offtheedgegardening

A Right Pear

You know that you have selected your clients well when, as you are poised to scatter some wildflower seed in their garden, you say “I think to mark this occasion you should perform a interpretative dance”. And they do. Lord and Lady M, you are brill. Here is some pear blossom. Also brill.

Six on Saturday – Watches

This may be rushed. Again. I’ll tell you why. The strap on one of my watches came apart so I asked OH, AKA Glue Monitor, to fix it for me. I don’t have many watches, just three. You may think that is a lot. I suppose you only really need one. My three perform differentContinue reading “Six on Saturday – Watches”

Perfect Parcel

Who doesn’t love to get home from a hard day at the coal face to find that your previously ordered plants have arrived? I have heard tell that are some strange folk out there who wouldn’t get quite as excited as me, but this could be apocryphal. A parcel is a wonderful thing and oneContinue reading “Perfect Parcel”

Toil

It seemed like a brilliant idea. “Let’s make a flower bed in the middle of the lawn. More colour, less mowing. There will be plenty left if you ever fancy a game of crochet.” A perfect plan, not just perfect, inspired. “We’ll pile the sods in corner a few meters away and when it hasContinue reading “Toil”

Striptease

This is the season of the striptease. Teeth grindingly chilly in the morning, warranting thick jumpers and substantial socks. By early afternoon the sun is blasting requiring a peeling of layers until decency dictates a halt. I’m not complaining. The jolting icy air is as effective as smell salts to invigorate the sluggish gardener, theContinue reading “Striptease”

Inappropriate

Yesterday I attended, along with Hero and OH, the local Plant Heritage lecture day and lunch at Marwood Hill Gardens. I listened intently, notebook in hand, to talks on scented shrubs and later about botanising in Madagascar. I even remembered to pack my specs so I could actually see the slide show. I wandered aroundContinue reading “Inappropriate”

Six on Saturday – Sun God

I am expecting great things from our band of SoSers this week. Specifically the UK department. Unfortunately we must exclude residents of the subgroup The Western Isles. Something very strange has happened. IT HASN’T RAINED FOR A WHOLE WEEK, NOT AT ALL, NOT ONE DROP! If you find this hard to believe, and IContinue reading “Six on Saturday – Sun God”

Tail End

It started well. A drive in the early morning sun as Exmoor looms large in the distance is rarely a chore. Arriving at The Mantles Estate my civet poo coffee was freshly brewed and only slightly less warm than my welcome. The twin magnolias battled to outdo each other’s beauty. Sparrows squabbled over prime realContinue reading “Tail End”

Six on Saturday – The Management

There have been complaints from The Management. We are talking Upper Management. Even higher than our master CEO Prop. Yes we are talking about Peggy, my mum. It has been noted, and duly logged, that I missed the last Six on Saturday and my excuses for this week fell on deaf ears. As I haveContinue reading “Six on Saturday – The Management”

Disappointed

It has been a disappointing week so far. The work has been fine, no complaints there. I am quite well, no extra aches and pains or sniffles. Spring has finally arrived, officially anyway. Gardens are mobilised ready for action, each day another plant primed. But don’t tell me, after deluge and gale aplenty, that thereContinue reading “Disappointed”