Wednesday 26 July 2017

Quick Shift

Just a quick move, tonight—moving the 'Iceberg' rose that has (frankly) languished in a barrel outside the utility room door for years into the colour wheel to grow up the pergola, and planting a variegated jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides 'Variegatum') in its place.

Monday 24 July 2017

In the Ground

Shockingly quickly, we've planted out the purchases from yesterday's Tatton Park show. It's also entailed rather radically reducing the amount of white valerian in the herb garden (which has spread somewhat invasively), and moving—for example—the yellow lysimachia erupting in the red bed of the colour wheel to its rightful location (that is, the yellow bed) to make way for the much more appropriate Royal Bumble salvias.

Tatton also reinforced our desire to put alliums in, especially, the colour wheel. There are a few, but not that many. We're compromising the nominal colour scheme in the colour wheel in the first half of the year (when we find it difficult to get the full spectrum of flower), so long as it hits the right rainbow notes by July. Earlier in the year, I'll take flowers of any colour, so a healthy number of daffodils, tulips and alliums are probably going to grace the beds. Alliums were beautifully displayed by W S Warmenhoven at the show, so I expect we'll order a wholesale quantity of mixed bulbs from someone in the coming months.


W S Warmenhoven's allium display, RHS Tatton Park (© Ian 2017)


And daffs, if I can get away with it. You know how I love daffodils.

Sunday 23 July 2017

RHS Tatton Park 2017

This week's been the RHS Tatton Park show, and so for the fifth year, we went along to the last day. It was a really good show, as normal, and we were luckier with the weather than expected (the forecast a couple of days before was for heavy rain showers: we actually only had a few minutes of light rain at about 1400).

We made the most of getting there early and went straight to the floral marquee. I think that's best early, before it gets (a) hot, and (b) full of people. We found a number of things we wanted, including some selfheal (Rose and Blue Pearl varieties) to brighten the herb garden, some salvias (Royal Bumble) that will go in the colour wheel, and some blue-flowered garlic chives (also for the herb garden). It's a rather smaller haul than previous years (I think 2016 will forever be our high-water mark for purchases), but that reflects the simple fact that the garden, after eight years being here, is increasingly planted-up, and more space now comes either from replacing plants that die (or we grow bored of), or gradual increases in flower beds at the expense of lawn (see: mulberry bed in the games lawn).













Highlights from the show (all &copy Ian 2017)

Tuesday 18 July 2017

Preservatory Plaster

Half of this weekend has been continuing work on the garage conversion, and half outside, mostly tending to the bees. The bees are doing fine, but the queen issues we've had are still working out (it takes a while to get new queens pupated, mated, and laying well), so it's quite intensive at the moment. Fortunately, the preservatory is going well. We've got all of the electrics sorted, now (sockets and lights), including new two-way switches for the lights in the preservatory and the workshop. Meanwhile, Liz has finished doing the base coat plaster (the one that bonds direct to the cement blocks), and is about half-way with the top coat. It's looking more and more like a real room!

Monday 10 July 2017

Oxford

Yes, I know. It's been months and months since I last posted. I've got a few draft posts, that I need to fill out some details and add photos, before I put them up—but there'll still be a gap. I blame life.

Anyway: it's been a busy first half of 2017. This weekend was no exception: we were at home for two day, and in Oxford for two, staying with Katherine as she and Liz had a work thing on Monday. I had the day to myself, wandering round Oxford, which was good fun. I covered over thirteen miles, walking round the city and getting to know it, and was pretty foot-sore by the end.

The two days at home were fairly busy: some plastering, some beehive building (aided by a nailgun that Liz ordered for me, which makes the building considerably faster.


Magdalen College (© Ian 2017)



Ceiling in Magdalen College (© Ian 2017)



Gargoyles along Longwall Street (© Ian 2017)



Rose garden in University Botanic Gardens (© Ian 2017)



Wesley Memorial Methodist Church (© Ian 2017)



Oxford Castle (© Ian 2017)



Christ Church gardens  (© Ian 2017)



Brasenose College (I think!) (© Ian 2017)



Radcliffe Camera (© Ian 2017)



The Bridge of Sighs (© Ian 2017)



The Sheldonian Theatre (© Ian 2017)



The Natural History Museum (© Ian 2017)



Observation beehive in Natural History Museum (© Ian 2017)



Keble College (© Ian 2017)



The Saxon Tower of St Michael by the North Gate (© Ian 2017)



Faculty of History (© Ian 2017)