August Video Garden Tour.

30 Sunday Aug 2020

Posted by in Gardening, Our Garden@19, Photography, Plantlife, The Life of Brian.

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Historically August has been viewed as a low period for the garden, due in part, I think, to owners of large estates traditionally moving to Scotland for the grouse season, today it is the main holiday season for everyone with school children. (Except for this year). High temperatures such as the ones we experienced early in the month this year can spell the end of some plants, such as my Sweetpeas.

It does not have to be so. There are a wide choice of plants to fill the borders in August, Phlox, Japanese anemone, roses, if you have deadheaded, dahlias, late sown annuals, pot plants such as pelargoniums, asters are just beginning to flower complimenting ornamental grasses for the late summer look.

The video is of Our Garden@19 filmed towards the end of the month and following the heavy rain and winds. Please select full screen and turn on your sound.

What has survived the August weather in your garden?

St Wulstan’s Nature Reserve.

10 Monday Aug 2020

Posted by in General Interest, Landscapes, Plantlife, The Life of Brian., Wildlife

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A favourite walk of ours even before lockdown was St. Wulstan’s Nature Reserve. Before it became a nature reserve, it had a fascinating history as a US army hospital, a TB hospital and a psychiatric hospital, it is managed by Worcestershire county council.

These pictures are from a visit in early July, the open areas around the shrubby were full of colour and insect life

With the Malvern Hills in the back ground.

Because of its sweet honey like scent ladies bedstraw was used for bedding

Wild Parsnip.

The sap from wild parsnip is toxic. Cultivated parsnip left in the garden for a second year has attractive flowers.

At the end of Matron’s Path, there was the Rowan covered in berries and the wild Clematis with its fluffy seed heads.

In a lane closer to home was this flower, it looks a little like an orchid. it is the Dyer’s Greenweed. historically used to create a yellow dye.

Do you have a favourite walk?

Virtual meetings, the Garden in July and Plant Sales.

27 Monday Jul 2020

Posted by in Gardening, Our Garden@19, The Life of Brian.

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The Covid-19 restrictions have inevitably prevented any meetings of our club, The Black Pear Gardening Club..blackpeargc.org.uk Our family has been using Skype for keeping in touch so I decided to try and hold a trial meeting for the club with the opportunity for members to say hello, I then presented pictures from our garden with the aim to include pictures from members gardens at the next meeting. While technology can be challenging we did manage to hold the meeting.

July has been a busy month here in Our Garden@19 with the open garden visits cancelled I had been left with a large stock of plants that I had hoped to sell. We decided, with the village of Pirton, (Worcestershire), where my brother Derek lives, to hold a plant sale in memory of his wife and our late sister in law, in aid of St Richards Hospice who cared for Diana. When the plants had been made presentable for sale, a large transit type van arrived to transport all the plants the day before, ready for setting up the sale the next morning.

The sale was well supported by the village, both helping and purchasing plants along with several members of the garden club.

The video below is the one I presented at the virtual meeting, ‘Our Garden@19 in July.’ Please turn your sound up, click to full-size screen, play and enjoy.

 

The tomatoes are a bush type? ‘Maskotka’ which crop well despite their vigorous growth.

Are you using technology to keep in touch?