offtheedgegardening

Quince

A little bit battered but still beautiful, a quince in bloom.

Chicken

Most gardeners get followed around by a chirpy robin. So why do I get the chicken?

It is the time of year when any semblance of control evaporates, if indeed it ever really existed outside of our bubble of optimism. The warmth of the sun and the spring showers have conspired to produce the perfect environment for all the weed seed in the universe to germinate. At least it seems thatContinue reading “Battle”

Snooze

I could just lie down in the soft sedum and have a snooze. Like this little chap. Wouldn’t that be nice. You may have guessed I am weary and short of words this evening. This could be a good or bad thing depending on your viewpoint. This reticence is unlikely to last. Again thisContinue reading “Snooze”

Wisteria Time

A bit like lilac time but more dangly.

Almost

Tomorrow this butterfly will be free from its cocoon. The “almost” is as beautiful as the “there”.

The Gardener’s Prickle Equation

As a gardener I am not a fan of berberis. As a consumer it is quite different, they are often stunning in flower and provide a useful evergreen structure to the garden. This disparity can be explained by using The Gardener’s Prickle Equation. This calculation involves complicated variables and whimsies. In short, the beauty ofContinue reading “The Gardener’s Prickle Equation”

Missed Again

I took some great photos at The Farm yesterday. Buttercup yellow laburnum flowers cascading from skinny branches, revelling in their deliciously noxious reputation. A mallard drake with his head barely above the plantain and grasses in a burgeoning meadow. The Rasta lambs, now less shy and more photographically amenable, posing delightfully in the paddock enjoyingContinue reading “Missed Again”

Slow Roast

Today was the first time this year to be “I wonder if there is a job in the shade?” hot. There wasn’t and it was a slow roast. Never mind, Lavinia kindly supplied Mexican Lime cordial, which was greatly received and knocked back in a manner more docker than dame, and I made a noteContinue reading “Slow Roast”

Have we met before?

There are self seeders and there are SELF SEEDERS! When this little beauty popped his head up last year I did a double take, this surely can’t be true. In our most unkempt front garden (we are letting it express itself) a Rhodotypos scandens had miraculously appeared. It must have been left by the gardenContinue reading “Have we met before?”