tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28947376398530678182024-03-13T12:28:37.057+00:00Chris Barnes Garden BlogTime to bring the random musings, jottings , plans, plant lists, gardens built, gardens shared ,journal extracts and the odd rant or raving into one spot……
The Isle of Wight is home, but journeys further afield feed the soul and the imagination.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-52751161085843083672016-02-17T16:03:00.000+00:002016-02-17T16:03:00.863+00:00Air traffic control at Bird Station 1Last week the RSPB invited garden owners to take part in 'The Great Garden Birdwatch' as part of their gathering of statistics. We duly downloaded the App to take part and added our list of regular visitors to our bird feeding station.<br />
<br />
We inherited this Bird Feeding Station from our dear friends, Les and Anne and have never altered its position in some 12 years or so. Positioned strategically close to hedges for shelter and nesting, surrounded by berried shrubs to perch and feed amongst with ground space underneath for bottom foragers. It is the perfect place and a regular delight to us. An old bathing fountain completes the picture tucked in amongst the grasses to provide water for sipping and bathing in.<br />
<br />
Making coffee this morning at my kitchen window after a productive gardening session my gaze as ever was drawn to it as a lot of activity seemed to be taking place.<br />
<br />
Cocky Locky, our beautiful but dim pheasant was furking around under the bird feeder, trawling through the husks and remnants left by other tinier tidier visitors. As he turned around his enormous tale, bashed into the newly sown Stipa arundinacea - damn him! Suddenly he takes off vertically, squawking in that shrill echoing wail familiar to countryside dwellers, crashing through the soft emerging buds of the Magnolia soulangiana behind the bird feeder as he just about clears the hedge. At take off he almost collides with Fat Boy Pigeon, coming in without clearance who manages to crash-land amongst the plants, bird feeders and narrowly miss the drinking fountain before subsiding into the Phlomis. <br />
<br />
As I notice that the fat balls need replenishing a vivid scarlet flash swoops into the scene, disappearing behind the Magnolia trunk as if awaiting some invisible command. It is 'Mission Impossible' ( cue music...) time as the Great Spotted Woodpecker begins his par cour tactics. Perhaps he doesn't realise there are no laser alarms attached to my bird feeders? But still he avoids the floor, then scales the wooden post claws only, before dropping down as if on a zip wire onto the tube of nuts. He knows he has only 30 seconds to peck, eat and get out of there.....<br />
<br />
I drink my coffee feeling like an Air traffic controller on a break, never a boring moment on my watch!Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-42087352642547710952016-02-02T13:44:00.001+00:002016-02-02T13:44:58.163+00:00Snowdrops and Snowflakes<br />
<br />
When the snowdrops appear in Della's woodland and adjacent garden at
Hill Cottage my neighbours and I breathe a collective sigh. It marks
the beginning of the end of winter for many who are just holding on
through the dark days. I have written before about the joy of snowdrops
and the collective mania or Galanthaphilia but this must be the
first year that I have seen both snowdrops and snowflakes ( Leucojum aetivum) in flower side
by side. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SXdpCbvKNic/VrCvJq-UCMI/AAAAAAAAAFM/NK8YZDfk6iA/s1600/Snowdrops-flakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SXdpCbvKNic/VrCvJq-UCMI/AAAAAAAAAFM/NK8YZDfk6iA/s320/Snowdrops-flakes.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
Their beautiful simplicity never fails
to enthrall. Stark white against the deep dark woodlands like pockets
of fallen snow melting amongst the mouldering leaf litter. Tiny and
fragile when viewed in isolation belying a strength and resilience. In
large swathes poking up between the ivies and ferns of the woodland
floor they really can stop a walker in their stride.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UVD4_H65WAg/VrCvbd-6jkI/AAAAAAAAAFU/CAdOEQvsz1Y/s1600/snowdrops2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UVD4_H65WAg/VrCvbd-6jkI/AAAAAAAAAFU/CAdOEQvsz1Y/s320/snowdrops2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I
try to pot up a few divisions each year into my old vintage clay pots,the better to admire them close up. On my outside table, amongst a
collection of other gardenalia they can steal the scene. Mulch them
simply with moss or lichen. A mini woodland scene all on their own.<br />
<br />
My thoughts turn to a long overdue garden project on my long neglected shade border. I am looking to design a lower maintenance, naturalistic option. So I am looking to the woodland for my inspiration. I have a tall stand of sycamores and some native hedging as a backdrop so I am hoping to create a mid-storey of small trees and shrubs, magnolias, oak-leafed hydrangeas, maybe some acers and then a ground floor of woodland perennials and bulbs. Perhaps I will be tempted with some edible woodlanders like currants too? First I need to do some more research on the woodland and permaculture garden.<br />
<br />
One thing is for certain I will be needing lots of snowdrops! So I will have to divide my clumps at the end of February as this is the best method for propagation. A pleasureable task.<br />
<br />
* * * * * * * * * <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-73387477064347877452016-01-30T10:41:00.001+00:002016-01-30T10:42:54.765+00:00Red delight......<br />
<br />
<br />
My cycle route to Yarmouth was wild and very windy this morning as the remnants of Storm Jonas hit our shores. Head down, battling against the wind my eye was caught by a copper shape, darting about in the middle of the lane. A red squirrel! Now I must tell you that we islanders love our red squirrels. They live here in safe isolation from the dominant greys and we go to great lengths to keep it that way. Shy and secretive it is always a pleasure to come across one in the wild and to spend a while observing it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F4fFPXIu5e4/VqyRzNRti5I/AAAAAAAAAE0/ycoNM62gES4/s1600/red-squirrel02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F4fFPXIu5e4/VqyRzNRti5I/AAAAAAAAAE0/ycoNM62gES4/s320/red-squirrel02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
This little fellah was a beauty. Quite large, so a mature adult with delightful dark tufts on both ears and a very full fluffy tail. A very handsome and bold creature indeed. It remained unphased by several passing vehicles and continued to forage about amongst the verge and then it took off, scampering right up the middle of the lane until darting into the conifer copse.<br />
<br />
As I cycled on I reminsced about the great lengths I have gone to over the years to encourage these adorable creatures into my garden. Several metres of hazel and beech hedgerows have been planted but to no avail. I understood the principal of creating a 'wildlife corridor' to provide both shelter and food source, enticing the squirrels right to my door. It seems however that the squirrels hadn't read the same book as I, as it took many years and only a couple of sightings to appease my efforts. But I have learnt to laugh at my folly and take a sighting like this mornings as the simple gift it was. It is enough for me now to know that they live around me. When I find an acorn buried in one of my bulb pots I take comfort from the fact that they visit my garden, but not necessarily when I am about!<br />
<br />
Little wonder that with their amusing secretive ways and pretty colouring wildlife photographers go to great lengths to capture their image. Surfer friend, <a href="http://www.blurb.co.uk/books/909053-isle-of-wight-red-squirrels">Paul Blackley</a> is one such and below is one of his wonderful images. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k-OKXCHutD8/VqySBTTTnCI/AAAAAAAAAE8/kJdqLaOSI4o/s1600/red-squirrel01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k-OKXCHutD8/VqySBTTTnCI/AAAAAAAAAE8/kJdqLaOSI4o/s1600/red-squirrel01.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-60576990954177572102016-01-19T16:33:00.003+00:002016-01-19T16:33:44.140+00:00The First Frost<b>Tuesday 19th January</b>- <b>The first Frost</b><br />
<br />
The first real frost of the winter. Cold but bright! Yay! The Echiums outside my front window are wilting in response, their giant leaves drooping earthwards. But apart from them, very little damage. Crunching over the crisp lawn to admire the frosted seedheads in the long border I was so glad I had planted a Prairie style border where all the grass stems and seed heads were mostly still standing,making a perfect receptacle for the frost.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-laa3qwGoDyI/Vp5giZ9SYEI/AAAAAAAAAEU/MzTA9Ugx47Y/s1600/Frosted%2BSedum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-laa3qwGoDyI/Vp5giZ9SYEI/AAAAAAAAAEU/MzTA9Ugx47Y/s320/Frosted%2BSedum.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
I have waxed lyrical about leaving seedheads in the garden before but a lacing of frost over a sedum head or phlomis russeliana takes some beating in my view. But this season there is a real conundrum which you may be able to notice from my next picture.<br />
<br />
In the foreground are the frosted seedheads of the phlomis and sedums but wilting behind are the emerging foliage and buds of a sulking echinops ritro, tricked into believing it was spring and now hammered by frost. Not sure how this is all going to pan out but will just continue to observe.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JYDdFJ5cRRc/Vp5g2pGaYdI/AAAAAAAAAEc/HdecKx8l4zM/s1600/wilted%2Bechinops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JYDdFJ5cRRc/Vp5g2pGaYdI/AAAAAAAAAEc/HdecKx8l4zM/s320/wilted%2Bechinops.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
My cycle ride along the Causeway was also a joy with memories of childhood jumping on icy puddles, anticipating the crack and groan as the ice gives way. It's the first time this path has been crisp and crackly underfoot rather than wet and sodden so I careered along it, quite the girl racer. Stopping to gain my breath I admired the seedheads of the tall architectural thistles of the teasels and the banks of natural rushes as well. Both reminding me that nature does it so much better!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iZu0sv3Ztg0/Vp5hCC-uZJI/AAAAAAAAAEk/kYpK4J4knus/s1600/Teasel%2B%2526%2Bfrosted%2Bfields.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iZu0sv3Ztg0/Vp5hCC-uZJI/AAAAAAAAAEk/kYpK4J4knus/s320/Teasel%2B%2526%2Bfrosted%2Bfields.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
The low bright winter sun, danced across the rivulets and frosty marshes catching the dazzling white of upturned wings in flight across the river. With just the lonely cry of the curlew and the cheery chatter of the canadian geese for company I felt curiously energised and 'in the moment'. <br />
<br />
Back at home Joe had arrived to begin a massive cut-back and sort out of our overgrown shrubs and climbers. Brambles had invaded a Holly tree, the Magnolia needed its lower branches trimming, the Bay tree was in need of a bold hack back and the Vitis coignetaea which was planted at the base of the archway had climbed across the whole front of the house and tangled itself in the bamboo, guttering and downpipe. Reinforcements were definitely needed.<br />
<br />
Working at ground level, cutting back clematis, raking leaves, deadheading crocosmia and other late perennials I became very concerned about damage to other early appearing plants. I had to tiptoe around primroses, pulmonarias and anemone blanda all in flower, trying not to break their fragile leaves.<br />
<br />
Each season brings its own challenges but I feel there is much more to emerge about this year in progress.......Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-90307185978178127252016-01-15T14:27:00.000+00:002016-01-15T14:29:09.840+00:00Log piles<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Wednesday, January 13th</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Yesterday son Joe and Tom came to do the tree work on our
stand of Sycamores. The plan is to crown lift and thin every year or so, trim
the fallen branches and then log the bigger ready to go in the Log Store to be
dried and seasoned for the following year. Great excitement and activity on a
bright winters day.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5QOZrh_Fzss/VpkAPvdZVcI/AAAAAAAAAD4/GstiCbFSdBQ/s1600/Logpile1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5QOZrh_Fzss/VpkAPvdZVcI/AAAAAAAAAD4/GstiCbFSdBQ/s320/Logpile1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Because of this mild winter the native narcissus out on the
grass verge are beginning to emerge and juvenile bluebell leaves also. So my
plea was for the heavy work to proceed but without trampling these emerging
treasures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A sensitive soul, Tom
managed to do this for the most part by jettisoning the branches over the balding
hedge into the meadow the other side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Much to my delight.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Leaving the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>two strong
men <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to carry out the felling task I
jumped on my bike to cycle to the local store for fresh bread and provisions,
knowing that a Woodlander works better on a full stomach of warming soup.
