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A Mixed Bag
Despite the constantly changing weather there is still a summer feeling to this area of the garden. The Autumn Hawkbit (which opens and closes on a regular basis in response to the showers) provides a sunny contrast to the cosmos and the Fuchsia in the background. It is a nice contrast to some of the…
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An Indian Summer
This second flowering of Geum has produced a dramatic background for a mature Green Shieldbug. I don’t imagine that this is the safest place to be if you need to be inconspicuous, but it makes a lovely picture. This has been a bumper year for Puffballs and Earthballs and they have expanded their territory to…
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Summer Colour
This pink Leptospermum scoparium ‘Martini’ was a new addition to the garden last year. It tends to be delicate and I had no hope that it would survive the cold winter. It is past its best in this photograph, but to my surprise it is thriving. If it is like its relatives in the garden…
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Salt is Not Always Savoury
I am usually very alert to any weather ‘events’ in the garden, but seem to have missed a recent dry wind from the south with its usual unwelcome gift of salt. The black leaves on the hydrangea are always a hint, but this time the Rosa Rugosa seem to have suffered as well. This is…
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Waiting Impatiently for Spring
30 January 2023 I am not usually envious of other people, but recent visits to my local village have been turning me green. Here on the coast the winds are rarely benevolent and we are still having frosts and days when the wind chill can reduce the temperature dramatically. My camellias continue to hang back…
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Birds and Other Creatures
The pheasants have made their presence known again as they join the foxes in their noisy calls. Now all we need are for the crows to return and the raucous section of the winter orchestra will be complete. The long dry summer has distorted the foliage in the garden and some of the trees changed…
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A Benign But Dry September
The nights are drawing in, but it is the changes in the wildlife that to me are the signal that winter is on the way. The goldfinches have started to return to the garden and I do hope that I have as large a flock as last year. The slugs are less evident although by…
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Midsummer
Having decided to take a rest from new projects I have immediately started another one! This area is under some pine trees and I have not had much success in growing anything so close to them. However, the space is now almost totally protected from the winds by a maturing hedgerow and shrubs, so I…
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For the Birds!
Prickly and Smooth Sowthistle both have lovely flowers, but look rather dishevelled as the seeds appear. I always have to resist the temptation to pull them out when they are in this state until I noticed that something has been eating the seeds on one plant in the rockery. My tolerance was rewarded the other…
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A Late Christmas Present
Great excitement as I finally got my Christmas present to myself and had it assembled in the copse. It was made by the very talented Nick Iain who has a stall full of lovely plants and pots in Skibbereen market. It adds a bit of dignity to the garden at a time when the wildflowers…