Although a little drier than expected, today remained largely overcast. Just before lunch Jackie took me on a tour of what she has achieved during the last few days in the garden. It struck me that I have never really shown the packed multiple occupation of our beds.
While listening to the men’s Cricket World Cup match between New Zealand and South Africa, I rectified that this afternoon.
The Kitchen Bed is faced by sweet peas, foxgloves and others beside the wall. Fuchsias, day lilies, antirrhinums, erigerons, ferns are all at home in the bed.
The Butler’s Sink beside the Patio contains petunias, foxgloves, geraniums, heuchera, and bidens;
one view of the bed includes a pink diagonal of fuchsia, geranium palmatum, and clematis.
Bees were investigating the orange poppy sharing the small triangular Wisteria Bed with day, lilies, fennel, and roses.
Geranium palmatums and fuchsias are among the occupants of the Dragon Bed.
Ferns, day lilies, and geranium palmatums, fuchsias, alliums, and more pack the Palm Bed.
Spirea goldflame, penstemon, bottle brush plants, day lilies, ferns, etc all wake in Margery’s Bed.
Youthful hot lips and an ageing rhododendron occupy the Cryptomeria Bed on the opposite side of the Phantom Path.
A pot containing fuchsia, geraniums, and others stands beneath the Westbrook Arbour
and above the West Bed where we find astilbe, pulmonaria, and lamium among others.
Erigerons, aruncus, lamiums, geraniums, fennel are among the residents of the Weeping Birch Bed.
Fuchsias and feverfew are found in Elizabeth’s Bed.
The Oval Bed has its share of Day Lilies.
The Rose Garden contains more than roses. Heucheras, lavender, and fennel are examples.
It is a year or two since we created the New Bed, but, like the thousand plus year old New Forest, it retains its name. Erigerons, solanum, clematis, and ferns are there maturing nicely.
It is hard to remember how overgrown with brambles and crowded with rocks and detritus was the back drive when we arrived. These previously non-existent borders now contain roses, poppies, hostas, geraniums, foxgloves, and viper’s bugloss among the many plants at home there.
This evening we dined on more of Jackie’s superb sausages braised in red wine; served with creamy mashed potatoes; crunchy carrots, cauliflower and broccoli, with which she drank Hoegaarden and I drank Cono Sur Bicicleta Reserva Pino Noir 2017.
