Know Your Onions

Great excitement this weekend when I spotted an Onion Johnny in the streets of Ludlow. Himself and I were there visiting The Ludlow Food Festival, an event which we have been intending to go to for years but somehow have never managed it. This September though the stars were in alignment and we finally made it. Ageing camper van, or should I say vintage camper van headed for Little Stretton and Small Batch Camping Site, which we would certainly return to. Situated at the foot of the Long Mynd, this is a small picturesque site ideally positioned for serious walkers and for other less energetic visitors like us whose walking on this occasion, was limited to locating the two excellent local pubs.

On Saturday we ditched the camper van in favour of the local bus service into Ludlow where we wiled away a pleasant few hours meandering round the town. The Food and Drink Festival itself is centred in the grounds of Ludlow Castle. There were all sorts of food vendors exhibiting as well as demonstrations and events taking place including a sausage trail and a real ale trail. We were quite restrained though not taking part in the trails but having the odd sample here and there of the various food and drinks that were for sale. I would have liked to have seen more fruit and vegetables in the mix especially considering the time of year. We did come across though the excellent Cottage Herbery stand, with various herbs and plants for sale from which a couple of purchases were made.

Heading back into town was where we came across the onions. I was taking photos of the striking and sometimes wonky black and white buildings that are to be found throughout the town, when I was distracted by a glimpse of onions in the distance. Of course I had to make a beeline in their direction for a closer look and was delighted to see strings of delicious pink Roscoff onions for sale. We have bought these on onions on French holidays and love their sweet taste so it was brilliant to see them for sale much nearer to home. A plait was duly purchased and the first onion was used on Saturday night, to accompany the sausages that we bought before leaving town and heading back to the campsite.

In case you are wondering 'Onion Johnny' was the nickname given to the Breton farmers and agricultural labourers who sold Roscoff onions in the United Kingdom. This trade started in the nineteenth century reaching its peak in the 1920s. The onion sellers traveled by bicycle and made door to door sales throughout the country. They often wore distinctive striped shirts and usually wore a beret. There are only a handful of them left now and I suppose events like food festivals are an excellent opportunity for them to promote Brittany. We've visited the Maison des Johnnies and the L'Oignon Rosé museum in Roscoff, which holds a fascinating collection of paraphernalia and a photographs recording the history of the Onion Johnnies. I don't remember though seeing such a young and carefree looking character as this young man gracing the streets of Ludlow.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Sunset Earlier This Week

Wordless Wednesday ~ Living Roof

Wordless Wednesday ~ "Play It Again Sam"

Led Astray

We all love receiving compliments and I'm no exception. I was delighted when an email arrived in my inbox recently from DotComGiftShop to notify me that my blog had been included in their pick of '20 Gorgeous Gardening Blogs'. The nominated blogs included some familiar faces but also one or two new to me blogs. I was pleased to be in such good company. The email also extended an invitation to become a member of the company's blog network, which offers me the opportunity of occasionally receiving complimentary products to review. The company sells a wide range of gifts but I decided that I was not interested in reviewing items other than those which would tie in with the theme of this blog.

Now it just so happens that I was sent a 'Garden Roses Wooden Produce Tray' from DotComGiftShop's home and garden section to to review which was a most opportune choice. This pretty tray has given me the perfect excuse to bring out some of my small collection of china cups and saucers and to indulge in afternoon tea or in my case coffee. I've been led astray sitting supping and reading in the afternoons instead of getting on top of the weeding. Please note that only one teacake was consumed in the production of this particular post:)

The tray is made of wood, is well finished, sturdy and has well placed handles. Carrying it is most comfortable and more important the load feels secure. Its dimensions are as follows : length 48 centimetres, width 300 centimetres and depth 80 centimetres.

The same tray is also available with alternative illustrations including apples, vegetables, strawberries and raspberries. The apple design would be perfect for storing those soon to be picked apples in a suitable place whilst the others would be ideal receptacles for collecting produce. I would be wary though of putting soft fruit into them directly though without some protective covering over the wood, otherwise you could be left with some nasty permanent stains.

