden.

Tags clematis, foliage, garden photography, gardening, roses

allotments fruit and veg garden wildlife gardening grow your own July kitchen gardens National Garden Scheme natural pest control NGS Shrewsbury

A lottie visit.

It seems a long while since I featured our allotment plot in Greenbenchramblings and it was from the old green bench on the lottie that my blog was launched, so when I was nominated for a pair of blogging awards I thought it would be a good time to say thank you by taking you for a quick look around our plot.

Firstly thanks to aristonorganic for the 2Awards in 1! I am not a competitive person but I do feel privileged to know that someone appreciates my blog. It brings a smile to my face.

The awards are “Shine On” and “Very Inspiring Blogger Award”.

By accepting them I promise to tell you 7 things about myself and pass on the nomination to other bloggers I enjoy reading.

7 Things About Me

1 I am registered “Bionic”.

2 I want to know what is going on in our garden at night so have just got a live moth trap.

3 I keep a flock of hens at the bottom of my garden and talk to them regularly. I think they talk back!

4 I enjoy our monthly trip to jazz club.

5 I garden with wildlife in mind.

6 I am chairman of our allotment community.

7 I enjoy watching 20/20 cricket.

Bloggers who I wish to nominate are

mybeautifulthings

The Scottish Country Garden

lensandpensbysally

Penny’s Garden

grandparentsplus2

Catherine Howard’s Garden

pbmgarden

So let us go for a wander around our lottie plot. We welcome you through an archway where a “meeter-greeter” awaits your arrival.

Fruit grown as cordons line our paths and here red currants, almost ready to pick, are netted against the attentions of the local blackbird population. We grow flowers with our fruit to bring in beneficial insects which act as pest controllers and pollinators.

Our Runner Beans are in flower providing bright splashes of red whilst below them French Beans give us purples and mauves to enjoy.

We grow Sweetcorn and Courgette together as they are good companions. The large leaves of the Courgettes provide ground cover holding moisture in the soil and creating a cool root run for the corn. Of course it saves space too!

We welcome wildlife onto our plot to benefit us as gardeners and for us to enjoy watching and listening to. Our little pool is alongside our seats. We have little insect hotels dotted around to help us keep our crops healthy and free of pests.

We have a couple of wildflower strips to help our Brassica crops and Blackcurrants.

A barrier of fleece keeps Carrot rows free from the attentions of Carrot Rootfly and the flowers of Heartsease bring in beneficial insects. Growing members of the Allium family close by also helps fool them by emitting strong scents to mask the sweet aroma of Carrots.

You may remember me telling you about making our green roof atop our shed in a post a few months ago and as you can see it is slowly getting established. On the communal spaces near our plot we have at last got the willow dome complete. It has grown enough to train growth over to form a full roof. It is lovely and quiet, cool and shaded in there and it is a popular place for children to sit and read or to look through the woven window and watch the birds on the feeders. We hold our open day at the allotments this weekend, when we open for charity, under the auspices of the NGS, so we can proudly call ourselves a “Yellow Book Garden”.

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

garden photography gardening gardens open to the public hardy perennials July Land Art meadows National Trust outdoor sculpture The National Trust

Charlecote Park – a wander in the heat.

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date July 27, 2013
4 Comments on Charlecote Park – a wander in the heat.

We are in the middle of a very uncharacteristic period of weather, very hot and dry by day and night. Normally in our summer we are glad to see a temperature hovering around the 20 mark but this year we have had three weeks around the 30 mark and just one short shower in that time.

So when we visited Charlecote Park in Warwickshire we wandered around at a slow ambling speed, about tortoise speed. But we enjoyed it until the heat and humidity got the better of us and we succumbed to our third ice cream of the day and gave up. But I have a few pics to show you to give an idea of the beauty of the place.

Once we had walked up the main driveway of dusty gravel we passed under the gatehouse portal and the main house itself was revealed.

First task was to find the coffee shop for the usual coffee and cakes. The restaurant itself was housed in the Orangery but before reaching it we came across this eccentric aviary. After a refreshing break in the orangery we discovered another eccentric feature, which turned out to be a woven willow children’s play tunnel decorated brightly with ribbons.

We were fascinated by this ancient walnut tree with several branches which had rooted where they touched the ground having fallen down. Butterflies were revelling in the sunny warmth of the day.

We decided that the coolest place to be was alongside the river passing through the parkland. We were treated by the site of the bright electric blue flash of a kingfisher darting across close to the water surface.

As we made our way back to the car park through meadows of dry grasses and occasional splashes of colour from wildflowers we discovered this old split-chestnut fence and unusual gate.

We didn’t really get a chance to appreciate Charlecote Park fully as we were defeated by the heat, having spent the previous day at an outdoor festival but we saw enough to ensure our return in the near future.