Plants galore

In addition to seeds I could not resist the opportunity to go and buy some perennials for the little front garden.

A bit of a trek but always well worthwhile I set off for Reighton Nurseries where I have been buying plants for a long time. 

It's a gardeners paradise - and I'm not the only one who thinks so.

http://www.gardencentreguide.co.uk/reighton-nursery-filey?gclid=CLvKqJXfl74CFdMftAodbV8Ayw 

Sadly no web link but the comments say it all.

Three huge fields of perennials and then one with shrubs/trees.

Field 1

Field 2

And more waiting in the wings.

All this and for beginners free garden advice is available. 

Plant hardiness is never in doubt given that the nursery is on an exposed site and a short distance from the Yorkshire coast. 

They breed them tough here - or they don't survive.

But the best bit are the prices. A real Yorkshire bargain.

And this is my little haul - 5 wheelbarrow loads and

 a Malus x scheideckeri 'Red Jade' which is a weeping crab apple, perfect for a small garden. 

And here we are!!!!

Herbaceous perennials;

Lavender

Sea Holly

Echinacea

Sweet rocket

Ladies mantle

Old Carnations

and a little bit of ground cover in the shape of purple bugle.

and for those who like the Latin versions:

Lavendula angustifolia 'Hidcote Blue'

Eryngium giganteum 'Miss Wilmott's Ghost'

Echinacea purpurea 'Pink Parasol'

Hesperis matronalis var. albiflora

Alchemilla mollis

Dianthus 'Duchess of Westminster'

Ajuga reptans 'Atropurpurea'

Planted with lots of love and fertiliser.

Just need sun and rain now for them to do their thing and grow.

New home, new space

We moved into our new home last week. 

So between carrying things around and lack of internet access the blog had to wait.

Having down sized we are currently falling over too much furniture and earmarking things for the salerooms. Needless to say there are lots of things I currently can not find, one of which initially was my camera.

Now found, and whilst things get sorted, both inside - and out - this is the current rear outside space.

 From the rear door, we have an "L" shaped area with this gate at the end.

Like most owners of a small Victorian terrace house this is as good as it gets for an outdoor area. 

However, after 7 months enclosed in a first floor flat the opportunity to sit in the sun is just brilliant, though the surroundings could be better!

The back yard has a good aspect, having sun most of the day and a great feeling of intimacy and enclosure which I like.

Downsides are the lack of greenery - if you discount the weeds and imported pots - no height to provide interest and no focal point other than the paving slabs. Looking at brick walls is fine (short term) but not my preferred option.

Clearly needs some changes (slight understatement?) but until my thoughts have crystallized I shall put in as many flowers as possible to see me, and our promised list of visitors, throughout the summer.

 Given time all will change and I aim to post each development as it happens.

My first job however is to dispose of all the rubbish which the previous owners kindly left us.

And figure out how to hide all these hideous recycling boxes we have inherited.

City living!

April Garden visit

In the last blog I mentioned two of my favourite gardens.

One of them, the Walled Garden at Helmsley, I visited on Saturday.

http://www.helmsleywalledgarden.org.uk/

As a registered charity, it's one of the few "not for profit" gardens I know. 

And I love it.

 More than a garden, it has a long history and a very special ethos. 

Rescued from a sad demise by Alison Ticehurst and a group of enthusiasts more than 20 years ago it has slowly but surely regained its former grandeur and a unique raison d'etre. 

The setting is without equal, sitting as it does in the shadow of Helmsley Castle and with rising green hills to the other side it has a very special feel.

Long since my last visit when the garden was under the direction of head gardener Paul Radford it has made giant steps in terms of design, planting and caring for this five acre plot and its historical walls.

Early April is not its best time, but the bones and structure of good design are in place and there are signs of glorious displays in the hot border to follow later in the year.  

There are however lots of little neat touches which I enjoyed.

   

 Plenty of resting places for people and insects.

Not just a garden and cafe to enjoy, or buy gifts and plants, it is a living breathing place.

On offer are horticulture courses, which are proven therapy for many conditions, beekeeping, painting and many others. It's a wonderful setting in which to enjoy these.

