Potato Harvest

This year I have grown two varieties of potato; Charlotte and Pink Fir Apple.  Charlotte is an old favourite of ours.  It is essentially a salad potato with firm, creamy coloured flesh, however it also chips, roasts and mashes well, though thinking about it, I've never tried it as a baked potato...hmm. 

Anyway, I planted up one of our raised beds with Charlotte seed potatoes and the Pink Fir Apple tubers went into the large ex-water butt (it sprung a leak a few seasons ago and has since been used as a potato planter). 

a few Charlottes for tea

The Charlotte potatoes were dug up last week as all the top growth had died off.  On digging through the bed I was disappointed with the size of the crop; I think this is down to the exceedingly dry weather of the past couple of months and also my lack of watering.  In total the plot delivered about half a sack of potatoes, so I don't think we'll be enjoying any homegrown potatoes this Christmas, as we have done in years past.

The Pink Fir Apple is still growing away and it's been more frequently watered - easier to water a container with my trusty watering can then a whole raised bed.  So hopefully the yield will be better.  I've grown this variety as it is rarely available in the supermarket and, although it looks a bit odd, it takes delicious...I wonder how much longer I'll be able to resist tipping out the barrel?

Pretty as a Picture 16/08



bought as lilium patricia's pride; but very obviously not!  any ideas?



August Bloomers

I've recently discovered Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day over on May Dreams Gardens and thought I'd join the fray this month; so a selection of blooming lovelies follows:

pelargoniums

dianthus

blush noisette

nasturtium

dimension



patricia's pride



ground carpet

Close Quarters

I spend a lot of time in this garden at close quarters with the plants as I deadhead, weed and generally tidy up throughout the summer months.  One of the advantages of this close contact is that I get to fully appreciate the texture and scent of plants up close and personal.

fuchsia stem colour and leaf texture

I'm a big fan of fuchsias especially the trailing varieties, then whilst clearing up some fallen blooms from this plant I really took notice of the red stems and the contrast with the fresh green leaves; the flowers just felt like an added bonus.

hosta guacamole

In a large terracotta pot next to the fuchsia is this hosta.  It's a sublime green with large ribbed leaves crying out to be touched.  A couple of weeks ago it also had the addition of tall, white, lightly scented flowers, but it's the leaves that win this plant its place in the garden.

pinus sylvestris 'Chantry Blue'

Sticking with the green theme, the arrangement of the needles on this Scot's pine are mesmerising, I could stand and stare for ages (and often do!).

sedum spectabile 'Brilliant'

The combination of fleshy, succulent leaves and impending flowers give this plant real status in the texture stakes.  Then when the flowers open and its nectar brings the butterflies it's a supercharged plant for the late summer border.

marguerite

This close up of a large pot of marguerite standing on the party patio reminds me of a Laura Ashley fabric, pretty white petals with dainty yellow centres and flowering profusely throughout the summer - a bargain buy!

Generally on a visit to someone else's garden I don't get this kind of view; I think it might look as though I'm searching for faults rather than appreciating the plants.  However by not adopting this stance I'm missing out on some real treasure, so next time I visit a garden or flower show you may well find me down amongst the foliage and flowers appreciating the real detail of the planting.

Birthday Treats

In amongst my birthday presents at the end of July were some garden vouchers from my friend, C; I love it when I get presents for the garden and the vouchers have the bonus that I can go and choose from plants, tools etc.

So a good excuse for another visit to the Country Garden Plant Centre and their plethora of roses.  I made my annual trip there in early June and now I had an excuse to revisit.


Etoile de Holland?

We have an old climbing rose here at Holly Grove that is the deepest red and has the most astonishingly beautiful scent and I have spent sometime trying to identify it.  I had come to the conclusion that it was most probably Etoile de Holland and the lady at Country Garden was also of that opinion; so a large specimen of this rose was destined for Holly Grove.

Birthday Girl

Next I wanted a shrub rose for the border along the entrance drive to Holly Grove.  On my last visit I bought Erfurt and it is doing well in this location.  How lovely when I found my perfect rose to compliment Erfurt, and its name is so appropriate: Birthday Girl!  So she joined the climber in the trolley.


Hertfordshire

Now, I should have stopped at this point as I had used up my vouchers, but...I was tempted by two more roses: another ground cover rose this time from the Counties range, Hertfordshire and another shrub rose, Sally Holmes.  After taking time to consider my purchases with a cup of tea and piece of delicious cake it was time to drag the trolley to the cash desk, load the car and head back to Holly Grove for planting. 
Thank you C for my lovely roses, I'll be thinking of you each time I see them in our garden.

Famous Flower Show

It's Shrewsbury Flower Show tomorrow and Saturday and I'm ashamed to say that, although I've lived in the county for over twenty years, I've never attended.  I'm hoping to change that this year, weather permitting. 

If I manage to get there I'll be adding another View from the Audience post - so keep your fingers crossed for fine weather and your eyes peeled for the VFTA review!


Update - no go on the flower show visit.  The friend I was going with had to call off and the weather has been variable anyway with lots of heavy showers; well perhaps next year!

Tranquillity and Respite

Life can get very complex and confusing sometimes and it's on these occasions that I retreat to our garden.  Here, even with the borders crying out for weeding and the grass calling for a haircut, I can find tranquillity and respite from the challenges of everyday living.  So time for a wander around Holly Grove and then onward and upward!

Pretty as a Picture 09/08



campanula takesimana alba



Spring Planning in August

Over the past few weeks I've been receiving bulb catalogues and this has coincided with me considering gaps in the Holly Grove borders during late May/early June and again in August/September.  After many happy hours making lists of potential bulbs to fill the gaps I came up with these:

May and June



allium neopolitanum grandiflorum



allium schubertii

gladioli byzantinus



June and July

allium cernuum



allium pulchellum, pulchellum album
and allium flavum 



July to September



lilium White Heaven



So having selected my gap fillers for the summer borders, I couldn't resist some spring bulbs...

March to May



tulipa linifolia, tarda, eastern star,
turkestanica, saxatalis, clusiana chrysantha



puschkinia libanotica



tulipa red riding hood




daffodils and narcissi



tulipa green star



fritillaria meleagris

Phew!  Quite a list and it's drained by savings but I'm sure I'll be pleased that I made the commitment next year when these lovely bulbs come into bloom; on the plus side the Red Riding Hood tulips were free as were the daffodil and narcissi mix - that's how much I spent!  The bulbs were ordered from J Parker's and that's where most of the photos came from - I've had bulbs from them before, they seem to be reasonably priced and they've all done well.

Now I need to get back to the present day and get out and lift and store the potato harvest!

New Arrival

Hurrah!  The lilies mentioned in my previous post have burst into bloom, and they are fantastic - what a colour! 

lilium Dimension in bloom

Just waiting for Patricia's Pride and White Heaven to join the display.