Bill and Ben – Off The Edge Gardening

Plenty

Golden pittosporum and blue sky. That’s yer lot. It should be plenty.

Penstemon ‘Pensham Plum Jerkum’

For various reasons, I haven’t been to Bill and Ben’s garden since the beginning of the summer. It was nice to be back. It was also lovely to see Penstemon ‘Pensham Plum Jerkum’ looking quite beautiful.

Found

Today I found a beautiful double helianthemum, struggling to hold its plumpious blooms above a mat of persistent ivy. I cleared around it and mentally marked it down for some cuttings on my next visit. Then I continued digging nettles and brambles and pulling out my arch nemesis, cleavers. To ensure I still had someContinue reading “Found”

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”

Rogues and Roses

Bill and Ben’s garden was well planted, albeit several decades ago. To paraphrase Tennyson, it is “red in tooth and thorn” out there in the horticultural world. And we are talking about plants not the gardeners! Unchecked, interlopers invade, the vigorous stifle the slow-growing and the neglected grow unkept. I have been clearing an areaContinue reading “Rogues and Roses”

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”