Gardening is so much more than being able to identify a tree or know which way a plant goes in the ground. Stating the bleeding obvious? Perhaps.
After lunch today Lady Mantle whisked me off to visit a local garden, ostensively to admire some autumn colour. Which is exactly what we did. The on-cue afternoon sunshine highlighted the burning leaves of Cornus kousa, ivory fruit of Sorbus cashmiriana, and the fragrant Cercidiphyllum japonicum amongst many fine specimens. Late flowers of hesperantha, Hylotelephium spectabile and verbena graced the borders. Brash dahlias, potentillas and caryopteris are a few others that warrant a mention. Except there was so much more. People. Yes, I’m talking about those often dastardly human creatures who seem to mess most things up in the world. Not in this case though. The aim of this group of rural friends is to create a mutually beneficial gardening society. For novices, tinkerers, the encyclopedic, the easily distracted and those who just want to get out of the house. To share and encourage and support and laugh and enjoy their gardens. To gain all the benefits of exercise and learning and good companionship. To grow. To help others to do the same.
So much more than learning Latin names and which way is up.
Off The Edge Gardening 
Beautiful fall picture Gill!
I think out there in UK you have a record number of gardening/horticultural societies! They are certainly beneficial.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wonder why that is? Not so many miles to travel between communities, perhaps? Thanks 🙂
LikeLike
Here’s hoping you meet some wonderful creatures in that group!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have a feeling that just might happen 🙂
LikeLike
So true, pointless these days trying to learn any latin names for plants, as soon as you got it embedded it’s changed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They do love a shuffle around don’t they!
LikeLike
Hesperantha? This cannot be! It’s so much easier to pronounce and spell than Schizostylis. This has to be a naming error. Is “people” still an accepted word? And “the right way up” is discriminatory to Antipodeans (who, of course, plant everything upside down with perfectly acceptable results). And is “Stipa” still “Nassella” or is it Stipa again? And will the RHS ever catch up? BTW, what ARE the rules about capitalisation and italicisms when it comes to plant names? And is “italicisms” a real word? 😉
LikeLike
I agree about the hesperantha, it won’t last, they will be devising some challenging new name with lots of letters and few vowels. If there is no word as “italicisms” there is now and I will use it whenever I can. As for all the other questions – I need a lie down ……. 😀
LikeLike
Lovely photo. Why doesn’t my hesperantha look like that? Garden visiting with friends from garden clubs is always such a treat.
LikeLike
I have seen a few good clumps this year, perhaps our weather has suited them. It is always good to share experiences (and hesperantha) 🙂
LikeLike
Hear, hear, nice plant-friendly people to the fore. I have now planted 3 lots of pale pink hesper-whats-its and all have turned out to be a fetching shade of salmon.
LikeLike
Oops! Will have to try and find you some nice pink ones.
LikeLike
But how do those salmon ones keep taking over?
LikeLiked by 1 person
We must be ever vigilant ……
LikeLike
I am glad the picture and the plant arrangement turned out the way it did in the end. When I originally planted this particular bed it was intended as a “hot” bed and the Hesperantha’s that I thought I had moved to it were all RED! Out of the 5 clumps planted only one is red. Just goes to show how the memory starts to go with age. I have lovely red Hesperantha’s elsewhere but I now have several maps of where things are. It helps! Thanks for visiting us Gill.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A happy co-incidence, I love it when that happens. Plants do have a tendancy to play tricks, that is my excuse, nothing to do with age ……. 🙂 It was a lovely afternoon, thank you!
LikeLike