Although described as a garden produce tray you could use it just as effectively in the home to store craft materials etc. I'm just wondering whether my latest jigsaw would fit in it so will be checking later.

DotComGiftShop's home and garden section includes a variety of other gardening related gifts. Some of them are practical e.g. kneelers, children's gardening sets, a garden tidy whilst others are decorative e.g. paper lanterns, tealight holders and bunting. At present the company does not sell either seeds or plants. I would imagine that as with most other similar companies that the stock will change according to the seasons. The company was established in 2005 and sells a wide range of gifts other than those related to the garden. I could well be tempted to make some purchases in the future.

The only part of the experience that could have been improved was on what I considered excessive packaging. I could have made myself a dress from the layers of bubble wrap that wrapped the tray! No need for it.

Disclosure : I received the tray from DotComGiftShop for review purposes but this has not influenced my opinions on the product. I have not been paid to write this post or will be paid if readers subsequently visit the company's website and make purchases.

Almost Wordless Wednesday ~ 'Dig The City'

'Dig The City' is an urban garden festival which is taking place this week in Manchester.

Wordless Wednesday - Shed Envy

French Leave

Slowly coming back down to earth here after a holiday in France. Our ageing camper van behaved itself impeccably taking us down to the Limousin region, where we stayed in the cottage you can see above. Morever aforesaid camper van got us back to Caen without any mishaps. We made our way down slowly along country roads, via small towns and villages so had a few nights on either side sleeping in the van.

The weather was brilliant though too hot to do anything that required much in the way of energy. Some magical moments to look back on including star studded night skies and falling asleep to the sound of chirping crickets and croaking frogs. My nocturnal star gazing was somewhat curtailed though when we found out that there were wild boar in the vicinity. I did not stray so far from the cottage then but contented myself with sticking my head out of the bedroom window to gaze upwards into the darkness.

We eat well and drank too much. Did a fair bit of reading - more on that in another post and visited a garden festival - again more on that subject to follow.

Thanks to the wonders of satellite television we were able to view and celebrate Andy Murray's Wimbledon win. A few days later we were also able to celebrate La Fête Nationale (Bastille Day), when a flurry of balloons floated over our campsite on the balmiest evening you could possibly imagine.

In our absence the garden and allotment have frazzled but why oh why have the weeds still carried on growing?

Wordless Wednesday ~ The Turning Year

Wordless Wednesday ~ Spot The Weed

The Icing On The Cake

Himself's decision that we must take our ageing camper van on a road test this weekend, prior to a longer holiday later in this year caused me considerable angst. It was a huge dilemma deciding what to do with all the plants in the greenhouse that are still in the process of hardening off let alone the ones that have not even started that process. So a warm Friday morning saw me risking spontaneous combustion as I emptied half the the greenhouse contents outside, whilst the other half got transported to the other more shadier side of the greenhouse. I was hot and bothered and more than a bit apprehensive as to how plants/seedlings would cope with wind, too high temperatures or too low temperatures and lack of liquid refreshment for a couple of days.

However some hours later in a site conveniently situated close to a pub and the Shropshire Union Canal I began to mellow. There was sunshine, good food, good ale (himself can vouch for 'Slumbering Monk' whilst the sights on the canal were a most pleasant diversion ~

There was also the prospect of two garden visits including a plant fair over the weekend. This of course soon bought a smile to my face. I also realised that such activities might provide an ideal opportunity to take part in 'The Bloggers' Cut', which is a most imaginative idea from Michelle over at Veg Plotting. It gives us bloggers the chance to participate under the umbrella of 'The Chelsea Fringe' by posting about gardening and cake. Now domestic godess I'm not! When it comes to cakes eating rather than baking them is my speciality so alas you will not find recipes for any mouth watering delicacies here. However I'm more than happy to combine plant hunting/garden visiting with the civilised pastime of cake eating so decided than sometime during the weekend that we must partake of cake.

