Kindness

We are really going to have to think of another simile.  I am racking my brain at this very moment. But I can’t.  So it you will have to bear with me.  Today was a roller-coaster of a day.  Fortunately each low had a high that exceeded it.

It started with taking my car to the scrap merchant.  It had failed its MOT, D minus, and its time had come to go to the great autobahn in the sky.   After much calculating I was given the princely sum of £32 in exchange for a car that is perfectly fine except for the fact the structure is rusting away.  Passing the condemned onto a perky chap with sleeve tattoos and extensive piercings he asked if she was still running.  “Yes” I replied “Great” he smiled “we need one, we crushed the rest”.  A little puzzled I asked why he needed a running model. “For the fire brigade, they need a vehicle for their training and exhibitions.”.  This made me very happy.  Good out of bad.

Then onto Nancy Nightingale.  By this time I was running late.  But if I pressed on all would be fine.  Then I hit a “Road Closed” sign and one of North Devon’s infamous redirected traffic routes. I arrived disgruntled and with crossed legs.  Soon all was calm again, the toilet door had been left ajar for easy access, my coffee was made, the garden was looking lovely and a present was waiting for me.  “Trespassers Will be Composted” What a fine idea!

After some leisurely gardening we belted out some rock ballads and soul classics.  My heart was lifted.

This high was followed by grid lock and dodgy reversing on the return journey of the inappropriate diversion route.  Still, no one hit anyone, which is always a good thing.  Then on to the garage to pump up my tyres in anticipation of our motorway journey tomorrow. Here I met a wonderful young man who not only moved my car for me when I got into a bit of a pickle, proceeded to pump up my tyres for me, for no reason other than kindness.

Then more gardening, a little shopping, and a smidgen of relaxing.

Not a bad day after all.  It could have been a whole lot worse.

 

 

It is all in the Name

Dahlia Peggy's Pearler

To win a competition is great.  To win a competition that you didn’t even enter is amazing.

A few months ago I received an email from the National Dahlia Collection to say that I had won a prize.  Everyone who subscribed to their newsletter was automatically entered and I was one of the lucky ones.

The only other thing I have won of merit is a rugby player.  The college team auctioned themselves off to raise money for an upcoming tour.  As bad luck would have it, the chap I won was also a friend’s boyfriend. She gave me a “look”.  I knew just what that meant.  He took me for a meal and I returned him, before the witching hour and in good working order.

It seems that yet again I have gone off on a tandem.  Back to the story.

My prize was to name a dahlia.  At first I thought it was a hoax.  Hilarious.  Then gradually, as messages passed back and forth, I began to believe it was true. They showed me a photo and left me to it.   A deep rich pink, with a waterlily form, it looked a real beauty.  What a treat, what a responsibility!  I waited for inspiration.  It arrived.  I would called it Peggy’s Pearler.  After my Mum and also in memory of my Dad.  On occasion, if she got something mixed up or confused, my Dad would say “another one of Peggy’s Pearlers”.   Said with a twinkle and with fun and affection.  And they would both laugh.

Unfortunately, somewhere in the machine, the name was altered slightly so when I received the certificate from the RHS it read Peggy Pearlers.  No matter.  It still counts.  Unfortunately there is no photo on the website yet, but here is a link to the Peggy’s Pearler (which I shall continue to call it).  My picture of a not-quite-fully-out bloom will have to suffice.

As well as the honour of naming the dahlia, they sent me three rooted cuttings.  These I have been growing on, fending off the molluscs and generally cossetting, much to the chagrin of adjacent plants.  One of these will be heading to Wales this weekend, to meet its namesake.

Happy birthday to my best mum, from your best daughter. x

Cunning Combo – Part Two

Veronicastrum virginicum

We had a wonderful day at RHS Rosemoor, me and the gals.  A full and “no holds barred” report will follow in due course.  Unless the extortion money is received.

In the meantime here is another Cunning Combo for your delight – the elegant partnership of Veronicastrum virginicum and Nicotiana mutabilis, complimenting in colour and contrasting in form.  The total exceeding the sum of the whole.  And blue sky.  Just what we want.

Missed Again

Tibouchina

I have been waiting patiently, well OK not that patiently, for the Tibouchina urvilleana  at Max’s to flower.  One bud was showing a little colour, it wouldn’t be long before I could bask in its deep indigo light.  But it was not to be.  I missed again.  Never mind, there are other buds coming, a couple more chances to appreciate the silky violet blooms of the glory bush.  Unless of course ….. surely that couldn’t happen….. not again…..could it?

New Boots and Plantys

Boots

I’ve got new work boots.   My riggers were leaking, not ideal, and they were making my feet hurt.   I love my new work boots.  They are comfortable and have fine stripey laces.  But they are so clean!  This is not a good thing.  Just like clean trainers.  They look like they have never been used, which they haven’t, that they are just for show.  This morning it has been raining and I am off to Lord and Lady Mantle’s with a car fullish of bargain bin plants I rescued at the weekend.  Hopefully by the end of the day, my shiny new boots will be looking a little more lived in.  And I wont have wet feet.

