Ramblings
Jackie spent much of the day watering the garden; my major task was dead heading roses. Here is a gallery of some of those that escaped the secateurs:
Each picture is labelled in the gallery which can be accessed by clicking on any image.
This evening we dined on Jackie’s hot, spicy, pasta arrabbiata with which she drank Hoegaarden and I drank more of the Cabernet Sauvignon.
This afternoon I dead headed some roses then photographed them.
In the Rose Garden, Mum in a million is chaperoned by similarly hued self seeded foxgloves and gladioli that have found their way from the compost;
Summer Time, already tied up has sprung away from its tether and needed to be put back in its place;
Absolutely Fabulous is on the verge of living up to its name;
Festive Jewel is heavy with shining examples;
and For Your Eyes Only stretches far and wide. This last example is the only rose in the Rose Garden without a splendid fragrance.
In The Oval Bed Peach Abundance is a lavish cornucopia of delights;
Scarlet is represented by Altissimo at the corner of Elizabeth’s Bed,
and by Paul’s eponymous climber now dominating the wisteria arbour alongside clouds of blue solanum.
Spanning dead stumps along the back drive we have sweetly scented Emily Gray.
Compassion climbs alongside the Dead End Path;
nearby beside the patio an unnamed peach specimen sways in the breeze.
Whoops. I pressed post prematurely. I’ll tell you what we had for dinner tomorrow.
This morning while gardening Jackie photographed
rose Emily Gray, a highly scented rambler gracing
the back drive border out of sight in this shot;
clematis Doctor Ruppel climbing the weeping birch;
a row of blue irises with the bonus of a yellow stowaway in the bag of bulbs;
Nugget,
and his son Junior, still not qualified to wear the red jersey.
After lunch I managed the photoshoot.
On the kitchen corner of the patio we have delicate magenta gladioli Byzantinus blending with deep blue verbena Vectura and pink pelargoniums,
in turn reflecting similarly hued diascia potted above cascading Erigeron.
Nearby stands this peach rose we inherited.
Ornamental alliums of a number of varieties are gradually un-peeling throughout the garden.
Nugget attempted to encourage his son to feed from the suet pellet tray, but the youngster was deterred by my wandering around
the vicinity of the wisteria arbour.
I therefore focussed on this from above, showing how the rose Paul’s Scarlet and the clematis Star of India are poised to replace the fading pale blue blooms.
Later Jackie came in for her camera when Nugget and Junior both occupied the tray. Unfortunately they were gone by the time she returned.
Later, Nugget left Junior to his own devices while he flew off with a pellet for the next brood. Apparently robins are such prolific breeders that they can produce 3 to 5 clutches of up to five eggs a year. As soon as the youngsters earn the red jersey they are chased off by their father, so Junior will soon go and find someone else’s garden.
The marigolds in the Oval Bed continue to proliferate.
In the Rose Garden For Your Eyes Only is bushing out nicely, while Gloriana towers above it;
Schoolgirl vaults the arbour;
and flamboyant Festive Jewel,
sprightly Summer Wine and middle-aged Madame Alfred Carriere
carelessly cavort in concert.
This evening we dined on minted lamb steaks, boiled new potatoes; crunchy carrots and cauliflower; and firm Brussels sprouts with which Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I drank more of the El Zumbido Garnacha, Syrah.
At different times in this very hot day I have shared watering duties with the Head Gardener and carried some of her refuse to the compost bins.
Jackie has continued potting and tidying. When possible she sits and lifts the containers on any available surface.
The wisteria draped over its arbour here offers her a modicum of shade.
Blue solanum scales the arch in the first picture
and aquilegias share its bed opposite the greenhouse.
Nugget is very busy transporting food from the feeders outside the stable door. Before filling his beak he pauses above or below (clue) his hanging larder and when loaded takes off round the corner like an Exocet. Interestingly he will carry on regardless when we are outside, but if we are sitting inside the slightest movement cause him to flee. We suspect he cannot recognise us through the glass. He does feature in this “Where’s Nugget?” (73), but it would be so difficult to find him that biggification would probably be essential and I won’t be offended if anyone gives it a miss.
These potted pelargoniums have survived the winter.
Bonny bluebells are ubiquitous.
These in the back drive border stand beside vinca, bronze fennel, and cascading Erigeron.
We have several different varieties of rhododendron, two of which grace the Palm Bed.
