Oh, to be in England....

How many people have stopped you today to ask if you have “ Heard the cuckoo yet ? ” or comment,

  “ I see the swallows are back ! ” or perhaps, " I see the ash is out before the oak, we are in for a 

soak "!  No ? Well, that’s sad. Looking and listening is what we country folk know all about. Moreover, Nature’s seasonal patterns, along with familiar sights and sounds of our countryside and gardens , have long been the subject of poets, essayisits and dedicated gardeners alike.

  

These words penned by the 18th century essayist Joseph Addison, may strike a chord. Could you live without the richness of the blackbird’s waking you on a Spring morning ? The piping of the nightingale became the love of Emily Shore, who during her short life wrote a fascinating observation of Nature.

May 9th 1835..a beautiful morning. The nightingales sung most sweetly, I think there were four of them. We watched one for a long time, perched in a naked oak...very calmly singing without hopping or dancing about... he makes his sweet long ‘ tweet ‘ ( designated by Coleridge ) “ One low piping note more sweet than all” ) without opening his beak at all, merely swelling his throat, .. the whole wood was echoning with songs...cuckoo, blackcap, thrush, blackbird, willow-wren, golden-wren.
Journal of Emily Shore.

 

Some years earlier Wordsworth country was enjoying good weather... 6th May 1802...
a sweet morning. We put the finishing stroke to our bower and here we are sitting in the orchard..a cool shady spot. The small birds are singing.. the thrush sings by fits. Hens are cackling, flies humming, the women talking, plum and pear trees are in blossom - apple trees greenish.. the crows are cawing. we have heard ravens. The ash trees are in blossom, birds flying all about us. The stitchwort is coming out... the primroses are passing their prime. Celandine, violets and wood sorrel for ever more -  little geraniums and pansies on the wall.
The birch tree is all over green in small leaf more light and elegant than when full out. It bent to the breezes as if for love of its own delightful motions. Sloe and hawthorns are in the hedges.
Dorothy Wordsworth, The Grasmere Journals

In the 1930’s drought conditions were penned by artist, writer and gardener Claire Leigton....
inky clouds cover the skies...the terror of a second year of drought enteres into us. We cannot again face the misery of our parched plants. Gardeners say it has forgotten how to rain. The vegetable garden looks happy to the casual observer in its definite stripes of various greens; pale rows of lettuce, red brown of beet, feathery lines of carrot, frill of turnip and spears of salsify. Peas flower and climb in a tangle of beech.. strawberries are in blossom. Lettuces are tough, carrots are tiny, spinach is running to seed...water butts stand empty...day succeeds day in parching, rainless heat .

For me it's been a bit of a Dorothy Wordsworth day...... 19th May 2014....Sycamores on the south-side alight in frilly green, their branches open to the daily hustle and bustle, birds full of chat. Lush and verdant are the herbaceous borders, spilling leaf and flower...a warm sun on my back as peas are sown, radish leaves are poking skyward. Buzzards glide the flawless sky and curlews crack the sky space.

Angie Townsend, Sussex House

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Log on for wildlife !

Everything in the garden is looking lush after the recent showers and the last few days have seen ferns unfurling - they grow amongst other plants in a ' loggery ' I constructed many years ago in a corner of my garden.

Over the years, I have opened my garden for charitable causes, and the loggery has always caused some head scratching and comments like "What's this then - it looks like a pile of old logs "!  I suppose at worst it is a pile of logs, sticks and branches but at best, with the interplanting of interesting woodland plants, ferns and bulbs, it has become a habitat for all manner of wildlife. Adjoining the loggery is a stream which runs down from the moor and that too provides an extensive feeding ground and shelter for frogs, toads, hedgehogs butterfly's and birds.

It doesn't matter what size garden you have, such a habitat can be included especially if you have a dry and shady area which might be otherwise neglected - why not put it to use ! The construction materials will depend on what you have available and depth of detail you want to create. Generally speaking you will need as many logs as you can handle, silver birch are great for their distinctive, peeling bark and will look attractive amongst groups of stones and chosen plants.
Clear your spot of any invasive weeds and fork over the ground incorporating well rotted compost or leaf-mould. Then arrange your logs and stones in a natural free fallen way, and back fill with with compost. You don't have to go to those lengths, stacks of logs will be enough to provide a quality
home ! Very soon moss will start to form on stones, which will become a great source of fun for birds gathering food and nest building material - especially blackbirds !

                                                              Now, what to plant !

Plants that spring to mind for any woodland setting are ferns - there is something quite magical about watching their delicate fronds unfurling from the undergrowth.