Our first point of call was Hodnet Hall Gardens,where apart from the mishap of camper van sinking into the only wet patch on the field aside for parking, a most pleasant time was had. Once we had been towed out of the mud, we headed for the plant sale before going on to the gardens where our eyes and noises were assaulted by an absolute riot of colour and scent ~

We have visited Hodnet before but not when all the azaleas and rhododendrons are at their peak and oh what a treat it was. I will post more about this visit soon as well as on our second garden visit of the weekend.

After recovering from our earlier trauma and a good stretch of the legs we were more than ready for something to eat. However we both felt in need of something more substantial than cake, although there was a good selection of baked goodness on offer as you can see from the photo below ~

We both remember our previous visit to the tea rooms at Hodnet quite vividly and both of us felt a bit uncomfortable in such surroundings . It seems that there are so many pairs of eyes looking at you as you eat, as the room is absolutely covered with big game 'trophies' including a lion and tiger. Having said that our lunch was quite delicious although sadly there was no room for cake.

On then to Wollerton Old Hall yesterday afternoon. It's but a short distance away from Hodnet but could not be more different ~

Now we have had a cake at Wollerton in the past and throughly enjoyed the experience but it does not feature on the menu until later in the afternoon. As himself did not want to hang about until then it looked as if there could be a possibility that not a single crumb of crumb would pass our lips as we headed back to the van. I would have failed in my mission.

However about fifteen minutes away from home we stumbled across pure cake gold in the form of Davenports Farm Shop Tearooms. You know how it is with places on your doorstep - you often pass them by on your way to somewhere else time and time again. It must be a good few years since we have stopped off there and we were absolutely amazed by the choice of teas/coffees and cakes on the menu as well as the quality/quantity when our cakes arrived. All served in most pleasant and comfortable surroundings. You can see my choice of carrot cake at the top of this post. I did not realise that it would arrive so ornately and beautifully decorated - almost too good to eat. Himself had an equally delectable and moist slice of apple and pear cake. What a discovery - the icing on the cake to top off a great weekend. It was only later at home after some 'googling' that I discovered that this establishment won the Tea Guild's Top Tea Place Award in 2013. This is apparently the equivalent of an Oscar in the world of afternoon tea! A return visit is definitely on the cards before the summer is out, although I think I will have to make sure that it does not become too much of a regular habit for my waistline's sake.

Finally I'm pleased to report that all was well with the seedlings and plants on our return. The sun is shining this morning and I'm off out to do some serious allotment and gardening work. I will make time however to sit down in the shade later to enjoy some liquid refreshment and tasty cakes with fellow garden bloggers here. Do join me - there will be a cup and a slice of cake with your name on.

End Of Month View ~ May 2013

As May departs the sides of the lane leading down to our house are awash with a froth of cow parsley. I can almost convince myself albeit briefly, that I'm living in the country and not just off a busy main road in a town. It's a magical time of year which never lasts quite long enough. It will not be long before either himself or next door comes out with a strimmer and it's back to reality.

It's my favourite time of year in the garden with all the plants that I love the most making an appearance although they are slightly behind schedule this year. I'm about to launch a search party though for aquilegia 'Nora Barlow' who seems to have gone absent without permission. I'm rather sad not to see her and will have to replace as soon as possible. The main work in progress has been planting up the new border at the bottom of the gabion wall. There are still shrubs and more perennials to plant but so far the following have been planted - hellebores, cardamine quinquefolia, astrantia 'Gill Richardson', pulmonaria 'Blake's Silver', hemerocallis 'Catherine Woodbury', and an actaea (not sure which one). I would like to repeat the astrantia and the hemerocallis but will have to wait to either find duplicate plants or divide the ones I've got. The pulmonaria will be coming out and moved elsewhere as I noted scorch marks on the foliage yesterday. The border is getting more afternoon sun than I thought it would do. I should have snipped off the flowers of the hellebores so that the plants will put all their energy into rooting but I'm greedy and want the seeds. I'm also going to plant some of my special snowdrops in there but am waiting until at least next month to see which ones I've got enough of to plant in small groups in the ground. Finally bags of 2011 leaf mould are lurking somewhere which I intend to spread over the border before covering it with bark. Hopefully the remaining bags of top soil, the wheelbarrow and other work paraphernalia will soon disappear.