The mission statement of the garden from the beginning was to be community based and community inclusive. Both garden users and the caring army of volunteers are drawn from the locality. 
Unique and very special.

There is a Spring Fair on Saturday April 12th 2014.
Unrestricted entry is just £1.

Do go if you can and support them. They deserve it.

The end of March

This weekend saw Mother's Day and British Summer Time coincide.

As usual my Mother's Day treat would be a garden visit, but since two of my favourites, 

Helmsley Walled Garden

http://www.helmsleywalledgarden.org.uk/ 

and 

Scampston Walled Garden

http://www.scampston.co.uk/gardens.html 

were not yet open it had to be RHS Harlow Carr. Again.

Not that I minded but since we had a lecture booked early Sunday morning on

"The discovery of the king in the car park" I decided Saturday would be more enjoyable and leisurely and so off we went.

One of the joys of garden visits is that in a well designed and planted garden there are always new arrivals, and not just plants, to see and enjoy. And ideas to copy!

And so it proved this time.

New willow sculptures in the form of poppy seedheads had been sited in a bed already prepared for planting.

Just imagine how these will look surrounded by flowers.

Many years ago I did a one day willow weaving course at Harlow Carr which taught me, amongst other things, to appreciate the skill and artistic interpretation needed to produce something which looked identifiable. In my case a very sad looking willow goose to which the dog took an instant dislike.

There are more willow constructions which I loved 

The battling hares

The drinking deer

The boundaries created within the vegetable garden 

and used to increase the soil depth within the raised beds.

  

      


       Even willow supports in the raised beds.                                                                                                                                                      

                and I adored the shape of these hanging baskets. 

Wonder if I could copy those?

Another discovery

On another of our walks around York I discovered a wonderful little garden,

completely new to me. Tucked away behind a high wall and backing onto the ancient city walls it looks absolutely amazing.

Not the best time of year to visit and closed on Sundays I managed to get a great view from the walls. It lies outside St Anthony's Hall on Peasholme Green.

The entrance is through a metal gate on the far side of the photo.

It does not appear to have a designated website so this is the best link I could find.

http://sensorystories.wordpress.com/2010/10/10/scents-and-sensitivity/

I think the impact comes from its size, which is unbelievable given the central site.

I viewed it from the walls and could not believe how, from the far side, it is totally hidden from passers by. It's a little oasis in what is a very busy routeway into and out of the city centre.

There's plenty of colour, even at this time of year and a terrific collection of hellebores which looked fantastic in the woodland area.

Designed and planted as a sensory garden by students from Bishop Burton college in 2010 you really need to get down there and in amongst the plants.

I'm sure its success lies not only in the appeal to those who are visually impaired but to those of us who occasionally need a refuge from everyday hustle and bustle. Just looking at it gave me a sense of calm and peace. And I wasn't even in it.

Excellent job; good design and well executed.

Although it is next to the Quilt Museum it gets only a passing mention on their website.

So if you would like to visit, the directions are here:-

http://www.visityork.org/York-Quilt-Museum-and-Gallery/details/?dms=3&venue=1502666

I wonder how many people scurry past this on their way to or from the car parks or shops.

                     Needless to say this is on my "Return visit " list. 

  Preferably when it's open next time!

Pots and Seeds and Things

So guess what I've got on my window ledge.

Correct. 

So pleased with these and can't wait to use them.

It's been a good garden related week so far. 

Last night was the gardening club with a fantastic turnout for the talk given by

http://www.thecottageherbery.co.uk/

Kim and Rob talked about their gardening achievements of the past 38 years and showed wonderful images of their home and nursery. 

I love the concept of cottage gardening, mixing flowers, herbs and aromatics together.

It was some time after I first started gardening that I realised that what I was doing in my own garden came under this heading.

There is nothing better, or more satisfying, than seeing fantastic plants you've planted, giving of their best and being able to breathe in their scent. 

For me, it's a total fix.

Last night's plants for sale were all organically and ethically produced and absolutely beautiful. Sadly I had to pass on them as I still have no outside space, which should be remedied next month. 

