The garden was refreshed by early morning rain.
This failed to dampen the ardour of the passion flowers eyeing the red hot honeysuckle,
and gave sweet peas a welcome drink.
The rich red climbing rose Aloha,and the pale pastel bush Margaret Merrill are both in full bloom.
A comment on Houzz GardenWeb forum, posted in July 2007 states that ‘the Margaret Merrill rose was named [in 1977] after a fictitious character in British advertising, but Harkness had to track down various Margaret Merrills for permission to complete naming the rose’. Margaret Merrill was the nom de plume of a beauty advisor who helped Oil of Ulay (now Olay) sell its beauty products. If you wanted cosmetic advice you wrote to this woman.
This afternoon Jackie drove us to Chandlers Ford for her physiotherapy. I settled down to an hour with Primo Levi’s ‘The Periodic Table’, but I didn’t get very far in my hoped-for completion of this, my current book. Jackie soon emerged with a happy face. She had been told she was doing brilliantly and didn’t need to go again.
On our return we stopped for a visit to Patrick’s Patch in Beaulieu.
This is the community garden’s peak time. Marigolds, dahlias, gladioli, sunflowers and lavender are just a few of the flowers we observed as we wandered along the paths, where various imaginative scarecrows were drafted into service.
The Annual Border, with its Painted Lady runner beans, was particularly stunning and, as Jackie discovered, sweet pea scented. We didn’t see a weed anywhere.
Produce like apples and courgettes looked ripe and plump.
This evening we dined on Jackie’s delicious chilli con carne, egg fried rice, and green beans, followed by chocolate eclairs. I finished the bordeaux, whilst Jackie drank Hoegaarden, this last of which, whilst I completed my post, she took up to the rose garden for what has become a nightly drink with Alan Titchmarsh. Like many women of a certain age she is in love with the man. Should I be concerned?
It’s only a rose.
🙂
Be concerned, be very concerned… No, no, sorry, wrong idiom!.. It’s.. Be frightened, be very frightened! And it has nothing to do with roses or Alan Titchmarsh! So you’re quite safe then! Phew! 🙂
I know, I can talk rubbish sometimes! 🙂
Your flowers are beautiful, Derrick!
Chuckling away here. Thanks, Rob. Mind you, now I’m thoroughly confused
Don’t worry – me too! 🙂
I wouldn’t be too worried about the Alan Titmouse-or-whatever connection. Wikipedia says he’s the son of a textile mill worker and a plumber. How bottom of the pile is that? 🙂
Thank you Barrie. That’s very reassuring. 🙂
My father was a plumber – so I know what “bottom of the pile” is!
Sorry – Bruce. 🙂
Sorry, Bruce….like most creatures of the male persuasion you haven’t the foggiest notion how very attractive a plumber might be to a woman…..
🙂 It’s always been a mystery to me
LOL – now that’s thrown a spanner into the works. All will be well, so long as Jackie doesn’t get the plumber to fix the spouting on her new shed…
Personally, I’ve always found a female plumber much more efficient anyway.!
I do believe their plumber is female. Good job it’s all a mystery to him.
Thank you Beck X
A rose by any other name would not smell as sweet. My Alan Titchmarsh is very relaxed, and lies at my feet looking gorgeous and smelling heavenly, what more could a lady ‘of a certain age’ want?
🙂
…and you can cut his head off if he misbehaves!
I’ll remember that, Mary 🙂
I’m sure a man of your degree of suavity and sophistication need fear no competition from a Yorkshireman, even a famous one. 😉
Many thanks, quercus 🙂
Your Margaret Merrill roses look like glass. (And the scarecrow looks like me.) 🙂
Thank you, Johnna
I love everything on this page. I’m bookmarking it. Glad to hear your Head Gardner is in top form!
Sorry to say, I think there may be cause for concern:)
Great hilarity over here, Cynthia. Thank you
Now I don’t know what age you have to be to be considered the right age for Alan Titchmarsh but I have to say there is something very soothing about his voice when he waxes lyrical about the garden and his plans for transformation. I’d let him tell me all about that Margaret Merrill rose no bother and if he knew a thing or two about plumbing I’d call that a score. Heck, I might be the right age for Titch!
Join the queue scottishmomus, sounds like you might be a bit smitten. The rose named after him is a beauty too, pink and strongly scented.
Go Jackie! – and Derrick, you could always sit at the feet of Margaret Merrill if you feel too abandoned ……..
Thank you Pauline. Some solace in that
Oh my, the Aloha and the Margaret Merrill, well [deep sigh]. I think you need not fear, but because the plumber has been maligned, I will tell this long story. At least 20 years ago I read an interview with Colleen McCullough (she of The Thorn Birds and other blockbusters), who was living on an island in the south Pacific, married to a carpenter/builder. The interviewer made much of Ms McCullogh’s PhD and wondered repeatedly what she was doing with the carpenter. Finally, in relatively good natured exasperation, Ms. McC said, “Say a typhoon comes and blows off the roof of your house. Do you want someone who can talk about it or do you want someone who can fix it?” It still makes me chuckle.
Excellent. She would agree with (littleoldladywho) Cynthia. Thank you Lisa.
Ignoring everything else, it’s great news that Jackie doesn’t need any more physio. That has to be a tribute to her hard work and determination; she deserves her rose.
Many thanks, Keith. Well said
Thank you Keith.
You always have an interesting + beautiful post. But I’ve got to say – your followers’ comments are a hoot to read as well!! A rose by any name?
Thanks, GP. Aren’t they just?
Clever and lovely–what an eye you have and how much you do love those flowers! The sweet peas with raindrops on them simply slayed me.
Thank you, Cynthia
Lavender is not something that we get easily over here, so thank you for the photo.
Thanks. My pleasure
Great community garden. I didn’t know that about Margaret Merril – very interesting – its a lovely rose and I have it here too
Thank you Geoff. I had to search for the info on MM
I hope one day you get to name a flower 🙂
Thank you, Alex 🙂
These photos are gorgeous. Love the Aloha against the wood, and those passion flowers are so amazing. I must have them in my own garden one day. As common as they are to find, the flowers of the sweet peas always touch my heart. I might fall in love…
Thank you Crystal, for reading and commenting on so many.
(I was catching up. Could you tell? 🙂 )
Absolutely love these. I can just smell them, D.
Thank you, Holistic
Thank you nice post.
Thank you Fakanal
Stunning shots of your garden flowers and of your visit to Patrick’s Patch. It look like a lovely place.
Thank you very much, Alys
Beautiful roses. I am surprised to see Passion flowers growing so well in your climate. We used to have them in south India and Ceylon. Very pretty.
Thank you very much, Zakiah