Gardens – Page 2 – Gardens. Travel. Life.

Posted on September 22, 2024March 29, 2025 by happyretiredblog · 1 Comment

Viva España ‘24

In the words of that well known popular song ~

Oh, this year I’m off to sunny Spain Y Viva españa

I’m taking the costa brava plane Y Viva españa

Well we have arrived. But to the Costa del Sol not Brava

A late flight delayed by an hour pushing our arrival in Malaga after midnight. I slept the whole way, as I can sleep anywhere.

What is it with boarding a plane. A mad rush to stuff as much luggage that you can into the overhead locker whilst blocking the aisles so people can’t take their seats. Luckily we can just take a small bag along to be shoved under the seat.

We arrived at casa verano at 2.30am not meeting any vehicles either up or down the mountain.

It’s been a while since we have been here and it was obviously dark when we arrived so garden inspection had to wait.

It’s been a hot summer. And dry but surprisingly the garden has fared well. Thanks to the help we have when we aren’t here. Yes. A few things singed to an inch of their life. Some beyond. The echiums which were magnificent this year are like firewood. Dry as anything. I suspect they won’t return. Maybe that’s why I have bought two this week as replacements.

The gardener asked me two years ago how I wanted the olive pruned. For fruit or shape. Me being me and wanting it all replied both. Nope. One of the other you can’t have both. Mind you it was in Spanish so he could have been saying anything. I replied shape. So he has been shaping it each time it has been pruned. To be fair I love it and it’s a great statement piece in the garden. It’s also stopped me moaning about the ripe olives dropping on the terrace and being squashed when we aren’t here and leaving stains. It also means I can’t dry salt the olives. But they are a plenty around here

Who knew you could do a bit of topiary on the curry plant. There are 3 under the olive and on a whim I trimmed them into shape earlier in the year. On a hot day you get a whiff of curry as you walk up the path. Something different to lavender.

Happy to see that the Durante Repens is in flower. I often miss it as in miss it as it flowers when we aren’t here. That happens a lot. But the good thing is I get sent photos to keep me updated.

Durante Repens.

I need to give it a bit of a prune. As I do a lot of things. It’s just remembering when ~ makes a note in book

Oh the joy of being in the right place at the right time. When I was here last the leaves of the sea squill had died back. Right back to the bulb and I thought here we go again. I’ve missed the flower. Hmm. Silly boy – I remembered it only flowers after the leaves die back. I’d planted a few a few years back and they took a while to settle. They sulked a bit. No flowers. So it was a joy to see not just one but four in different stages of flower. The flower spikes are tall and elegant coming from a big fat bulb. One of the biggest I have planted ~ I may need more.

We have one large yucca which has been attacked by the same bug that has hit the large Agave – eats it from the root so often the first you know is when they topple over. It’s a I bummer as so many large plant have succumbed.

The variegated ones seem so far to have been spared. But I’m not counting chickens. Yet.

One of my favourite plants in the garden ~ the foxtail agave. Small plants grow at the base of the mother plant and I have planted half a dozen in the bed at the back of the house. Dry as anything they have all taken and are all at various stages of growth. And so low maintainence.

New Strelitzia

Of course I have bought new plants. It would be wrong not to~ wouldn’t it ?

This one is strelitzia Mandela gold. A new one for me. Of course I bought two. We have a number of strelitzia reginae in the garden. But there is always room for more.

I think we missed the loquats. And the figs. Both roasted on the tree. Not the same one obv, but shrivelled.

Next batch

But the next batch of figs are appearing ~ maybe they will be ripe by the next trip. I could do with some good fig and ginger jam.

Chateau Verano

We have grapes. Singular as in one bunch which I will pick over the weekend. And eat. In previous years when we have had a decent harvest I’ve made grape and rosemary jelly. Not this year though. We also have a quince tree. Which has one remaining quince. Roasted on the tree as well so no Quince and Rosemary jelly this year.

I’ve tried to work on a border a day. It never works as I start with great intentions then move on to the next border and back to the one I started yesterday. A bit like a butterfly.

This is mozzie alley. Alongside of the house where I’m guaranteed to get bitten. Part sunny part shady. Full on mozzie territory.

Almond trees

I have wandered around the back of the house in singularly unattractive old yoga kinda leggings. There are still mozzies about who love my iron overloaded blood. I look like Max Wall. If you are too young to know what I’m talking about. Ask your parents.

We have maybe 5 or 6 almond trees. This year I haven’t picked any of the almonds. To be honest it’s a bit of a faff. Pick the drupe ( who knew). Remove the husk to find the nut. Then dry the nut to extract moisture or they go mouldy. All fine. All doable. The biggest issue. Cracking the dried nuts.

Pomegranate

Two months ago friends and neighbours from Somerset were visiting the area when I was here. That’s the first time we have coordinated our travel plans. They drove up the windey road for lunch which I was preparing. I had warned them it would be like having young children in the car with an ear worm. Are we there yet? How much further. The road. Makes me feel sick.

I decided on what I was cooking. Bought the fresh ingredients. All bar a pomegranate which could not be bought locally. I was looked at strangely and told to look on the tree. I’d see flowers. No local pomegranate. So I drove for an hour to the market in Malaga ~ not a huge issue as it’s fabulous and I could go alone and eat churros and have the sweetest cup of coffee ever * cafe bonbom. Coffee. Hot milk and condensed milk. So sweet you only want one.

I bought a huge pomegranate ~ obviously imported. If you asking it was a

Ballymaloe red quinoa tabouleh

with toasted pine nuts. And pomegranate.

Why am I wittering on. I know it’s usual but there is a point. Today I found not one but two pomegranates on two trees in the garden. In 7 years we haven’t had one. It must be a sign.

Particularly great timing for a new moon bearing my mind the lack of harvest. A glorious Harvest Moon.

I haven’t crossed the road to the roundabout that’s not a roundabout. But I will. I’ve briefly looked at the pine trees and they look fine ~ to be honest would I really know?

I’ve been clearing one of the flower beds and I have planted the new strelitzia. Weeded. Moved two clivia ~ in the wrong place ~ brought some agapanthus pots around and have two new shrubby kind of plants to add over the weekend. We have had a weather warning for an overnight storm so it will make planting easier. Hopefully I won’t need the pick axe. I’m not joking.

We had planned a day out to Ronda but I had read in the Spanish paper that Netflix were filming there for the week at various locations in the town. So it was a no go. Too many restrictions and probably too many people.

So in a whim we decided late in the day to drive to Antequera. An hour and a half away.

We arrived in sunshine parked the car and started walking to the cultural sights. Where it chucked it down. Not forecast. Not dressed for rain and who wants to get wet and your hair to go curly ~ so we stopped for lunch and watched other people get wet.

Like many Spanish towns the walk to the Alcazar is up steps. Many many steps. With my dodgy back and sciatica it takes longer than it should. But there’s always time to stop and look and whip out the camera which is brought along as well as the phone camera.

The narrow streets

Thankfully a one way street ~ don’t mention the time we drove through Setenil de las Bodegas with its narrow streets, with houses emerging from boulders and cave restaurants. At one point as I was driving through whilst breathing in and as it got narrower I was on the point of abandoning the car.

A wander up those steps to the alcazabar and Iglesia del Carmen. Ian in charges of the tickets and he asks for one standard and one for an old person. In Spanish ~ and the tickets are handed over. Whilst I’m happy for a discounted ticket I am disappointed I don’t get asked for proof of age.

The views of the town town are spectacular from so many viewing points and the added bonus is that Antequera is a hidden gem. No crowds.

This was part of a float in the church. How scary.

Tarasca ~ half serpent. Half lady used in the Corpus Christi procession. You would t want to meet it in the dark though.

We had planned to go to one of Spain’s many Unesco world heritage sights Antequerra Dolmans

but realised it closed at 3pm. That means we have to go back which is t a hardship. It’s well worth a visit.

So it’s been back to the garden. Supper with friends. More gardening. Tomorrow is a visit to the bank with money laundering documentation. Not to enable me to do it. But the standard regular check up on where funds come from. I’m practicing my Spanish but will take Ian with me.

Yes. Spain have actual banks ~ 3 in the pueblo banco but we will be driving down the wiggly road to ours.

One thing for sure before we head back to Somerset. There will be more ice cream.

Posted on August 9, 2024August 29, 2024 by happyretiredblog · 4 Comments

Could it be Summer?

It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog. Not one specific reason stopping me but many. None earth shattering but sometimes life just gets in the way.

We have decamped to the Wet Country for the summer. Wet with the silent S. I know it rains here in Somerset but usually it’s not all the time.

For the first time in years the geriatric cats have travelled west too and have settled well.

The Somerset garden has been a challenge even though we are here full time. I have said before that we have the national collection of bindweed and ground elder. It’s been the bane of my life for over 30 years. We get rid of it. It comes back. Turn around and it’s 4 feet high again. Two of us constantly weeding. Constantly moaning about it, but to be honest enjoying the country life.

There have been results. We have colour in the garden at long last. Some things have done really well with the weather. There have been losses ~ not a penstemon survived the winter. No echinacea have appeared. There have been new plants purchased obviously to replace those that have been lost.purchases because I have seen things I like. Not need. But like.

