This morning, whilst the kettle was making its usual racket and frost covered the garden outside, a story of botanical festive joy unfolded on the living room windowsill. My young Buddleja colvilei had produced some beautiful flowers for me as a Christmas gift. Deep crimson/purple, pendulous, quite wonderfully bell-shaped, and rarely seen in gardens. IContinue reading “HAPPY CHRISTMAS”
Author Archives: Sasquatch
Fake it ‘til you make it
I told myself I was loving it. That the colder, damp air and fallen leaves were great. That the buds on the forsythia and winter-flowering honeysuckle were all positive signs. I even said it aloud—something about how it wasn’t the end, just seasonal change, etcetera. But in truth, I was hating every minute of it.Continue reading “Fake it ‘til you make it”
Stourhead: Fairytale Landscape
A lovely start to this week: a visit to Stourhead, one of the National Trust estates. We arrived on a slightly misty, wet, and gloomy morning—the kind of weather that doesn’t just threaten rain, it makes promises of it. Forewarned by modern sorcery (my phone’s Weather App), we came armed with ancient technology to ensureContinue reading “Stourhead: Fairytale Landscape”
GAME OVER
I realised recently that the tidying up I did in the garden wasn’t just something to do—it was an acceptance of the coming winter. Subconsciously, I knew the shift in weather meant summer was done, even though I didn’t want to admit it. The temperatures have dropped, we’ve had rain, and the leaves are turningContinue reading “GAME OVER”
Eighteen for August
Not much to say this time—last weekend was mostly spent catching up in the garden, after the rain caused a surge in growth. Nothing dramatic, just the usual: weeding, deadheading, mowing, tidying up. The kind of stuff that’s enjoyable enough to do but soul-destroyingly boring to write about, let alone read. I swept grass clippingsContinue reading “Eighteen for August”
Respect Your Elders – Continued
The elderflowers are long gone. But there’s another chance to enjoy elder, and it’s happening right now. From late August to October, the same bushes you gathered elderflower blossoms from will now be full of berries. Having had such success and pleasure from the flower cordial, I’ve decided to make a berry cordial. Syrups areContinue reading “Respect Your Elders – Continued”
Respect Your Elders
In late spring and early summer—May and June—there’s plenty going on outside. Flowers are appearing everywhere, insects are buzzing around, you could be forgiven for missing the soft, puffy clouds of elderflowers in the countryside hedgerows. Sambucus nigra, the common elder, is found all around the countryside. It’s no attention-seeker, but once you have foundContinue reading “Respect Your Elders”
Leaves and Lily Pads: Longstock Water Garden
Yesterday, I experienced a garden of endless calm. Not my own, but one of those open estate gardens you find dotted around the countryside. This particular one was Longstock Park Water Garden.https://leckfordestate.co.uk/longstock-park-water-garden We arrived about five minutes before opening time. It was a warm morning—like most this year—dry and a little hazy. The air heldContinue reading “Leaves and Lily Pads: Longstock Water Garden”
Artichoke Architecture
It arrived over the fence—a twisted-looking root ball wrapped in plastic packaging. My neighbour called it a Cardoon, though to me it could have been anything. I hadn’t asked for it, hadn’t planned a place, but there it was. A quick Google search revealed its mystery: a cousin of the thistle and a relative ofContinue reading “Artichoke Architecture”
Meeting with Hazel
When we first moved here in 2023, the garden wasn’t welcoming us with flowers and wildlife. It greeted us with long, wet grass. After weeks of rain, the ground finally dried, and I was able to mow. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a start. The tidier look pleased me, and though I had noContinue reading “Meeting with Hazel”
Shrubliminal 