I will be leaving Sussex and The Priory very soon. And if I'm excited about my future life in a different part of England, my lower lip trembles sometimes at the thought of leaving this garden; a garden in which I've spent hundreds and hundreds of my days. (By a rough calculation, more than 1500). … Continue reading The Priory In June
Summer Flowers
A Garden Tour: The Priory In July
Summer has almost passed me by and, oddly, I haven't posted any photos of The Priory since the spring. So as a belated companion piece to my recent tour of The Old Forge, here's a look at The Priory during July - if only two months late. We'll start off in the car-park, again, … Continue reading A Garden Tour: The Priory In July
A Garden Tour: The Old Forge
I don't feature The Old Forge very often but not because it isn't worthy: it's simply that The Priory is the main star of my blog and a jealous one too. Nevertheless, in late July on my regular Tuesday visit, I took some snaps and thought I'd give you a short - if incomplete - … Continue reading A Garden Tour: The Old Forge
The Tropical Border – 4th Year
When I started the tropical border in 2012, it was hardly deserving of the name but a year later it looked more the part. And by 2014 many of the plants were enormous and the bed did have a whiff of tropicality about it. This year it has continued to mature and, on the whole, … Continue reading The Tropical Border – 4th Year
The Tropical Border And How I Learned To Hate Soaker Hose
Like last year, I gambled on a fine spring by planting up the tropical border early. In mid-April, to a comb-and-tissue-paper fanfare, I dug up the big red banana (Ensete maurelii) from its winter-greenhouse-home and wheeled it into position. And then I did the same for the 'small' one. Each year I add a deep … Continue reading The Tropical Border And How I Learned To Hate Soaker Hose
A Gravel Garden For Free
Behind some outbuildings at the Old Forge is an oil tank and an expanse of gravel. For three long years, I weeded that gravel until, a couple of years ago, I (finally) realised I was being stupid. Instead of weeding, why not fill it with plants? Drought resistant, hardy plants of course but there would … Continue reading A Gravel Garden For Free
The Garden in Flower
My summer kicks off with the release of Margaret's cows from the sheds. I was on holiday on the big day, and for the first time in several years, I missed all the pent-up excitement, the expectation, the arging and barging, the galloping, the frenetic leaping into the air and bellows resounding across the valley. … Continue reading The Garden in Flower
The Anxious Gardener 