The astrantia as always have thrived. Huge clumps in parts. Smaller clumps in others. Someone asked me to name them but as I’ve said before I start off well with labelling. Then fall off the cliff. It’s an astrantia ~ a pink one ~ there are white ones. A Shaggy. A Hadspen blood ~ and others. Just don’t ask me the variety.

We have One agapanthus in the garden which is unusual for me. Have I mentioned I like agapanthus? But they rotted last year after the flood. This one in the photo is a new one. But then again they have gone bonkers in London. It’s agapanthus heaven.

One plant that has gone bonkers in the Somerset garden is sanguisorba lilac squirrel. A small plant last year with a few pink fluffy hanging flower tails. This year it’s tall and full of flowers. It’s become one of my favourites. Was a new one to me last year and has turned out to be a great choice. Of course I’ve bought more. I knew you were thinking just the one?

I think someone in the hamlet had this plant which spread and then they gave one to nearly every house. We all have them. Very pretty but spreads like fury. It was here in the garden when we moved in 30 odd years ago ~ and trust me there have been some odd years ~ there’s enough material for a book.

As usual I digress. I like these but they take up too much space for a flower that lasts a day. Like I’ve said for the last 20 years. They need thinning out. This year is the year.

The garden is pretty eclectic ~ if I like it I plant it. So it’s a bit of a mish mash of plants and colours ~ a bit like my tulip pots, the subject of which I’m ignoring at the moment. I’ve looked at bulbs. Done a list. Changed the list. Messaged Peter Nyssen. Messaged my partner in crime Siobhan. She was my friend. But she has already ordered her bulbs. I’m deleting her.

The canna are showing their leaves. Canna Annei one of the tallest is a favourite and one of the many I have bought from Todd’s Botanics.

The dark leaves red is flowering as is the orange. Great colours for the garden and the leaves are great for structure too.

I love these when they appear but hate planting them. The bulbs are too small for fat fingers to be planting. Also I think I’ve seen just these two out of the many I planted. Give me allium summer drummer any day. Big bulbs. 6ft tall when grown and excellent flower head. Great for drying too and they come back. There are also great in the garden in Spain.

Looking at these dahlia which are all in pots in the front of the cottage you may think oh. Look at those amazing dahlia. Well. This is largely it. I planted tubers. Potted them on. Planted these pots. Made a new dahlia patch. You know what. Slugegedon. Munch munch munch. I have a few flowers in the pots and slug eaten dahlia in the garden. Last night alone I collected 25 from the garden and 12 from the greenhouse. How come we have a mass invasion of slugs yet the pollinators are obviously away on vacation. I’ve used nematodes. Wool pellets. Coffee grounds and beer traps. I’ve been out in the dark with my torch. Yet the slugs are now all coffee addicts swigging the beer in wool coats. Whilst still munching the leaves and flowers. I have to think again for next year. But everyone has said it’s been a nightmare with slugs. I potted up 24 tubers. Grew them in in the greenhouse. Planted them out. I now have 4.

One plant used for the first time in decades last year and again this year is a revelation. My parents used it in their hanging baskets and I’ve added it to my pots again. A great colour as you approach the front of the cottages. Lobelia ~ and next year I may just do annual planting in the pots. But then again I won’t decide until the last minute

My parents grew all their own bedding plants. Spent hours in the greenhouse pricking out the plants. If I had borders along a path I’d recreate their 1980’s borders. They planted lobelia. Allysun. Godstia. Nemesia. Snapdragons.

Where have the pollinators gone. April time wasn’t bad. Today there have been two bumble bees. A few butterfly. Nothing on the butterfly bush ~ Buddleia which is usually crawling with butterflies. But they are slowly reappearing. Fingers crossed or we are doomed.

I bought a few Daucus carota at a local plant sale and they are doing really well. I need more. They really do so well in the border here.

Of course I didn’t need another plant. So I bought two new Rudbeckia from the local garden centre. 1000’s may have it but I like the colour. Yet to be planted probably in two of the pots which had dahlia. If they aren’t cutting the mustard at this stage it’s time to cut my losses. I have in fact done exactly that. It’s too late for the ravaged plants to go anywhere. Except the compost heap.

We have had a greenhouse for decades. Was second hand when we got it and it was used a lot. But then we weren’t here as often in the summer and it became a bit Steptoes yard.

This year was the year it was going to be taken down and at some point a new one may be considered. But. It’s had a reprieve. The broken glass hasn’t been replaced but I found a roll of plastic which I have used to replace the broken windows.

We planted tomatoes and cucumbers. So far so good. We have been picking cucumbers and giving them away. We have picked some tomatoes < the sungold are way ahead of everything else.

There are a few different varieties.

A plum tomato liked by chefs apparently. I haven’t tasted it yet but I know I won’t grow it again next year. It’s a bit of a thug and not a great number of fruit.

Tomato sungold. The gift that keeps on giving.

You know when you are at a garden club plant sale and you just buy randomly. This was one purchase. But the fruits are large and the blurb I’ve read say it’s a taste explosion. But they are a bit pink apparently. One is just starting to ripen.

Another random purchase at the plant sale but they are growing well. Dark tomatoes. On the large side too.

A gift from a friend who grows them every year and rates them highly. If they are good enough for nanny Annie then they are good enough for me.

Ian bought the cucumber plants. 3 different types. The jury is out on the yellow until we taste it. Apparently you have to peel it. And it’s round.

I’ve planted three sets of runner beans. 3 because the first two failed. Weather. Slugs. The last batch is climbing away up the canes. Flowers. Tiny beans forming. But I did find enough for supper last night. Hiding behind the leaves.

But I can hear my father ‘ the problem is you didn’t dig a trench. You know I dug a trench every year for my runners ‘ ‘ Um. No dad. You mean you got me to dig it’

We have apples. Two trees are excellent the other is pants. Pears. Nothing. Soft fruit ~ red currants were plentiful. So were the gooseberries. Black currants not great. But it doesn’t matter really. Because 10 days away and there are nine berries left. Pigeons. Next year there will be a fruit cage. At least we can live off frozen redcurrants. Last years crop was awesome.

The front garden pots are doing ok despite the slug damage. The three dahlia are flowering and at least it’s colourful and brightens up the front of the cottage.

But next year will be re thought and there are plans to move things around at the back. Until then it’s more weeding. More slug hunts. ~ maybe an Olympic sport for 2028!

Posted on April 13, 2024April 15, 2024 by happyretiredblog · 1 Comment

Have I said I like Tulips?

It’s peak tulip time. For me it’s probably two weeks earlier than normal. Or maybe it just feels like that after such a wet and miserable Autumn and Winter. Wet ~ the ground in the garden has been saturated for months. So wet in a different climate we could grow rice. The garden is a dreary place when it’s so wet , but it has been unseasonably mild. Few frosts and none I can think of as being harsh.

But the joy of the spring season for me is tulip time. The planning back in September of the colours, the varieties has long been forgotten. The planting plan carefully considered back in November written down by pot number ~ there are 15 large pots to consider for Pitcombe – not as many for London. The planting plan roughly adhered to for the five minutes and then it’s abandoned.

But whatever the colours it makes me happy. Some years happier than others. Some years planting is loud. This year I think it’s a bit more subdued. Not so many oranges. Which reminds me. Where are the ballerina ~ tulips not actual ballerinas ~ that I planted.

Next year maybe it will be just one colour. Different shapes. Different shades. Big and bold. Maybe not.

In the words of the late Larry Grayson ‘shut that door’ . You can tell I’m no influencer with perfect posts and photos. I would have staged it better and shut the door. The pots are at the front of the stone cottages and as it was once two separate there are two front doors.

When I order the bulbs back in September it’s a mix of what I may have planted previously if I really like them and they perform well. The front of the cottage gets mid morning sun and is in shade for the afternoon. In a way that’s perfect and the flowering seems to last longer. They open beautifully but aren’t open all day as they would be if planted at the back of the cottage. I generally don’t plant bulbs in the back garden as it’s too wet. Great soil but it’s next to the river and when it’s wet. It’s wet.

I seem to add Brown sugar ~ for avoidance of doubt the tulip not actual sugar, I may be a bit bonkers but ~ to the mix most years. It’s a glorious tall strong stemmed in a gorgeous colour. And it also has a bit of a scent. You do need to get up close and personal and shove your nose in to get the scent but it’s worth it. Although on a really warm still day you do get a whiff.

A new one this year which is better than I thought it would be is Tulip Spryng break. The description from Peter Nysen is spot on. ‘Shades of red, white, pink and yellow. Tulip Spryng Break is a beautiful chameleon tulip, the colours will change almost daily as the flower matures for the white flamed red to white flamed rose to fuchsia pink with a soft yellow base in the inside ‘.

I wasn’t sure when I ordered it but it’s definitely a stand out this year in the pots. Each flower looks different.

I am not a great labeller. To be honest I’m rubbish and I keep saying this year and this year has been no exception. I’m still rubbish. The generosity of friends and of Karen at Peter Nyssen continue to tell me what I don’t know. Names.

