Late September interest at Skinners Cottage

The gardens are definitely looking autumnal now and I spent a lot of time yesterday cutting back – a task which I actually rather enjoy. 

However, there is still interest and colour.  Top of the list for colour is a perennial antirrhinum which Rhona gave me earlier in the year.  I suspect it has been generously spread around Amberley already but it has been amazing and is still flowering its socks off.   Rhona tells me that you can take cuttings so I will certainly introduce it into other areas of the garden and I am sure some rooted cuttings will be available at any forthcoming plant swap/sale.

Next up is the Mexican Sunflowers, Tithonia – it has been brilliant this year.  I can well remember the somewhat puny seedlings which I nurtured through the early months, but them they suddenly take off and then they keep delivering. 

 

Third up Bidens Hannay Lemon Drop – I have grown this for many years, primarily in the area by the stable as it tends to be favourite food for rabbits when I have tried to introduce it into the paddock. It always brings a smile to my face when it first comes out. It can bloom from July, but was, perhaps surprisingly, a little late this year.  It will continue until the first frosts and sometimes beyond. 

 

Now to quieten things down, I have one of my favourite plants at all times of year – the gladiolus murielae, also called acidanthera. I bought a feeding trough earlier in the year which is placed by the stables where it will get a lot of sun.  

I have filled it with soil and then on top puts the gladioli, in about 20 pots and they are doing very well.   I did not know until Linda mentioned it, but not only do they look elegant, they have a lovely smell. 

Best Wishes

Rosemary

Visit to Sarah Raven's garden

In mid August, I went with my sister to visit Perch Hill, Sarah Raven’s garden in East Sussex. 

I have been there several times before and it is usually full of inspiration and colour and this time was no exception.  

 

She had introduced some “open garden” visits, where if you were lucky and booked very early you could have either coffee and cake in the morning session or lunch in the mid day and afternoon sessions, but unfortunately we had to make do without any refreshment.  

 

Nonetheless, it was a lovely experience, walking through the cut flower garden filled with dahlias, some as big as dinner plates (not quite my thing).

The cutting garden was also full of cosmos, tithonia, zinnias salvias and sunflowers.   

There is a central arch up which she grows sweet peas and when they have finished (which they had on our visit).

The sweet peas are replaced with the yellow, orange and red “Spanish flag” “mina lobata” or I think now called “ipomea lobata” and white and mauve cobea scandens.  

     

There was plenty verbena and also a pretty annual persicaria which I had tried to grow from seed and failed and I understand that it grows best when it self-sows, but you have to get it to grow first to achieve that.  

She was also growing tagetes cinnabar which I have grown very successfully this year (albeit having been donated the plants)

 

Needless to say I took a lot of photos, and I will put a further set from other areas on the blog in the next few days.  

Best wishes,

Rosemary

Visit to Bourton House

I don't know if you remember seeing a short film about Bourton House Garden on Gardeners' World during late summer last year.  If you missed it, it is available still via the Bourton House website and is almost as good as an actual visit. 

I put it on our list of things to do this year if possible and we went for an overnight stay in the Cotswolds on the hottest day in August.   We arrived at Bourton  House about midday and the hoses were on which provided some cooling breeze.    We were not disappointed.   

Not the slightest bit unkempt despite the difficult times, the garden was looking lovely and very well kept.    They have a lot of tender perennials and many of  these are shielded together in pots as you enter the garden just after the topiary hens.    

As is so common now the garden is split into a number of "rooms", including a very structured  garden containing a lot of box shapes.

Next comes the white garden 

At right angles to the white garden is what I would probably describe as a "bold and brilliant garden".  

You then turn onto a large dramatic lawn with colourful borders each side and also at the back looking over the distant countryside.  

 

 

As you will see if you view the film, there is a shade house and also a knot garden.  

The planting looked very healthy with a lot of cannas, abutilon and tibouchine (since purchased from Burncoose and thriving in our courtyard).  

I am surprised it is not better known, although there were quite a number of visitors, so perhaps I should say  I am surprised I had not heard of it before,   

After the visit, to our surprise, we were able to participate at the local pub in the Eat Out to Help Out scheme.  We then travelled to Hidcote Manor which was, as they said at the entrance, not looking at its best due to extensive furloughing and lack of volunteers.   It made me think that the right approach would have been to do as Parham have done and close for the year.  It was very sad and made me realise just what hard work keeping up gardens of the size and status of Hidcote must be.   

Best wishes

Rosemary     

 

SAGE supports the National Garden Scheme

 A number of small but perfectly formed groups of six met at Southdown House, the Old Brewhouse and Frithwood Cottage on Tuesday to enjoy a glass or two of prosecco and canapés in the balmy late summer evening, to chat in the beauty and drama of the gardens and to raise funds for the National Garden Scheme during their Garden Party week.

The total raised was £235 which was a tremendous result.    The NGS is such a brilliant idea and has been very creative during lockdown in designing  virtual experiences to keep interest in gardens alive and to sustain their well chosen charities.   

Many thanks to all who participated with particular appreciation to Glenys Rowe, Pam and Sarah Ffoulkes Roberts and Rhona Hoy as hosts and to Mike Beck for the photos.     

It is great that SAGE showed its support for such a worthwhile cause and it was much appreciated by the NGS marketing team

Unfortunately i was not sufficiently well organised to have photos of the event at Southdown House or Frithwood Cottage, but we will end on this great picture of Pam the morning after.  

Now that the school opening issues have largely been solved, my technical support has a little more time and this week I hope to post some pictures of a number of garden visits, including to Bourton House, Sarah Raven's Perch Hill and Malthouse Farm.  

Best wishes

Rosemary