Turning the road to the Bay I was met by a surprising sight. A flock of scruffy
sheep being shepherded along the road bringing <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the bemused traffic to a standstill. It was a
scene more reminscent<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of a lane in New
Zealand than the main road to the Bay. It transpires that a full trailer load
of sheep had overturned at the main junction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On my return the fall out from this upturning was clear for all to see
with the distressing sight of an injured sheep collapsed close to the rear of
the trailer and the local Bobby re-routing traffic.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Sharing this excitement<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>(you can tell we live in a quiet rural
community)over the soup and crusty bread the subject somehow
then moved on to Tom's forthcoming second trip to New Zealand. We all reminsced
over our collective experiences and expressed our love of the place. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then presented him with my NZ Tree Guide,which seemed fitting for such <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a tree
hugger. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is going to take a
Permaculture Design Course whilst there at the <i>Tui community</i> in Takaka, South
Island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the first and most
original of the communities set up in NZ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Equal in influence to our own <i>Findhorn </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in Scotland. So I am delighted that the books
will have a good leafing through.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">After lunch as the felling work ceased so began the joy of
lighting a woodland fire to burn off the thinner twigs and waste. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is it about the raw joy of fire lighting
that ignites so many enthusiasms?<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></i>Roger Deakin<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>writes so well about this in his <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">'Notes from Walnut Tree Farm': </b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">'There
are few sights more beautiful than wood smoke hovering over a copse in
autumn/February when the coppicers are at work. ' </i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">We re-jigged some of the accumulated debris around the Log
Store and positioned two large shrubs to be planted as part of the screening
and then began the very serious debate of how to stack the logs and create the
log pile.</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">This is a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>subject<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that ignites <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>passions and enthusiasms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stood amongst three<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>men all equally passionate about how to set
out about this task I<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>found myself<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>reflecting on the many issues arising. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life-threatening historically to get right and
a matter of great pride amongst a rural community to provide fuel and warmth
for the winters warmth and cooking, the Log Store was a vital survival
tool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the same way that women have re-claimed the
Shed so I find that I too have a view on how our Log Store should <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>look and the way that it should blend in <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>with the rest of my large garden.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4rrHQhlnMZ4/VpkA_K_1E0I/AAAAAAAAAD8/OEUfiVeJxOY/s1600/logpile2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4rrHQhlnMZ4/VpkA_K_1E0I/AAAAAAAAAD8/OEUfiVeJxOY/s320/logpile2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Tom has the greatest practical knowledge and shared his<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>considerable experience about the differing
types of wood , how to season them and how they burn. Tomorrow we are receiving
some large pieces of pine destined for the log store and they will need at
least a year to dry out as they are very resinous. In a log burner they present
few problems if mixed with other woods, like our Poplar or later the Sycamore.
But in an open fire they can spit a lot as they are so full of sap. Fascinating
stuff!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">I adore log piles, built creatively as a form of land art.
Over the years<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have built several
creations <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>including a log dragon, a
sinuous caterpillar and log stepping stones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I like the fact, that as they biodegrade they form a wildlife habitat so
are important to have in any garden. My current favourite is to see logs
stacked under a bench or tight against a house . The patterns are pleasingly
geometric <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>as they stack one row upon
another, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>lending a safe, homely feel to
the winter garden.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wqhap8XfReI/VpkBYwnrzMI/AAAAAAAAAEE/HedAqJV0tZ8/s1600/logpile3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wqhap8XfReI/VpkBYwnrzMI/AAAAAAAAAEE/HedAqJV0tZ8/s320/logpile3.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This winter a new
best- selling book has taken the book buying public by storm<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>entitled, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">'Norweigan Wood. Chopping, stacking and
drying wood the Scandinavian way' by Lars Mytting.</i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Researching this later ( in front of my roaring log fire of
course) I laughed out loud at this section about how you can tell a lot about a
person from his woodpile. For those looking to marry, there is a list to guide
you which I have precised:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Upright and solid</b>: upright
and solid man</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Low pile</b>: Cautious man,
could be shy or weak</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A lot of wood</b>: A man of
foresight, loyal</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Unusual Shape</b>: Freethinking,
open spirit, the construction may be weak</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Unfinished pile, some logs lying
on the ground</b>: Ignorance, decadence, laziness, drunkenness, possibly all of
these</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">and finally....</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">No log pile</b>: No husband</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-43380726114408651862016-01-15T13:57:00.000+00:002016-01-15T13:58:02.976+00:00JANUARY<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267"> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style> <![endif]--><br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Saturday, 8th January</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Wet, wild, windy and more wet. Everywhere has become a watery experience from the squelch underfoot to the running rivulets winding along roads,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>carving tracks down gravel paths, pouring out of fields and laying still and silvery in the moonlight filled fields. Even seagulls and ducks are foraging in the newly created lakes and ponds confused by this watery world.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bwJTJXND1-U/Vpj6AcTC28I/AAAAAAAAADk/Hxd9BQ_ZRlM/s1600/Greyclouds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bwJTJXND1-U/Vpj6AcTC28I/AAAAAAAAADk/Hxd9BQ_ZRlM/s320/Greyclouds.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">And Grey! More than fifty shades, of tone and texture. But always grey in essence. Rain - filled clouds of steely grey lying so low they <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>bear down upon your head. Processions of them marching over the sky gathering in intensity <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>size and power delivering their cargo with fierce intent in magnificent cloudbursts of staccato intensity.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then just when the endless grey seems to have closed down the horizon , a vast sheet of intense orange was pulled across the sky outlining the hills of the West Wight. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ancient coppiced oaks stood silhouetted against the vermillion backdrop in all their naked splendour, giant bonsais! Hedgerows lined like barbed-wire barriers across fields reveal the minute detail of their chainlike branches, locked together in unity against the weather. Waiting, waiting for the Spring to arrive. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Rooks, my favourite winter birds, take up the signal. Creeling and cawing to one another as they race for their roosts, black punctuation marks scrawling their words over this scarlet page in a flurry of tumbling flight. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-83936254934766768782011-04-10T19:12:00.008+01:002011-04-10T20:26:39.268+01:00Go on have a clear out....Since letting go of my old Nursery to concentrate on garden design I have had to really wrestle with my propagation compulsions. But a recent water bill plus a bout of random and regular trips away has made care and watering of plants in pots a real issue - despite my many water butts and irrigation system.<br />
<br />
So finally the clear out moment came prompted by our Gardening Girls meeting (<a href="http://design.chrisbarnesgardens.co.uk/2011/04/to-blog-or-not.html">To blog or not</a>.) Not quite a displacement activity for God knows there is more than enough else to do at this time of the year, more of an act of desperation - to find a way to the potting box! But now I have a real incentive.......<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3nu1w9Io42Y/TaH5gRF4KCI/AAAAAAAAACw/QSrJvUKHCFU/s1600/Img_2351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3nu1w9Io42Y/TaH5gRF4KCI/AAAAAAAAACw/QSrJvUKHCFU/s320/Img_2351.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
One of the Gardening Girls, Paula on the left, has a new garden! A complete blank canvas and she needs plants - lots! As Paula was the 'Propagation Queen' at the Nursery it seemed only fitting that she should be the recipient of this clear out as she probably had her mitts on most of these plants at some stage in their life. I swear to God that she only had to gaze at a packet of seeds for them to germinate in-situ! Remembering her blowing 'Golden Virginia' roll-up smoke over some restio seeds from Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens makes me laugh still!<br />