Progress at the allotment has been slow going and hard work. I think I could start a knitting circle with the yanks of marestail that I've been pulling out. This major weed issue seems worse than ever and I'm wondering whether its a consequence of last year's wet summer. The rabbits have been munching the green tops from the shallots and gooseberry sawfly have decimated the foliage of the goosegogs. On the plus side I've planted 'Douce Provenance' peas, 'The Sutton' broad beans and 'Speedy' French beans. The new strawberry bed has been planted with 'Cambridge Favourite' plants and a new variety called 'Albion'. I did not plant any potatoes until the beginning of May when a bed of 'Pink Fir Apple' went in. These have just started to break through in the last week. There is still much shuffling of plants from home to the allotment to be done including sweet peas, courgettes, squashes, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, sweetcorn, runner beans, more French beans, beetroot, leeks, onions and kale. The beginning of June is going to be busy.

I have been most restrained as far as plant purchases have been concerned with just three plants - a tayberry, sweet cicely and a begonia all bought at the garden club plant sale but June and a visit to a Plant Hunter's Fair is just round the corner!

Thanks to Helen over at The Patient Gardener's Weblog who came up with the excellent idea of an end of month view. Do pop over to see what she has been up to in her garden as well as visit other blogger's posts of what has been happening in their patches of earth.

Greening The Gabion

It was last May when the gabion project got underway and now a year later one of the finishing touches has been achieved. The wall itself was completed some time ago - the above photo shows but a section. The gabion wall was built after the land it is sited on had been cleared and raised. Originally the area sloped down rather alarmingly towards a small stream and was uncultivated. Now we have a clearly defined boundary and have reclaimed some land. The wall is is bigger than I envisaged and has looked rather grey and bleak during the winter. We had decided though to plant up the top with something green. Eventually the decision was made to go for sedums but we have been waiting for spring to order the sedums and then plant them. Preparation for planting began last Wednesday, when 'trays' of chicken wire lined with weed membrane were constructed to sit on top of the walls. Early on Friday morning 4 tons of top soil arrived, followed later on by a delivery of a special planting mix together with 99 sedums. As with all the best laid plans of mice and men, I had arranged to meet a friend for lunch and then had food shopping to do, so had to leave him to toil on his own. The above photo shows what the wall was looking like when I left the house. This is what I came home to :

Special planting mixture and 99 sedums all in place! It will take a while for it all to knit together and form a carpet, which will hopefully cloak not only the top of the wall but which will also then start to tumble down over the edge. However just that little bit of green has made a huge difference. Discussion on the rest of the area goes on and has proved to be rather a contentious issue. Himself seeing it as a car parking space whilst I see it as a planting place. After all there is only one driver in the household and we do have a garage. The debate goes on but in the meantime I have gained some extra planting space at the base of part of the wall. This has involved removing some of our sad mossy excuse for a lawn but no tears here. 

In the evening himself sat down to a well deserved pint then he started to worry. "What if a bird takes a fancy to the sedum for nesting material and flies off with it in its beak?" he asked. I was not able to reassure him that there was no likelihood of this. Then the wind started to rise with a vengeance and as the night wore on he envisaged the sedums flying off into the stratosphere. My idea of hairpins to keep them in place was scorned so I suggested that perhaps he should mount an overnight vigil. Needless to say he did not and needless to say that when we did a sedum count come morning all 99 were present and correct.

