A request that puts fear in the soul of all but the most confident of gardeners is “can you identify this plant/flower/weed”. This is the horticultural equivalent to the doctor’s “I have a pain in my left kneecap”, the builder’s “there is a leak in our back bedroom” and the chef’s “my cake didn’t rise”. Continue reading “ID”
Author Archives: offtheedgegardening
All you need is …..
I think that pretty much sums it up!
Oasis
As it turned out exact directions to Steve and Dawn Morgan’s house in Yelland were not necessary. There was nothing especially wrong with the other gardens in the neighbourhood, the usual mixed bag of tidy, not tidy, tidy but boring, tidy with promise, messy but interesting and then wham, did I just hop on theContinue reading “Oasis”
Guest Photographer – Under Your Nose
Nepotism is such a maligned word. The fact that these incredible photographs were taken by my brother is inconsequential. To capture these images he undertook a long and arduous journey off the settee, out of the back door and into his garden, I would imagine that a packed lunch was involved. And he hunts forContinue reading “Guest Photographer – Under Your Nose”
Commute
They ran a red light, nightmare!
Buy One Get One Free
Today is the my dear friend Hero’s birthday. We had a smorgasbord of delight for lunch, smoked salmon, sausage rolls, smelly cheese, pink, green and orange dips with crudites, all rounded off by chocolate cake and ice cream. There was singing and gifts. However my best present to Hero was that I let her pickContinue reading “Buy One Get One Free”
Still Hot
Today I have decided that I quite like autumn. Up until this point I wasn’t quite sure. For many years summer was my favourite. Then, as I became more and more embroiled in the quicksand that is horticulture, spring became my No. 1. Something about the feel of things today made me question my preferences,Continue reading “Still Hot”
Beautiful
Was Acidanthera bicolor, now Gladiolus murielae, sometimes Abyssinian gladiolus, occasionally Peacock Orchid, consistently beautiful.
Joy
Not everyone has the space, or indeed the spare couple of grand, needed to accommodate a 5m tall jubilant bronze woman in the back garden. In truth those that do are in the minority but this need not exclude us plebs from enjoying art in the garden. By reducing the proportions to suit the sizeContinue reading “Joy”
Araucaria araucana – The Monkey Puzzle Tree
This is the puzzle – how could a monkey climb through these vicious branches without doing himself some serious harm? Answers of no more than 15 words on a postcard please to: Mrs Nobody Nowhereisland The Universe The winner will be notified before the end of time and will be awarded with a great bigContinue reading “Araucaria araucana – The Monkey Puzzle Tree”