Rose on a Ramble

Spring is well under way now and it's time to take a look at how things have progressed in our friend's new garden.  The photos are all courtesy of The Man That Can as I didn't really spend any time outside. 

The expanse of lawn has decreased, creating two lovely sweeping beds.  The boundary is now marked with hawthorn hedging that will knit together in no time.  An ornamental pear tree has been planted in the bed on the left, along with a little blossom tree and magnolia. 

The large hydrangea has been pruned, and now has pride of place among a good sized swathe of erysimum Bowles's Mauve and flanked by a stand of tulips from our Dutch friends.

This purple azalea draws the eye back to the opposite bed, and is backed by a massive clump of lamprocapnos spectabilis (formerly known as dicentra spectabilis)...

...nicely supported by a cracking euphorbia with tiny flashes of colour among its zingy bracts.

While I enjoyed tea and company inside the bungalow, The Man That Can assisted "The Bloke Who Does" to dig out holes and erect some posts in preparation for their new gate.

(very rare sight of The Bloke Who Does)

In the back garden, everything is coming together nicely.

With a eye for colour and form, this garden is going to be looking great in every season as it matures. 

The spectacular acer corner already takes your breath away! 

Rose on a Ramble

It's been 7 weeks since we visited our lovely friends and their new garden.  As with the interior of their new home, so many changes have taken place already.

The office is almost ready, complete with a large birch tree, accompanied by a couple of roses and some autumn flowering cyclamen. 

Three younger birches sweep the lawn and a small bed of shrubs beneath the window.

Along the back of the garden, the bed expands to accommodate various perennials including ferns and Japanese anemones, along with Mr Grumpy above and Eric below.

A lovely little deck with an arbour nestled in the corner provides a great spot to enjoy the garden, with the final bed yet to receive it's new plants.  Some like this euonymous elata in its autumn splendour have already found their spot.

A wonderful new dining set graces the patio between lots of scrumptious plants yet to be positioned.

Around the front garden, there's a stunning hydrangea that is going to remain.  

The lawn is luscious since the hot dry weather has been replaced by autumn rains.

Like every garden, things will change, evolve and improve as time goes by.

Rose on a Ramble

After upheaval of both chattels and emotions, our lovely friends from Long Eaton have finally moved into their new home.  I could go on to explain more about the wrench felt by losing their beloved railwaymen's cottage and stunning garden, but anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation caused by a compulsory purchase such as that by HS2 will know exactly how that must feel.

But this is a fresh chapter in their lives and one I hope to be able to share as I go on my rambles as their new garden takes shape.

At the front of the property are some established shrubs including a fabulous hydrangea.  A large acer has made the journey after being lifted and potted up from their previous garden.

Around the back a few more plants have been brought from the cottage, along with some of the plants we had been fostering in our own garden while the move took place.

A number of lilac trees skirt the boundaries of the back garden, along with a yellow potentilla and a nicely shaped mature rhododendron.  Given the leaves looked very healthy, I reckon the soil has a pH leaning towards acidic.

A conifer was cut down by The Man That Can and The Man Who Does in preparation for a garden building that is going to be erected on that site.

The weather isn't right at the moment to plant out all the scrumptiousness that's sitting quietly on the patio, but there's plenty of time to make a plan of what will go where once the house and garden building has been organised. 

This new garden is in very safe hands and I'm sure the coming months and years will reveal a patch just as beautiful as the previous one.

Rose on a Ramble

Be it a chilly start, a gloriously sunny Saturday was spent with good food and good company in a beautiful garden. My little place of comfort.

After lunch at the garden centre, we began lifting some plants from the railwaymen's cottage.

TMTC dug up clumps of snowdrops which had finished flowering, some bluebells yet to bloom, along with some lily of the valley and a couple of native primroses.  There was a little confusion over a clump of daylilies before lifting the chosen variety, and an emerging crown of peonies was also potted up.  Lastly a pot full of a yet unknown shade loving perennial plant was removed.

An inventory was written up of plants to be lifted during later visits, along with the ornaments and statues to make the move when HS2 hit the final nail.

Sadly this, in all probability is the last spring we shall spend here.



Rose on a Ramble

Cambodia! 

The Man That Can, Bumblebee and I have just returned from a trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia.  An average of 5-10c in the UK,  February in this beautiful country experiences temperatures around 35-37c!

The main draw were the temples of course, but I had to share some of the photos of the hotel gardens as they were so lush and exotic - some good ideas to borrow too!



I like the shadows of the palm type trees on the canopy, something we can recreate in our Yen Garden. 

The base of the palm trees have been dressed with ground cover. 

A group of three can fit into a small area, making the canopy denser.

Water features quite significantly here, with great bowls of waterlilies and other, bold statement foliage plants highlighting steps. Another possibility in the bottom garden at home.

Orchids lend a punch of colour around the mainly green foliage.  Here they are fastened to the trunks of the palm trees.  A recent revelation suggested my own orchids can spend the summer in our garden, after watching an episode of Big Dreams Small Spaces on the BBC with Monty Don.  A gardener from the Philippines I seem to recall had done something very similar. Happy days!

I have a bit of research to do to discover what plants I can safely plant in Yorkshire, and what substitutions are acceptable to borrow these planting designs.  I really like this topiary. It seems to use something similar to Pittosporum. 

Clearly a hart's tongue fern can be used to copy this idea in a shady spot, topped with pebbles. 

And this idea of using pebbles is easily achievable. 

I have some reading to do.

If you ever get the chance, give Cambodia a thought when planning a trip to south East Asia.  You will not be disappointed.