The most noticeable scent in the Priory gardens at the moment is not the roses; neither is it lilies; nor the strong wafts from summer flowering honeysuckle. No - the pervasive nose-tease is this: Measdowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria).* Because I'm leaving more and more of the garden margins unstrimmed, the number of wild flowers is increasing … Continue reading Wild Places, Wild Flowers – Summer
Wordless Wednesday
Here's a wheeze. Apparently, on Wednesdays some people post a photo without any .... damn.
Charleston Manor
In a quiet crease of the South Downs lies Charleston Manor. It is somewhere I have long wanted to visit and so, when I heard that the gardens were open, I almost fell over with excitement. After a pub lunch in nearby Litlington, we trundled up the yew-lined drive, to the house. The house itself … Continue reading Charleston Manor
Strangers On My Knapweed
Common knapweed (Centaurea nigra) grows widely in the meadow. It flowers from June till September, is very popular with a wide range of insects and is usually abuzz with visitors. There are, of course, the usual bees and flies that feed on its nectar. But the other day there were three visitors that I didn't … Continue reading Strangers On My Knapweed
Cutting The Mixed Hedging
There are three 'Priory Big Jobs' punctuating the summer: the cutting of the mixed hedging, the cutting of the beech hedging and the cutting of the meadow. Last week, I set aside two days to tackle the first of these. The Priory drive is a third of a mile long and lined on either side, … Continue reading Cutting The Mixed Hedging
Of Flowers And Foes
I'm rather fond of lilies. I know not everyone is. But I am. I grow them in some of the borders and ... ... in pots. After two years grace, lily beetles have now arrived at the Priory. Did they smell the perfume from across Margaret's fields and home in from some distant garden? Smacking … Continue reading Of Flowers And Foes
Swallows And The Kestrel
As buzzards will always remind me of the Priory, so kestrels will always make me think of the Old Forge. I see them hunting over the gardens and the surrounding fields almost every time I'm there. Today was no exception. And I saw one closer than usual ... ... as he perched on the house … Continue reading Swallows And The Kestrel
The Anxious Gardener 