Wildlife

Star of the open weekend was the pond with a colony of newts (not Great Crested). Also dragonflies and other smaller mayflies are common. Click on both pictures for best effect.

Phygelius and penstemon

This phygelius, Winchester Fanfare, is one of our few happy phygelius plants, growing in a small pot with roots going through into clay. I might try treating others like this - it seems to contain it too. The penstemon ovatus is a survivor from a penstemon collection which has not been overjoyed with our soil. More on penstemon's later.

The next phase

This is the stage 2 project - two natural springs provide boggy conditions beyond the little veg patch. Now overgrown, it is hiding the greenhouse (Hartley Botanic, 17x12 foot, my wife's 60th birthday present) about which more later. The bog is full of yellow iris, hemerocallis and bullrush, with a couple of Gunnera manicata, one 25 years old but still quite small in spite of having its feet in water.

Paul's Himalayan Musk

The star of recent weeks is the rambling rose Paul's Hamalayan Musk, climing through and old apple tree, the last survivor of an apple orchard. So this tree flowers twice and produces cooking apples.

Rambling Rector

The rose Rambling Rector grows on an Agriframe tunnel but has escaped into a flowering malus, as has a white wisteria, so the tree flowers three times in different months. The rose Salmon Leap is growing through the canopy.

The garden at a glance

The garden is about three quarters of an acre, with varied conditions and soils. The best is loam, the worst solid clay. Situated on a hill, it is terraced which provides the opportunity to create rooms on different levels. It is not kept 'tidy' because it is a habitat for friendly wildlife, with seed heads and not a few good looking wild flowers, including a rarely seen white form of Herb Robert (geranium robertianum). A weekend bird-count came to 40 species. We collect plants so use soil space to the full. I am retiring from full-time work, which has provided time to get started. Here are pictures of the back and the front.