• Home
  • About.
  • Photography.
    • Mug shots.
    • Hedge Fund.
  • The Garden.
    • The Garden Team.
  • Visiting the Garden.
  • My Garden Presentations.
  • Wildlife.
  • Feed the Birds.
  • My Music.

brimfields.com

~ Gardening, Photography & Music. The Life of Brian.

brimfields.com

Author Archives: Brian Skeys

December Rain.

21 Friday Dec 2018

Posted by Brian Skeys in Gardening, Our Garden@19, Photography, Plantlife

≈ 21 Comments

Tags

Blue border, December, Green and White garden, Oriental garden., raindrops

In the Garden, December 2018

T’is the season to be merry, of turkey, tinsel and snow with visits to Santa’s Grotto.

I cannot promise you any of the above, we can though visit Our Garden@19 following a rain shower, looking for some winter cheer and colour. In the Oriental Garden the Witch Hazel is in flower, although it is not looking too cheerful due to its habit of retaining all the old leaves.

Hamamelis Moll Pallida (Witch Hazel)
Phyllostachys Spectablis

The golden bamboo always adds a cheerful glow in the corner.

Two of the Cornus are brightening up the back of this border, reminding me that the fence panels could do with re-staining!

Cornus Alba ‘Westonbirt’ syn C. alba ‘Sibirica’ Cornus sanguinea Midwinter Fire

In the White and Green garden the Viburnum f ‘candidissimum’ is in flower, this wonderful shrub flowers all through the winter…

…the Mohonia has grown through the trellis to add a splash of yellow to this ‘carefully’ colour co-ordinated garden…

Mahonia Bealii

…the standard holly is an attractive centre piece here.

Ilex aquifolium ‘Argentea Margenata’ Standard

In the Blue Border the ornamental grasses provide an interesting straw coloured contrast to the Thuja occ. ‘Smaragd’…

…where the Rose ‘Charlotte’ has a rain drop covered bud surviving.

Rose ‘Charlotte’ Std.

The bark of the Prunus is always very attractive this time of year.

Prunus serrula

The winter jasmine and the clematis are providing a splash of yellow, with the clematis climbing through the wisteria.

Jasminum nudiflorum
Clematis cirrhosa balearica

The skimmia’s are also a welcome sight with ‘Rubella’ very popular with the flower arrangers at Christmas.

Skimmia Hermaphrodite
Skimmia japonica ‘Rubella’

‘The Holly and The Ivy’, with a cloud pruned conifer by the entrance to the Oriental Garden…

Ilex × meserveae ‘Blue Angel’

… with moss appropriately growing in the crux of an acer tree.

Hydrangea flower heads, in December, make wonderful flower arrangements and photographs.

The title of December Rain is best illustrated with this picture of pine needles with jewel like rain drops, especially the close-up one below.

Reflections on the year!

I hope you have good reflections of 2018. Sadly we had to say goodbye to our faithful companion Murphy.

On a happier note our youngest daughter, Mary is joining her partner James on the 22nd in their first home together. It will all seem a little quiet around here. The Hanley Swan NGS open gardens had another successful year, with totals raised since we started four years ago reaching £8,500. Looking forward to the new year, we have a new garden opening with us along with ‘plans’ for our garden.

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year from all of us at Our Garden@19: brimfields.com

November Sunshine.

20 Tuesday Nov 2018

Posted by Brian Skeys in Gardening, Our Garden@19, Photography, Plantlife

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

Autumn, Lunaria, Miscanthus, Molinia Karl Foerster, Solidago, Sorbus, Vitis, Wisteria

Blogging has had to take a back seat recently with a wedding, holiday, a kitchen refit and decorating taking precedent.  I lifted all the Dahlias from the raised beds last week, replacing them with tulips, also filling all the tulip pots. With the sun shining, I took a quick tour of the garden with the camera.

IMG_0932

IMG_0928

Sorbus Eastern Promise

IMG_0933

Vitis ‘ Spetchley red’

IMG_0931

Wisteria floribunda ‘ Alba ‘

IMG_0927

Cotoneaster horizontalis

IMG_0930

Solidago Fireworks

IMG_0926

Miscanthus sinensis

IMG_0923

Molinia ‘Karl Foerster’

IMG_0924

Lunaria annua ‘Rosemary Verey’ Seeds

IMG_0925

Rhodochiton atrosanguineum ‘Purple Bell Vine’

Hopefully I can soon catch up reading some of your posts, there is quite a list in my inbox.

What has been catching the November sun in your garden?

Autumn Colour in Our Garden@19

01 Monday Oct 2018

Posted by Brian Skeys in Gardening, Our Garden@19, Photography, Plantlife

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

Aster, Autumn, Dahlias, Malus Golden Hornet, Roses

IMG_4019

The Blue Border.

IMG_4021

Parthenocissus tripcuspidata (Boston Ivy)behind the Banana Bench.

IMG_4027

Dahlia ‘After Eight’ & ‘Bishop of Llandaff’

IMG_4028

Dahlia ‘Snowstorm’

IMG_4026

Rose The Generous Gardener.

