Garden – Page 2 – derrickjknight

Animal Repellent

For lunch today we joined Helen, Bill, Shelly, and Ron at Camellia Restaurant in Everton Nursery. My choice was beef steak casserole with plentiful vegetables. I drank water.

In order to combat the suspect squirrel Jackie has purchased and installed a solar powered Motion Activated Animal Repellent that emits a high-frequency sound which small animals do not like but is inaudible to humans.

It does seem to have proved effective in deterring the squirrel.

She has also been clearing the mole’s ejected soil from between the stones of the footpath through the Weeping Birch Bed. This has been a daily task. We will see how successful this morning’s effort has been tomorrow.

This evening we dined on gammon sandwiches and tomato salad.

Squirrel Suspect

In the murky light of an overcast shirtsleeves-warm morning I photographed a few garden views from the windows above.

I then dead-headed some of our roses, and

photographed a few still flourishing. The first is Compassion, from above; the red carpet rose is in the Weeping Birch Bed, as is Rosa Siluetta Lavender; the pink Festive Jewel, yellow Absolutely Fabulous, and red/gold Mamma Mia are all in the Rose Garden.

The first of these dahlias was also viewed from above.

Begonias white and pink continue to thrive.

Red/purple Army Nurse, pink and white Garden News, and the ubiquitous Delta’s Sarah are long lingering fuchsias.

These yellow chrysanthemums and red cyclamen will hopefully be safer than the recently planted tulips of which Jackie bought a number in three figures.

Some time this morning the bulbs began to be exhumed and eaten, we suspect by a squirrel which can read the labels. They have already ravaged the area around the patio. Even if these animals are illiterate they will probably eschew daffodils to which they are not partial. If not squirrels, who knows?

This evening we dined at Rokali’s where the food and service was as good as always. I chose methi goust; Jackie, ponir shashlik, and we shared sag rice. I drank Kingfisher and Jackie drank Diet Coke. I may not have mentioned before that the knives actually cut and the forks and spoons do not bend.

Spade Sceptre

Today the air remained stock-still until late afternoon, with the result

that the crab apples hung in portrait format.

There was very little damage from yesterday’s storm.

Jackie righted a heavy pot which had been blown over and straightened the Nerine which had bowed under pressure.

The white begonia remained lowered to the ground; dahlias and hydrangeas were undisturbed.

Jackie has removed a large cluster of mushrooms that threatened to choke Rosa Siluetta Lavender encircling the Weeping Birch trunk, and began clearing the footpath to the tree beside which the chair has lost a leg and will be converted to a plant stand elsewhere.

We jointly transferred more spare paving to bear a temporary throne to replace the rusted chair for The Garden Queen to strike a regal figure clutching her spade sceptre.

Afterwards she began planting up the large pot positioned beside it.

The Summer Wine rose continues to cling to Martin’s Arch.

Just as Jackie finished her planting a heavy shower watered it in.

This evening we dined on flavoursome baked gammon; succulent ratatouille; boiled baby potatoes; firm carrots, broccoli and cauliflower, and tender runner beans with which I drank Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2022.

Preparing For Ashley

Today’s warm-still-sunshine weather belies the anticipated 46 m.p.h. winds of storm Ashley expected to strike tomorrow.

We therefore went into full batten down the hatches mode as we lowered items bound to be blown down.

Next, we filled six more compost bags with clippings Jackie had accumulated over the last few days.

Mushrooms continue to proliferate on the spread roots of the dead Weeping Birch. The head gardener added some these to a bag.

Later I read most of García Lorca’s ‘Blood Wedding’.

This evening we dined on slow-baked gammon; creamy mashed potatoes; crunchy carrots; firm cauliflower, and tender runner beans. with which I finished the vińa San Juan.

October Sunshine

Although my usual BCG procedure symptoms disturbed my sleep, by midmorning they had subsided, leaving me rather lacking in energy. I therefore dozed over the BBC radio transmission of the third day’s play in the second test match between England and Pakistan.

Having once more watched the cumbersome wood pigeons teetering precariously among slender stems while they attempted to keep the occasional crab apple in their beaks, I took a brief walk around the garden where

roses such as Aloha and Festive Jewel are still blooming,

and Rosa Siluetta Lavender continues to wind itself around the Weeping Birch trunk which it shares with mushrooms generated from its wood.

Fuchsias, for example Mrs Popple and Delta’s Sarah will probably survive the winter.

Clerodendrum Trichotomum is at its peak;

dahlias continue and Japanese anemones still attract bees

A hidden clematis cluster shelters alongside the Heligan Path.

Many pots of violas have not been mislabelled, they carry signs that bulbs are planted beneath them.

This evening we dined on Ferndene pork and garlic sausages; creamy mashed potatoes; crunchy carrots; firm cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. with which I drank another glass of viña San Juan.

Summer Time Flowers

Yesterday afternoon Jackie photographed a snails’ snuggery in a plant pot she unearthed. This contained 52 specimens.

On this still, warm, morning when we prepared the car for another trip to the Efford Recycling Centre, a T-shirt beneath a normal shirt was at least one layer too much. All was quiet, save for the grating rasp of the returning magpies.

We thought that the Hagley Hybrid, the first of these two clematises, had suffered the fate of a witch burnt at the stake during an early summer hot spell, but after a severe haircut it has risen once more.

