Garden – derrickjknight

Another Warm Sunny Day

Because we had been dilatory in dumping the garden refuse, Martin, while waiting for the spent compost bags, has been piling the green waste wherever he can until today, when he began

collecting up some rather rich smelling material.

In the meantime, I wandered around the garden on another fine, sunny, day and photographed this gallery.

Later, despite having a plethora of plants seeking permanent positions into which to be squeezed, Jackie, to quote her, had been “allowed out unsupervised to escape to Otter Nurseries and come back with three more” for which Martin managed to find room in the already packed Palm Bed.

At the end of the afternoon Max from Peacock Computers visited to make some adjustments to the settings of our telephone system. We ended up having a most convivial conversation.

This evening we dined on our usual three prawn preparations and Jackie’s mushroom and onion rice with the addition of leftover sweet and sour chicken and pancake roll from our last Royal Chinese Takeaway with which I drank more of The Reprobates.

Floral Provenance

On an even hotter day than yesterday I took my camera on a walk around the garden this morning.

We are not always sure how some of our plants arrive. This poppy is certainly a self seeded volunteer, but we don’t know about the red hollyhock. It could have been from a seed scattering exercise by either Flo or Jackie last year.

The colourful little lysimachia Firecracker is a plant bought by Jackie after she had seen one in Elizabeth’s garden given by Frances.

Pollies Day Lilies, very nearby, is the home of the National hemerocallis Collection. Some of ours have been bought there.

Delta’s Sarah and Mrs Popple are two of the many fuchsias planted by Jackie that have proved to be hardy in our garden.

This small white hydrangea will grow bigger. It is a cutting from a larger plant Jackie bought from Lidl some time ago.

Years ago our Head Gardener bought phlox plants from pity benches in centres like Everton. They all now thrive under her nurture, as do

various clematis, some of which we inherited,

as we did numerous moon daisies and several hostas.

When we converted a heap of rubble and rubbish including a buried bath complete with taps into the Rose Garden we had a free run to select roses like Roserie de l’Hay, For Your Eyes Only, and Créme de la créme largely for their scent;

low lying lavender, rambling bee-attracting sweet peas, and tall lilies provide variety in that plot.

Some dahlias we have planted, other flowers were in situ when we arrived ten years ago; examples of these are

red and yellow Bottle Brush plants.

Crocosmias red Lucifer and golden George Davison and their neighbouring penstemon are all part of our replanting of the Palm Bed.

This evening we dined at Rokali’s where I chose Jaipur special prawn; and Jackie, Poneer Shashlik. We shared a plain paratha, special fried rice, and Tarka Dhal. I drank Kingfisher and Jackie drank Diet Cola. A truly serendipitous event gave us rather more than we bargained for. As the waiter served us he tipped the rice bowl over so that much of it ended up on the table cloth and my serviette. He took a clean cloth and began scooping it up to dispose of it. The table and everything else was unsoiled. I encouraged him to sweep it onto my plate, saying I was more than happy to eat it rather than have it wasted. It seemed to me quite a result in that any mess I made of the cloth could be blamed on this event. Even better – he did this and gave us a new bowl of rice. Ultimately we couldn’t eat it all and were given a doggy bag to take home. Another good outcome. Also, great fun was enjoyed by all, including other customers.

Needless to say the food was all very well prepared and otherwise efficiently served. The waiter, a family member we had not met before, finished by helping me to my feet.

Save By The Bees

Our front garden is north facing and only lit diagonally at the beginning or the end of the day.

This morning I focussed on the two trellises supporting Mrs Thompson clematis and the honeysuckle; and the nasturtiums, antirrhinums, violas, and another clematis on the front of the garage door. Fuchsia Delta’s Sarah and the hypericum berries appear beyond the arch, The hydrangea and the rambling rose Félicité Perpétue need to be clipped often in order for drivers to see down the road when departing.

The honeysuckle is doing well this year, although this frontage has, for one reason or another, been rather neglected, save by the bees.

This afternoon I watched those parts of Wimbledon tennis matches that were permitted by the intermittent heavy rain.

This evening we dined on pork chops coated with mustard and brown sugar; fried onions; boiled new potatoes; firm carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli; and tender runner beans, with which I finished the Malbec.

More Dead-Heading

With yesterday’s overnight fierce winds roaring into this morning, taking a break for lunch, I began a further dead-heading session,

filling a trug with clippings – those that I could reach, from

Peach Abundance which demanded by a long way quite the most effort.

After lunch I turned my attention to the Back Drive and, on the proviso that I could reach them,

white Félicité Perpétue with Emily Gray;

white Perpetual Blush with Emily Gray;

yellow Doris Tysterman and deep red Ernest Morse;

tiny red Super Elfin;

and an unnamed pale pink rose bought some years ago for £1.

I filled the trug once more, emptied it for the second time into a compost bin, and staggered sweating into the safety of my sitting room chair.

This evening we dined on Mr Pink’s excellent fish and chips, Garner’s pickled onions and Mrs Elswood’s pickled gherkins.

Dead-Heading Roses

Our Covid vaccine reactions dissipated overnight.

I carried out a lengthy dead-heading session on the morning of this Cold. Overcast. Wet. (COW) mid-June day.

Here are a selection of the beneficiaries of my labours. Keen readers may spot some spent buds I have missed. If so, I do not want to know. Each image bears a title in the gallery.

Martin took the dead blooms from Wonderful Grandparents because it was unsafe for me to reach deep into the bed.

Soon after 3 p.m. when we set off for Ferndene Farm Shop to buy salad, sausages, and eggs rain set in for the rest of the day enabling me to produce a variant acronym: Cold. Overcast. Wet.

Here are a pair of pictures of the shop from through the car windscreen;

another of Holmsley Passage;

and one along Bisterne Close.