<br />
The sorting process became cathartic. Not only was I having a clean sweep, getting to grips with my 'life laundry' - whatever that means - I was also reminiscing about the various stages in my plant growing life. In just the same way that old photos trigger memories, I found that certain plants did exactly the same.<br />
<br />
Restio tetraphyllus - the south african trip with the GGs. Wildflower plugs left over from a wonderful pond planting for a client - note to self don't give up on your wildlife pond dream! Carex ' Yellow Tails' with a number RS. Don't forget to call in and visit Ray Brown from <a href="http://www.plant-world-seeds.com/">Plant World </a>seeds on next trip to West country. I need to give him feed back about his Sakhalin Island seeds plus catch up on our mutual friend in Morocco. I didn't even know where Sakhalin island was until I met Ray - do you? <br />
<br />
And on and on. <a href="http://www.botanic.co.uk/">Ventnor Botanic Garden</a> seed grown exotics - sparing a thought for that special place and it's looming change of order. Many grasses - oh how we loved our grasses! And oh so many hardy geraniums! One of the forlorn specimens had Geranium sylvaticum 'Beth Chatto' just about legible written on the faded label. That was worth a whole hours worth of musing...<br />
<br />
But then, enough - time to get this mixed bag of goodies into the car and out of my life, clearing the horizon ....<br />
<br />
Finally safely delivered into the loving hands of Paula, who does that happy clappy thing with her hands like Pingu when pleased. I'm not sure who is happier?<br />
<br />
So despite the season's demands I can recommend it - go on have a clear out!Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-20720721310742800352011-04-03T20:43:00.002+01:002011-04-04T10:47:53.852+01:00Mum's the wordSaturday's Guardian ran a timely feature 'All about my mother' by Dominic Murphy where he talks to three high-profile gardeners and their mums about what they've learned from each other. And what they've rejected....(2nd April,2011)<br />
This of course got me thinking about my Mum and her Mum ( my Grandmother Ivy) whilst I prepared the Mothering Sunday lunch. Walking out into the garden to pick a small posie of primroses and grape hyacinths to put in a pretty little Lalique vase on the dinner table I contemplated the fact that by these very actions I may even have become my mother...<br />
Then out again to pick the first of the mint to garnish the potatoes and find some greens from the veg patch. Just these simple acts are learned from her. It has become a pattern, a learned behaviour to interact in this way with my garden and I acquired it, well...at my mother's side.<br />
<br />
Seasonal flowers in vases around the house, fresh veg from the garden, walks in the countryside peering over hedges at neighbour's plots was just the beginning really. Learning the names of wild flowers and pouring over the 'flower fairie' stories where each delectable fairy resembled its flowering namesake!<br />
<br />
Later came trips to Ventnor Botanic Garden. First lessons in propagation there in how to keep a nicked cutting fresh in some damp tissue and a plastic bag for the duration of a bus ride home. Lemons grown from pips, sweet smelling lily of the valley in wild drifts around the conservatory, gaudy begonias in hanging baskets and a gardening friend call 'Miss Webb' who wore a long brown overall like Ronnie Barker in 'Open all Hours' who looked like a man and who actually earned a living as a jobbing gardener. These were all part of a childhood spent around my gardening mother and grandmother. <br />
<br />
But my absolute favourite memory was the making of miniature gardens on a tray using a handbag mirror as the pond and other bits of plant material to create magical garden scenes. My Gran had some tiny chinese porcelain figures, treasures from her past which she generously let me use in my garden once. So my favourite creation became an oriental scene with bridge, pagoda and even a tiny fisherman with a dangling fish on a rod!<br />
<br />
Little wonder then that I have been literally hooked on all things gardening since and why I would like to dedicate this blog to all gardening mothers and grandmothers everywhere. Thank you!<br />
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-4913213503042881162011-04-01T19:54:00.002+01:002011-04-01T20:13:15.524+01:00To Blog or Not?Met up with 'The Gardening Girls'* for a pub supper last night. Amongst our various affectionate catch-ups - holidays taken, deaths in the garden, deaths out of the garden etc., we somehow got on to the subject of Blogging and then inevitably,Facebook.<br />
<br />
So there we were, united in our love of all things gardening, but clearly divided in our feelings for 'internet' related matters. So our conversation ranged, back and forth with all the pros and cons resulting in an exchange of friendship on facebook for four of us, with the hard-core 'two' remaining resolutely <i>sans friends, </i> facebook or otherwise.<br />
<br />
My feeble attempts to explain my recent baptism into blogging were met with a range of responses: incredulous, concerned,interested, admiring, speechless, worried etc., I may have persuaded one of the hard-core disbelievers that her considerable photographic skills could find an outlet via this medium but will probably have to work on that. I sensed a softening when I described 'Wordless Wednesday' to her.....<br />
<br />
After a pretty full-on week have just sat down to check some of my favourite blogs and notice that there is a considerable slacking off of literary content at the moment with certain exceptions. Harriet in Bere Island - do you ever sleep? Diane from 'Elephant's Eye' I know you are in the southern hemisphere and have sun but......<br />
<br />
This absence of new material could in fact bear out what my critical gardening friends suspect, that only the sad and lonely have time for such matters! Personally I suspect that like me, they are rushed off their feet in a frenzy of spring activity making the sensible decision now the clocks have 'sprung forward' to avail themselves of more time in the garden. They can't all be preparing for Gardening Shows, famous or otherwise can they?<br />
<br />
Views please? That is, if you have time or inclination......<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
* A group of keen women gardeners, volunteers at my first garden and Apple Day Festivals whose friendship was cemented during a truly surprising gardening tour of South Africa.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-5709208482036280842011-03-29T17:25:00.004+01:002011-04-01T19:31:37.584+01:00Courtyard Musings 3 - 'Firing the Imagination'<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-35BYVziFHJQ/TY-MAAEcKeI/AAAAAAAAACc/dHnkVgk42Pc/s1600/moroco+2011+251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Have spent this glorious weekend 'pimping' my courtyard fired up after my recent trip to Morocco. If you want to learn about Courtyard Gardens then Morocco is definitely the place to go.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KheJIKquAcg/TY-SurXWfDI/AAAAAAAAACk/Q5yd14yMMY8/s1600/moroco+2011+030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KheJIKquAcg/TY-SurXWfDI/AAAAAAAAACk/Q5yd14yMMY8/s320/moroco+2011+030.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
I was blown away by it and returned senses on fire, keen to take up where I began with my own humble courtyard rennovation even at the expense of all the other chores that need doing at this time of year.<br />
<br />
Apart from being thoroughly exciting, stimulating and at times a little bit mad this recent trip has helped me to refine my thinking by learning from the lessons of the relaxed beach style at Surf Maroc. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oLd273n_LhQ/TY-Ej8OiqbI/AAAAAAAAACM/yXACe9FxDtI/s1600/moroco+2011+027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oLd273n_LhQ/TY-Ej8OiqbI/AAAAAAAAACM/yXACe9FxDtI/s320/moroco+2011+027.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Hot reds and pinks with low carved tables, natural stools and table lanterns<br />
<br />
Surf Maroc is fun, colourful and relaxed. A chill-out zone after a hard days surfing. I am now considering low couchette seats rather than high dining style. It will suit my large, noisy surfy family and inject a sense of fun whilst also reflecting our bohemian recycling tendencies! However, because of our damp climate we will create blanket box style seats so that throws and cushions can be stored at night and in wet weather. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YxA_L2oXd8s/TY-D_Sz7czI/AAAAAAAAACI/4Yx4XoBi61Y/s1600/moroco+2011+020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YxA_L2oXd8s/TY-D_Sz7czI/AAAAAAAAACI/4Yx4XoBi61Y/s320/moroco+2011+020.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Deep blue is one of the signature colours of Morocco<br />
<br />
I have already amassed a colourful collection of rugs, blankets, throws, cushions from other wanderings. Now I feel emboldened again to use fabric to inject colour and texture into what will be 'an outdoor room' in the true sense. Brick red, orange, rust, ochre will be my colours of choice as the warm end of the colour spectrum will suit the duller, greyer skies of our northern hemisphere climate. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qZrgjcgx7Hs/TY-TWqruA2I/AAAAAAAAACo/IHIkRJTrfgs/s1600/moroco+2011+242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qZrgjcgx7Hs/TY-TWqruA2I/AAAAAAAAACo/IHIkRJTrfgs/s320/moroco+2011+242.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
Riad Dar Krystal was the exact contrast of Surf Maroc. A truly calm interior, a sanctuary away from the bustling streets of the ancient Marrakech Medina. All was exquisite good taste; carefully positioned plants, lamps, tables, low seating areas with the all important water feature invitingly tucked into a private corner.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8F78LovLZQ/TY-Qg2Srf8I/AAAAAAAAACg/igZ803tfpnU/s1600/moroco+2011+277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8F78LovLZQ/TY-Qg2Srf8I/AAAAAAAAACg/igZ803tfpnU/s320/moroco+2011+277.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LGanWIFgAto/TY-FHAzjotI/AAAAAAAAACY/7jrpZiaggWk/s1600/moroco+2011+280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
What most impressed me though was the use of lighting.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LGanWIFgAto/TY-FHAzjotI/AAAAAAAAACY/7jrpZiaggWk/s1600/moroco+2011+280.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LGanWIFgAto/TY-FHAzjotI/AAAAAAAAACY/7jrpZiaggWk/s320/moroco+2011+280.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
To gaze from your room on the first floor down into the twinkling lamps of the courtyard below was very reassuring. Subtly positioned uplighters illuminated the beautiful palms and olives and created intricate patterns on both the floors and walls. Beautifully ornate lamps stood sentinel with just a tee light within. Eau de Nil paintwork, railings and window guards throughout helped to create that cool, shadey ambience, much needed in a city that can reach 40 O c in high summer.<br />