Like this one. So far still unknown but very pretty.

Another new one this year which reminds me of the Honka Dahlias is tulip Go Go red and it’s had the Ian seal of approval. I like it as it’s unusual ~ maybe I’d like it a bit bigger. A bit more blousey. But it will be grown again.

One of the earlier ones to come out was tulip Tulip ‘Mystic van Eijk’. I’ve not grown it before but definitely will again. It’s tall. Has withstood the wind and is a really pretty colour. A lot of people have stopped and asked what it is.

More cottage views

Views from 3/4

I like to check out tulips that I haven’t grown or haven’t seen growing. Usually I plant a few in a pot just to see if I like them. This year I have just planted them in pots. One that I will grow again next year is Tulip Green mile. A funky looking bud before it opens and a treat when it does. Green with some yellow and is another new one that I will use again.

Talking of yellow ~ this is one that’s pretty. Frilly. Yellow ~ but I’m not a big fan.

I’m not big fan of yellow tulips in general other than Tulip West Point which reminds me it hasn’t appeared this year. It’s a tall lily flowered pointy tulip and is a great colour. Which means trouble as it’s one of Ian’s favourites.

Another group missing are the parrots. I think this may be Roccoco double ~ another I’m not sure of. But there should be a few more parrots amongst the pots. Maybe they have flown. Or I planted them upside down.

Back in London for the fitting of a new carpet. A 3 hour drive last night ~ to find first thing this morning it’s cancelled for today and only after I had moved the pots from the path to avoid any disasters. Rescheduled ~ I’m hopeful for tomorrow.

So what do you do when you have time in your hands. Photograph the London tulips.

I grew this in the window boxes last year and loved it. Tulip cabana. I planted the window boxes but this year they have been relegated to the path. We have had the house painted and nothing not even the tulips are going anywhere near the window sills.

I do have a few parrots starting to emerge here though. Is this tulip Rasta parrot? Maybe.

I’ve trialled ( fancy name for it really) some new reds in the pits along with some I grew last year. I’d tell you what they are but you probably know by now I’m a rubbish labelled. Some reds I have planted are Abba which this is not , pretty woman which I really like and which this is not as well. But it’s a nice one !

More reds. Maybe just maybe at some point I will plant the 15 Pitcombe pots with various reds. Various shades of red and various shapes. Maybe not but I need to get my thoughts together for next years ordering. There is research to be done.

Not quite red enough me thinks.

For now the pots have been moved and will be put back by the end of the week ~ and stay until the petals drop which on some of the earlier pots are starting now. All the effect. The planning. The worry for such a short flowering season ~ but sorry not sorry. It will happen all over again this time next year !

Posted on March 22, 2024March 25, 2024 by happyretiredblog · 4 Comments

Hello again. Hello.

Blogs can be like buses. You wait ages for one then two come in quick succession.

It was an early start to drive down to Somerset from London on Friday. Early as in 5am. Mad. Yes. But it beats the traffic. The downside. 20mph speed limits from south to west London. A few little bits of 30mph. But at that time of the morning you try sticking to 20mph ~ but needs must. There are cameras everywhere.

Surprise surprise. No rain all the way. No rain when we got here. And a few hours in the garden. Weeding. Pruning. With sunshine.

I have the national collection of bindweed. You blink and more appears. It’s all been dug out at some point, but in reality you’ll never get rid of it all.

But I’ll battle on. There’s no option.

I’m easily pleased. Let’s talk logs. I’m never happier than when the log store is full ~ today we had a delivery. Probably the last until the summer months when we will stock up. Delivered in a dumpy bag on a tractor and is local. The only downside is that we have to carry it through the house ~ not the dumpy bag the wood ~ and then stack it.

I can’t remember the last time I saw blue skies. But for a while today the sun was out and the sky was blue.

The few plum trees we have are in blossom and the one by the river looks awesome against the blue sky

I’m hoping the worst of the frosts have passed and we may get plums. When we moved here 30 years ago there were wonderful plum trees at the bottom of the garden. But they too were next to the river and we are in a valley which is prone to hard frosts in usual years. The early blossom gets hit hard. But my favourite plums were the ones that used to hang over the lane from one of the cottages. Gorgeous yellow plums which if my memory serves me right were plentiful – maybe yellow pershore.

I must ask if they are still in that garden. Grandad has some awesome plum trees on the farm which made some great jam. That’s the benefit of being in the country. Gifts of apples and pears arrive when there is a glut. We spend weeks juicing the apples and making jam with the plums.

I’ve said it before and as I’m prone for repetition I’ll say it again. I’m not a huge lover of mahonia. But sometimes the colour hits the right spot.

My order from Riverside bulbs arrived today ~ well packed and labelled. Well arrived at Granny’s as it safer to leave parcels there.

Now to pot them up. Along with the new canna. Canna Wyoming and Black Jack. The canna did really well in the garden last year and look like they may have survived in the ground. I like the tallest ones I can get and both of these are tall. With great flower colours.

Oh and I need to plant the acindenthera ~ all 100 of them. To be honest why did I buy them? I am no fan of small bulbs yet I do it regularly. Drumstick allium are another pet hate for planting. Yet I love them when they flower.

Talking is small bulbs can I mention Bessera Elegans. To look at the bulbs it wouldn’t be wrong to think hello. What on earth is he waxing lyrical about the lovely flowers. Then you get the growth. Again you’d think I was bonkers. I know. Don’t say it. Tall thin blade like bits of grass. The first time I grew them I was about to ditch them. But forgot and went away for two weeks. They are really fab when they flower. But another small bulb.

This doesn’t look like your average dahlia but that’s what attracted me to it. That and the colours. It’s a bit echinacea like. I have grown to love Dahlia after hating them as a child. My parents grew them and I hated them ~ mostly cactus dahlia which were brilliant for hiding earwigs. I’d shake them when asked to carry cut ones into the house to get rid of the earwigs. Sometimes so hard I snapped the flower. But a question. Where have all the earwigs gone? I can’t remember the last time I saw one. Not just in a dahlia but in the garden.

The ferns at the bottom of the garden are beginning to multiply in a patch that I’d love more. It’s shaded. Damp and next to an old apple tree smothered in rambling rector. Which last year was fabulous but needs a serious prune this year. The rector. Not the apple tree which is dead.

The most vicious rose in the garden. I’ve never seen so many and such large vicious thorns on a rose bush. I swear it moves when you are near and jabs you.

The dandelions are appearing and are one of the first pollinators available for the emerging butterflies and bees. Along with

The pulmonaria is another great early pollinator ~ some patches haven’t fared as well this year. I suspect some on the river bank may have been washed away when we had a few occasions when the river was high. I’ve noticed varying degrees of colour in the flowers. From lilac to pink.

I planted quite a few allium in the autumn ~ I don’t have a great success rate in this garden with them. Too wet in the winter and spring but somehow this year a lot are doing well. Allium summer drummer a really tall one is running away with itself. In the garden in Spain it is the most reliable one every year. Let’s see how they fair at flowering.

One of last years poppies which has survived the winter. I think it’s a red and I bought two. Both of which have survived. I’ve added three Pattys plum which we had in the garden decades ago and bought from the old Hadspen gardens (now The Newt) from the wonderful Sandra and Norrie Pope. The poppy was found growing on a compost heap at a Somerset nursery when Sandra Pope was working for Patrica Merrow and named after her.

So a Somerset poppy!

If you can get your hands on the Popes wonderful book colour by design do.

I bought a new sanguisorbia at the plant fair last week. Another lilac squirrel which did so well last year and I’m happy to see that the various varieties I planted last year are already showing their leaves. It’s such a distinctive leaf which is good for me as I don’t easily recognise some plants !

I’ve finally realised that lavender is no good in this garden. It is too wet in the winter and too cold. I’m going to try rosemary along a path this year, something I have done in Spain.

The first of them to go in. A couple of upright and a couple of creeping.

And so it begins. Much earlier than usual to be honest. My tulips don’t usual appear until mid April but then again a lot is earlier this year. I can’t wait to see the colours as of course my well thought out and structured planting plan went out of the window. As it does every year.

Back to the back garden. I have to ignore the lower half of the garden by and large whilst I concentrate on the upper part getting c it ready for the spurt of growth for the perennials. I have pruned and dug over the fruit bush bed and the black and red currants have started into leaf. So have the red and green gooseberries. Note to self. Plant more red ones. They don’t get from the bush to the house. I eat them.

The perennials are forcing their way through. The astrantia always do well in this garden. I’d like to say the Astrantia Hadspen blood have come through. But I don’t know. Would be good if I kept a plan. Or labelled better. But I don’t.

This one is Astrantia beenthereforever. As in it has been there since we moved in here. 30 years ago.

Another plant that has been here for decades is this clump of persicaria. It should really be divided but that’s a job for another day. Or week.

There are quite a few clumps of white phlox in the borders. Always grows well here, great for cut flowers along with the pink phlox. I keepM

A ing to add a few more colours.

