Tying the Knot
Friday, July 26, 2019
Before I begin to unravel the knot in the heading to this months
news, This month of July deserves to have its praises sung for a
very fine spell of weather in which only some rainfall was missing.
It has always been our favourite month in the garden and is planted
for maximum impact then.
Each one of the 17 borders has been putting on a great show,
benefitting from the years of top up planting we have done since
they were made around 1994. Here is just a small selection of some
of the best
When the red border gets into it's stride the rest
of the garden begins to blaze!
A softer effect with plenty of impact is
seen in the Koi Pond shrub rose border
In the House Garden the border leading up to the
greenhouses has had many incarnations; the current one is the best
it has been, retaining the alstoemeria species aurantica, one of
the first orange flowers I was brave enough to grow! Rich blue
spikes of veronicas and a really choice nepeta "Blue Dragon" which
is very different from the sprawling forms.
The picket fence border along the country lane is the
first vistors and passers by see. Populated by tall and high impact
plants which like the hollyhocks do seed around and create some
intriguing crosses
A quiet underrated border opposite the Red Border
has a softening effect particularly the 2 cascading miscanthus.
There is still plenty of interest however for plant
lovers.
A cosy corner near the conservatory with a much
used!! love seat in a sunny spot and roses with californian poppies
direct sown
Further up the path there is another mostly direct
sown wild flower border. Intense blue from cornflowers and
echium vulgare and a variety of white umbelifers, some perennials
which are long established now.
Because of how well the borders usually look then,
our Open Days for the NGS always took place in July. On
that subject I was reflecting this week that had it not been for my
Cancer condition we would most likely still be opening now which
would have been our 20th year. It would have coincided with
the 20th Anniversary celebrations in 2 of our local public gardens,
Which coincidentally had their first openings on the same date as
us The National Botanic Garden of Wales, and Abeglasney Gardens and
how lucky we are to have 2 such fine gardens no more than 30
minutes from us. In those early years we often shared coach parties
from continetal Europe.
Every year at Aberglasney there is an evening event for
members which this year had such a special meaning for us all with
nearly 300 in attandance to enjoy a fabulous 3 course buffet and
drinks on a balmy night.
It was a good opportunity to see the garden in a
different light as the evening set in. A seeded wild flower garden
is a lovely addition each year
And Now for something you have been waiting for -Tying
the Knot!!
A very special non gardening event that took place on 24th July.
After living together for 38 and a half years, Moira and I
were married in Carmarthen Registry Ofiice. We hope you will enjoy
the large gallery of pics from a wonderful day.
Up at 500.am after a night of thunder and
lightening but sadly not enough rain, it was good to see a
sky that was beginning to clear which presaged a fine
day
Moira's wedding bouquet, thank goodness the sweet
peas held on long enough.
On the threshold of our new life!
And a taxi service generously provided early in
the morning by our lovely friend and neighbour Catrin with her
daughter Mared
Meet the gang at the Registry office - our
guests
The ceremony was a happy good humoured event ably
conducted by the Registrar Nicola and her colleagues. The music we
chose was Elgar's "Salut D'Amour" for the entry, Mozart's "Clarinet
Concerto" for the signing of the Register, and Leonard Cohen's
"Dance me to the End of Love" which was a jolly way to leave -
there was impromptu dancing in the ailses! I read Shakespeare's
Sonnet 116 "Let me not the marriage of true minds admit
impediments...." and Nicola read a poem of her choice which
she thought correctly reflected us both.
Friends from our careers in Land Registry, Colin and
Estelle were witnesses
Nicola the Regitrar sends us on our way with her
best wishes
And what a way to go as a guard of honour formed an archway for
us, shaped by a selection of very clean gardening tools! Typical of
the thought that our friends had put into the day.