<br />
My courtyard will also be viewed from the sitting room so re-positioning our external lighting arrangements needs to be done post haste. I would like to re-create that magical scene. Fortunately, I already have two Moroccan wall lamps and will re-arrange the plants with up-lighters. These can also mark the way to the rear entrance without that awful 'security light colditz' feel that is my present arrangement. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-35BYVziFHJQ/TY-MAAEcKeI/AAAAAAAAACc/dHnkVgk42Pc/s1600/moroco+2011+251.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-35BYVziFHJQ/TY-MAAEcKeI/AAAAAAAAACc/dHnkVgk42Pc/s320/moroco+2011+251.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
Plants and planting are normally my first priority when beginning a new project but I think I have finally learnt the meaning of the term 'restraint' from this trip. All the courtyards I visited had a restrained but well chosen number of exquisite specimen plants that were carefully placed. Choice plant specimens would often be symbolic like the Olive, Palm or Citrus grown in classic Maroc pots.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ha3k4vHUwI4/TY-Es1KGatI/AAAAAAAAACQ/dPJdB7oDZvw/s1600/moroco+2011+049.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ha3k4vHUwI4/TY-Es1KGatI/AAAAAAAAACQ/dPJdB7oDZvw/s320/moroco+2011+049.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
On the coast, succulents, cactus and sedums were used as these are much better able to withstand the bright sunshine and coastal conditions .<br />
<br />
Fragrance is an essential ingredient and will come from Rosa Mme Alfred Carriere which will twine around the newly installed wall fountain. Evergreen Trachelospermum jasminoides plus my own sowings of Nicotiana sylvestris, Lilium regale and Gladiolus acidanthera will inject further fragrance by day and night. Their white flowers will work superbly in the shadey corners.<br />
<br />
With new carefully placed embellishments and invigorated planting I hope to transform my old tired courtyard into a truly inspirational magical space influenced by my travels but also mindful of my own character and location.<br />
<br />
Fortunately I have to plan a courtyard design for a new client soon so will have even more opportunities there.......<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-85595285336259055712011-03-22T11:01:00.000+00:002011-03-22T11:01:03.690+00:00Just one of those rainy days....Early start. Meeting a big plant delivery from mainland at Clients Walled Garden. New nervous driver first time to Isle of Wight. Misty murking morning, first rain in ages. He is late! So squidged round the garden in the damp with client planning <i>'the next stage'</i>. Also discussed forthcoming newspaper article.<br />
<br />
Delightful new driver eventually arrives. Usual jokes about no passport, sea-sick pills etc., Finally stowed plants safely, retrieved the dozen or so new additions for next garden, plus my own new' Rosa Mme Alfred Carriere' for the Courtyard. Hastily stuff them in the back of the car.<br />
<br />
Rain worsening, puddles now in road with soil-filled run-off from fields. Muttering under breath about farmers and contour ploughing as I swing into the drive to see a gloomy Mr. S. , the reluctant under-gardener sheltering in the porch. No cheery Mrs. S. ? Some problem with a grandchild apparently! Haven't visited since the worse of the season's weather so am anxious....<br />
<br />
The young, newly planted Winter garden has taken a bashing - from the winter weather funnily enough! Ouch! Had to reassure then run...<i>"It will revive, " </i>I shout out of the window whilst nearly reversing into one of those giant tractors out on the lane. All windows now misted up.<br />
<br />
Then on into town. Traffic horrendous by island standards. Miraculously find a parking spot and sprint into fave coffee shop for loo and caffeine. Running late, but just a quick<i> pop in </i>to Red Cross Shop next door, looking for lamps for moroccan courtyard still. Nothing, but there was a rather nice tourquoise scarf...<br />
<br />
Deposited parcel of moroccan goodies to go to son in Plymouth with his gorgeous girlfriend who works in a tempting Interior Design shop round the corner. She gleefully points out .....their new Moroccan lamps! Frustratingly, no time left on parking ticket so defer for another day....<br />
<br />
Pistolling down now so find phone to cancel 3rd appointment. Client thrilled - way too wet we agree. Clean rain off misted-up glasses with new tourquoise scarf as I text newspaper re article. Then set off back to the office.<br />
<br />
As I turn the final bend, there is a loud clump from the rear of the car. Realise it is my new rose rolling around loose. Once home, discover soil all over the car from my obviously very newly potted rose. Duck when husband appears as he hates the mess I make in the car and hurriedly shut the boot, concealing all as I sprint into the office. <br />
<br />
Turn on computer. Amongst the usual dross I spot a long-awaited reply from Amanda, at Bab Ourika in Morocco. She has news of snow, and seedlings and all sorts of interesting stuff but I drag myself away from a lengthy reply to focus on<i> business stuff. </i>The pictures for the newspaper article!<br />
<br />
Some time later, all mail sent I head off to Village to stock up on provisions for family as I'm away for the weekend. As I open the boot to throw in the shopping bags I see soil everywhere still and abandoned rose. Snatch rose out, then shut boot again and throw bags onto the back seat instead.<br />
<br />
Rain appears to be easing as I pull into the Co-op Car park. Amazingly everything on list in stock and there is even a bottle of my favourite dry white in the chiller cabinet. Things are looking up! Head home again as the sun begins to appear. Looks like the weekend weather forecast is proving correct. Feel that familiar pang of frustration mounting at the thought of a whole weekend spring gardening to be missed. Ah well at least the gardens have had a drenching.<br />
<br />
Unload the shopping then drag myself back to the car to clean up the bloody soil and re-pot the rose...<br />
<br />
Much later after a friendly spat with spouse over our choice of Friday night TV viewing, "What? You want to watch Red Nose Day <i>and</i> Gardeners World?" I subside into 2nd glass of dry white feebly explaining the need to check out how the '<i>Lord of the Cord'</i> is doing back on the box again.Tear myself away from the strangely compelling red nose viewing to hastily pack for the weekend .<br />
<br />
Return from bedroom to shut computer down to see a new email. Hesitate, but then open it to find a delightful message from a <a href="http://cattapilladesigns.com/dreams/">Harriet in Bere Island</a>, Cork in Ireland. Open her St Patricks Day message: <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><strong>May the road rise up to meet you.</strong></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><strong>May the wind always be at your back.</strong></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><strong>May the sun shine warm upon your face,</strong></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><strong>And rains fall soft upon your fields.</strong></em></div>
<br />
and for some reason come over all misty eyed.....<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-5876280864365568852011-03-11T15:16:00.003+00:002011-04-02T21:25:17.228+01:00The Libertines<br />
This cold winter may have dampened or even chilled our willingness to try growing tender or border-line tender plants in our gardens. So maybe now is the time to take stock of those that have stood this winter's hardship test and sing their praises.<br />
Top of my list is the plant I reckon I could have made my fortune with when I had my own specialist plant nursery - <i>Libertia peregrinans 'Gold Stripe', </i>commonly known as the New Zealand Iris or '<i>Mikoikoi'. </i>There are 15 species within the family Iridaceae<i>.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-RwqhY-dRCjs/TXo4b3AuxkI/AAAAAAAAACA/VnFXBkAK42M/s1600/libertia_peregrinans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-RwqhY-dRCjs/TXo4b3AuxkI/AAAAAAAAACA/VnFXBkAK42M/s320/libertia_peregrinans.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Some 12 years ago I acquired a few small pieces of this golden bronze strappy leaved grass-like plant. It was in my acquisitive grasses collection days when my hoarding instincts were high. I just knew that its unique colouration and persistent evergreen habit would make it a really useful addition to my nursery plant list. <br />
<br />
It also became one of the key components of a large gravel garden I had built and only slowly did it reveal its potential. I say slowly because it seemed to take ages to spread into anything like a reasonable clump. Meanwhile I was hovering, keen to propagate from this 'mother plant' and bulk it up, both to use further in the garden but also to provide plants for sale in the nursery. From those early tentative planting experiments I now use it in containers, as an en-masse ground cover, amongst grasses and in architectural plantings.<br />
<br />
<i>"What is that bronze-coloured grass in your gravel garden. Do you have any for sale?"</i> Each time I was asked this question the frustration mounted. But whilst this Libertia was taking its time another larger species was revealing itself as made of sterner stuff.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-uVwEy2XpBnw/TXo4bPT26tI/AAAAAAAAAB8/NjkJknattbU/s1600/Libertia+grandiflora.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-uVwEy2XpBnw/TXo4bPT26tI/AAAAAAAAAB8/NjkJknattbU/s1600/Libertia+grandiflora.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<i>Libertia grandiflora</i> is an altogether more robust character. It is grown widely here on the Isle of Wight. Introduced from the <a href="http://www.botanic.co.uk/">Ventnor Botanic Garden</a> seed list it has become a popular tough coastal evergreen, good in naturalistic, herbaceous and gravel garden plantings. I have even seen it growing out of a stone wall in Kinsale, Western Ireland.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Qcy0EshzHZ8/TXo4aswwezI/AAAAAAAAAB4/KC76mCuny4U/s1600/IMG_3368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Qcy0EshzHZ8/TXo4aswwezI/AAAAAAAAAB4/KC76mCuny4U/s320/IMG_3368.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
A myridad of tall stems appear in June bursting through the coarser iris-like leaves with tight little buds radiating around the stem which soon open into a mass of small clear white blooms. <i>L. grandiflora</i> has the largest of the flowers while <i>L. ixiodes</i> is a smaller flowered version, finer in all aspects. As the blooms fade the seedheads turn into attractive dark mahogany tight clusters. Just like <i>Phlomis russeliana</i> they are tough reliable plants with good evergreen foliage for all year round interest with attractive flowers and enduring seedheads and like the Phlomis those seedheads can produce masses of babies. I have now learnt to thin the stalks of both to reduce the self-seeding.<br />
<br />