We have so many in the garden I have lost count of the number and names to be honest !! But, you could start off with Polystichum setiferum, it is a survivor of most dry conditions, so too the shiny hart's tongue fern or Asplenium scolopendrium.

Don't over look the smaller ferns which prefer to live in rock crevices, such as maiden-hair spleenwort.
a good plant for ground cover preferring a slightly moister soil is Asarum caudatum. Displaying lovely heart-shaped leaves which conceal small, pitcher-shaped brown to purple flowers with tails it will turn heads !

Enhance with architectural shapes by introducing Soloman's seal and foxgloves. Of course, you couldn't possibly be without woodland flowers such as primrose, bluebells, snowdrops and anemones bringing their refreshing colours to the picture !


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One for the pot ? I think not !

Some old wire hanging baskets have come in handy over the last few weeks ! I've been trying to protect some of my favoured plants from nibbling rabbits and pecking pheasants ! The young lush leaves of Erythroniums have been emerging providing tempting grazing, so too the spectacular flowers if they survive. The defences are up and thankfully, so are the plants - success !

Erythronium are essentially a plant  of deciduous woodland and among the elite in the bulb world. Common names you may come across are Fawn Lily, Trout Lily, Adder's Tongue or Dog's Tooth Violet ! I didn't realise that the bulb and leaves are listed as edible ! As a vegetable the bulb can be cooked or dried and ground into a flour. To be honest I would prefer to enjoy them in my garden rather than on a plate !

The very showiest hail from the western states of North America. California boasts many species including E. californicum ' White Beauty ' a real stunner ! Introduced towards the end of the nineteenth century by nurseryman Carl Purdy, the recurved flowers are pure white, with an inner throat of reddish-brown markings, the leaves are lavishly marbled. This one and more hold an Award of Garden Merit given to plants which are easy to propagate, resistant to disease and least prone to damage from frost.

From the foot hills of Sierra Nevada comes another winner, E. tuolumnense, a fast mover, displaying a shower of golden yellow flowers with elegant stems standing tall of bright green leaves. One of it's hybrids ' Pagoda ' is now widely available. Very dependable, she has provided me with many off-sets, a good one to start off with.

Pink flower strains in the form of E. hendersonii and E. revolutum can be found in the region of southern Oregon right down to the coastal redwoods of California.

I introduced E. revolutum ' Johnsonii ' into the garden a few years ago, totally stunning and falls into the category of plants " I must have it " ! I think you will agree - the broad flowers are an eye-catching pink, with throats dusted yellow, below lie deep-green leaves traced with purple markings which move to a rich earthy brown.

Closer to home, our European dog's-tooth is a splendid plant offering pleasurable viewing. E. denscanis is easy, providing you can offer dappled shade. Too much shade causes the plant to make clumps of leaves, attractive in themselves with flat leathery distinctive colour variations, but the flowers are a 

must !

Give Erythroniums the right conditions and you will not be disappointed - deciduous woodland or lightly shaded shrubbery, with plenty of moist but well-drained soil during their growing season is ideal. During their dormant time throughout the summer months the trees are in leaf and provide the dry soil conditions which protect the bulbs from heat. The soil can benefit from occasional top-ups of leaf-mould or well-rotted compost.

The bulbs are quite extraordinary in that they really do resemble a dog's tooth - plant bulbs in the autumn, at a depth of at least 8cm. Once planted leave them undisturbed to become well established and divide plants perhaps every three to four years, during the autumn. Having made divisions don't let the bulbs dry out, replant as as you can. Generally they will be trouble-free, although snails and the odd rabbit or pheasant might like to try their luck !

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Snake in the grass !

There are some sights that just thrill ! I have a border in the garden that forms a bank and it is planted with a mix of shrubs and hardy geraniums. A few years ago I scattered some seeds in amongst  the planting and kept my fingers crossed !

Over the years I have not been disappointed with the ongoing results. The ' snake's head ' fritillary, F. meleagris has well and truly settled in. The tessellated, dusky mauve and white heads are now increasing forming a sea of nodding heads.

I have met people who are not wild about these flowers, often referring to them as rigid and plastic like in their waxy coats. yet, for me they are plants that possess that certain ' wow ' factor.

Graceful in stem, delicate of flower, they are a curiosity writ large.

The snake's head is native to most of Europe and can be found enjoying moist grassland conditions.

 

When you get the white form mingling in it really is a lovely sight !