Something else we lost over time ~ the black elderflower ~ sambucus Nigra ~ so I planted a new one in a different spot last autumn. I love the colour of the leaves and the I love the pinky black flowers. Makes a lovely pink elderflower cordial. .

There are a few areas that are a problem. The ground elder has gone crazy and that is a challenge for when I feel up to it. I have dug an area for a dahlia bed but keep changing my mind. Maybe here. Nah be there and one has been dug over. The other is a work in progress. A huge one. Like climbing Everest.

So by the time I am back there will be more weeds. More growth on the perennials. But. There was a window of opportunity for one of my favourite jobs. The first grass cut of 2024. We had a good dry day on Friday and was hoping for another Saturday. But. Short bursts of torrential showers with spells of sunshine and heavy hail made me think it would be a big no this weekend. But Sunday proved to be a belter. A bit cold but with a drying wind proved perfect. A huge surprise in that the petrol mower started first time and I managed to get a decent first cut. Yet another thing in life that makes be happy. Next job. The edges.

All in all a really productive few days.

Posted on March 19, 2024March 22, 2024 by happyretiredblog

The wet country

It’s been another wet few weeks. I don’t think there’s been a day without some rain. Some days more than others. Whilst in Spain there has been about 2 days only in the last few weeks. Mind you when it rains it rains. It’s not just on the plain either. One day last week there was 71mm of the wet stuff and they say the reservoirs will be collecting for the next 2/3 weeks. But it will only make a marginal difference to the levels. Whilst in Somerset aka the wet country it is the complete opposite. The ground is still soggy. The river flowing fast and dirty. The run off from the fields continues.

But first there was London. Not as wet. But wet enough.

It’s time to poo my plants. A bit earlier than usual but the plants are all in pots and I’m sure the constant rains have washed all the goodness out of the pots. So alpaca food for the Agapanthus it is. And alpaca nuts for the tree ferns. I have been bold and taken out the straw ~ so get your hats and coats ready. The weather is bound to turn around and get frosty. For now they will remain fleeced.

I’ve checked the straw. You don’t want icy straw. I am hoping the worst of the frosts have been and gone. But to be honest there haven’t been many, if any in the tiny London garden. It’s very sheltered.

Have I mentioned I like tulips. Maybe once or twice.

For the next few months I might mention tulips and agapanthus a fair bit. Before I start on dahlia and canna. Like a broken 78rpm. Ask your mother ~ She will explain the difference between a 78, a 33 & a third and a 45. Maybe ask your grandparents about the 78.

I planted the London pots a bit late. But they are coming along fine – these photos were early March ~ they have grown a fair bit in the last two weeks. Better than the ones in the window box. I’m not sure who has poo’d in the window boxes. It’s either a squirrel or a fox and the jury is out which one. Cyril the squirrel is partial to a dig but I’ve never known him poo in his own pantry. and if it’s him he’s a pretty big squirrel.

So onto the wet country. Wet wet wet. Love is all around. Not in this garden. I’m not loving the wet soggy ground. The constant weeds. The squelching noise as you walk down one end of the garden to another.

The one thing other than the weeds which are doing well are the tulips. I always worry about them ~ will they grow. Will they flower. Will the colours be ok. So far the growth is fine. A little early but fine. I must remember to water them if we have a dry spell. Even though there may be a little rain in the next two weeks it doesn’t always get right into the pots. A hint and a tip from a fellow insta chum.

A reminder of last year’s pots of joy.

I planted this outside the kitchen years ago and kind of forgotten about it. It’s been a bit spindly. A bit unimpressive until this year. It’s full of bud and flowers and is fabulous. I kept saying it’s a Daphne. It’s not. It’s a viburnum. Gorgeous buds and colour as they open.

There have been a few things I have loved and lost in the Somerset garden. A few pairs of secateurs. Glasses. Gardening gloves.

I have said it’s a wet garden. When we first arrived at the cottage 30 years ago ~ I know. We were young then. Sort of ~ there was a lovely yellow ball buddleja in the garden. To be honest I didn’t know what it was then but loved it. A great pollinator and was a mass of flowers. At some point over the last few decades it disappeared. I replaced it with a white one. But I have found both an orange ball buddleja and a buddleja sungold and both are now planted. We used to have a Philadelphus Belle etoile. Lost. But now a new one has been planted. I love the deep coloured throat. And the scent. Hopefully it will survive.

I’ve had a delivery ~ now there’s a surprise ~ from Peter Nyssen ~ dahlia, particularly a selection of Honka, some bessera elegans, Gladioli The Bride and a load of Acidanthera. Which I hate planting. Small bulbs shouldn’t be allowed. Or I should have someone else planting them.

All I need to do is plant them up.

It’s not been all work and no play. We have been for a few walks at The Newt. Cold and damp walks to be fair.

A visit to the first Rare Plant Fair of the season at the Bishops Palace Wells. Great plants from a number of sellers. Did I buy anything? Of course. Two climbing roses, 3 papaver Pattys Plum , the Philadelphus so just a few. But they have all been planted on the day I bought them. That’s a first.

A wander around the palace gardens and the gorgeous colour of the Edgeworthia red dragon. This one goes on the ever growing list of wants. I need two columns. One for the want. One for the where.

There was much more than these two pics. Oh. I forgot the glorious magnolia.

I am hoping for a few drier weeks. To dry out the grass. To cut the grass. To bring on the new shoots of the perennials. And to stop the backbreaking monotony of digging out the bindweed and ground elder. That’s not too much to ask is it?

So a few days in London. No soggy ground. No weeds. But plenty to do in the garden for sure.

Posted on February 29, 2024February 29, 2024 by happyretiredblog · 2 Comments

Let’s get ready to ramble. On ~ & ~ on.

I can’t quite believe we are already two months in to 2024. How did that happen. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind two months. Christmas in London. Finally a new floor laid at the cottage. And endless rain. It never seems stop. That’s in the UK. In Spain it is the polar opposite. In Somerset the ground is so wet that whenever it rains it just runs off. I have had enough now.

In Spain we haven’t had enough. And when we do I cheer. It’s bonkers how different it is. The reservoirs are low. It’s winter and the Costa has water restrictions. It has rained. But it’s few and far between and the forecast there looks like no rain for weeks.

I’ve spent a fair amount of time in Somerset. Work has finished on the new floor and whilst that was happening we has some dry days to get out into the garden. To cut things back. To clear and tidy. The birds had stripped most stuff that could be eaten and it was time to cut the perennials right back. A little earlier than usual I think but with the weather ~ have I mentioned rain – you have to do things when you can. And when we are here. Not there. Or over there.

There’s nothing like a hard frost to make a dull garden look pretty. Not that we have had many frosts to be fair. Not enough in my opinion. But with Ian’s help the garden has been tidied ready for a spring awakening. Roses pruned ~ some within an inch of their life. Apples and pears pruned. Gooseberries and currants pruned. With all the garden waste ~ well nearly all taken to the dump. Which is under threat of closure with council cut backs. Don’t get me started on the logic of then having to drive 13 miles to the alternatives whilst reading the councils green policy. Not whilst driving. That would be foolish.

The grass is green. Still growing but far too wet to cut. The ground is ripe for growing rice this year but at least I can turn the soil over easily unlike in Spain where I need a pick axe to do the same.

I am not keen on mahonia ~ but throw a bit of frost on the leaves and it makes for a good photograph. It’s planted by the river bank and to be honest has never done very much. Possibly due to my neglect but I have given it a bit of TLC and I will see how it goes. It’s only been there for about 25 years.

I’m pretty desperate to get a cut on the grass ~ I’ll keep the bottom of the garden longer and let the daisies stay with a path down the middle. You can’t call it a lawn ~ it’s too embarrassing for a lawn. We have talked about reseeding it. Take out the lumps and bumps but a perfect lawn wouldn’t look right. It’s not a formal garden. It’s a higgledy piggly cottage garden with random planting. Pretty. But random.

It’s a shame the constant rain doesn’t drown the bindweed and the ground elder. It’s a constant battle and one I’ll never completely win. I’m a bit more relaxed about it when the plants hide it but watching it start to poke through is a constant irritant ~ and weeding does my back in.

Things are starting to show their leaves. The phlox is through , the alliums are romping away. Especially summer drummer which is one of the tallest. The pruned roses are showing their leaves. There are buds on the fruit trees.

This is one of a few small clumps of crocus that come year after year. I can’t even remember when and if I planted them. But I’ve obviously moved soil around as they have appeared in a few different places. Always the first thing or one of the first to flower. Bulbs and corms aren’t great in the back garden. The ground is very wet. Very frosted and if they do flower in year 1 they rarely get past that.

The primroses are starting to flower. I remember as a child walking the rusty line ~ an old disused railway line and picking primroses. I’ve planted a few more in the last two years and I’m hoping they will spread.

The only clump of daffodils in the back garden which come back year after year and are planted under the really ancient apple tree. But. They opened and the water from the river flattened them. I lied. I’ve just looked out of the bathroom window and have spied a lone daffodil in another part of the garden.