Fortunately for us gardeners the world of micro-propagation has speeded things up and my once hard to come by Libertia is now being offered widely. With the additional bonus of other coloured variants of Libertia ixiodes, <i>L. 'Taupo Gold</i>', <i>L.'Taupo Sunset'</i> or <i>L.'Taupo Blaze'</i>. These can be sourced from one of my favourite cornish nurseries, <a href="http://www.burncoose.co.uk/">Burncoose Nursery</a>. But for those of you with patience and a love of growing from seed I notice that Ray Brown of, '<a href="http://www.plant-world-seeds.com/">Plant World Seeds</a>'<i> </i>also has the original in his current catalogue.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WS3K3OOXkaE/TXo5pLYMwDI/AAAAAAAAACE/6WkDrpLw1Lo/s1600/evening+sun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WS3K3OOXkaE/TXo5pLYMwDI/AAAAAAAAACE/6WkDrpLw1Lo/s1600/evening+sun.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I appreciate the colour contrast of the newer Libertias but my heart will always remain true to <i>Libertia peregrinans 'Gold stripe'</i> - it didn't make me a fortune but it enrichens my life still.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-37328985094621749362011-02-08T17:50:00.000+00:002011-02-08T17:50:44.446+00:00Humbled by Harakeke or Weaving with FlaxMany of us grow Phormium tenax or Phormium cookianum plants in our gardens. The coloured cultivars are almost ubiquitous now in many a planting scheme and have been arguably 'over-used'. Also, the big guys are notorious for being difficult to remove once they have grown to full size and need to be positioned carefully. But how many of us know the spiritual connections they hold for the Maori people of NZ or the amazing things that this tough evergreen can be used for? I have long used it in my coastal planting schemes but have grown to love and respect it for both its toughness but now for its spirituality too.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TVGBMOeVdXI/AAAAAAAAABs/yGGbWxcpLu0/s1600/New+Zealand+2010+093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TVGBMOeVdXI/AAAAAAAAABs/yGGbWxcpLu0/s320/New+Zealand+2010+093.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
Prompted by the many stunning wall hangings and sculptures I saw in NZ homes and their seaside Baches, I determined to learn this skill for myself. So, as my penultimate day in New Zealand arrived I turned up for a flax weaving workshop with Ariana Millward at Matapiti (arianamillward@xtra.co.nz), a sweet looking<br />
(or should I say, sweet az) gallery at the top of the hippy-surf town of Raglan, North Island. <br />
<br />
My session began with a Kara kia - a prayer of thanks to Papatuanuke, the earth. Now in my time I have been to many workshops which begin with all sorts of introductions from the mildly embarassing to the deeply contrived. But there was something so seriously genuine about Ariane that I immediately found myself smiling in deep contentment and recognition at this wonderful approach to harvesting plant material.<br />
<br />
Ari told me that the plant material is never picked when it is raining, in the snow or at night. Women do not cut the flax when they are menstruating but they can weave. Weaving materials must be kept separate from the food areas and when working on it it is respectful to walk around the plant materials and not to step over them.<br />
<br />
She had learnt her own weaving skills from a group of Maori mothers as part of a total immersion programme in one of the local schools. But she also explained that she had an uncle in her Maraii who was an especially good weaver and she had learnt a lot from him. Clearly flax weaving was culturally very important to the Maori people.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TVGBW-KzbrI/AAAAAAAAAB0/uyElzPG1r68/s1600/South+Island+%2526+Raglan+058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TVGBW-KzbrI/AAAAAAAAAB0/uyElzPG1r68/s320/South+Island+%2526+Raglan+058.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I was absolutely entranced by her simple combination of spirituality and good horticultural common sense. The story-telling approach to good practise resonated especially with me. As a trained primary school teacher I had often used this technique myself to aid with learning and the training of memory. <br />
<br />
The harvesting of the flax leaves involved choosing the best material and making a clean 45o clean cut with a stanley knife. The most important lesson was not to 'harm the infant', the emerging young bud guarded either side by the protective parents( the outer leaves) but to select older outer leaves instead. Thus of course, ensuring the continuing life of the plant.<br />
<br />
Tidying up as you go, rejecting the diseased or damaged leaves with any waste material going back into the compost bin for recycling was also explained to me. I nodded in approval and swopped some of my own tales of compost making back in England. I was loving this approach and we hadn't even begun to make a thing! Imagine if every child experienced just this simple giving thanks to the earth before harvesting a plant what a difference that would make to an understanding of the worlds resources.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TVGBRyHPVWI/AAAAAAAAABw/IkWX0wVA9bc/s1600/South+Island+%2526+Raglan+024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TVGBRyHPVWI/AAAAAAAAABw/IkWX0wVA9bc/s320/South+Island+%2526+Raglan+024.jpg" width="263" /></a>The flax, or Harakeke was great to work with. Strong yet supple, soft on the hands yet easy to tear. Whilst making my own humble weaving my eyes were drawn to other intricate weavings that adorned the walls. Particularly impressive was a contemporary ceremonial cloak which had feathers and embroidery woven into it.<br />
<br />
My own woven basket was quick to grow and I was as proud as an infant with its first emroidery sampler when I stepped out of the Studio some two hours later, clasping my green basket in my hands. The fact that I lovingly carried this back as hand luggage over thousands of miles and that it now sits amongst my personal treasures is enduring testimony to that special lesson.<br />
<br />
But beyond the physical reminder in the form of my little basket I carry the spirituality of the flax with me and a continuing fondness for New Zealand, it's special plants and it's people. No wonder then, that I have several planted in my southern hemisphere garden and why it continues to have a special place....<br />
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-42982471067149102622011-02-04T09:28:00.006+00:002011-03-14T09:33:05.539+00:00A flowering Spring Meadow or The Lawn must go!What a difference a day makes! Glorious sunshine yesterday and warmth on my back. Set out an outdoor potting station as I couldn't resist the feel of the sun on my face. Caught up with the last of my bulb planting( I know very late!) and then whilst furking around amongst my old terracotta pots stumbled upon the pots full of snowdrops, <i>Galanthus nivalis</i> that I had hastily planted last year. Whoops! Nearly forgot these little beauties...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.chrisbarnesgardens.co.uk/images/meadow01md.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.chrisbarnesgardens.co.uk/images/meadow01md.jpg" /></a><br />
As the 'Galanthophile' season approaches I was feverishly kicked into action by my little pots of joy. Carol Klein's atmospheric new gardening programme, <i>Life in a Cottage Garden</i>, was also freshly imprinted on my mind. I've lusted after great swathes of snowdrops for eternity and have been slowly, slowly dividing and re-planting just as Carol demonstrated so enthusiastically. This year I ordered 500 bulbs to hasten my painfully slow process. So, quick change of gardening strategy for the day ( ever thus!) and I was off to plant these little rays of pure white hope.<br />
<br />
I have decided that the large green expanse at the front of my house needs attention. It is far too boring. To the left, under the big old sycamores I have a great wildflower scene developing but the right hand side has remained that sterile bastion of masculine pride and joy, a lawn! What better way than to start with some bulbs and create an early flowering mead.<br />
<br />
I had also potted up some later flowering Snowflakes, <i>Leucojum aestivum </i> which I also admire for their clear fresh foliage and taller, nodding bells of pure white. Scattered around my borders I have some random plantings of primroses too. I decided to lift and divide these, planting them en masse through the turf at my gate will make more of a statement than the isolated groupings at present. Division was easily done and the ground was superb for this job, soft and wet, easy to just split the grass and literally poke the plants in, folding the lifted turf around them.<br />
<br />
In my small nursery area I remembered that I had some left-over pots of sweet woodruff, <i>Galium odoratum. </i>How can you not love a plant that is also known as<i> 'Sweet Baby's breath'</i>? Once destined for my front door, but now relocating to my flowery mead were some terracotta pots of <i>Naricissi Hawera </i>and then I spotted the fantastic marbled leaves of a rescued <i>Cyclamen hederifolium. </i>All ideal plants for naturalising in this area too. <br />
<br />
I was really getting in my stride now and decided to plunder the colony of wild violets that also grow at my hedge bottom, dividing those also and inserting them into the turf. I know I have a mixture of white and purple violets so will have to wait with anticipation to see what colours I have introduced.<br />
<br />
Wish now that I had ordered some crocuses to complete the scene but that will have to wait for next year unless I can source some in flower in pots. Living close to an Orchard I have had big problems with mice taking crocus bulbs in another bulb planting initiative of mine several years ago. So, at least I will have time to see if this planting will work.<br />
<br />
I was feeling very empowered reducing my patch of sterile verge. As I gathered my tools into the wheelbarrow my gaze extended down the road . There at the junction of the two roads is a fairly large triangular patch of grass ( a small allotment size!). One of those sterile, no-mans land areas that occasionally gets slashed by a strimmer-welding neighbour. It is in my sights now...... <br />
<br />
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-52418918967603600772011-01-28T10:20:00.001+00:002011-01-28T10:23:02.404+00:00Courtyard Schemings 2A crowbar is not your obvious gardening tool but it became a recent essential ally. Removing ivy from my garage wall had turned into a nightmarish wrestling match of huge proportions.<br />
<br />
One week, one ton builders bag full of debris, several broken tools, every muscle aching and six blisters later the job was done. Blisters, I ask you! Any lingering guilt I felt about removing this thicket of wildlife habitat, this nectar bar to our endangered bees vanished in the battle to remove the beast. ( Before you send letters don't please, there is plenty more elsewhere...)<br />
<br />
