Showing posts with label patio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label patio. Show all posts

Tuesday, 1 July 2014

Harlow Carr

We spent today at Harlow Carr: the first time, actually, we've been not on a weekend or Bank Holiday. Unsurprisingly, it's much quieter!

We found this in the scented garden, but couldn't see a label, sadly.


The Scented Garden, RHS Harlow Carr (© Ian 2014)


A heavenly almond macaroon (© Ian 2014)


Knautia macedonica, which caught our eye for the wide range of colour (© Ian 2014)


Sweetcorn (Snowbaby and Popcorn Fiesta (this one, with red stems)) in containers in the Bramall Learning Garden (© Ian 2014)


Rhododendron auriculatum in the woodland (© Ian 2014)

When we got home, there was enough time to sow some salad leaves (in pots: direct, they keep getting slugged), and a barrel of carrots.

Monday, 30 June 2014

Odd Jobs

Today—as Wednesday will be, I expect—has mostly been little jobs. Liz has finished 'weeding' the orchard, and I've cut paths through the grass. That leaves things flowering (which looks good), and takes less time (also good), while looking deliberate and allowing easier access to the trees and clearings.

I've topped up the chippings on the steps under the greenhouse, and in front of the wood shelter (where they were getting weedy, and decomposing). That's let us re-stack a load of wood, delivered last week, more neatly on the drive. We'll need to spend a day next weekend sawing, splitting, and stacking, though.

The greenhouse is finally sorted, and we've potted a load of things into proper pots, and laid them out on the new 'patio' outside the dining room. That needed levelling, before pots would be stable, and that's done. We need a new load of chippings to spread on the membrane, so that it looks a little less artificial.

We've also been able to collect enough flowers to start 2 gallons of elderflower wine, as well as (yesterday) bramble tips (the first 4" of brambles) for a gallon of wine (a new one for us, to make up for missing the dandelions). The bramble tips steep in hot water overnight, and then get simmered for fifteen minutes (over lunch), before straining the liquor onto sugar (I'll add yeast before I go to bed). The elderflowers have boiling water poured on them, along with sugar; yeast will be added in the morning.

Saturday, 28 June 2014

Patio Steps

When planning the new patio doors out of the dining room, we knew that there was a significant difference in floor level between the patio and the dining room, and always planned to build steps from the stone taken out of the wall to bridge it. Starting this has been today's work: slow going, as our block-laying skills are not honed, and the stones are really very heavy. Most of the bottom layer is in place, and enough of the middle and top to allow easier access through the single door. Getting further will have to wait, for one thing, until I buy more mortar...I always forget how much you need...