We cut the beech hedging last Monday - the hottest day in the UK for seven years. I normally cut it in early August but by then there will be a houseful of guests so I thought I'd get the job done now. Wielding heavy petrol cutters and long-reach trimmers was slow, exhausting work in … Continue reading The Gardens In July
English Country Garden
Garden Visitors
Gardening is a fine job and as an added bonus I see plenty of wildlife (as if I needed an added bonus). Here's a little of what I've seen recently. Some of the visitors to the Priory are aloof. I see buzzards regularly wheeling and crying above the valley but only very rarely close up … Continue reading Garden Visitors
I didn’t show you …
... the alliums in flower. After last year's disappointment (when they were mostly reduced to sludge by heavy rain) they were a fine sight. I originally planted one hundred A. aflatunense, twenty A. rosenbachianum and ten A. globemaster. They have increased dramatically in number and bulbs have mounded up to the surface. I won't need … Continue reading I didn’t show you …
Wordless Wednesday: A Robin’s Story
The Priory Wisteria …
... hasn't flowered in my five years as gardener. Well, not properly. It does give a stutter of blue throughout the summer but the big spring show just hasn't happened; the flower buds have always been killed by the late, sharp frosts we have down in the valley. It is an impressive plant and big; … Continue reading The Priory Wisteria …
Under Way
I'm rather behind with blogging and as it's been a while since I posted any photos of the Priory, here's a quick, excitable splurge; a brisk whizz about the gardens, showing some photos from the past few weeks. This steep bank below the greenhouses is one of my favourite spots at the Priory. It is … Continue reading Under Way
A Look Back At Winter
What a long and cold, tedious winter that was. Spring is arriving in The Priory gardens, but I thought I'd buck the seasonal blogging trend of crocuses and primulas and daffodils; and subject you, instead, for a little longer at least, to more snow and wintry scenes. Sorry. And then I promise, I will bid … Continue reading A Look Back At Winter
The Anxious Gardener 