Respect though at its colonising power, especially when I had to clamber and crawl into the tiny loft cavity to remove the final adventitious roots from the internal rafters. Why you may be asking? Why so aggressive a gardening task? Well, to make room for a bloody wall fountain, that's why...( <a href="http://design.chrisbarnesgardens.co.uk/2011/01/courtyard-schemings-1.html">see Courtyard Schemings 1</a>)<br />
<br />
If that takes as long and proves as complicated my courtyard refurbishment project is going to be a testing time. I've still got the roots to get out and to lever up three paving slabs to create a deeper planting hole for my new fragrant climbing rose.<br />
<br />
Pick axe next up? Now where is it.......?<br />
<br />
Only two weeks until the Maroc trip. La Majorelle gardens donated by Yves Saint Laurent to the people of Marrakech is first on my list .Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-63722705825754116582011-01-18T10:32:00.001+00:002011-01-18T10:40:27.569+00:00Courtyard Schemings 1Whilst I am suitably proud of my front garden I have to acknowledge that it is to my rear door, through an enclosed entrance courtyard that most visitors approach my house. Whilst not quite being for 'Tradesmen only' it has a workaday appeal to it, wellies at door, old watering cans, surfboards, the washing line, compost collector etc.<br />
<br />
2011 is the year to tackle this space as it has such great potential. Enclosed on three sides, the fourth side with a now-rotten fence, borrowed views to the fields beyond, fabulous sunsets in the summer, close to the dining area, adjacent to another smaller pretty private enclosed mediterranean style garden created for our holiday let <a href="http://www.westwightholidays.co.uk/">www.westwightholidays.co.uk </a><br />
<br />
So, in one of my midnight musings I made the inevitable list:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li> Make an effort to improve - utility has won over beauty</li>
<li> Reduce ivy on garage wall, feel guilty about bees......</li>
<li>Introduce more fragrance e.g Roses - use cuttings taken from favourite Rosa Alberic Barbiere</li>
<li>Water feature - think a wall fountain would be easiest</li>
<li>Large Pots - reduce collections of medium/small size pots to make an impact</li>
<li>Consider training the existing vine over towards the house to create a shadey arbour feel</li>
<li>Source Citrus, Brugmansia, pot up more lilies</li>
<li>Sow seeds of Nicotiana sylvestris again for evening fragrance</li>
<li>Arrange for Paul the Carpenter to come and build the fitted seating area and the new contemporary look trellis aka <a href="http://www.gardentrellis.co.uk/">www.gardentrellis.co.uk</a></li>
<li>Buy cream metal bench to position under Studio Apartment window</li>
<li> Research a design for a pizza style bread oven, Jamie Oliver style</li>
</ul>
<br />
.........and finally....<br />
<br />
..........go to Morrocco to check out the Riad gardens to inspire and focus thoughts!!Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-89436070226235605222011-01-10T11:01:00.001+00:002011-01-10T11:07:09.393+00:00Alien Escapees<br />
Funny how a simple cliff top walk can trigger thoughts of far off places. Plants do that to me....whilst my companions are gazing sky or seawards there I am eyes cast to the ground, observing this or that plant. I just can't help myself, observing natures patterns everywhere. This time, a wall of Hottentot Fig, cascading over the large granite boulders was the culprit.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TSrlsny9cFI/AAAAAAAAABc/NcAVowEw0Qg/s1600/pic+286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TSrlsny9cFI/AAAAAAAAABc/NcAVowEw0Qg/s320/pic+286.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Last winter I escaped to the southern hemisphere and the sight of the fat succulent stems of this invasive plant reminded me of my musings about foreign plants and their effects upon native flora.<br />
When I got home I checked out my Travel Journal : <br />
<br />
<i>"Have just returned from a walk to the headland at Lennox, testing out my new light weight Merrel sandals. Heavy tropical rain last night invited a host of stealth mozzies so we marched rather than strolled. Whenever we stopped they were on us...despite the mozzy spray before we left!</i><br />
<br />
<i>However we did get to the Headland and we saw a pair of dolphins for our efforts. Plus, a pair of bedraggled crows, disneyesque almost, sat on a fence close to us and performed my favourite 'warbling' sound. I felt honoured - but then I have always had an affinity for big ugly rook-like birds. </i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>Noticed the wild flowers on the walk to the headland. Hibiscus tritonia, Lobelia vallida, Verbena rigida, a beautiful black creeping pea and the ubiquitous purple morning glory, plus lots of ferns. Half hardy plants often grown as summer bedding back home. I particularly love the irridescent blue of the Lobelia but it has never lasted for me. But the Verbena rigida has been a real trouper, giving me a low wall of purple most of the summer. Bees and butterflies adore it, like its taller counterpart Verbena bonariensis.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TSrlwsuz6uI/AAAAAAAAABg/Bi7-2UlbOiE/s1600/Aus+161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TSrlwsuz6uI/AAAAAAAAABg/Bi7-2UlbOiE/s320/Aus+161.jpg" width="180" /></a><i>Also on the headland there was the brutal evidence of heavy glyphosphate use. Once I would have been aghast at this practise but now I understood that the removal of undesirable ground covering aliens is absolutely necessary to preserve local flora.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>'Envite', delivers ecological restoration services in this region. A big project along the banks of the Wilson River is threatened by three major weed species: asparagus fern, madeira vine and small-leaved privet.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>The plant threatening Lennox Head is called Bitou Bush. This is a 'noxious' weed in NSW of 'national significance'. It was introduced into Australia approximately 100 years ago near Newcastle. For decades it was deliberately planted along the NSW coastline. It's ability to rapidly spread and form monocultures makes it a key threat to the survial of many native species and vegetation communities.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>I also noticed Hottentot Fig ( Carpobrotus edulis) on a slope of a private garden close to the headland and am reminded of what this plant had done to Fistral and other key places in Cornwall, like Prussia Cove."</i><br />
<br />
<i> </i>Ironic the natural world - that a plant in the right place can be so beneficial but out of its environs can be so damaging. I recall my feelings when as a young trainee horticulturalist I first learnt that the vast swathes of Rhodendron ponticum that I so admired in Dorset, were in fact a terrible invasive alien. What that pretty mauve bush, covering the hillside? Yep, indeedy - that pretty mauve bush kills all the remaining vegetation underneath it, renders the soil a desert and is a barren wasteland for all native insects and birdlife. It was and still is a shocking revelation.<br />
<br />
So, each bucketload of garden waste chucked over the wall to fall innocently enough on that patch of wasteland or cliff path almost certainly was the cause of many of our problems in this country. <br />
<br />
But before I go all preachery whilst remaining concerned about the problem of alien escapees I can honestly say right now that I would give anything to swop this wet rainy January day to be exploring the plant life, native and non-native at Lennox Head again.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-23872533951600277112010-12-31T10:52:00.001+00:002010-12-31T12:36:30.186+00:00The Wise Old Sage<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TR3NVcup13I/AAAAAAAAABY/jssld4U7bbw/s1600/Slater+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" float="left" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TR3NVcup13I/AAAAAAAAABY/jssld4U7bbw/s320/Slater+book.jpg" width="237" /></a>I have to thank Irenethegardener for introducing me to the Kitchen Diaries of Nigel Slater as a birthday present last year. Fitting then that at the end of 2010, on the night when the autobiographical 'Toast' was aired on BBC TV, I cooked his pheasant recipe ( Nigel Slater - Kitchen Diaries: A pot roast pheasant with celery and sage, page 25)<br />
<br />
Sadly the only ingredient I could harvest from my kitchen garden was the wise old sage but the pheasants were proudly labelled 'West Wight: some buckshot within'. I could even hear the echos of gunshot across the road at Afton Farm as I browned my mis-matched pair in the pan.<br />
<br />
Now I must confess to holding mixed feelings about game-bird farming. Where I live they are now so abundant as to be a public health hazard. Pyschotic pheasants seem to inhabit every hedgerow bottom with their will they/won't they throw themselves in front of your wheels, every damn time you set out on a country lane. They are also frequent visitors to the garden bird feeder that we even named one particularly vocal chap, 'Lucky'...<br />
<br />
Not so lucky though the two ( or more correctly Brace ) in my pot tonight, but what a delicious evenings menu of both food and TV viewing.<br />
<br />
'Toast' was the best TV programme I had watched all Xmas. It so accurately portrayed, without sentiment the drabness of those 50s years whilst conveying the young Slater's path to culinary liberation. The whole cast was admirable but the young actors were perfect in their roles and I loved Mr Slater's mischevious cameo appearance at the end. The screenplay was as apt and tempting as the man's writing - not a wasted word. <br />
<br />
But, then who wouldn't be 'awakened' by such a gorgeous gardener. No wonder Nigel's yearnings encourage him to recapture those lost feelings in his Veg patch! Happy New Year indeed!Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-23297079760596946752010-12-21T11:58:00.008+00:002010-12-22T12:58:07.752+00:00Garden Consultations - are they worth it?<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Unexpectedly for a bleak December day I received an email request for a Garden Consultation from a keen gardener who felt 'she had lost her way'. Now this type of request for the help of a Garden Designer is reasonably common and it highlights how our experience and training can, often in a single visit, help to answer any queries and also to reassure, or put a fellow gardener on the right path.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">My client had a fabulous period property with a large, shadey, woodland-style garden, full of collected memorabilia and antiques, wine-crates, pots and artefacts arranged attractively, mostly in her 'courtyard area'. She was very hands on and loved growing vegetables and also flowers from seed. She was aware of the limitations of her garden but also knew that it could be even more attractive. Recently retired she was determined to iron out the few problems she was facing and focus on making the garden less labour intensive and more rewarding. Hence her internet search and request for me to help her.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Our correspondence neatly summarises what took place:</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>enquiry: I would like
