offtheedgegardening

So Much More

Gardening is so much more than being able to identify a tree or know which way a plant goes in the ground. Stating the bleeding obvious? Perhaps. After lunch today Lady Mantle whisked me off to visit a local garden, ostensively to admire some autumn colour. Which is exactly what we did. The on-cue afternoonContinue reading “So Much More”

Coconut Ice

There is still a lot going on in Nancy Nightingale’s garden. Obviously there is the singing, dancing and a little rough housing, but also there are dahlias, rudbeckia, cosmos and calendula. Although past their best, looking a little windblown and tatty around the edges, they still contain enough vibrancy to restrain the tidy instinct thatContinue reading “Coconut Ice”

Six on Saturday – A Challenge

When I switched my phone on this morning the first thing I saw was a message from my sister-in-law “have you two tied yourselves to the house?”. Curious. And then it dawned on me, the news of our very own cuddly Storm Callum had reached the Netherlands. For your information we are managing to stayContinue reading “Six on Saturday – A Challenge”

Another

Another hydrangea, and why not? It has made the effort to flower, and so beautifully. Today on Button Moon, glowing in the low and most welcome sunlight, it was hard to believe that it wasn’t blooming just for our delectation. Of course it doesn’t care a fig what we think.

Dinosaur

Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Ayesha’ is no one trick pony. The pretty puckered flowers would be reason enough to welcome this beauty into your garden. You could sit back and say “you have earned your place with your glorious blooms, no need for anymore effort”. But then, as a autumnal bonus, the serrated leaves blush scarlet beforeContinue reading “Dinosaur”

Juxtaposition

An out of focus cosmos, symbolising the confusion and instability of life. A backdrop of steely scaffolding representing the hard, harsh realities of life. Yep, the roof is still leaking. After all those promises. Again.

Repeat

I have begun to repeat myself. Most stories are prefaced with “please say if I have told you this before”. Perhaps it is an inevitable phase of life. It is not really that important unless, I suppose, you are the victim. This is Dahlia australis, but it isn’t really. Grown from seed as such, itsContinue reading “Repeat”

Blame

Some plants are very late coming into bloom in our garden. As we live in a blame-blame culture I am going to point the finger at a hard winter, a late spring, followed by a sweltering summer. It could be one, the other, a combination of any, whatever, they are tardy. This reluctance to flowerContinue reading “Blame”

Six on Saturday – Happy Holidays

After a week or more away, I have come home to builders, scaffolding, inaccessible plants and a really vicious cold. For this reason (and I will continue to blame everything on the builders including my poor health, who in reality are rather nice chaps, until further notice) my Six on Saturday will dwell on holidayContinue reading “Six on Saturday – Happy Holidays”

Second Time Around

A day of mizzle and murk, that is until the moment I clocked off when the sun came out in all its glory. Life is like that sometimes. I arrived home to find the scaffolding complete and a quartet of builders in deep debate. I am not absolutely certain, but I am pretty certain IContinue reading “Second Time Around”