offtheedgegardening

Hands

Did I ever mentioned that Lady Mantle has freakishly large hands?

Let me take you back to early spring and I will tell you a tragic tale with a happy ending. It was lecture day for the North Devon Plant Heritage group, always popular not only for the informative speakers but also for fiendish quizzes, delicious fruit crumble & custard and eclectic raffles. As soon as I walked intoContinue reading “Covet”

Trollius chinensis “Golden Queen”

As I wended my way up the garden the sun kindly illuminated this trollius for me. It was the first glimpse of light on a murky day, highlighting its rich petals, more buttercup yellow than a buttercup would dare to be. The many hands of the inner petals reaching to the sky, supported by the solid domestiques below. It wasContinue reading “Trollius chinensis “Golden Queen””

Gone Fishing *

My week has not gone the way I would have liked it to. Nothing serious in the scheme of things. Quite meagre really. It involves my car doing a fine impersonation of a kangaroo and no one being able to find a fault. You will be pleased to hear that the AA man who saidContinue reading “Gone Fishing *”

Giant

We have grown a giant strawberry at the farm, pictured with a watermelon for scale. This really is a watermelon. That really is a strawberry. Think of all that jam!

Pentas

It is called pentas and it is red. That is all I know about this little plant. Except that it reminds me of old man’s ears. And I like it. Could just be me though. The ear thing not the like bit. I would imagine that a lot of people would love those carmine, starry, fur-filledContinue reading “Pentas”

Blazing

It would be hard not to mention the weather today. Advertised as the hottest day of the year and so it was. Wonderful for going to the beach running into the sea when it all gets a little too much, or perhaps a meander through the woods where the sun is filtered to gentle by the hungry trees,Continue reading “Blazing”

Early

I was early, so I went for a stroll.

If you can’t take the heat

The heater in my car is jammed on. I have had it fixed but it has broken again. This makes any journey over 5 miles long challenging, especially throughout the summer months. The experience of driving from South Wales to North Devon today was interesting. It was like being in a Native American sweat lodge without the benefit ofContinue reading “If you can’t take the heat”

Common as Muck

Purple Toadflax, Linaria purpurea, self-seeder extraordinaire, purple menace, scourge of gardens, elegant foil, beautiful perennial. Take your pick!