Upcoming Virtual Presentations

Greenwich Library have asked for 3 more virtual powerpoint presentations over the summer.

July 29th 7pm

THE YORKSHIRE DALES:FROM HERRIOT TO HOME
Set in the heart of Northern England, this rural landscape formed the backdrop of James Herriot's book and PBS TV series "All Creatures Great & Small"
This presentation includes photos and descriptions of the dales from medieval times, to the present day, and follows a circuitous route from the northerly Wenslydale where James Herriot entered the Dales in 1939 to the southernmost  Airedale where I spent my formative years.

Aug 22nd 2pm 

STONE IN THE GARDEN 
Describes not how, but where to place stone in the garden, and which material to use when creating contrast or harmony. From steps and paths to direct or invite,through mosaics, follies, benches, seats, and other whimsies, to ponds and patios to relax and refresh.

Sept 24th 7pm

STONEWELL FARM

Creating a sense of place. comments on the ever evolving community here at Stonewell Farm. Sometimes tragic, often humorous. A community as one, on hearing the alarm call of chickens, ducks or turkeys, All eyes, including ours look to the sky for the circling raptor.

A Rose by any other name...

This year we made a conscious decision to leave the roses un-pruned.

Most of them have kept a reasonable shape

But not all. I don't mind this informal, floppy look.

This New Dawn for several years climbed on the house front and along the edge of the greenhouse and last year it started climbing up the greenhouse roof.

Now I am intrigued as to how far it will climb. Look how the heat from the greenhouse has promoted the flowers compared to the buds on the house front.

Bill & Ben the Flowerpot Men.

Is it Bill or is it Ben and has he been smokin' Weed? Nudge nudge, wink wink.

Most of you will have to google Bill & Ben the Flowerpot Men.

The English Flower Garden

A wonderful gift from a dear friend, client and fellow gardener. Written almost one and a half centuries ago, there is still much to be gleaned in terms of the knowledge and experience of gardeners past.

William Robinson's designs. Gertrude Jekyll's use of drifts. Graham Stuart Thomas' ground covers. Christopher Lloyd's exuberance of colour and my current favourite Monty Don.

I hope Bess (Elizabeth Walcott Kellogg) did enjoy the book and found inspiration between its covers

I will leave the final words to William Wordsworth.

Stonewell Farm 9am Sat through Sun July 6th & 7th 2019

From a distance it's pretty much same old, same old.

Close up reveals the hummingbird favourite, Monarda, starting to flower, tent caterpillar damage on the Weigela, deer grazed Hosta stems just right of the Monarda and missing Sedum flower heads bottom left.

 To my eye, Tradescantia (blue, center) has an ugly growth habit which can be disguised by thoughtful placement among other plantings. Its long flowering period and pure blue colour make it worthy of inclusion in any garden. 

PS. I must remember to cut back the Salvia to promote a second flush of flowers.

The last of the poppies may survive until the Phlox paniculata become prominent.

More tent caterpillar damage on the Philadelphus that hides the base of the utility pole. Pruning will wait until the very last flower, as the bumble bees love this shrub.

How many shades of green do you see? I stopped counting at 20.

The Montauk daisies are about ready for their second trim. I spray with deer repellent, but still get some grazing as witnessed by the nibbled Sedum. Another deer favourite, Lilium, are about to burst open.

A section of the variegated Miscanthus has reverted to green

I could dig it out, but for now I don't mind the contrast.

 The pruned Spirea is a perfect backdrop to the Stachys byzantium, appealing to the eye and fingers and probably one of my top five plants. I think I now have eleven top five plants.

Our bright orange Lilies, ones that Michelle finds offensive to the eye, are happily flowering, even hidden at the back of this shady border.

The carpet of spent flowers adds another dimension to the appeal of our Stewartia small tree/shrub.

Planted to distract birds, squirrels, etc from allegedly more valuable fruits. I think the Mulberry is underrated,

but do not plant near paths, walkways or other foot trafficked areas as they will stain everything they come in contact with.

Annabelle has fully flowered without falling foul of deer predation. 

The Catalpa (back right) is flowering.

Beautiful close up,

or from a distance. This is the Southern Catalpa bignonioides and not the Northern Catalpa speciosa.

 From this angle you can't see the late flowering Azalea

that is just starting to flower.

A few colour combinations from around the gardens.

 The Monarda and Phlox, when they flower, will blend with the Astilbe, Hydrangea, Hosta and variegated Acanthopanax to create harmony, but one's eyes are still drawn to those outrageous Hemerocallis.

On the other side of the Monarda, perfect harmony.

In the Memorial Garden we marked the burial spot of our rooster Marcel with a small, terracotta pot and have been on the lookout for over a year to find just the right planting to honor his cheerful spirit and beautiful red coloring. This Gaillardia fits the bill.

We lost a treasured antique climbing rose in the front border that we haven't been able to replace, as the nursery that cultivated it has stopped shipping to the US. This little beauty (Rosa Burgundy Iceberg) is the right colour, we'll be on the lookout for a climber that will complement this.

Stonewell Farm 9am June 29th 2019

Because this evening's weather forecast is for damaging thunderstorms, the series of photos this week are from today (Sat)

The early Hemerocallis (left) are blooming and the Hosta buds are up, but have yet to open.

Two of our ducks, Mayo (female) and Sir Francis (male) are busy controlling the insect population.  (Why Sir Francis? Answer at the end of this post.)

If the thunderstorm arrives, the poppy petals (center) will be washed away. Hopefully the Astilbe flowers directly behind the poppies will survive, along with the white Hydrangea (background) and the Rudbeckia (foreground)

The Red Fairy rose (right of center) is one of the later flowering roses, along with the better known Pink Fairy.

 Behind the pear tree and down the fruit garden border (see below) more Hemerocallis are coming into bloom.

The Philadelphus is almost past flowering. I altered the angle on this photo to show the drift of poppies beyond the apple tree.

 

I have re-wrapped the bamboo tripod with woody grape vine, in preparation for the Ipomoea alba (Moonflower) which are growing, and will soon be looking for a support to climb upon.

 This is what I would call a colour clash.

 Why grow so many poppies? (see end of post)

 

A slightly different angle to show Michelle's favourite Lychnis coronaria. (bottom center)

A couple of steps back to show the flowering Stewartia.

Once again from inside the border. The red flowered Rosa Excelsa ( Last week I incorrectly named it Excelsior) is joined by the pink Rosa 'Dorothy Perkins' I hope they persist until Hydrangea 'Annabelle' is fully opened.

The old, stone well is nearly concealed beneath the abundant and lush growth of another Rosa Excelsa, a true rambler rose, which we have to cut back every year.

Rosa 'Dorothy Perkins' here framed by the pizza oven and Picea pungens, and to the right and behind the Picea,

four Rosa 'Dorothy Perkins' and a Rosa 'New Dawn' cover the garage wall.

Mayo and her seven dwarfs.

The name for a male duck is a drake. 

Sir Francis Drake

and, the reason we have so many poppies,

especially so close to our beehives?

Honey.