Today was my last day at Cliffe. As expected it was heady mix of tears and treats, fun and goodbyes. We toured the garden and discussed the occupants, we drank coffee and discussed the good times. We talked about the future and reminisced about the past. Returning to the Potting Shed after lunch at Hero’sContinue reading “Have you seen the Muffin Man?”
Author Archives: offtheedgegardening
Seat with a View
Over the past 8 years I must have taken the short walk further up hill onto the Coastal Footpath less than a handful of times. Myself and Hero often talked about taking our lunches up to one of the benches to enjoy a change of scenery, but it turned out to be all talk andContinue reading “Seat with a View”
What the doctor ordered
It is wet, it is miserable. Although dry I too am mildly miserable. This calls for a little bit of emergency sunshine from the archive. And a bee. I’m feeling better already.
Its Good to Share
As I am afflicted with an extreme case of nosy-itis it is impossible for me to refrain from examining other people’s front gardens when I am dawdling down the road. More often than not there is something interesting to spy on, all visible from the street without having to resort to stalker status and causingContinue reading “Its Good to Share”
A Gift
A unexpected gift is a wonderful thing, especially when it is a cerise cyclamen.
On the Street
When I was at horticultural college, one of my tutors was a keen beersman. His arboriculture lectures would include examples of the trees we were studying, pointing out their proximity to a hostelry. Along the road from The Merchants Arms are some fine examples of Betula utilis var. jacquemontii, outside The Highbury Vaults a splendidContinue reading “On the Street”
Red and Green ….
…. should never be seen. Or so they say, actually I think it looks quite effective!
Jekyll and Hyde
No one’s perfect, few plants are either. This is Rhus typhina or the Stag’s Horn Sumach, native of North America. With stunning autumn colour, velour stems and pyramids of crimson fruit, this is its time to shine, the time we are reminded why we love this small tree. The vigourous rhizomes that pop up mini-me’sContinue reading “Jekyll and Hyde”
Lagging Behind
Late flowerers are most welcome in the garden, their stubborn presence temporarily holding back the inevitable march of winter. Of course early, mid and continual blooms are not to be sniffed at, but at this time of the year it is not the stalwarts or the eager beavers but the loiterers that are celebrated. ThisContinue reading “Lagging Behind”
Carpobrotus edulis – Hottentot Fig
Just to prove the maxim “right plant, right place” this Carpobrotus edulis is thriving on the North Devon dunes. The Hottentot Fig’s ability to grow in places that would appear inhospitable to the majority of sensible flora has allowed it to become invasive in places as far reaching as New Zealand and the Mediterranean. ItContinue reading “Carpobrotus edulis – Hottentot Fig”
Off The Edge Gardening 