These are looking sparse around the garden this year. Usually the river bank is covered but the only thing that it’s been covered in over recent months is the river. Not all the time. But I think they have been washed away. Sad as they are great early pollinators. Pulmonaria ~ common lungwort

I always am a little anxious with the tulip pots. Usually right up until flowering. Have I planted enough ~ probably yes as I stuff the pots with as many as I can. Have I planted too many ~ as in have I stuffed them too full. Will they grow ~ have I planted them upside down. At times when there’s no sign of them I think they will flower in OZ.

But they are through and now I’m worrying about ‘are they growing too fast’ and have I been bonkers with the colours. Only time will tell.

This is the difference between a few weeks growth. So far so good.

I was late in planting the tulip pots and window boxes in London but they too are starting to show through. Obviously not as advanced but they are on their way.

I had a spell of buying old chimney pots to use in the back garden in London. It gave some height to the planting. There are now two planted with tulips and three with rosemary by the front door. Recycle reuse. Replant.

I am not a galanthophile ~ we have only one clump in the garden. Which reappears under the old apple tree every year. Yet never bulk up. Every year I think I’ll buy some in the green. But don’t.

The one thing that bulks are the Spanish bluebells. Another must do. Replace with British. But the list is endless. Maybe next year.

It’s a waiting game now. Waiting for things to slowly appear. To flower. To dry up. Or in Spain. To have a soaking.

It’s not been all rain and gardens. There has been some walking. . A visit to the Newt ~ a walk cake and coffee. Once it dries up it’s a nice walk from the cottage along the green lanes but at the moment there is not a chance.

I love this bridge ~ for its shape more than anything else. Not withstanding there’s coffee and cake at the end of it. Or the start depending on which way you approach it.

We ventured further making use of our NT membership. a short drive on a cold and frosty morning to Stourhead.

So there is time now to do some garden planning. The tulips are in and there is nothing I more I can do. Except watch for the poo bags being lobbed into the pots. Yes. It happens.

I’ve dug over what may be a dahlia bed. So spurred on by my friend Siobhan I’ve been on the look out for new dahlia for 2024. Last year I loved the honka’s. So I’ve ordered more from my go to supplier peternyssen

I’m hoping that some of lasts years will have survived. They won’t have died off from frost but they may have rotted. Another waiting game.

More reds and oranges to be bought form Toddsbotanics

The canna last year were excellent. A little late to the party but flowered until the first frosts. Then in a blink of an eye the foliage was mush. I didn’t lift but mulched heavily so again it’s fingers and toes crossed. But whispers I’ve been on the World Wide Web again looking for some new tall ones.

So we head into March. Today’s is a leap year. I wouldn’t mind leaping to sunnier drier days to be honest.

Posted on December 7, 2023February 28, 2024 by happyretiredblog

Here and there!

It’s been a funny few weeks. Or months to be honest. Who said retirement would be boring. Who told me I would be bored within six months. Well. I have just celebrated 8 years since I hung up my suit. To be honest I’m not sure where the time has gone. The had been a lot of water under the bridge in that time as well as through the house.with the flood which could have been worse in May. We are still without flooring as the contractors had difficulty getting the floor up. So new contractors were involved. They came and reviewed. Then went away. Two months later they were back to review again and a date was booked to remove the floor.

In the meantime we ordered the floor ( as in ordered the materials) and paid the deposit. To be told. There is a 12 week lead time. Then two weeks ago we found out that the company who were local and been trading since the 70’s had gone bust. A week after we had paid the deposit. Nothing like being told at 4.45 on a Friday. So the saga continues. We then cancelled a week away as the weather forecast was pants. The ground in Somerset was ready to plant rice and the river was high. Thankfully it stayed where it should be.

Bored yet. To be honest I’m bored talking about it. We have a date for the floor to be removed. I have yet not plucked up the enthusiasm to go and see the alternative suppliers which will now have an even longer lead time as they will be picking up the other work as well.

But it gave me time to enjoy the final days of the plants in the garden at the cottage and wait for the first frosts to kill off the coleus pots and the geraniums. This took a while. But when it did it did it quickly. The coleus have been pretty remarkable this year and I had forgotten how much I led the colours. It was probably in the 1970’s ~ 80’s since I last grew them. They will be the staple of the summer pots again next year. Another bonus was that this year there were no poo bags casually thrown into the pots by people walking by. We had removed an old water pump from the front which had been stuffed with poo bags and rubbish. I was lucky as I had said that if it continued there would be no tulips and that would be s**t. Apologies but my language was pretty ripe when having to clear the mess.

Back to nicer things. The canna have been brilliant this year. the new ones have done well and flowered earlier than the ones I left in the ground. To be honest I wasn’t sure they had survived but survive they did. It took the canna Annei a long time to get going but it reached over 5 ft and flowered just before the first frost. This isn’t Annei.

But when it’s over it’s over. The first frost had the leaves. The canna will be cut back. In the meantime I emptied half of the compost from each of the 15 large tulip pots and mulched the canna. Just as well as the temperatures then dropped liked the proverbial stone.

Have I said I like tulips maybe once or a thousand times. So the pots were emptied. Well half each pot was. Then planted up.

As usual I had a plan. A list of all the tulips of which there were many. The number. The height. The colour. When they would flower. And a suggestion of a planting plan for 15 large pots.

Guess what? The plan lasted all of 2 pots. Then I freestyled. So it will be another year of what the lovely Karen at Peter Nyssen calls my “dolly mixture planting” But they are in. I have yet to plant the ones in London. There aren’t any for Spain this year. Last years were a bit as they say on my Saturday night entertainment show a bit of ‘ a disaster darling’

Back in London my attention turned to the tree ferns. They said it was getting colder. Threats of snow. Frost. We were going away for a week. I had put straw in the crowns a week before and sometimes I fleece. Sometimes I don’t. Thankfully I had fleece and the 5 tree ferns are all fleeced. Though I suspect Cybil the resident squirrel will steal parts of each one to make the dray. Last year it was in the large jasmine.

Note to self. Remember to change over the straw if there’s been rain and a heavy frost. It will ice up.

Now it’s Spain where we haven’t been for a while. It’s always a kind of a surprise how we will find the garden. I know. Through the gate is a good start. We do get photos of the garden when we aren’t here which is hugely appreciated. Bearing in mind the weather we have had in Spain with extreme heat and very little rainfall the garden is looking pretty good. Very good. The temperatures have now dropped. There has been sprinklings of rain and on Friday before we arrived it chucked it down. It has also rained a fair bit since.

It’s pretty green. We do have it watered once a week albeit Sparingly. I’ve never appreciated water as much as I do now. ~ back in the uk we take it for granted. We open a tap and out it comes. Both hot and cold. This summer there was a directive from the council. We would have water every three days. In reality sometimes we went 5 days. We should have had it on day 3 but the houses above us had their water deposits topped up first. Then the system overheats. So we don’t get water. A phone call to the town hall and a man on a scooter ( not blowing his hooter) drives to wherever and switches the supply. We then get water. In summer with a high influx of visitors there is a huge demand but thankfully we have a water deposit which can keep us going. I digress. As is usual. I reminded Ian of the 1976 slogan when there were water shortages. ‘Save water. Bath with a friend’. He was not amused. He said save water. Shower by yourself.

Thankfully the grasses have survived in the windey path and are doing really well. Along with the creeping rosemary. I still dream of my lavender path and at some point it may be replanted. But the rosemary does so much better in the dry conditions.

The olive tree is coming along nicely. It’s ancient and we had to make the decision to have it pruned. Either for fruit. Or looks. So we have gone for looks and it’s being shaped and I am really pleased with it. Especially as I’m not the one doing the shapes. It gave us some great olives but it’s only one tree and in the past I have picked and salted them but to be honest it’s a a faff. So I went for looks. Shallow I know.

Excitement. The huge bulbs of Urginea maritima (sea squill) are back again. They throw out the leaves and eventually die back in the summer only to throw out the white spires of flowers in Autumn. Usually when we aren’t here.

The autumnal colours of the dodonea look amazing with the reds. The foliage is the best and the flowers are pretty insignificant.

Many of the pines locally have died off over the last 12 months. A mix of a low water table and some kind of disease. I am so happy that these are still on the drybbank at the entrance to the house. I love them. Except for the pine needles and the procession art caterpillars. Two years ago we cleared the needles from under the trees. 2024 looks like it will happen again. But not around processionary caterpillar season. I also need to get them gently pruned. and any dead wood cut out. Adds to list.

It’s been a week of all seasons. We arrived after heavy rain. Enough sun another day to be in the garden. But today the mist and fog came rolling in from the coast and up to the hills and the valley. It gives a lovely eerie light.

There has been some gardening. A bit of a fork over of the ground to allow the rain to sink in rather than roll off the top. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the ground so wet which made a perfect opportunity to do a bit of planting. A few echium to add to the ones I bought a year ago. I planted 6 opposite the garage and I’m pleased that 5 have survived. Another four planted in the area in front of the garage beds.

I also took the plunge and removed the small baby foxtail agaves from the large parent agave in a pot and have planted them at the rear of the house. It’s a dry area and the 3 new ones have been added to the 4 I planted last year which have grown well.

