offtheedgegardening

Trauma

Mr Bun has pruned his privet hedge. Quite rightly he waited until the bird breeding season was over. Unfortunately he inadvertently disturbed the nest of a rare pink-backed green turtle. He was, and it is a male as the females don’t have spots, left exposed to elements, terrified. We returned him to the midst ofContinue reading “Trauma”

Salvia curviflora

Salvia curviflora, just about holding its own against the rampant lilac heliotrope. A fine battle.

A Culinary Essay

Yesterday Lionel and Lavinia gave me a big bag of bramley apples. Very kind and very welcome. There is something I must do today, or at least make a good start, it has to be finished by the middle of next week. As a masteress of procrastination, I have decided that before I beginContinue reading “A Culinary Essay”

The Hole Revisited

Autumn brings with it a variety of changes. Deciduous leaves begin to fall, the summer crew begin their hibernation, the weeds slow, the temperature drops, the days shorten. And the hard work begins. This week has been physically tough. I am loathe to admit it, but I am becoming increasingly dependent on Old Age and Cunning, ratherContinue reading “The Hole Revisited”

A Big Hole

Today we dug a big hole. This was not on the itinerary. But needs must and a big hole had to be dug. Now I am so tired I can’t even tell you the story. It was indeed a very big hole. These Hesperantha coccinea have absolutely nothing to do with the hole. They areContinue reading “A Big Hole”

Betwixt and Between

The meander into autumn seems to be accelerating into a gallop. Many of the summer bloomers are fizzling out with only the true stalwarts, such as hesperantha, asters and dahlias, holding firm. In the space of a week, the gardens in these parts are shifting from full flowering attack to a half-hearted last rally. ManyContinue reading “Betwixt and Between”

Serbian Gold

The quince tree at The Farm has done us proud. We gathered this basket full of luscious fruit last week. Unfortunately when myself and Slasher actually picked the fruit we didn’t have a basket, or indeed anything resembling one. We had wandered over for our weekly recce of how things were proceeding in Quinceland and an immediate Code Red was implimented.Continue reading “Serbian Gold”

Blue

There is something extraordinary about blue flowers. This Salvia patens, the gentian sage, is very blue and very beautiful. It comes from Mexico and is therefore a little tender. There is no doubt in my mind that it is worth any amount of pampering to carry it safely through winter. It also reminds me of my toes, blue since our boiler gave up the ghostContinue reading “Blue”

Collecting

Seed collecting day today. In some cases the bus had left already. Luckily Cosmos ‘Purity’ is still going strong. There will be plenty more chances to catch the tiny bombs of potential.

Plans

Another lovely day in horti-land. I am now fully embracing this autumn thing. Working conditions are ideal at the moment, mild and dry for the most part, and I have renewed enthusiasm for my work. Not that I wasn’t keen before. It is just that at the moment I am keener. The low sun bathes everythingContinue reading “Plans”