IMG_4018

Rose Climbing Iceberg

IMG_4012IMG_4013

IMG_4011

Aster divaricatus

IMG_4008

Cirsium rivulare ‘Trevor’s Blue Wonder’

 

IMG_4034

Symphyotrichum n.a ’ Harringtons Pink’

IMG_4033

Symphyotrichum ‘Little Carlow’ & Solidago Fireworks

IMG_4032

Symphyotrichum na ‘ Barrs Violet ‘

IMG_4031

Fuchia ‘Mrs Popple’

IMG_4036

Fuchia magellanica alba

IMG_4038

Ipomoea lobeta with Verbena Bonariensis

 

IMG_4042

Sambucus nigra ‘Aurea’ & Amelanchier ‘Lamarckii’

IMG_4037

Sorbus ‘Eastern Promise’

IMG_4014

Hydrangea 

IMG_4015

Arum italicum subsp. italicum ‘Marmoratum’

IMG_4016

Polypodium Bifidomultifidum

IMG_4003

Cotoneaster horizontalis & Cyclamen hederifolium

IMG_2678

Malus ‘Golden Hornet’.

The National Garden Scheme has posted this quote on their website.

“Autumn…the year’s last, loveliest smile.” William Cullen Bryant (1794 – 1878)

You can view their Autumn Smile here

What is making you smile this Autumn?

The season of Mellow Fruitfulness & Pooh Sticks.

08 Saturday Sep 2018

Posted by Brian Skeys in General Interest, Landscapes, Photography, Plantlife, Treelife, Wildlife

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

Autumn, Wildlife

The end of the summer holiday saw us, with the grandchildren, visiting the Knapp and Paper-mill reserve of the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. Link                                              The reserve lies in the Teme valley and the Malvern Hills area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

After a picnic at the entrance to the site, where we were watched by a cheeky Robin, we set off to explore, our youngest granddaughter could remember visiting with her school, they do have an educational facility on site. You come first to the old orchard, where some of the trees were laden with apples, which I assume previously belonged to Knapp House…

IMG_3982

You can venture down to the stream at several different places with a willow hide at one, placed specifically for viewing Kingfishers.

IMG_3992

Leigh Brook

The Knapp weir was originally used to divert water to the watermill.

IMG_3981

There are meadows…

IMG_3984

…and steep wooded banks.

 

IMG_3985

The hedgerows were bearing clusters of autumn fruit, which I am sure the bird life will appreciate later in the year.

The Elderberry has long been a favourite for making into wine. We made some many years ago, I have to record it was a nice but powerful drink.

IMG_3990

Sambucus nigra

IMG_3989

The GuelderRose was looking spectacular, already developing its wonderful autumn leaf colour. The berries contain one seed which is distributed by the birds.

IMG_3983

Viburnum opulus

Wild Hops gracefully covered many of the hedgerows and trees. It is of course cultivated for the flavouring of beer. (There is an alcoholic theme developing here!) There are male and female hop plants, the female grows the flowers that we associate with beer brewing while the male has catkins. Worcestershire and Herefordshire was historically an important hop producing area along with Kent.

IMG_3988

Humulus lupulus

Also covering the trees and hedgerows was ‘Old Man’s Beard’, this is the country name given to the wild Clematis when it is covered with its whispery seed heads.

IMG_3991

Clematis vitalba

Standing on a small bridge over the steam the girls decided to play Pooh Sticks…

IMG_3986

…The only problem was we could not tell which stick belonged to who, so they both claimed to have won!

IMG_3987The visit made a fitting end to the summer holidays, reminding us that autumn is on its way and like nature we should be filling the store cupboard. (Not least with wine to fight the winter chills!)

 

← Older posts
Newer posts →

Hanley Swan NGS Gardens Link.

Hanley Swan Open Gardens. May 28th & June 17th 11-3pm

Categories

  • Gardening
  • General Interest
  • Landscapes
  • Our Garden@19
  • Photography
  • Plantlife
  • The Bark Collection
  • Travel
  • Treelife
  • Uncategorized
  • Wildlife

Blogs I Follow.

  • A coastal Plot
  • A French Garden
  • elizawaters.com
  • Frogenddweller
  • Gardening Jules
  • Green Tapestry
  • Hillwards
  • Karen Gimson
  • Life in mud splattered boots
  • No Dig Charles Downing. The organic no dig Gardener.
  • Off The Edge Gardening.
  • Our Plot at Green Lane Allotments
  • pbmgarden
  • Pirus Tabernus
  • Rambling in the garden
  • Rusty Duck
  • Smallsunnygarden
  • The Anxious Gardener
  • The Blooming Garden
  • The Chatty Gardener
  • The Garden Barn House
  • The Gardening Shoe
  • wordsandherbs

Favourite web sites.

  • Black Pear Gardening Club. A Worcestershire based club sharing a love of gardening.
  • Douglas Gregor Photos Wonderful wildlife photography.
  • Hardy Plant Society
  • NGS The garden charity.
  • No Dig Charles Downing. The organic no dig Gardener.

My Other Blog

  • Our Garden@19 To read about Our garden@19 over the previous two years. A garden blog following the year, preparing to open for the NGS, while enjoying visiting gardens, the beauty of nature, the plants, the wildlife and a sanctuary to relax in.

Map

Hanley Swan, Worcestershire. UK

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 365 other followers

Follow brimfields.com on WordPress.com

Social

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

Blog Stats

  • 8,670 hits

Archives

  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • November 2016
  • May 2016
  • February 2016
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • August 2015

"Every Day is a School Day"

Translate

Powered by WordPress.com.

Cancel
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Our Cookie Policy