More rain is forecast. But not the deluges that we are getting in the UK especially the Somerset garden. I’m thinking of using the garden to grow rice. It’s that wet.

I love this time of year in Andalucia ~ although this week has been a bit colder and wetter there have still been some great sunsets. I bore myself with the photos ~ there’s a need to review and delete.

The light at sunset if fabulous and the wall of glass in the casa gets a glorious colour wash when the sun goes down. Ian brought a lot of glass across in his suitcase when we first bought the house. He was bolder than me and packed some delicate pieces.

He only had one time when he was questioned about what he had packed. He had gone through security. Bag checked in. After a while he had his name come over security. Please return to check in. He couldn’t as he was the other side so he found a security guy to take him through the back areas. To be questioned.

What’s this.? It’s a large piece of glass. And this. It’s solar lights for the garden. And these. Tea bags. He had to admit that on the scanner the combination looked suspect. But it shows that security does work.

Back in the summer we commissioned a local artist who was showing in the Cómpeta Art walk to do two portraits of us. She has surprised us with a picture at the art walk which we saw when we visited the exhibition and loved it. it’s now ready to go on the wall when we can stop disagreeing where it’s going.

She has now shown us the two individual ones which are being framed. We love them and they will also go on the wall. The trouble is we are running out of space for the black and white prints I have finally had the courage to be printed and framed.

She has included the love of glass in Ian’s and in mine the background is tulips.

Have I ever mentioned glass and tulips before.!

I haven’t included the joint picture as a copy has been used this year as our Christmas card ~ rather self indulgent I know but it’s too fabulous not to share.

As we prepare to leave to head back to a busy few weeks in the uk the pueblo blanco is preparing for the Christmas festivities.

The lights are going up. The restaurants are booked for Xmas and New year and the village is adorned with red poinsettia. Along the walls of La rampa ~ outside houses. We went to a garden centre in the week and it’s just not red that’s available. The colours are all there and the standard poinsettia are brilliant.

It will be a few weeks before we return. There’s bulbs to plant in London. A sitting room floor to be sorted ~ and colder and wetter weather to return to.

But. Feliz Navidad will be playing in the car along with all of the other festive tunes !

Posted on October 8, 2023October 9, 2023 by happyretiredblog · 3 Comments

Managing a Spanish Garden

I admit it. I’m never happy. It’s either too hot or too cold. Too dry or too wet. Just as well i garden where I get it all. Greedy? Yes. Happy no. What I would like is a little bit more or less in each place. The garden in Somerset and in London has been wet. So wet in Somerset we were flooded in May. So hot in Spain that many of the plants were scorched. We had water restrictions. Officially one day off. One day on. But let’s remember we are 2,000 ft up the mountain with ups and downs for the Water to flow to get to us. In reality on the On days we may only get a dribble at the end of the day. Thankfully we have a large deposit which keeps us going.

So as I said. I’m never happy and in true British style talk about the weather.

But as we arrived after about an absence of 7 weeks the heavens opened. But only just after I had soaked the ground. It rained for two days.

That rain dance certainly worked. Whilst Somerset and London sweltered in the highest temperatures sent from The Mediterranean.

To be honest I was surprised at how well the garden had fared. Yes. It’s watered twice a week in parts. In others it’s do or die. Some plants had shrivelled in the heat. Two out of four echium had died. The others around them were a bit sad but with the rains th de ey perked up. The weather changed and the temperature dropped a good few degrees.

A bed of agapanthus had given up and the leaves had shrivelled back. But once cleared and the rains had soaked the ground they looked refreshed.

I may have lost a few which is disappointing but I did have replacements which had been delivered in pots and put in a shaded area at the end of July. Our local Viveros Florena closes for August and there’s an all mighty sale. Lorraine messaged me and said I know you aren’t around but is there anything you want. Somehow 8 large agapanthus, 8 smaller agapanthus black buddhist and two others appeared in the garden.

If I thought I’d be making quince jelly this year I needed to think again. There was one quince tree and anything that was left were cooked. On the tree.

But we did have grapes. Enough for a feast for two days. But the vine will come out and be replaced this year with two new ones. It’s had it’s day.

The olive tree is being pruned to give a topiary shape. I was asked how I wanted it cut. For fruit or looks. I said both. He said you can’t so I decided that the olives just drop when we aren’t there. I often salt cure them and then don’t eat them all. So shape it will be. It’s under planted with 3 curry plants which i I have previously cut back hard. I lost the flowers but they are a bit insignificant anyway. It needs cutting again. I think I’ve said that I was going to plant up the path with them. They are hard workers but the scent of curry on a hot August day as you walk up the path was a little off putting.

The area at the back of the casa gets the least care and attention. And the least water. There have been two losses of significance. A newly planted bottle brush and of all things that have died. A Buddleja. How on earth did that happen. I thought buddleja were as tough as old boots. But even the toughest need some water until we’ll established.

There are few large agave left around the garden and a further 3 have succumbed to whatever eats them from the roots and makes them die. So they have been cleared away. Any new ones that start sprouting will be pulled too. It’s not worth the hassle. I need to keep the bugs away.

But I have planted 5 new foxtail agave from the pot of the large agave ~ they take easily and will suit this space.

The large foxtail has done well in this pot. I have taken at least 6 away from here and planted them around the garden. Slow growing so they will probably be heee long after I am not.

After the rain the area below the olive tree and the curry plants is looking well. I love the variegated yucca in the centre which is growing fast and furious. In a yucca kind of way.

A second flush on the Durante repens. It’s such a lovely colour and brings a great joy to what is a difficult area.

I couldn’t resist this – I have tried to break the habit of plant buying but somehow it’s a losing battle. But it’s a glorious colour with a light scent. Unlike the yellow below whose scent is strong.

Both great plants in pots for the terrace. But I’ve decided. No tulip pots this year. They were pants in last years heat.

I know I’m mean but if there was one plant I wouldn’t miss it’s the Swiss cheese plant. A staple house plant growing up along with a rubber plant, Xmas cacti and maidenhair ferns I never expected to have one in the garden. But then again I didn’t always imagine having a garden in Spain. But it’s survived the summer again despite being planted in the wrong place.

The cactus that is not a cactus as usual survived. It’s cactus like after all. Even if it’s a euphorbia.

I’ve been trying to save this plant for the last 6 years. Most have been ravaged by the cochineal fly and wither and die. I have hosed off the fly as they appear and this one’s not in bad shape. Good enough to produce ‘chumbo’ as they are known in Spain. Edible fruits. Not tried by me.

There’s a flurry of pests and diseases going through Spain. The latest is hitting some of the pine trees. So far we have been lucky. We have 5 on the dry bank and they are doing ok despite the heat and the lack of rain. The water table is pretty low too at the moment and I have crossed everything.

With the heavy rain came softer ground which meant I could plant. First a new strelitzia Nicolai to match the one on the path by the gate. Ian likes structural planting so I try and keep him happy. That way I can sneak in other plants whilst he’s not looking.

6 years later I still love this gate. Ian said I knew as soon as we went through the gate it was the casa for us. He was right then and he is still right.

It wasn’t all gardening and socialising. We did have a few trips down to the coast. An evening down the wiggly line to Algarrobo Costa. To a small chiringuito on the beach ~ tourists had largely gone. A lovely meal and a fabulous sunset. And a great photo opportunity.

Sándwiches anyone. Where’s the flask of tea. No it isn’t us before you ask. Two people on the beach as we walked along the promenade. But as I say to Ian ~ it could be us. And probably will be.

Talking of sunsets it’s the time of year for the amazing Cómpeta sunsets. Something I don’t think I will ever tire of.

We also took three nights away. A 2.5 hour drive to Jaén an area known for its olive trees. Some 60 million of them which produce 23% of the worlds olive oil. That’s a lot of oil!

Olive trees as far as the eye can see. It’s pretty spectacular.

We stayed in Jaén and did a day visiting Úbeda and Baeza ~ both UNESCO world heritage sites. Both are very Italian renaissance and Baeza was my favourite. Both have beautiful buildings.

I was so tempted by the beautiful pottery in Úbeda. But I resisted. Maybe if it had had a plant in it.

Back to Cómpeta to the 14th Art walk where 49 artists and photographers exhibited their works. It’s a great celebration of the work by the local Artists. We were surprised to walk into one and find the work of Susan Brown on the wall of two people we knew. A fabulous take of an art deco interpretation of Ian and I. Needless to say it will find its way onto our wall.

I always love the black and white photos of Cómpeta Portraits. Dave Shannon takes what I call proper photos. You remember using 35mm film and he prints the photos himself. I owe a lot to Dave as he has encouraged me with my own photos.

So the garden has been left again. The heat has continued and the water tables in the reservoirs hasn’t improved.

Whilst in Somerset the rain continues, and I order this years tulip selections for London and Somerset.

Posted on August 3, 2023August 3, 2023 by happyretiredblog · 2 Comments

Tod Garden Tours

Who said retirement would be boring. It certainly wasn’t me and like everything in life it’s what you make of it. After nearly eight years life is still not slowing down. Just me getting slower. And sometimes more selective in what, when and where.