Then off for a well earned lunch at Y Polyn, a favourite
and highly rated local restaurant/gastro pub
Back Home again
And this surprise from Moira of a balloon
Arch
Tha garden was a superb backdrop for pics and is well
known and loved by all our guests and neighbours who joined us
later. We were so pleased how well everyone got on with each
other
Neighbours Alun and Eieen Price who kindly brought
a contribution to the buffet
Nothing has given us greater pleasure than to see
people from farming stock admiring the plants in the
garden!
The balloon arch beginning to disintegrate,
leaving a scary white image as the night set in.
And finally our warmest thanks to everyone who has sent
e mails, cards and presents, and supported us especially during my
illness over the last three and a half years
Back now to the usual monthly format for our Web
Site News
Weather update
Weather up to 26 July. The wonderful weather continued
right until almost the end of the month with heatwave conditions
and precious little rain. With streams and springs drying up we
desperately need some steady heavy rain.
Staistics:-
There were 15 sun days with a max to 31C on 23/7 and 16
days over 20C. Only 3 rain days with measurable precipitation to
0.6 inches and 5 changeable days. Warm evenings were a common
feature with many nights well over 15C and just 2 nights of
5C on 3rd and 4th
What a perfect end to a memorable day
A partial eclipse of the moon in the week of
celebrations for the Moon Landing was timely. The real thing was
better than my humble efforts!
Garden Up date
As referred to earlier all parts of the gardens are looking
magnificent to which the pictures below are testimony.
Vegetables have benefitted so much from the generous top dressing
of long rotted manure in April. Brassicas has never looked
better with brignt green leaves and no sign of any slug
or caterpillar damage, so unlike last year, and no sign of
protective fleece in sight which the calabrese and cauliflowers
have much appreciated as they hate being covered which makes them
sweat. There is now a wide range of veg ready for harvesting all we
are now waiting for is runner beans french beans and peas ( all not
far off). Sweetcorn is beginning to show the polination tassels
evidence that the the emerging cobs are ready for
polination
For me one of the highlights of the gardening year
is digging up the buried treasure where the new potatoes were
grown. Often their flowering conveys the message that the spuds are
ready to dig. I always however take the precaution of using a
border handfork so as not to waste all the unready smaller
ones. Nothing like the fresh sweet taste of the
first garden spuds and for us none better than our all time
favourite, the salad potato "Venezia"
As I hoped our local colony of white tailed bumble
bees in the log store had done a great job in fertilizing the broad
bean flowers with a very good crop.
A general view of veg gardens containg spuds and
brassicas
Further up are the root crops and onions with
fleece over the carrots now to keep th carrot fly at
bay.
Crop harvest for evening meal
Less rain means less mowing of the lawns which I still
feed periodically. to keep them looking green. Weeds never stop
however hard we try to keep on top of them but the hoe is such a
valuable tool all over the garden and saves much back breaking work
for both of us. Moira remains in charge of watering the nursery
which releases me to water borders which I have recently planted
out and of course the veggies. A leaky hose is an
effective and labour saving piece of equipment for runner beans
which have a copious thirst but need plenty to ensure good
flowering. The hose is left on all night as beans
are such a long lasting and valuable late season crop.
Paddock Pond and waterlilies
Henerocallis "Chicago Sunrise" with astilbe
chinensis var davidii - waving wands of deep lavender flowers
to 4 feet or so
Having some disappointment earlier in the year
with frosted hydrangeas I was delighted when at least 3 of our
quercifolia forms showed flowers for the first time in their 6
years here. They can be unreliable for some people even though
planted in what should be places that suit them. This one has for
company, hemerocallis "Joan Senior" and clematis "Arabella" a non
climbing form which sprawls. I plant in this fashion all over the
garden using shrubs for them to climb in this way
It is touch and go in our frost pocket whether we
can get tender salvias through a cold winter. The best we have
found is "Hot Lips" which in this picture is situated in a well
drained spot and south facing which has now made a tall well wooded
plant. I wait to tidy it up in spring until the better weather
arrives
What is, was looking good
So many contenders vying for a top spot but I am most pleased of
all that the hydrangeas have come back following that late frost in
May which will be a lesson to me not to worry again in the event of
another late frost. Asperas in particular are very pleasing because
they never looked liked they would make it this summer. The form
Sargentiana that I showcased last year on Gardeners World have some
fine buds now so flowering by late July, August should now be a
possibility. Hydrangeas macrophylla and serrata are now flowering
well and responded positively to the cutting back that I should
perhaps have done some years previously seeing how well they have
done now.