Customer Satisfaction

This week's golden trowel is awarded to Avon Bulbs. Back in November some armchair travelling to the Crimean seaside followed a bulb planting session. The bulbs in question were crocus 'Yalta' described in the catalogue as 'a hybrid form resembling a large tommasinianus with silvery blue outer petals and darker purple inner petals. Gorgeous even in bud'. A long wait then ensued which this year seemed never ending but eventually signs of life were detected. Delight however rapidly morphed into disappointment when the flowers opened in March. Waving at me were the brightest yellow crocuses you could ever wish to meet - not quite the desired effect. The crocuses had been planted across two containers which were then pushed temporarily out of sight. However there was an upturn in the proceedings - as the yellow crocuses were croaking, slivers of purple shone out. They are in flower now, look most attractive and are presumably the genuine article. Unfortunately though only 3 out of some 25 bulbs were the variety that had been ordered.

A phone call was made to Avon Bulbs to inform them of this occurrence. As soon as I mentioned the word 'Yalta', the ever friendly and courteous lady who answers the phone at Avon Bulbs, immediately guessed what I was about to say. Apparently other customers have made the same observation with some having all yellow crocuses, others had a mixture whilst presumably some customers ended up with exactly what they ordered. It was suggested that the supplier had probably got confused when packing up the bulbs. An apology was offered and a replacement bag of 'Yalta' will wing their way to me this autumn.

Result : one satisfied customer.

This week's rusty trowel goes to Wilkos. Now Wilkos is great for us non drivers. It stocks a wide range of bulbs, seeds, pots, plants and gardening sundries. Here in the greenhouse vermiculite is used regularly both for seed sowing and cuttings so being able to buy it from a local store is great. A 10 litre bag of vermiculite travels quite happily on the bus so the services of himself are not required. However the design of the bag changed a couple of seasons ago. The new design has larger ventilation holes which result in a trail of fine vermiculite particles escaping all over the contents of shopping basket, conveyor belt and the assistants who have to pick up the bags to scan them. Once packed they still leak further so it seems you are paying for something that has diminished in volume, before you have even started to use it. After seeing two assistants sprayed with dust in the last month, which can't be good for their health, I decided that a phone call was in order. My comments were met with the response that so many thousands bags of the product had been sold and that I was the first ever customer to complain! My concerns were noted but it looks like either I have been incredibly unlucky and picked up bags with faulty ventilation holes, or that the holes in the bags are all the same but everyone else is not unhappy with the product. Perhaps I'm just getting too pernickity? I will continue to buy vermiculite at Wilkos in the immediate future but will now investigate online sources.

Result : one why did I bother customer?

Have you had any positive/negative experiences as a customer recently when purchasing horticultural items?

Ta - Da!

My Easter gnome in the shape of himself has picked a winner at random with his eyes closed tight, so winging its way soon to Janet at 'Plantaliscious' will be a copy of Val Bourne's ''The Natural Gardener'. As it's Easter I would like to send two little consolation prizes, to Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' and to Annie over at 'Annie's Little Plot'  - not choccies I'm afraid but something suitably seasonal.

Please email me at thegreentapestry@googlemail.com so that I can do the doings. Many thanks to everybody else who entered. In the meantime wishing anybody who calls by a most happy and joyous Easter.

The above illustration is by Margaret Tarrant, 1888 -1959.

Just Because ....

Just because it's officially spring (despite the heavy snow falling outside) and I'm back home after spending most of the last month away, I am celebrating with a give away - a paperback copy of Val Bourne's book 'The Natural Gardener'. Val writes regularly for various gardening magazines and is a regular contributor to a national newspaper gardening supplement. She is also the author of several books all of which I have greatly enjoyed.

Part of the introduction on this book's dust jacket reads as follows: "The key to natural gardening is to build creatively on the natural environment. The natural gardener does nothing to harm the animals or plants in the world around us. but instead, gardens to attract an abundance of wildlife. Val Bourne's flower filled Cotswold garden is a natural garden. It is full of healthy plants that provide interest throughout the year, from the snowdrops and hellebores that start the flowering year in February, to the autumn border that lights up the garden in October. Following a year in her garden Val Bourne explains the strategies that she uses to attract the bumblebees, beetles and other creatures that interact with plants in a complex web of life to become her 'living jigsaw' of helpers. She shows how it is possible, to wherever you garden,to work within natural principles and overcome difficulties creatively to make a garden that is not only wildlife friendly but also beautiful."