When viewed through the open passenger window I was able to focus

on a tree draped in honeysuckle,

and two different cornuses.

This evening we dined with Elizabeth at The Royal Oak, enjoying friendly, efficient, service and excellent food. The ladies both chose a very tasty Caribbean chicken curry and rice, while my pick was a fish and linguini dish which I relished. My sister and I each selected baked Alaska for dessert. Elizabeth drank non alcoholic Peroni, Jackie Diet Coke; and Merlot for me.

Never Flowered Before

The narrow brick paths between the beds in the Rose Garden had become so covered in weeds as to be dangerous for me to dead head many of the roses further in when I couldn’t see where I was putting my feet; Martin’s clearance of these a couple of days ago made this much easier for me – a mixed blessing because I have no excuse for leaving them. Today’s session was therefore longer than of late, and I am still behind.

Roses pictured today include pink Compassion; an unnamed white; pale pink New Dawn, singly and along the Rose Garden south fence; pink and white striped Rosa Gallica; an unnamed peach; red Aloha, bought as unnamed for £1; yellow Absolutely Fabulous; crisp Lady Emma Hamilton in a group and individually; red Gloriana, alone and in the company of foxgloves; elegant little Ballerina; and Gloriana, clematis, and foxgloves.

I also photographed a hebe, without having noticed the insect settled on it; another clematis in company with another New Dawn, and a deep red hemerocallis, or day lily.

Finally, and clearly another tribute to Martin’s painstaking clearance work, we have an inherited philadelphus inodorus, which has never flowered before.

This evening we enjoyed second helpings of last night’s wholesome casserole meal and the same beverage.

Paths, Poppies; Bees, Blooms

On the morning of this cool, sunny, day to the tune of gentle birdsong and busy bees, I carried out dead heading and light weeding; Martin continued his sterling work for the whole day.

Among several other tasks, including mowing the lawn, our friend

completed the weeding of the Phantom and Brick Paths.

The three cordyline Australis trees disperse their heady scent throughout the garden where the eucalyptus and the yellow bottle brush plants are also in bloom.

Bright red poppies, attracting bees,

and gentle yellow Californian varieties are at their peak;

bottle brushes also draw the honey gatherers.

Day lilies are putting in regular appearances.

Roses are represented by two different pale pink New Dawns, the white Madame Alfred Carrière draped across the entrance to the Rose Garden, and Peach Abundance.

Here are views of the Gazebo Path, from the Cryptomeria Bed and of the Rose Garden.

This evening we dined at Rokali’s where my main course was duck Ceylon, and Jackie’s chicken sag; we shared puris and sag rice; I drank Kingfisher and Jackie drank Diet Coke. All was perfectly cooked, and well presented with excellent, friendly service.

A Birthday Bunch

It being Jackie’s birthday today I collected a few photographs In the cool, diffused, early light.

At 5 a.m. the direct sun only reached the front garden.

For diffusion I chose a random walk around the back. Each image bears a title in the gallery.

This afternoon Helen visited bearing gifts; she was soon joined by Becky and Ian on the same errand, who accompanied Jackie and me later to dine at Rokali’s where they were as impressed as we are. My main meal was Naga Chilli lamb and special rice. We shared onion bahjis, and puris. Ian and I drank Kingfisher; Becky and Jackie drank Diet Coke.

Before going out we enjoyed a Messenger Video chat with Flo and Ellie, which was great fun.

Humming Bees

We were very fortunate to escape one of today’s heavy showers when we transported another car load of garden refuse to the Efford Recycling Centre. Rain hammered on the car as we drove home’

I use the cut glass pattern on a small wine container to measure my intake at each evening meal in order not to overdo the consumption and regret it. If she can help it the next morning, Jackie never leaves the renamed local council dump without making a purchase from the Reuse Shop. Today she bought a larger glass

which she placed on the kitchen table between yesterday’s bottle of Malbec and the measuring glass so that I could use the smaller glass as such to gauge a point on the larger for a change. I sampled it while drafting this post. Definitely more pleasing.

Although the sun produced warmth between fierce showers, Martin had to move on from weeding paths which became too wet, and carry

out more general tidying.

I took advantage of the sunny periods to photograph

bees entering a white foxglove, alighting on a geranium palmatum,

and those whose massed hum emanated from the Chilean Lantern tree to which they are inevitably drawn. Accessing the gallery should help spot one in each of these pictures.

This pink budding rose in the Patio Bed will be the colour of Peach Abundance in the Oval Bed when it fills out.

Other roses include the white rambler Félicité Perpétue; pale pink New Dawn; white climbing The Generous Gardener; pink Festive Jewel; white Winchester Cathedral: and a red climber.

The first of these clematises is on the front garden trellis; the next two pictures on the patio fence include Doctor Ruppel, another example of which decorates the Brick Path.

Fuchsia Delta’s Sarah, of which we have a number, is hardy enough to survive our winters; this allium is now in full bloom, as are the heucheras.

Here are two more shots of the Rose Garden.

and one from alongside the Cryptomeria Bed.

This evening we dined on spicy marinaded chicken; boiled baby new potatoes; and al dente carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli stems, with which I drank more of the Malbec.

Blooming Wonderful Grandparents

Just before lunch on this blustery-rain-day doing its best to refill to invisibility the pothole booby traps on the pock-marked tarmac, wary of oncoming traffic doing the same thing, we slalomed around them to Milford on Sea GP surgery for the changing of my hand dressing now looking much better.

Afterwards I photographed the display of our “Wonderful Grandparents” present from Flo and Dillon now in full bloom, then settled into an afternoon with Huckleberry Finn.

This evening we dined on spicy marinaded chicken and Jackie’s colourful vegetable rice, with which I finished the Alentejano.