Aspera Subsp. sargentiana
Progress since some of the hydrangeas were
frosted
I was also concerned for the well being of the
hemerocallis that were riddled with gall midge but the last few
weeks they have recovered well and there are few affected buds so
they are flowering as prolifically as they should be at this time
of year.
Perfume in the garden from a huge range of plants is a welcome
addition to the current charm of the garden. Main
contributors are Honeysuckles, sweet peas, the remainder of
philadelphus flowers and of course the 100 or so roses that are
scattered all over the gardens. Phlox too are firm favourites and
most are intoxicatingly scented There are a few unexpected
contributors:- clematis "Betty Corning", and a few hemerocallis,
mainly some of the yellow ones that have the genes of Hem.
liloasphodelus, a species form, in their make up. One of the best
for me is hem. "Vespers" a classy and elegant cultivar with outward
facing trumpets.
h. "Vespers"
Sweet peas are superb this year after years of
disappointment, but following a revision of the plant supports and
digging a new manure lined trench they are transformed
Finally there are also numerous lilies in the borders or set in
pots around the conservatory, along with brugmansias, where
we are closer to the perfume on warm evenings
Lilium "Night Flyer" Not strongly perfumed
but very intense colour in the Red Border
Lilium leichtlinii, a species form and always one of the most
admired in the garden
It takes some imagination when gardens are still young
to find suitable places to grow honeysuckles. The same is also true
of clematis that in time may bring tremendous value to
maturing gardens. Fortunately I did that and we now have at least 4
areas that are well served by a variety of scented forms of
clematis. This one over trellis alongside the summer house near the
Koi Pond is periclymenum "Graham Thomas"
Clem. "Betty Corning" , a light waft of perfume in
hotter weather. So many interesting and unusal clematis available
as a change from those in the large flowered groups and no pruning
mysteries or wilt to contend with
Clematis viticella from seed 15 years ago,
Allegedly the true form that has sported many poular
cultivars
Phlox "Franz Schubert" in the foreground with
"Blue Paradise" at the rear. We adore these old fashioned, classic
border plants of which there are plenty to choose in a range of
forms and colours. For us some like these have been in the borders
for up to 20 years.
"Blue Paradise" is quite magical at dusk when in
the fading light without warning the flowers get more intensely
blue. On of the plant highlights on a summers night.
There are in excess of 100 roses all over the
gardens and those in the sunny well drained Koi Pond border do best
of all. From the French nursery of Delbard comes this blowsy
flowered form "La Rose de Petit France
Bury your nose in here and be
intoxicated!
In total contrast is this species form rosa glauca
with long lasting prolific numbers of pink flowers on a large wide
spreading bush
Rambling rose "Bobby James"
Moira is dedicated to dead heading roses and makes a
very good job of it especially as some of the bushes are much
taller than she is!
She even takes her passion with her when visiting
other rose gardens but this rose arbour at Aberglasney was
just a bit too tall for her!
Moving on from scented plants here are a selction
of choice plants and planting combinations that have pleased us
this month. Geranium violaceum plenum in harmony with Alstroemerias
that have done very well in the garden this summer
Another alstroemeria we much like is "Indian
Summer"
Dierama pulcherimum always enjoy warm sumers which
follow wet springa and this year is no exception
A shorter form and very floriferous is Dierama
igneum sharing a pleasing combination with artemesia
ludoviciana
Campanula "Iridescent Bells" a newish introduction
which is quite a stunner. One of many in the genus we have in the
garden from alpine plants to tall border border perennials. All
really good doers
Senecio "Angels Wings" and Dianthus deltoides with more
artemesia. Not hardy the senecio can be over wintered under cover
somewhere frost free like I did with this one. They are generally
easy to find in nureries etc
A good show this year from schizophragma hydrangoides.
