Uncategorized – Page 59 – Off The Edge Gardening

Anemone nemorosa “Robinsoniana”

This delicate little beauty is flowering in my front garden at the moment. Every time I walk past this very special wood anemone I think of Robin and Edwina and their wonderful garden at Andrews Corner on the edge of Dartmoor. When I visited this treasure trove of a garden, far too long ago, itContinue reading “Anemone nemorosa “Robinsoniana””

Hanging Basket

I do love a nice hanging basket

Beware

Clients beware. This is what happened to the unfortunate who suggested that I might plant Cotoneaster horizontalis in their garden. For the sake of my dear and most sensitive readers I have shown you the silhouette only. Some might say “harsh”, but I would say “fair”

What Lies Beneath?

At The Farm we have been working hard to reclaim the vegetable garden. To save you the trauma of our agonies over the last few months I will précis what we have achieved. There are now two distinct planting areas. These are rectangles of improved soil that have been released from the suffocating carpet lain manyContinue reading “What Lies Beneath?”

Pledge

Several months ago, with much aplomb, Lavinia* announced that she would not be buying any more plants. It is true to say that neither of her audience quite believed her, although we nodded in appreciation of her intent. She has long been an addict, it was a tough call. Over the intervening weeks, new arrivalsContinue reading “Pledge”

Icy

Everyone is shouting “snow”,”plummeting temperatures”, “wind chill”, “Arctic conditions”. So, in an attempt to redress the balance, I will whisper “beautiful icy-white Iberis sempervirens“.

Believe

This is Tulip “Blue Diamond”. When I bought the bulbs at last autumn’s Malvern Show I didn’t really believe they would be blue. But a little bit of me hoped they would be. The little bit that would like to believe in Father Christmas or that I will win the Lottery or that George Clooney is regretting marrying thatContinue reading “Believe”

Ephemeral

Ceanothus arboreus ‘Trewithen Blue’, fast-growing, short-lived, beautiful. This seems to be a popular option at the moment. I am aspiring to the slow-growing, long-lived, might pull a comb through my hair on a special occasion, approach. Unfortunately I am not at liberty to make these kind of decisions, my fate is with the gods. In the meantimeContinue reading “Ephemeral”

Upwards

As gardeners we often spend our days looking soil-ward. We should remember, on occasion, to tilt our heads backwards and enjoy the view.

Ways and Means

There are ways and means. You may not need a hammer to crack an egg, but it is very helpful to have a mini digger to get out an old root stump or ten. I explained to Lord and Lady Mantle that all the aristo’s have stumperies these days, but they weren’t convinced. In fact I don’tContinue reading “Ways and Means”