A number of fuchsias, such as Mrs Popple, white Hawksmoor, and Garden News continue to thrive;

the Weeping Birch Bed features one of the several Delta’s Sarah.

Jackie has tried to plant nerines before without success. The first in this gallery, named Lipstick seems to enjoy this position beside the patio. Obviously the cosmetic sharing its name is more delicate than that favoured by Hot Lips salvia.

Some of the many roses still flowering are the peach climber, pink Compassion, red Super Elfin, pale pinks Penny Lane and New Dawn, yellow Summer Time, and mauve Alan Titchmarsh.

Hanging baskets and other pots contain begonias, antirrhinums, lobelia and violas underplanted with daffs.

Dahlias are in their element.

At the recycling centre we left five bags of green refuse and various wood and plastic items with no more useful life, and returned with a fine bevelled mirror to reflect light in the garden and provide a target for birds pecking their reflected enemies.

The lunchtime news on BBC featured a hospital carrying out medical procedures at weekends in order to keep down waiting times. The Hospital was Southampton General; the team Urology; the specialism Bladder Cancer. How about that?

This evening we dined on Hordle Chinese Take Away’s excellent fare.

Cleaning And Tidying

This morning I sat listening to the fourth day of the multiple-record-breaking first test between England (visitors) and Pakistan (hosts).

While Jackie, opening up the view to Florence along the Phantom Path,

continued the clearing and cleaning of the Brick Path and Westbrook Arbour, I took a short walk around the garden this afternoon.

This particular pendulous fuchsia Delta’s Sarah and two types of crab apple adorn the front garden;

the main rear plots harbour myriads of Japanese anemones;

roses such as pale pink Penny Lane, a darker hued rambler, and the hips of Rosa Glauca;

numerous dahlias; lingering begonias;

and hanging baskets and a sunflower photobombed by owls.

This evening we enjoyed more helpings of Jackie’s wholesome chicken stewp and fresh crusty bread.

Three Minutes

A sudden scary hail-like clattering seemingly about to pierce our bathroom window panes with a virulent volley at 7.10 a.m. this morning ensured that I was fully awake enough to investigate further.

A violent storm had lifted the patio parasol and, leaving the base behind, threaded it through the arms of a chair ripping the canvas top. Three minutes later all was still and silent. Jackie had righted the pot of chrysanthemums on the table before I produced my camera. Later we unthreaded the parasol pole and returned it to the base.

Fortunately the rain kept away while, returning with two reconstituted stone plinths, we transported another fifteen bags of garden refuse to Efford Recycling Centre.

The postman had delivered an admissions letter with a schedule of dates for my BCG vaccination installation procedures, beginning on Wednesday in two days time. This will mean six once weekly trips to Southampton General Hospital and some unpleasant side affects.

I had hoped to put my feet up this afternoon in preparation for some more chopping and bagging up of pruning from the section along the West Bed fence which Martin hadn’t had time for at the end of his recent visit.

Since I will probably be out of garden action for the next two months I

decided to carry out this task today and take a rest tomorrow. It needed five spent compost bags.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s wholesome shepherd’s pie; sliced fried potatoes; firm cauliflower, carrots, and Brussel’s sprouts, with which I drank Patrick Chodot cru du Beaujolais 2023.

Further Along West Bed

This morning Jackie and I transported another fifteen bags of garden refuse to Efford Recycling Centre from the heap that had continued growing in the last couple of days.

In the meantime Martin made sure that what was left was more than we started with.

He cleared far more than I had left in the West Bed, and

littered the Brick Path once more,

not failing to clear and bag up the debris.

Jackie continued working in the shade of the wisteria, where she proudly inspected the lily bulbs she had found.

This evening we dined on Nando’s peri-peri sauce on Jackie’s roast chicken pieces, with her colourful savoury rice; firm cauliflower, and tender runner beans, with which I drank a deliciously smooth La Réserve de Sociando Mallet 2016 Haut-Médoc by Sylvie et Jean Geautreau which Tesco clearly hadn’t been able to sell at £28.00 so Jackie splashed out and bought it on Yellow Ticket at £15.40.

Behind The Shed

In preparation for the winter quarters of her potted plants Jackie has spent time tidying the greenhouse where she will now perch on her shower seat recently acquired from Efford Recycling Centre.

The area behind the adjacent garden shed had become a dumping ground for various artefacts no longer in use, for forgotten trays of bulbs such as tête-à-têtes, and for a now collapsed table, all standing on uneven ground harbouring twisting tree roots and prolific stinging nettles. Jackie has also cleared this, uprooting the nettles and having suffered a number of painful stings in the process.

Martin, this morning, opened up the area around the bay and holly trees by lopping branches in order to lift the canopies of these, thus revealing ornaments like dragons which have been obscured for a couple of years.

Between them our two proper gardeners have filled many more bags of refuse to add to those of mine.

Later I read more of ‘The People’s Act of Love’.

Giles had been admitted to Lymington Hospital following a fall last Wednesday. We therefore visited him early this evening. He is out of bed and mobile.

Afterwards we dined on Mr Pink’s first class fish and chips with baby plum tomatoes and cold baked beans, with which I drank more of the Cabernet Sauvignon.