It came to me years ago as the form -rosea but is always white and
not as vigorous as it should be. This plant was well protected by
copious layers of fleece when we had the early spring frosts which
repaid the efforts
A rare and unusual form of lychnis cognata that in spite
of it's rarity I manged to obtain from the HPS Seed Exchange. It
looks nothing like the often silver leaved and pink flowered forms
that we are more familiar with.
I have lready raved about clematis early in this
News and this is another of the scrambling forms that weaves its
way around border comanions. x durandii is the name
Most exciting this, as 7 years ago I acquired from
a wholesale nurseryman, around 10 veratrums that he had lost
the labels for and I planted them in moist part shade and humus
rich soil. Half of them were in shade that is too deep and they are
struggling to cope and I have been biting the bullet about whether
to move them but they are notoriously difficult to move
succesfully.
In this pic however in a more open situation one of the
veratrums has raised flowers in white which is in its early stages
so not that clear to see in front of the euphorbia. It should make
up to 2 metres or so before the end of summer when
I hope to take a more informative picture. There are
only 3 clours of flowers, white, black and green but I was well
pleased it was white
Nice colour combination with the orange alstroe. and the
euphorbia which I believe to be Sikkimensis
Wildlife and Countryside
Most farmers these days store their grass harvest as silage in
large round bales or in clamps. In cutting and gathering the
harvest which is often completed in a matter of a couple of days,
it is mostly achieved by machinery and people are rarely seen in
the fields.
When I first came to Cilgwyn in the mid 1970's it was a very
different picture, and very labour intensive, so someone young and
fit like me moving into the area was a bonus for the local farming
community. Home from the office, a quick change of clothes and I
was out in the fields loading traditional square hay bales onto
trailers along with often a dozen or so relatives or friends of the
farmer. Weather was always critical to getting in the harvest
as the mown grass needs a spell of 3 -4 days of turning to
fully dry out, and in a wet summer often longer than that with the
risk that the crop can spoil if bad weather continues for some time
which it often did in the 1970's.
Tradition had it that after helping in the fields everyone went
to harvest supper as it was called, in the farm kitchen. Although I
was not a Welsh speaker, people made me very welcome and included
me in all the coverstions It was such a natural way to get to know
many of the local people and the history of the area and its
farming traditions. Conversation often turned to making hay
with far less machinery and what hard work it was. The older people
recalled cutting the grass with scythes, and the sound of them
being sharpened on wet stones using goose fat as a sharpening
agent. resonated across the valley, an abiding memory as was how
full of people the fields were then.
In a favourable spell of weather this month our friends and
neighbours the Price family made hay the traditional way in
the field opposite the Lodge. It always brings back
happy memories for me but I am sadly no longer fit enough to help
with the harvest as in those bygone days. Experience
something of what it feels like from the pics below and imagine the
heady scent of mown grass.
At last the dragonflies put in an appearance in mid month,
warmer weather having brought them out. Just a few butterflies but
not as many as you would expect with so many flowers to attract
them. Maybe with the budleias just coming into flower we will see
more.
In the fruit cage we have had a resident pair of blackcaps
taking advantage of a gap in the netting to feast on a very large
crop of redcurrants. Blackcaps are not uncommon birds here but I
have not seen them so close up before. They are very busy flitting
back and forward but wih no discernable song just a constant
twittering. Doing some research on them I discovered that they are
in the warbler family and as such they have a sweet call resembling
a nightingale which gives them the title of false nightingale. I
can't say that I would recognise the call if I heard it and it was
not clear from my research whether it only sings after dusk. I keep
my ears open anyway on late tours of the garden!
www.british-birdsongs.uk/blackcap/