to add a gazebo / pergola in our courtyard to add some interest. Courtyard is a walled garden approx 17ft x 20ft but on 2 levels. Gazebo would probably be in area 10ft x 10ft. We are in Ryde. Would you be able to arrange a site visit to give some advice please.</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">So an appointment was made and armed with this information I planned my visit. Now, it is important to stress that a Garden Designer can not 'design' on the spot. But because of our general horticultural and design experience we can often lend a fresh eye to a situation and provide real help to someone who wants to sort out a problem for themselves. Often, an initial consultation can lead to further design work and also a follow through contract to build the garden. But, in this case I knew I had a practical gardener to meet.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">My email and notes sumarise that:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Hi Sue, Good to meet with you yesterday
and to discus ideas for your intriguing garden. Here are the summarized notes of the issue including plant choices we discussed:</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><u><b>The Courtyard Area:</b></u><br />
1. Introduce 2/3 very large containers to make a statement<br />
2. Include large characteristic plants e.g. Olives, pencil thin Cypress trees or the hardier Fastigiate Yews<br />
3. Simple evergreen box plants in large balls give substance and
have a calming effect amongst all the collectibles<br />
4. Define the edge of the change in levels<br />
5. Introduce scent especially night-scented plants e.g. Trachelospermum jasminoides, Rosa Alberic barbiere or Rosa Mme Alfred Carriere,<br />
6. Large feature pots of Citrus trees are evocative as are Angels trumpets (Brugmansia) but both of these will need winter protection.<br />
7. White plants look great in the night especially Nicotiana sylvestris (tobacco plant) grown from seeds( can also be used in the garden)<br />
<u><b> </b></u></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><u><b>The Main Garden:</b></u><br />
Create new clearings by eradicating ground ivy etc., improve the soil and then plant in repeated drifts ( 7- 10) through the evergreen areas:</i></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
Digitalis purpurea var. alba( seed)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
Anemone japonica alba/'Honorine Jobert' ( perennial plant)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
Leucojum aestivum ( Snowflakes) bulbs</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
Lunaria rediviva (Honesty) (seed)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
Hydrangea 'Annabelle', 'Snowflake' or Quercifolia( shrubs)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
Miscanthus 'Morning Light' (tall, stately perennial grass)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
Euphorbia amygdalodes var. robbiae ( perennial) limey green flowers</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
Geranium phaeum 'Album' - white hardy geranium ( perennial)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
Epimedium perralderianum ( perennial) soft yellow flowers, evergreen </i><i>Anemone nemerosa ( wood anemone) bulbs</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
Galium odorata ( Sweet Woodruff) ground covering perennial with white flowers</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
Acanthus mollis ( perennial) big architectural perennial , leaf motif often used in mediterranean gardens</i> </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Finally, the on-line company to check out is <a href="http://www.roominthegarden.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.roominthegarden.co.uk</a> for the rusted metal garden features. They have a bespoke service so you could send in your own designs/measurements. Check out the 'Walled Garden' page and you will see a delightful gazebo, covered in white roses against a tall wall, very like your area. It should inspire you.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Good luck, Chris</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">A fairly immediate reply informed me that the time had been well-spent. Very satisfying to enable a fellow gardener to take control again of her garden. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Hi Chris</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Thank you so much for your time on Thursday and for your
notes. It's good to chat things over with someone new, and to have a new
set of eyes looking over the place. I'm starting to research the
Mediterranean / Moroccan ideas. I had a look at 'Room in the Garden' -
fabulous ideas, and gives me a good sense of direction and will keep me more
disciplined - I think that's what I need - find a style/theme and stick to
it.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Thank you also for the planting notes - I'm going to get
started and sort out which seeds I can start off now, and print myself off a
shopping list, so I don't get waylaid in the garden centres!!</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>All the best, and I'll keep a regular look out on your
website.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-33094213814465415442010-12-14T15:05:00.004+00:002010-12-22T14:41:23.162+00:00" The silver apples of the moon, The golden apples of the sun"When a grand old tree comes to the end of its life it is always a sad day. But turning that beloved tree into an inspirational wood carving, capturing the spirit of both the tree but also of the place where it is planted is a very real and sustainable solution to the problem. The picture below clearly demonstrates the difference between the two oaks within this walled garden.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TQd9pGoS43I/AAAAAAAAABE/DOHhXP6m0QI/s1600/IMG_3584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TQeEc8WakOI/AAAAAAAAABI/zXPRtQ5DWg8/s1600/Little+Pan+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TQeEc8WakOI/AAAAAAAAABI/zXPRtQ5DWg8/s320/Little+Pan+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Having introduced wooden carvings into my earlier garden projects I felt encouraged again to see if this once mightly oak could inspire, <a href="http://www.guidooakleydesign.com/">Guido Oakley</a> local wood sculptor. Fortunately my client was intrigued by the prospect. Once having spoken to the gentle Guido about his philosophy and creative ideas she commissioned him to carve this oak. This was indeed a very exciting turn of events for the life of the garden restoration as a whole. I couldn't wait to see it......<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TQeE3xBEn8I/AAAAAAAAABM/QxJJiX5-Pqg/s1600/Little+Pan+029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TQeE3xBEn8I/AAAAAAAAABM/QxJJiX5-Pqg/s320/Little+Pan+029.jpg" width="180" /></a>Entering the walled garden was always a special moment but nothing had prepared me for the surprise of the massive scale of Guido's sculpture. Standing at some 15 feet tall it had all the presence of a mighty oak tree. Still surrounded by scaffolding it was clearly a 'work in progress' but we quickly rushed over to its base marvelling at the intricacies of the carvings, rotating around the trunk. From top to bottom there were a series of faces, a beautiful woman, the green man, youth and child all positioned like the oak rings within the tree itself, symbolising the passing of time. Elaborately under-cut carvings of clouds, oak leaves and acorns, spiralled around these faces in sinuous tactile trails tempting the hand to stray out and stroke the wood. It was beautiful....<br />
<br />
Dragging ourselves away from the carving it was hard to begin our more mundane mornings work in the nearby border. But once the usual work had begun I soon became aware of a new dimension in the garden. Whenever I looked up to stretch or move my tools, there was the sculpture in my sightline. It was curiously reassuring, as if some benign woodland presence was overseeing our work..... <br />
<br />
A week later I couldn't wait to see if Guido's sculpture would be finished. He had laboured on it for days, quietly supported in the cradle of the scaffolding, adding further layers of interest to this work. If you read his philosophy of art and nature you will see that he invests more than just his time into every project and this was to be no exception. As we drove down the drive to the farm the sculpture was clearly visible above the tall red brick walls. But now reflected in the low morning light a sun and crescent shaped moon seemed to crown the giant wooden sculpture.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TQeFDktyIJI/AAAAAAAAABQ/uqomQeF0pkI/s1600/Little+Pan+028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TQeFDktyIJI/AAAAAAAAABQ/uqomQeF0pkI/s320/Little+Pan+028.jpg" width="180" /></a>It had a luminescent quality to it and had really taken the spiritual symbolism of the carving to a whole other level. I gasped with a thrilling recognition. How could Guido have known that he had carved symbols from my favourite verse? <br />
<br />
<i> " The silver apples of the moon, the golden apples of the sun" *</i><br />
<br />
It really did feel now that a spiritual presence had entered this lovely garden of guardianship and a connectivity to the place and woodlands surrounding it.<br />
<br />
* W. B. Yeats - The Song of Wandering Aengus<br />
<br />
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-51999163413620586332010-12-06T13:56:00.000+00:002010-12-06T13:56:48.039+00:00Riding high<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TPzqlquo6BI/AAAAAAAAAA8/cI5yZ60hgxQ/s1600/Silver+Birch+007sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TPzqlquo6BI/AAAAAAAAAA8/cI5yZ60hgxQ/s320/Silver+Birch+007sm.jpg" width="180" /></a>Inspired by a trip to Hilliers last February and wanting to develop further creative ideas for Winter gardens I have planned and planted a large border high on winter impact for South Riding, the home of my troubled clients wrestling with the demands of a large garden. Would this be a solution to some of their concerns? I hoped so...<br />
<br />
<br />
What is it about the way the low winter sun illuminates a silvery bark or coppery stem that stops you in your tracks? A reminder of warmer days perhaps or is just the simplicity of paring down nature to its barest essentials? Like a spotlight on a stage highlighting the main character. All I know is I was loving playing and positioning a fabulous collection of plants high on winter interest.<br />
<br />
Cliched or not, there is no beating the bleached white stems of Betula utilis jacquemontii. So building upon this my winning combo is definitely Cornus alba Kesselringii , Cornus sanguinea Midwinter Fire, Cornus alba sib. Baton Rouge with their stark vertical stems in deep black, vivid red or fiery orange. Stately Miscanthus Malepartus will stand until Spring with their feathery awns catching light and mist. Close to, the bleached mop top heads of a mass grouping of Deschampsia Goldtau lend a simple low matt contrast.<br />
