The Life Domestic

The Garden in Winter

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:30:00 -0600

One of the great joys of snowy weather, is another opportunity to get down this marvellous book from my bookshelf. It was published in 1988, and I don't know whether it is still in print, (my own copy came from a charity shop for £2.99, and I have to say probably the best £3 I ever spent).

It' a very mature, and well considered book, with lots of personal asides that really elevate the best gardening books from the rest. It has the great quality of reading like a novel (albeit a gardening novel). It conveys that quiet, happy solitude enjoyed on the very best of snowy woodland walks.

Once read, it changes your gardening mindset for ever.

Tremendously informative chapter on winter gardening work, I'm still surprised by people who tell me there's nothing to do in the garden from November to February.

So think of me on this Sunday, curled up in front of the fire, with hot lentil and vegetable soup, settling in for another delightful re-read.

New Year Fragrance

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 07:36:00 -0600

I threw together a couple of christmas vases on christmas eve, of rosemary, sarcococca, filbert with catkins, the hips of Rosa 'Herbstfeuer', the last buds and hips of Rosa 'Blush Noisette', and a couple of stems of calamagrostis emodensis, and now ten days later the sarcococca is is in full fragrance, our office is heady with jasmine.

Great start to the New Year.

Happy New Year 2012

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:03:00 -0600

Happy New Year, my band of intrepid readers.

I call you intrepid adventurers, as my current google status means that I meander around the foothills of search engine nirvana, and you have to be a determined traveller to find this site, but my aim this year is to hit the shangri la of the himalayan heights via a new improved rating in google land. That's a resolution for you.

Trends for 2012 - looking into my crystal ball here's what I'm seeing.

Water, water, water everwhere, novel shapes, man made rivers, visually attractive and functional to act as mini resevoirs (or as my webmaster wizard used to say as a child revesoirs).

Solar powered fountains, imaginative, playful.

Curvilinear organic shapes.

Very dark, quiet small places, very yin, for urban courtyards, think buried treasure, maybe that's where the Gnomes of Zurich bury their gold.

Off note colour schemes, pond green, rust red, old boot brown, scullery cream, think contemporary pre-raphelites for the grown ups.

For the younger, lilac, cyan and citrus.

Roses - back to the best, once only flowering, and a fine appreciation of the hips.

Mini henges for chilling, and healing.

Vegetables, exotic herbs from Japan, Peru and Kashmir.

Fruit, particulary trees, and nuts.

A couple of acres of coppice for the log burner.

Glimmer patina makes everything look alright.

Jardin Majorelle Blue very influential, used in unexpected ways.

Huge demand for tropical plants.

A widening gulf between traditional and contemporary, maintained and 'au naturel'.

We don't fuss about such things, new mantra for the new maintenance.

And if you're really out there - mayan style temples for summerhouses.

The new terrace must be on top of a pyramid, (if you don't believe me, watch the ending of Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull).

Paving: large irregular, turf infil, stone whatever's in the garden, very random, appearing and disappearing in the lawn

Well we shall see.

Hammer head Vine Eyes

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 05:05:00 -0500

Just taken delivery of some "hammer head" vine eyes, made for us by Alex Wilkins (www.alexwilkinsblacksmiths.com).

Great service, nice chap, family business.

I'll put up a photo of them in situ, when we're done.

Hunting for Haymeadows

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 03:38:00 -0500

We've been looking for hay meadows to photograph to enter the Guardian Green Shoots June Assignment, and in doing so, discovered that they are a rarity.

In our area, the Ashdown Forest, there are quite a few ungrazed fields, that are rich with buttercups (always a good indicator of dampness and wealden clay), and very beautiful they are too, but we really wanted that classic shot of hay and wildflowers. So we turned to the internet to locate traditional haymeadows. In doing so we discovered Defra's Countryside Stewardship Scheme, which encourages farmers to maintain traditional hay meadows, and hedges. Armed with our pdf printout we drove down to deepest Sussex, and are planning a return visit (Rain stopped play). Parking is limited, (and best take a map, as some footpaths are permissive), so put your walking boots on. For local history buffs, the area was a powerhouse of iron production.

For further info - "Discover iron workings and traditional wildflower meadows near Battle in East Sussex - Explore historic landscapes through Defra's Countryside Stewardship Scheme"

Strawberry Fair

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 09:49:00 -0500

This is our strawberry plant, we've had this plant for a few years, and it looks like 2011 is going to be a bumper crop.

The June full moon is on the 15th (and is known as a 'Strawberry Moon').