This solarised cockerel lights the Pond Bed at night.
The yellow diurnal poppies have caught up with the orange ones which now require my daily dead heading attention.
Pink campion thrives beside the Lawn Bed.
For your Eyes Only, seeking shade,
and Crown Princess Margareta, attractive to flies, are two of the roses now blooming in the Rose Garden,
in which we now have abundant apple blossom.
No matter how many are pulled up by Jackie and Aaron, we cannot eradicate the wayward white alliums which produce clusters of minute bulbs seen here in the Weeping Birch Bed.
Osteospermum spills over its container on the edge of the concrete patio.
Woodpeckers Care Home has informed us that one of the residents has been admitted to hospital with coronavirus. Each remaining resident will be confined to their room for two weeks during which each member of staff has been equipped with suitable PPE. Mum is quite relaxed about it saying that she, who doesn’t mix with other residents anyway, has largely self-isolated as long as she has lived there.
We are about to dine on Jackie’s wholesome chicken and vegetable soup with crusty bread from the freezer. She will drink Peroni and I have already started on the Rheinhessen.
Heavy rain this morning gave way to bright, sunny, spells; in one of which I photographed some raindrops
on roses, dahlia Puerto Rico, a begonia, a pelargonium, fuchias, and penstemons.
Japanese anemones had managed to stay dry.
It didn’t take Nugget long to join in, and
he was almost too quick for “Where’s Nugget?” (29)
Becky and Ian joined us late this afternoon and accompanied us to the Regent Centre in Christchurch where we watched “Downton Abbey”, then drove to Bowling Green to dine at The Wheel Inn. I will report on this tomorrow.
My ten year old granddaughter, Imogen sent me these drawings by e-mail yesterday. I think her line, her shading, and her composition are exceptional.
Today we had a visit from another artist, in the form of John Jones making one of his occasional paintings of the garden.
The day was seriously hot and humid as John set about his drawing in the Rose Garden. We had been predicted a 78% chance of a shower at midday. Sure enough, a brief spell of rain arrived on time. Fortunately our friend was soon able to continue.
Raindrops adhered to several of the roses, especially For Your Eyes Only.
The agapanthuses in the Palm Bed had opened more than they were yesterday.
Jackie produced a splendid salad lunch, after which we enjoyed John’s Lindeman’s Chardonnay 2018 on the patio.
John needed a cap as the sun beat down this afternoon while he developed his painting.
Today’s retouching of the 1926 prints is one of Grandpa Hunter, Mum, and her brothers, our Uncles Ben and Roy. No-one looks very happy.
John, on the other hand looked quite pleased with his day’s work.
This evening Jackie and I enjoyed a second helping of Hordle Chinese Take Away’s excellent fare with which she drank Blue Moon while I finished the Fleurie.
Threatened with a thunderstorm, after two lengthy dead-heading sessions, I wandered around the garden while Jackie continued with her general tidying and maintenance work.
The blooms in these images of the Rose Garden and the bed at its entrance are identified in the titles of the galleries, each of which can be accessed by a click.
The Shady Path runs between the Dragon the the Palm Beds. The kniphofia and fuchsia occupy the Dragon Bed. The poppies are volunteers having forced their way through the gravel.
Day lilies, sweet Williams, lobelia, more poppies, and geranium palmatums are found in the section of the Dragon Bed alongside the greenhouse.
Day lilies, fuchsia Delta’s Sarah, geraniums, and clematis Marie Boisselot all make their contributions to the Kitchen Bed.
Supported by the Gothic Arch, Wedding Day now flowers above the Brick Path.
More day lilies and a fuchsia thrive in what we now call the Grass Bed.
Here are the current views down the Phantom Path;
from the Concrete Patio to the Oval Bed;
and over the stepping stones in the Cryptomeria Bed through to Margery’s Bed.
By early evening the skies were oppressively leaden, but the storm had held off when we drove into the forest.
On Undershore,
Gilpins is blessed with a quite magnificent cornus, which arlingwoman, below, has identified as Kausa.
On a particularly dark section of Church Lane a trainee rider loomed up out of the murk ahead of us.
Further on a deer dashed out of the light into the dark.
As we arrived at Tanners Lane a pair of kayakers were coming in to land.
There was a distinct dearth of donkeys, ponies and other wildlife in all the spots where we would expect to see them. We came to the conclusion that they had tuned in to the weather forecast and were lying low.