I did however weaken and buy some seeds for sowing later this year.

One packet was the wild blue chicory (Cichorium intybus)  

This reminds me of France, near where we lived. Can you imagine a field full of these glowing in the bright sunshine? Just stunning. 

My other purchases were:- 

An unusual Nasturtium called "Indian Ruby"

exclusive to this nursery.

Image taken from www.thecottageherbery.co.uk

This I shall have in hanging baskets where it will look great. No doubt some of the flower heads will find their way into my salads. The colour is terrific and I think so much better than the normal orange hued ones.

Together with Lathyrus odorata 'Cuprani' otherwise known as the Italian Wild Sweet Pea.

This I chose because I adore sweet peas. I particularly love these dense deep purple tones contrasting with the lighter mauve. A classic and essential in any cottage garden. 

Such a positive presence and a real show stopper in scent terms.

Another of my favourite cottage garden plants is Alcea Rosea.

The ones on offer last night were Charters Double hollyhocks so a packet of those went in the basket too.

It always annoyed me that, in France especially, these would grow outside gardens, in rubble, in gravel against walls and without any apparent care.

And what annoyed me even more was that they would be rust free. In my garden, that was always problematic - but I'm afraid in spite of all that they remain on my "must have" list. I can forgive them most things!

Maybe a bit of an eclectic collection but they'll all look stunning and smell great.

Our new home has no garden but a small courtyard. Currently this is completely paved apart from a narrow strip of sorry looking soil - all of which will clearly have to change.

So this summer I shall be limited to Nasturtiums in hanging baskets - and maybe the others grown on in pots. 

If I can surround myself with flowers and scents, I shall be very happy.

The makeover will have to wait.

Green is the theme

I think it's about time I made good my promise and wrote about green walls, especially since I now see that M&S have taken this idea on board.

This kind of planting is simply spectacular and I just love it. I think it's one of the greatest gardening achievements since the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. 

M&S are dedicated to incorporating green walls (and roofs) on all new buildings, not just for ecological reasons but on the basis of sound economic sense. 

Both green roofs and walls are instrumental in controlling the climate inside the building and in the greater outdoors  - with reduced internal heating and air conditioning costs, not to mention externally reducing rain runoff and mitigating flooding. 

All this and looking pretty damn good too. Definitely a win win situation.

This is the new Sheffield store. Not just walls but trolley and bike shelters have had the green treatment too.

If you want to read the M&S mission statement on sustainability go to:-

http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/documents/publications/2010/biodiversity-pages-20.pdf

It has a foreword written by the wonderful and wonderfully named Dusty Gedge.

A highly commended strategy. Maybe more stores will follow where M&S lead.

Although not a new idea (the concept dates from 1938) it came to prominence in the late 1980's, in France, being showcased by Patrick Blanc.

For a potted history of the great man himself go to:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Blanc

Trained as a botanist, he created a garden at Chaumont sur Loire (the French version of the Chelsea Flower show) in 1994 having first built a trial green wall at the Museum of Science and Industry in Paris in 1988. 

Still experimenting, he went on to refine his ideas and patent his systems.

This is the green wall inside the Hotel Pershing in Paris, built in 2001 and photographed in 2005.

My camera could not capture the sheer size and impact of Blanc's creation

but it still manages to

convey the complexity and scale of 

the planting

and 

impart the magical feel of the space.

His wall still looked good in 2010.

For better imagery and to be totally amazed and impressed look at the hotel's website:

http://www.pershinghall.com/

You have to admire the sheer technical skill involved in creating a green wall. The actual mechanics of watering, feeding and maintaining of plants on the vertical is just mind blowing. 

Imagine having to choose the plants for a specific site, designing what will go where and complement its companion and then actually doing the planting.

Wow!

Not a career for someone who is easily intimidated or suffers from acrophobia. 

When you look at the sheer size of some of his later creations they are just 

logistical nightmares. 

This is the newest 

Aboukir wall Paris

Just look at his planting design




How fantastic. 

And how clever.