Turkey, Afganistan and Pakistan is the home of the giant member of the family, F. imperialis, a truly magnificent plant, but a tricky customer for some. They make a wonderful picture on mass. Many moons ago, I used to deliver meals on wheels in this area, and had the privilege of visiting a lady who grew these plants like weeds in her back garden ! I will never forget the sight, to get to the garden there was a journey through a series of dark, musty passages. and down deeper into a scullary. On opening the heavy outer door, light flooded in, smacking us back with bright blinding intensity. Fragrance kicked in next, pungent, almost foxy.

A lotion to the iris was to follow - standing tall some 5ft tall, bolt upright, erect stems carried large, dripping orange-yellow heads, crowned with a fancy arrangement of leafy bracts. Striking !

A cup of tea and this tale always accompanied my spring visit..............when Christ died, all the flowers in the garden of Gethsemane bowed their heads, bar one, the pure white crown imperial. An angel was sent to ask the crown imperial to rethink, it blushed, hung it's head and shed a tear from each of the florets. Take a look little droplets you will spy......

The lady has long gone now and I often wonder if those magestical imperials still hold sway in the back garden ! 

Conditions need to be right to achieve the best results. The bulb has a hollow centre, if this gathers water in cold wet soil, the bulb rots. Choose the sunniest sight possible with well-drained soil. If conditions are not ideal then consider growing in pots, shelter over winter, bringing them out in the spring.

There are many Fritillary to choose from and these you are likely to find through specialist growers and at seasonal plant fairs. But F. meleagris should be widely available from garden centres and nurseries. It was from a plant fair that I found this beauty F. affinis.

It looks as if it should be difficult, fussy perhaps ?! But not at all. Growing in partial shade in well drained soil it's more than happy. Commonly known as the checker lily or chocolate lily it is native to North America. Long stems carry these delicious looking nodding heads with variable mottling. Sometimes yellowish or greenish brown with a lot of yellow mottling or, yellow and green with purple mottling, in this instance mine has a very distinctive luxurious purplish black coat. Quite divine !

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My Spring Garden

Hello !

I am new to blogging but not new to writing about gardening. For a number of years I was the Gardening writer for The Teesdale Mercury, Durham Town & Country magazine and successfully produced a video ' Spirit of Place ' a personal account of a year in my garden and the surrounding countryside which sold nationwide ! After a 5 year break from garden design and helping others in a practical way I am back now working as a professional gardener.

Needless to say, I love gardening !  So, I hope that what I can share with you will help or inspire you, especially if you have a difficult garden such as mine which is either partial or heavy shade.

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Springtime is a period of excitement for me ! Throughout February hundreds and hundreds of snowdrops have taken centre stage, to be followed by daffodils and now celandines carpeting the woodland floor en masse.

Today's glorious sunshine has highlighted the Epimediums. I call them my buried treasure ! If you haven't come across them, start searching because they are plants worth knowing and having. These delightful woodland lovers come to us from Japan and China. The older types are giving way to new colourful beauties, spreading excitement through the world of plant collectors. A brief description here just wont do, they have to be seen to be appreciated. Jewel-like flowers - sparkling gold, ruby, amethyst, diamond white and more besides dance amidst foliage decorated in coppery red, bronze and green markings. The beautifully crafted flowers nod delicately from slender stems, with some varieties displaying elongated petals which arch back like spurs. Translation of the Japanese word for Epimedium gives us ' anchor plant '. Here we refer to them as barren wort, a term dating back to medieval times, and was believed to hinder conception. But, not so in China where the extract from the leaves is used as a aphrodisiac !

My favourite has to be E. x rubrum. They gleam resplendent in the sunshine. The cheery red and yellow spurs stand tall against the foliage - such a contrast !

Larger blooms projecting longer spurs can be found in different forms of E. grandiflorum.

Above we have a variety that has taken well in this shady garden and will soon need dividing. E. x versicolour  ' Sulphureum ' has excellent yellow flower heads that highlight the shadier borders. This is a good one to start off with, being easy and reliable and holds an Award of Garden Merit.

I check on my treasures regularly especially during frosty spells. The emerging foliage can be caught in no time and may disturb next years's flowering process. My prevention tactics involve cutting down all the old foliage in late winter to ground level and covering with a layer of leaf-mould and peat. This method means the emerging flowers will be seen at their best due to the fact that the flower stems emerge before the new foliage.

The foliage is superb and once away these plants provide very attractive ground cover. Before planting I would suggest good ground prep. A well-drained, humus-rich soil is best and this can be enriched with well rotted compost, leaf mould or peat substitute. If, after a number of years the flowers decrease or the leaves start to deteriorate then divide and replant in a newly prepared site. Keep them content by mulching and applying a general fertiliser, until the guardian of the treasure chest  locks them away for safe keeping !!

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