This evening we dined on perfect pork chops; crisp roast potatoes; crunchy carrots; tender green beans; and tasty gravy. Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I drank Squinzano Reserva 2014.
I wasn’t able to dead head all the roses today, although I carried out quite a long session with secateurs before my knees suggested that a rest might be in order. After taking one, it seemed likely that spent buds would not spoil any photographs, so I wandered around with the camera.
Here are four Rose Garden views with individual shots of Aloha, Absolutely Fabulous framed by a foxglove crescent, Gloriana, For Your Eyes Only, Rosa Gallica; and Ballerina dancing attendance.
Roses elsewhere include Wedding Day just coming into bloom on the Gothic arch; the peach rose in the Oval Bed; and Compassion beside the Dead End Path.
Bees continue to swarm around the yellow bottle brush plant and the valerian.
Purple lamium and blue petunias share one of Jackie’s pots; cosmoses feature in others. Our day lilies are proliferating; fuchsias Delta’s Sarah has proved to be hardy enough to survive our winter.
The kitchen wall display has benefited from all the recent rain.
The Palm Bed is named for the cordeline Australis which can be seen beyond its compatriot eucalyptus.
These three views are of the Phantom Path; the Shady Path; and the junction between the Brick and Gazebo Paths, the latter of which is shown from both directions.
This evening we dined on Jackie’s classic cottage pie, firm carrots, and tender runner beans with which she drank Hoegaarden and I drank Navarra Garnacha Roble 2017.
Jackie spent most of her birthday of gloriously sunny weather continuing her
replenishing and refurbishment of her vast number of plant containers.
In particular she concentrated on the stone urns, pots, and hanging baskets in the
Rose Garden,
into which a small dragonfly glided, coming to rest on the warm paving bricks.
Bees were busy everywhere. Here one loves and leaves a Welsh poppy;
another dives into an Oriental variety;
one more caresses an Erigeron.
The most recently blooming rhododendron also proved attractive.
We have quite a few of those Oriental poppies.
Jackie has also planted up the iron urn in front of the Bottle Brush plant.
These gladioli appearing in the Weeping Birch Bed must have grown from bulbs secreted in the compost from the group outside the kitchen door.
We have more clematises coming into bloom on a daily basis. Clicking on any to access the galleries will reveal the names of those we know.
This afternoon first Shelley and Ron, then Elizabeth, came bearing birthday gifts.
This evening we dined at The Royal Oak with Becky and Ian. This was a lovely occasion on which Jackie was given more presents, including a musical beer mug that had belonged to her father, and a glass cat from her friend Barbara in Amity Grove. Tears ensued. We then got down to the business of eating. My choice of main meal was perfect lean belly of pork; Jackie and Ian enjoyed burgers in brioches; Becky chose junior fish and chips which would have been adult portions in most places. Ian and I chose Eton mess for desert; Jackie chose créme brulée; and Becky, ice cream. The ladies both drank Diet Coke; Ian drank Birra Moretti; and I drank Malbec.
The sun today made fleeting, peeping, appearances in the garden.
These elegant, slender, gladioli are proliferating outside the kitchen door;
as does clematis Marie Boisselot in-urned in the Kitchen Bed alongside a deep red peony,
single petalled examples of which stand in the Dragon Bed.
Other clematises include Niobe on the corner of the kitchen wall, and on the wisteria arbour,
also home to Paul’s Scarlet;
and flamboyant Doctor Ruppel climbing the arch spanning the Brick Path beside the West Bed.
Delicate pink rose Penny Lane shares the arch.
One view from the Kitchen Bed leads to the distant entrance to
the Rose Garden, where
Festive Jewel, For Your Eyes Only, Love Knot, and Gloriana are among the parade.
Splendid Fireworks alliums burst forth in the Weeping Birch Bed,
while gentler pink stars mingle with Erigeron and euphorbia in the Kitchen Bed.
From the Weeping Birch Bed we are led through the Cryptomeria Bed to the eastern fence.
Pink campion and a bright red rhododendron stand sentinel on the south west and south eastern corners of the grass patch.
The red rhododendron emblazons these views down the Gazebo Path.
Elizabeth popped in this afternoon for a cup of tea.
This evening Jackie and I dined on pork spare rib chops on a bed of her mushroom rice fried in sesame oil. Mrs Knight drank Hoegaarden and I drank The Long Way Round Reserve Carmenere 2018.