Guest Blog – Meadow Magic

Meadow

It has been a while since I have hosted a guest blog.  Then, as these things often do, an opportunity presented itself and here we have it.  In the past I have written about meadows.  Most often about how I am sadly under-educated about them; how to grow, what to grow, how to maintain etc.  But I love them.  Every little thing.  So let me introduce you to Orla at The Grass People who will rectify these shortcoming and give you a little insight into meadow magic with our own floriferous tutorial. 

How to Sow Wildflower seeds in your Garden

Wildflowers offer natural beauty and so much more…As well as adding spectacular colour to your garden, wildflowers do the very important job of creating a diverse environment that will help support birds and insects including bees which are vital to our ecosystem.

Wildflowers have a reputation for being difficult to grow. In reality with a little preparation beautiful wildflowers can grow easily in your garden.  Here’s The Grass People’s easy step by step process to get your own mini wildflower meadow:

Sowing Wildflower Seeds

Wildflowers grow in poor soil conditions so prepare your soil for wildflower growth by starving it of nutrients. This can be done by stripping away the top 5-10cm of soil which will reduce fertility.

  1. Clear away all existing plants and grass, either by hand or with weed killer. Remove weeds such as nettles, docks and couch grass. Be aware weed killer is not advisable in areas of wildlife.
  2. Dig the soil over and firm it down before raking to create a level seed bed.
  3. Sow the wildflower seed either by hand or with a seed spreader. We recommend sowing the wildflower seed at 5g per 1 square meter of soil.
  4. Rake the wildflower seed into the soil and moisten the ground well.
  5. Cover the newly seeded area of your garden with netting to protect from birds and cats.
  6. Ensure the soil is kept moist during hot, dry periods for the best germination. 

Top tips for growing wildflower seeds

  • When preparing the soil avoid using fertilisers or manure as this encourages existing grass to grow which can crowd out the newly sown wildflowers.
  • After you have prepared the soil we recommend allowing the soil to settle for up to 6 weeks. This also allows any weed seeds to germinate, which can then be removed with a hoe or weed killer.
  • For best growth it’s important that the soil is warm and doesn’t dry out. Ensure you water the soil regularly particularly if there is a hot spell.

Best time of year to sow wildflower seeds

At The Grass People we have a large variety of wildflower seeds for all types of soil. By and large the best time of year to sow wildflowers is during September to expect bloom in early spring.

However wild flower seeds can be sown throughout the year with bloom usually taking 60-80 days. It may be the case that the first bloom may be after the first winter in soil.

Our wild flower seed range includes:

  • Bees and Pollinators – a special selection of UK native flowers selected to attract bees
  • Annual Mix – a beautiful selection of UK native annual wildflowers
  • Flowering Meadow – a mixture of annual and perennial wildflowers and grasses
  • Shaded Area Wildflowers – wildflowers suited to growing in shaded areas
  • Heavy Clay Soil Wildflower – a selection of UK native wildflowers suited to grow in clay soils
  • Sandy Soil Wildflower – wildflowers specially selected to grow in sandy soils

And there you have it, there really is no excuse.  Happy meadow making!

 

Sharing

Caterpillar

A near perfect day at The Farm. Only ice cream, a visit from David Essex or the news that Mr and Mrs George were providing an on-site masseur for employees would have improved it.

The weather was perfect, not too hot to work without getting an attack of the vapours, but warm enough to strip off a couple of layers and soak up the healing rays.  The gardens were looking great, though I say it myself.  Actually I didn’t say it myself, one of the visitors approached me and told me so.  The rabbits seem to have lost their appetite for newly planted treasures, with evidence of only minimal snacking.  Moods were buoyant.  There may have been whistling.  Not by me, as it is very unladylike.*

Then I spotted the worm in the apple.

Those of you who aren’t on their third pint of sangria (there must be a few surely?!), will have noticed that it was actually a caterpillar.  Perched atop Leucanthemum ‘Crazy Daisy’.  Munching. Instantly I was transported a couple of years** into the past, to my days at the correctional institution, where I could hear my biology teacher describing caterpillars as “eating machines”. Not an ideal guest for the herbaceous border.

This little fellow was a stunner, Kawasaki green and plump as a sausage.   But gorgeous as he was he couldn’t stay there.  I don’t mind sharing, but please not the Shasta Daisy.  Nor was he squished.  He was relocated to the meadow where hopefully he would find Michaelmas Daisies to quench his appetite.  Or perhaps in turn he fed a hungry blackbird.  He did look quite delicious.

* I can’t whistle.  I really, really want to be able to whistle.  Especially to wolf-whistle.  Many have tried to teach me.  They lie by the side of the road in a crumpled heap.

** Ant years

Proverb

Proverb of the Day:  Never get between a man and his meadow, especially when he is wielding a recently sharpened scythe.

I didn’t.  Now the cut wildflower hay is laying in state for a couple of weeks, spread on the ground from whence it came.  This will allow the seed to ripen and spill on the earth, ensuring that the cycle continues.

Look out for a guest blog coming soon, all about meadows and the lovely like.