<br />
My absolute favourite plant, Libertia peregrinans and Libertia Taupo Gold, lend further vertical accents and wonderful evergreen colour combinations. Then for sheer drama I have placed at the front of the border Black Ophiopogon with white hellebores behind. White snowdrops will complete the picture, peeking through in January.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TPzquKHE3aI/AAAAAAAAABA/hdAaE7B2Id4/s1600/Silver+Birch+003sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TPzquKHE3aI/AAAAAAAAABA/hdAaE7B2Id4/s320/Silver+Birch+003sm.jpg" width="180" /></a>Looking for a simple, under-statement at the feet of the Birches I was encouraged to try the plain green Ophiopogon planiscapus by experienced Nurseryman, David at <a href="http://www.fromefield.com/">Fromefield Nurseries</a>. He was spot on when it came to this choice as the bright emerald green of these little fat stemmed plants gave me exactly the contrast I was looking for. Planted in a sinuating river-effect they draw the eye through the planting. <br />
<br />
A heavy snow fall last night on this newly planted winter garden should test the theory. Meanwhile, I am confident that an exciting winter planting, coupled later next year with additional late summer perennials and grasses will really make this well-loved garden take a revitalised turn and continue to inspire its hard-working owners.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-84498061834945046942010-12-03T10:20:00.001+00:002010-12-03T10:27:59.530+00:00In praise of Native HedgingYesterday as I stepped out of my back door, bin in hand, to make my usual short trip to the Compost heap, I stopped dead in my tracks as a whisper of red flitted before my eyes. In a moment it was gone, bounding across the terrace and slipping through the gaps in the gate. But there was no mistaking it - a red squirrel!<br />
<br />
Oh joy! At last! After 10 years I had finally enticed one of the IOW's best loved mammals to my door. I am truly passionate about these lovely little creatures and set about planting my garden and surrounds with mainly native trees and shrubs that squirrels feed on. I even planted a 50 metre long 'squirrel walk' of just hazels to create a 'wildlife corridor' . This would enable them to safely stay in the trees from the road boundary to my garden. Such was my vision as I planted very small hazel 'whips ( bare-rooted one year old saplings) one cold winter morning through the stripped turf. At last it seems as if my patience has been rewarded.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_lYSvaxASd3k/S8i85erHWmI/AAAAAAAAAmo/GaOVGh_RYuQ/s1600/Red+Squirrel+-+8471100410+W.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_lYSvaxASd3k/S8i85erHWmI/AAAAAAAAAmo/GaOVGh_RYuQ/s320/Red+Squirrel+-+8471100410+W.jpg" /></a>I know that they have never been far away, in fact at either end of my road and sometimes in my neighbour's gardens.But when would my turn come? I believe that a bold individual encouraged both by the tree cover and also the bird feeders all around my garden has done the trick. <br />
<br />
So planting hazel, chestnut, beech, hornbeam, pines, filberts will all help to encourage red squirrels. Proof indeed! I just can't wait to see them coming regularly now so that I can get some pictures like this one of Paul Blackley's, acclaimed <a href="http://www.paulblackley.co.uk/">IOW Wildlife Photographer</a>. He has also given some useful tips on hiding nuts in strategic places in order to get that 'special' picture.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-44640172537430844992010-12-01T14:40:00.001+00:002010-12-01T14:45:19.848+00:00From Eyesore to heavenly haven by Sue LuptonCreating a terraced garden on a steep coastal site in Totland proved a challenge for designer Chris Barnes and landscaper Miles Norris.<br />
Clients Mike Oldham and Lesley Forde had lived in the house for several years. "We had done lots of work on the house but the garden was a mess," Mike said. "It sloped so steeply you couldn't see the garden from the house. We wanted terraces that could be appreciated from the house and from the bottom of the garden. We got in touch with Chris and really liked her thinking and her ideas."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TPZeIph8J7I/AAAAAAAAAA0/ZK785SxA97U/s1600/Littencott-blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TPZeIph8J7I/AAAAAAAAAA0/ZK785SxA97U/s320/Littencott-blog.jpg" width="320" /></a>Chris's brief was to improve the upper terrace and create planting bays to soften the area. She was asked to create a lower terrace for sitting out. The planting was to reflect the coastal site and to look good from above and below.<br />
<br />
Once Chris's design was complete, Miles took on the landscaping work. His company is MJN Services and he regularly collaborates with Chris on garden makeovers.<br />
<br />
Miles explained: "The steepness meant stabilising the terraces was a mammoth task, taking several months. We built foundations from hollow concrete blocks, filled with concrete and reinforced with steel. There was a lot of stone on the site and Chris designed a scree slope using these boulders. Elsewhere we used a tapestry of materials, oak sleepers, sandstone paving, wooden decking and paths of terracotta chippings framed with sleepers, said Miles.<br />
<br />
Once the hard landscaping was in place, Chris planted the borders with tough, attractive plants. She explained: "It was important the borders worked together so the separate terraces had waves of the same planting. This makes the garden very easy on the eye, with pools of colour, texture and foliage interest working across the space."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TPZfFEf6oBI/AAAAAAAAAA4/ccgfO6OPGtU/s1600/Littencott-blog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TPZfFEf6oBI/AAAAAAAAAA4/ccgfO6OPGtU/s320/Littencott-blog2.jpg" width="180" /></a>"I chose plants to cascade over the retaining walls, prostrate rosemary, anthemis, osteospermums, alchemilla and hardy geraniums. To give substance to the borders I used phormiums with their striking leaves, cistus, pittosporum and hebes. Agapanthus will add height in summer, as will dierama ( angel's fishing rod). Grasses and gaura, sedum and verbena bonarienis will give ripples of movement and attract bees and butterflies to the garden."<br />
<br />
My goal was to create a garden which was high on wow factor but low on maintenance, looking good from every angle, all year round but particularly colourful in summer," said Chris.<br />
<br />
Mike said: "Between them, Chris and Miles have transformed the garden from an eyesore into a stunning area that enhances the property." <br />
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-11260777484959341692010-10-15T20:09:00.002+01:002010-10-15T20:12:51.427+01:00Should I go or should I stay?How sad that someone should think of selling their house because they cannot manage their much beloved garden anymore! This was the sentiment sadly told to me by a client recently. Flooding, a new housing development turning their quiet country lane into a rat run, a new neighbour with expansionist tendencies, the arrival of two boisterous grandsons and a commitment to looking after them were just some of the reasons given to me. Only a brief mention of the obvious- just finding the physical demands of a large garden more tiring. ( I admired their spirit!) But, holding their daughter's wedding in the garden in August had highlighted' the lack of colour in the garden' and had encouraged them to pick up the phone and ask for help.<br />
<br />
So, not quite giving up then? Just re-assessing the gardens potential, I thought so! Indeed I hoped so, because it was a glorious spot and so much work, love and attention had gone into it.<br />
<br />
My task then, was to sort out this conundrum. To re-design one whole area where a tree had been taken down and to trawl through a massive long border, identifying which shrubs needed pruning, reducing or removing. Very quickly followed by creating additional spaces for large new drifts of <a href="http://www.chrisbarnesgardens.co.uk/garden_design_ideas/prairie_planting.shtml">mid-late flowering perennials and grasses</a> whilst saving and re-using existing interesting early flowering material. A challenge worth undertaking I believe.<br />
<br />
Did I mention the enormous leylandii hedge, dying out too?<br />
<br />
I like these folks, it can be done!Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894737639853067818.post-34783223612706325122010-08-17T09:54:00.008+01:002010-08-17T10:27:48.973+01:00Island Blend<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TGpUtQXbOpI/AAAAAAAAAAY/NIXseUxad4I/s1600/jungle1.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TGpUtQXbOpI/AAAAAAAAAAY/NIXseUxad4I/s200/jungle1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506306630877919890" border="0" /></a>
After a very busy spring and early summer focussing my attention on my clients garden projects it has been refreshing to meet up with an old friend and horticultural inspiration, Oliver Mathews.
Oliver is a top class <a href="http://www.mathews-photography.com/">garden photographer</a> and we first met when he came to take pictures of one of my earlier projects. Put simply, I was bowled away by his stunning images but equally entranced by his quiet dedication to his craft, turning up at dawn to ply his trade and patiently waiting for wind, sun and light to be absolutely perfect. It was a joy to work with someone who really understood the positioning of plants not just for colour effect but more importantly to catch the light. My giant swathes of Stipa gigantea did just that and I think it also encouraged him to return to his own garden to begin experimenting with grasses.
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TGpVB3ZkRdI/AAAAAAAAAAg/uQMloEG013s/s1600/jungle0.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jkh25HfYXYQ/TGpVB3ZkRdI/AAAAAAAAAAg/uQMloEG013s/s200/jungle0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506306984953267666" border="0" /></a>
This meeting however, was for Oliver to write about someone else's pictures, notably <a href="http://whitworthgardenphotos.co.uk/">Rob and Jo Whitworth</a>. The Whitworths are also wonderful garden photographers and they too had visited to take pictures of my garden projects for their photo library. Whilst taking a short break for coffee in my own front garden with its exotics theme they began to focus attention on my plantings there and before I knew it, they had me posing in the garden!
Some time later, those pictures of my Southern Hemisphere garden were sold to the RHS 'The Garden' magazine and in due course, Oliver was despatched to write the article. So, whilst trying to stay focussed on the job in hand and name all the plants within the garden, I have to say it was, as ever a delight to catch up with Oliver.
Next up, I have promised to visit him and his wife, Sheila in their maturing Brook garden. But as ever, he left me with a teasing statement, telling me he had taken recent pictures of a clients gravel garden I had designed which I really must see..........Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08814020372850368559noreply@blogger.com2