A nice cup of rosy lee

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 09:21:00 -0500

One of the joys of summer is the expansion of choice in the garden. This early summer tea is made with Lemon Verbena (Aloysia triphyla), Heartsease (Viola tricolor), Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia 'Maillette'), and rosebuds (Rosa 'Noisette Carnee').

Incredibly fragrant and delicious.

David Harber

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 06:42:00 -0500

Just received an invite to David Harber's (www.davidharber.com) Indian Summer Party, (the usual 3 buses at once story, see previous blog Nick Hebditch).

I first became aware of David Harber in the mid nineties at the Hampton Court Flower Show. He was exhibiting his original line of sundails, and the star of stand was a sundial that was comprised of a small cannon that went off at noon.

The company has grown since then, and in addition to sundials, the company offers armillary spheres, sculptures, water features.

South East Open Studios, Nick Hebditch

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 06:28:00 -0500

I just received an invitation to Nick Hebditch's open studio (www.nickhebditch.co.uk), part of the South East Open Studios (www.seos-art.org). If you're in the Tonbridge area, do visit him.

Frying Tonight - Salad Days

Wed, 25 May 2011 05:52:00 -0500

Handy place to grow the veg

Roses

Tue, 24 May 2011 09:14:00 -0500

Roses, roses, the fragrance wafting around the garden this year, is superlative.

This is one of the loveliest yellow roses, Rosa 'Graham Thomas' named after the man himself.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Tue, 24 May 2011 09:03:00 -0500

Congratulations to Cleve West (www.clevewest.com) on Best in Show at Chelsea (www.rhs.org.uk) for the Daily Telegraph (www.telegraph.co.uk) sponsored garden. Looking forward to this evening's coverage.

Rosa 'Herbstfeur'

Mon, 23 May 2011 04:47:00 -0500

This beautiful rose is usually grown for its extraordinary hips, (and not its flower, one flush only, alas for such a good flower, it seems to have little if no fragrance), but still it is a beauty.

Garden Requisites

Mon, 23 May 2011 04:37:00 -0500

Hilary Thurman has told us that their new catalogue for Garden Requisites (English Wirework) will soon be available. It is a company based in Bath making beautiful items for the garden. www.garden-requisites.com

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2011

Mon, 23 May 2011 03:57:00 -0500

I am really looking forward to this year's show, I think it might prove to be a vintage year.

It will be interesting to see the new trends emerging, I wonder if it will be something that will catch us all unaware, (resurgence of interest in conifers?) or a refinement of existing trends.

Dog's-Tooth Violet

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 06:00:00 -0600

Erythronium den-canis (Dog's-Tooth Violet) in the morning sunlight.

A graceful addition to underplanting in any moisture retentive soil, which can also be naturalised through woodland glades. It also earns its place on the rock feature.

Spring Flowering Plants

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 05:29:00 -0600

Parrotia persica in flower

This large shrub is known as the witch hazel for lime soils, which is not strictly true. It is a member of the hamamelidacea family as do witch hazels, and it is tolerant of limey soils, but it is not a witch hazel.

The petaless flowers with bright red stamens emerge before leaf, and introduce another dimension to a spring border, particularly if you are lucky and they emerge in a mild late winter.

It is a good large back of border shrub, or a good shrub for transitional planting from garden to woodland.

Its common name is Ironwood, (self evident if any pruning is required).

Spring 2011

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 04:00:00 -0600

I can't wait for spring, for the clocks to go forward, to mothball my jumpers, to stop making an evening fire, to feel the sun.

It seems to have been an unusually long winter, so here's a picture of a beautiful daffodil to keep your spirits up.

Oscar 2011

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 07:51:00 -0600

Congratulations Colin Firth, on a much deserved win for Best Actor (Oscars 2011). Always had a soft spot for Colin Firth, and particularly liked him in 'Genoa'.

Like Colin, and his contemporary Hugh Grant, I'm a September 1960 baby, and so always follow their careers to see if I can detect any mutual trends.

Will Hugh Grant who was rather marvellous in 'Small Time Crooks' come through with a surprise stellar performance, and garner a couple of nominations himself?

If I was a betting woman, I'd probably put money on it.

Crystal Days

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 11:37:00 -0600

May & Watts Garden Design celebrate their 15th anniversary. Traditionally, that's a crystal anniversary.

I recall an unusual garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show in which semi precious gemstones featured, I rather liked it but it wasn't much appreciated, but this was before the appreciation for all things bling. Daisies sown with swarovski crystals would now be quite the thing.