Lockdown seems an age ago and is something we hope never to be repeated. But it did have some good things come out of it. People had the opportunity to sit and think about projects that they could do post Covid. Like on one grey December day the idea of garden tours was hatched. By two old duffers. No. Not us. But Michael Marriott and Rosie Irving. Now I’m not being rude about them. Never. It is their description. Two old gardening duffers.

Over lockdown I built up a great friendship online with them both. For those that know Rosie will know that she loves to talk. About plants. Gardens. Oh. And shopping. Michael is very generous in his advice and his knowledge. For those who don’t know Michael is the Rose expert, consultant , garden designer and with Rosie often goes live at five on instagram. An hour of garden chat. I’m saying an hour. But ….. it usually more. And always very entertaining.

So the concept of the garden tours was mooted and it came to fruition. TODS garden tours. Yep. Two old duffers. Safe to say it’s only taken me a few years to book with them but it was well worth the wait.

To be fair. We don’t usually do many guided tours. It’s just not our bag. But this was TOD. I had great expectations. I knew two other people on the tour. A great friend in Barbara Segall and a more recent friendship with Jacqui Cox ~ an introduction from Rosie. We had met once before when we both happened to be in Valencia at the same time. And got on. Well. Also having had years of conferences and meetings where you had to introduce yourself like a therapy group I was worried about not so much myself. But Ian. He would admit. He’s not a gardener. He has no social media presence at all. Unless you take in photographs of his back walking ten feet in front of me. But. Fear not. It was an easy process. The people on the tour travelled from all over the country for the tour. Many had been in the previous days visit to Great Dixter.

Our first stop was Gravetye Manor – built in 1598 it is a beautiful building and hotel with a Michelin star restaurant with gardens considered to be one of the most important in the UK. The gardens were created by William Robinson in 1885 one of the most influential gardeners with his introduction of the concept of mixed borders. He was an interesting man and his story can be found at Gravetye Manor The gardens are not open to the public but can be viewed as guests of the hotel or diners at the restaurant or on specialist garden tours.

The tour starts with morning tea and biscuits ( I’ll vouch that the chocolate biscuits are the best ) and an introductory talk from the head gardener Tom Coward. Tours can be made or broken dependant on the quality of the guide. But instantly you knew this was going to be good. Tom is a great and passionate gardener who draws you into the subject. Entertaining and informative with 9 years experience in this garden. We knew we were onto a winner.

Standing outside listening to Tom looking across the fields to a wonderful view. There is so much to take in. This wildflower meadow is fabulous and Tom explained the process of growing. The timing of the cutting having to fit in with the local farmer and the varieties of the flowers and of course the yellow rattle.

The garden was created by William Robinson in 1885 who created the concept of mixed borders and the gardens are considered one of the most important historic gardens in England. The history of Gravetye and the restoration of the gardens is worth a read in itself. I admit to knowing little about Gravetye before the visit ( except for the recommendations on its fine dining)!

The Gravetye website has a lot of information on both William Robinson and the history of the house and gardens.

The mixed borders do not disappoint and are full of shape variety and colour. This fabulous blue Salvia stood out in this bed and reminds me to check that my Salvia blue patens large is still where it should be. So many people have lost so many Salvia this year. Me included. Even the solid and sturdy Amistad.

I’m jealous of the lavender in the walled vegetable garden. When we bought our Casa in Spain it had a fabulous lavender path. But it was old and had little pruning and didn’t last long. I’ve had no luck in replanting it. It was replaced with rosemary both upright and creeping and these have done much better for me there.

I love this Salvia ~ Salvia confertifolia. A really tall lovely red spike. I’m on the hunt for them already. We have some great persicaria in the Somerset garden and this would fit right in with its height and colour into one of the mixed borders.

Another lovely colourful border. There are a few cannas in the borders but Tom said that he is looking to use less. I forgot to ask why bearing in mind my liking for them in my garden.

This rose was in the walled kitchen garden and took many peoples eye. It’s a really pretty apricot hybrid tea with a strong scent and another plant for the want list. Great to have tie rose expert Mr Marriot leading the tour who confirms that it was Mrs Oaskley Fisher. One for autumn planting for me.

I called it a circular walled garden but Ian corrected me. It’s not circular but it forms a perfect elipse, built in sandstone. I stand corrected as he was probably listening to Tom as I was wandering off. Whatever its shape it’s a hugely productive garden for the restaurant and hotel.

The garden is home to a great variety of insects. The lavender was full of bees and I managed to catch a photo of this large bee when it was still for long enough for the shutter to click. Obviously not on the lavender though.

I think the lovely dahlia is Dahlia merckii. A very pretty single flower lilac ~ pink. I say I think as I wasn’t as diligent in having a notebook like some on the tour. Goes well with my being rubbish at labelling in the garden. But it is really lovely dahlia and a great colour and looked great in the kitchen garden.

Both Rosie and Michael are so generous with their knowledge which is great with a group of people wanting to know more and are full of questions as was head gardener Tom. Whilst the makeup of the group is random ~ many of the people on this tour had been on a number of other tours with TOD tours. That’s a recommendation in itself. People had travelled from Scotland. From Suffolk. London. The north west and from Somerset. The Somerset one wasn’t just Ian or I but someone who lives about 20 miles away from the Somerset cottage in a village where my maternal ancestors originated.

I don’t know how many photos I took but there were many. Would I go back. Absolutely. I’m yet to persuade Ian that it needs a weekend stay.

Arriving at Gravetye Manor for coffee and biscuits before the tour to be greeted at the door.

Part two of the tour was to Knepp rewilding on the Knepp Estate. . . There has been so much dialogue about rewilding in garden magazines and on TV and at flower shows both good and bad. The first thing I would say is that we were both blown away by the visit. It’s hard to explain or describe the feeling and many of the photographs do not catch the beauty. The simplicity. The movement and the light of the walled garden or the kitchen garden.

Barbara Segall who was with us on the tour had brought a copy of the Summer edition of Gardens Illustrated when she came to stay which has an article on the Knepp rewilding project which is an interesting read and insight.

We were greeted by Charlie Harpur the head gardener who gave us a 20 minute introduction to the rewilding project. The land was originally farmed but in 2000 farming ceased and the land left to rewilding. Pigs, horses and beavers were brought in to help with the project. It wasn’t an overnight process and is one that is an ongoing process and continuing.

From Knepo website ~ ‘Professor Sir John Lawton, author of the 2010 Making Space for Nature report says:

‘“Knepp Estate is one of the most exciting wildlife conservation projects in the UK, and indeed in Europe. If we can bring back nature at this scale and pace just 16 miles from Gatwick airport we can do it anywhere. I’ve seen it. It’s truly wonderful, and it fills me with hope.” ‘

The bio diversity at Knepp is astonishing and the wildlife immense. Knepp rewilding operates a number of wildlife safaris during the seasons and covers species like bats, butterflies and moths and nightingales. A note on their website re nightingales says ‘ In 2022, we counted over 50 males singing from territories in Knepp’s billowing hedgerows and patches of scrub – a remarkable increase from only seven territories prior to rewilding, twenty or so years ago.

And another quote from Knepp rewilding website < The potential of our gardens to provide for wildlife and help reverse global biodiversity loss is enormous. At Knepp, our manicured lawns and weeded paths and borders were – ecologically speaking – similar to the groomed arable land that pre-dated our rewilding project on the rest of the Estate. As a result of rewilding, the wider landscape at Knepp is now a complex mosaic of habitats, teeming with wildlife. But can we achieve this in much smaller areas? Can we rewild an outdoor space that many of us consider an extension of our homes?’

The small tour group wandering through the walled garden.

I wished I’d taken a photo of the planting list that was available to read after we had done the tour. Or made notes during maybe.

In the corner of the kitchen garden is a hive for the wild bees which was humming. A lovely structure.

After the introductory talk from Charlie there was a wander through the gardens with a great discussion on the gardens the planting and the plants. Charlie is a great narrator and his enthusiasm for the project is inclusive.

The project certainly gave food for thought amongst us all with conversations with Rosie, Michael and with the other people in the group. But like everything good things must come to an end and it was time for tea and delicious cake. It’s a hands on tour ~ you even get the tour organiser pouring your tea.

Details of future Tod Garden Tours can be found in the link ~ worth taking a note of for any future tours that are added. My plan is for a future visit to the gardens in Ireland. I’ve yet to tell Ian.

Posted on June 15, 2023June 15, 2023 by happyretiredblog

Viva España.

It’s been a busy few weeks. We have been to Lisbon via Porto and then headed down to Spain to relax. Well relax and garden if I’m honest. It’s great to be back at Casa Verano especially as there has been some rain Quite a bit of rain to be fair. Some heavy downpours which have been great for the garden and hopefully has made some difference to the water table levels and the reservoirs. Not rain like in Somerset which I won’t mention again. But enough to make the garden here look green.

