offtheedgegardening

Meconopsis napaulensis

The furry foliage of Meconopsis napaulensis, the satin poppy. Need I say more?

Throughout my very early years my family were gypsies. Unfortunately this does not mean we lived in a caravan drawn by a faithful carthorse called Neddy. What it did mean was that we moved five times before I was seven. I know just what you are thinking, we were not on the run from the police.Continue reading “Planetarium”

Missed

A wonderful day at The Farm. Absence definitely has made my heart grow fonder. And it was pretty fond already. I planted out Allium atropurpureum, Brodiaea laxa ‘Queen Fabiola’ and Anemone blanda. I primped and preened and mulched and collected seed and my horticultural zeal was invigorated. Then, as I was dragging my tired feet towards theContinue reading “Missed”

Faith

During our early morning tour of the garden I asked after the hollyhock youths that were due be planted out. “Oh” said Mrs Bun “I’m not sure, I haven’t been in the greenhouse for ages”. The hollyhocks were doing just fine, and later were relocated to their new playground, which is more than can beContinue reading “Faith”

Options

Is there anything better, on a bright winter’s day, than to go for a walk in the woods? Drinking hot chocolate in front of an open fire would also be nice, especially if you had a Cadbury’s flake to dunk. However on this occasion we opted for Option No. 1 and a very good choice itContinue reading “Options”

Sway

We have a thing about teasels in our house. When we lived in Bristol we grew a monster teasel. In truth we neither planted it or nurtured it, it just appeared. Then one day it was so large that we could watch the goldfinches feast on the seed from our first floor bathroom window. It wasContinue reading “Sway”

Crazy Name

Crazy name alert! This is Coronilla valentina subsp. glauca ‘Citrina’. I would suggest calling it by its common name but as this is Bastard Senna I won’t. Shall we call it Coronilla ‘Citrina’? This winter to spring flowering shrub has delicate bi-coloured pea flowers which are gently fragrant. It tends to be a little unruly inContinue reading “Crazy Name”

Not done yet

I haven’t been very well. Now I am much better but not best. I am a gardener. It is not a job. Of course it my job, what I mean it is not just my job, it is me. My identity. Who I am, what I am. For a while I thought I might not beContinue reading “Not done yet”

Spotlight

Basking under the sunny spotlight is the heronsbill, Erodium manescavii. This Pyrenean native is enjoying the recent cold snap, reminiscing about its chilly homeland. There are no Mountain Dogs here though, just Max who is half kangeroo and not interested in snow peaked mountains. Perhaps we could train him. He will need a wig.

Shadow

It wasn’t the carmine flower of the pineapple sage that caught my eye, but its crisp shadow lying on the white-washed wall. I was surprised that this fragrant salvia was still standing after the recent sharp frosts. But it was, defiant to the last. And in a world of droop and desiccation it looked especially fine today.