I know I’ve said it before but if you read these blogs you’ll be familiar with things. I repeat myself often. But when we viewed the house 6 years ago I knew it was for us when we opened the gate and walked up the path. In many ways the house was irrelevant – the garden and the view sold it. Not withstanding I originally wanted a town house with no garden and a walk to the shops and restaurants. Fickle. Me. Yes. But give me a garden and I’m easily swayed.

It doesn’t take long to settle in. Washing machine on. Seat cushions out. Feet up and relax. Another thing on repeat is good neighbours. We arrive to the essentials stocked in the fridge. Milk for our coffee. Bread cheese ham and biscuits. And all the windows open and the hot water on.

But it’s the garden that has come on leaps and bounds since I was here a few weeks ago. The rain has certainly brought things to life. The garden has a lot of drought tolerant plants but even they need a boost. We have a gardener come in to do a lot of the cutting back of the larger shrubs and trees and he has cut back the oleander and the hideous transparente a lot this year. The extra light it gives is amazing. So many people are afraid to cut back hard but it has its benefits. Earlier in the year he cut a climber back on the gate and I was mortified. That will not grow back I said to Ian. It’s a goner. I promptly bought another. Which died back. The original has run away with itself and is thicker and stronger and healthier than before. I apologised. He knows what he’s doing. He told me an agave would be a goner with a month or two. He was right. We arrived back to the large agave in a pot laying on its side. The dreadful bug that has been attacking the agave from the roots had got the one in the pot. Which had now departed the pot and the garden.

Another pruning earlier this year was the olive tree. How do you want it pruned I was asked. . For fruit or looks < both was my reply. You can’t have both. So I chose ornamental ~ and it’s being pruned and shaped. The olives are lovely but are usually ready when we aren’t. Stain the terrace like crazy and need constant sweeping. Oh. And to be honest how can I spend so much time in Spain and dislike olives so much.

Underneath are 3 curry plants which last year I shaped. I think they need it again this year as they are getting massive ~ on a warm day you get a whiff of curry as you walk past. I’m glad I didn’t replace the lavender with a whole path of curry. Instead of the lovely scent of a lavender path it would be like Brick Lane on a Friday night. If you’ve ever been. You’ll know what I mean.

I’ve mentioned before the problem we have had with lavender on the path. I replaced the old lavender a few years ago and the new has never taken. I plant 20 plants and half of them don’t survive. I did it twice and had the same results so the year before last I planted Gaura which I loved but didn’t survive the cold winter so I planted grasses ( think ex PM hair or ex President ) which have survived and are looking great. Well I think they are.

Interplanted with creeping rosemary which is a great plant in the Mediterranean garden. Although last winter many of us lost large established plants.

I had asked friends to keep an eye on the ‘big plant’ by the gate and let me know if it flowered. When we bought the house I thought that it was a banana plant. Massive leaves. But I was very mistaken. It is a bird of paradise. It looked like it would flower when we left las time but it’s never flowered before. It did and I had fingers crossed that it would still be flowering when we got back. It was and still is. Along with another one on a different plant. They are beautiful and magnificent ~ strelitzia Nicolai. To me even more beautiful that their orange counterparts and a quite common sight along the coast in Torre del Mar.

The tulips had all gone over ~ well the ones that had actually started. Have I ever said I like tulips ? Tulips here are hit and miss for me. The ones planted in the white wall were ok. A big short. Like me. But to be fair it meant they didn’t get snapped in the wind. But the pots were pants. I say now no tulips next year but we will see. So it’s time for the trusty geraniums to be planted. I like them but can’t help feel they are a bit like municipal planting. But you get a zing of colour for the rest of the summer. And to be honest. I love them. It also reminds me of my mother ~ especially for her dead heading skills. A prolific dead header and it mattered not if it wasn’t her plants. She was a terror for walking up a path and deadheading. I find it therapeutic.

Throw in a bit if pink for the empty tulip pots and that’s all of the summer bedding in. Geraniums only.

I’m just off to wash my prickly pear I said to Ian. You don’t want to shout that out too loud was he’s quick reply. We have two in the garden both of which I have been trying to save from the dreaded Cochineal fly. When I am here it’s a hose down to get them off. It’s worked so far of a fashion and they are still alive and getting fruit. And flowers. Another plant that has been decimated in the area. It’s a sad sight driving up the mountain and seeing them dying.

I love the variegated yucca and have both fingers and toes crossed that the bug eating the agave doesn’t start on them. A lot of palms are being decimated as well. Soon there will be no large plants around. Just to the bottom left of the photo is a hollyhock. I planted it about 3 years ago and it’s been stunted. All of a sudden it’s sprung into life and flower. There used to be a glorious show of them ~ lovely red colour on the road to the house. On the side of the road 2,000ft up the mountain. No water. Rough ground. But there are none this year. Winter was a funny old time. Low temperatures. Little rainfall. Plants lost. Some you expected to lose survived.

The pineapple guava didn’t flower or fruit last year. It has this year although a lot of the flowers are small but there is some fruit forming. The fruit is a bit marmite. Not in taste but in liking. A friend who was staying a few years ago likened the taste to germolene. I could see what she meant though it’s not something I’ve ever really eaten. It’s one of two smells I can’t stand. That and TCP.

But the fruit is ok cut up in yoghurt. A friend recently posted some pics of one growing in a central London square. If I’d realised I would have potted one for the London garden. Too late now.

Talking of the Loquat or the níspero ~ I love the size and shape of the leaves. The fruit I can live without. Which in this garden is just as well as it flowers then fruits and then they either drop off or shrivel. Good for Jam if you can catch them in time.

We just caught get the last of the Jasmine Azoricum for now. A bit slow growing and a different growth than others. But a great scent. It’s an evergreen with white, lemon-scented flowers from late spring to late autumn though i find the flowering patchy. It’s supposed to be tender but it’s done ok here.

Drumstick Allium / Allium sphaerocephalon

Ve have had only two good years out of the last six when it comes to alliums. They have been really hit and mostly miss. Only the drumsticks ( Allium sphaerocephalon) do well and are popping up all over the garden. In places where I didn’t think I’d planted them. To be honest I hate planting them. The bulbs are too small. The ground is usually like cement when I’m trying and. there are some where I’ve probably just given up and thrown them around. But they do well.

I have one other large allium on the dry bank. In an area that’s not irrigated or gets water. Unless it rains. I noticed that it is in flower and tall. Quite how I don’t know when the ones in the beds have shrivelled and died.

A mix of aeonium , Clivia which are just finishing flowering, rosemary about to start , agapanthus and the leaves of the strelitzia in the path bed. The garden has benefitted from the earlier weeks rain and the couple of days rain when we arrived. But it won’t last. Temperatures are rising.

The oleander had been cut back hard this year like a lot of things. I’m no longer nervous when I arrive back and things have had a massive haircut. I’m always told that there will be some cutting back though in Spain it’s described as cleaning rather than cutting. I’ve been told so many times how poisonous the oleander is. It’s is. But it’s very pretty and I try not to eat it. Wear gloves when pruning and never burn it.

The agapanthus always do well. Some better than others and the good thing is they self seed. There are varios colour from white through the blues to purple. I have to admit I add more each year. Not too much water require. Are perennial. Great flowers. Only thing missing is a scent.

Bougainvillea, Hollyhock,Lantana, Durante Repens

I love the period of mid May to the end of June in this garden. It’s at its most colourful which dies down in the hotter months of July and August with a bit of a comeback in September. It’s a bit like me. I find July and august too hot. My enthusiasm to di anything fades in the hotter months. In one of the lockdowns I spent most of August stuck in Spain. Too hot. Too many mosquitos. I’d go out for early breakfast. Shop. Come back home and close the shutters. Turn on the air con and sit and watch Netflix in my pants. Too much information I know. But it’s the reality. So now we avoid it. Spain in August. Not Netflix.

It wasn’t all gardening to be fair. There were trips down the wiggly road to Malaga to catch up with friends and shop. There was also the chance for churros and a coffee bombón. A coffee so sweet that you can only have one. Condensed milk on the bottom. A shot of espessso. Then frothy milk. Served in a glass cup. Looks pretty and then you stir it. Churros. Well. They are the Spanish equivalent for me of nata tarts. One is never enough.

There weee drives down the windey road to the coast. To Nerja. To La Herradura. Lunch in each. Not the same day obviously. A drive along the coast. The coastline is lovely.

Oh. I forgot a drive down the windey road to Torre del Mar. The wiggly takes you to one coast. The windey to another. It’s the same coast just different directions but also dependent who’s in the car decides which of the roads we take. Some like wiggly. Some like windey. I don’t care. I’m driving. I’ll go down both. Depending on what I want out of each.

There were loads of photos ~ the usual photo of Ian. This time at night looking for ice cream. We found it. We have a great geleteria in Cómpeta.

Baywatch on the beach at Torre del Marr. No one was in the sea.

The lovely night view from the Cómpeta car park after a night out.

There was the obligatory cake. One cafe. One home made.

But in the blink of an eye it’s over for another time. In the words of Peter Paul & Mary. I’m leaving on a jet plane. Unlike them. I do know when I’m back again. And I’m not counting sheep ? Tho Grandad is shearing in Somerset on Saturday) but counting sleeps.