The book is illustrated throughout with photos taken by Val and by the award winning photographer Clive Nichols. Taking the reader through the seasons it the book focuses on plant choices and their impact on the creatures that may live in or pass through your garden. You can read a thoughtful review of the book over at Veg Plotting. If you would like to have a chance of winning this book all you have to do is comment on this post by the end of next Friday (29th March). Unfortunately I will have to restrict entries to UK gardeners only because of the cost of postage.

In the meantime I have to confess to taking a perverse pleasure in the colder than normal temperatures, as it means that I have not missed the boat with any sowing activities. The sweet peppers that I sowed sometime in the middle of February seem to have gone into suspended animation but are sturdy seedlings. Some of the tomato seedlings that himself has been caring for are on the leggy side. No worries though I have time to sow more. He has more than adequately coped with the arrival in the post of one or two special snowdrops and some strawberry plants, which have been potted up and neatly labelled. I was most impressed. This weekend I will be sowing sweet peas and peas trusting that the weather must warm up soon.

Thanks to all of you who have sent your good wishes for my mother's recovery -  your thoughts were much appreciated. I am glad to report that she is is much improved although still not a hundred per cent.  Hopefully some warmer weather will see her further down the road to good health.

I will announce the winner of the book in a post over the Easter weekend. Have a good weekend.

Wordless Wednesday ~ 13th March 2013

My Plant Of The Centenary

"Indispensable" - Marina Christopher.

"I could not live without it"- Margery Fish.

"A pearl beyond price" - Graham Stuart Thomas.

"A treasure"- Beth Chatto.

"The most wonderful cranesbill weaver" - Christopher Lloyd

The above are all accolades given to my plant of the centenary which is geranium wallichianum 'Buxton's Variety'.Whilst the dignitaries of the Royal Horticultural Society are engaged in earnest and prolonged debate, choosing a 'Plant Of The Centenary' to celebrate the forthcoming Chelsea Flower Show's big birthday bash, Michelle over at Veg Plotting has invited bloggers to join in the party spirit. She has challenged bloggers to come up with their own choice. So a little bit more about my candidate. It was raised by E.C Buxton in North Wales (so fairly local to me) in 1920. This was one of the plants that hovered on the edge of my consciousness, when choosing my top three for Shirl's 'Desert Island Plant Challenge' back in January 2009. Since then it has become one of my favourite plants. It is tough, hardy and not prone to disease or to attack from any beasties as far as I can ascertain. I've never had to divide it, restrain it, prune it or curse it.  It is a gentle unassuming plant coming into leaf late on in the season and into flower from late summer to the first frosts. The flowers are a vivid sky - blue with a white centre. It can be shy to set seed but when it does you can save the seed, which then if sown in April will flower the same year.What more could you ask for of a plant? I was going to say a lot more but the fan of my beloved Apple Mac blew a gasket  last night. It was quite dramatic with smoke effects! So my comfortable computer station is presently out of action hence a brief post to sing the praises of my plant of the centenary.

You can read about other fine candidates for the honour of 'My Plant Of The Centenary' over at Veg Plotting.

Pear Shaped

Returning at almost midnight on a high from the RHS London Plant And Design Show a fortnight ago, I really came back to earth with a rapid bump the next morning. A phone call from my Mum's neighbour informed me that my Mum was quite poorly. To cut a long story short I've been away until last night looking after her. Mum has had bronchitis, possibly pneumonia. She is now almost 89, disabled, frail and has been through some tough times over the last few years. She seems to be improving albeit very slowly but apart from the medication is in need of some tlc. Unfortunately none of my siblings live near to her, so we are busy trying to juggle out a rota to ensure that she has somebody with her for the immediate future. Hence my sudden lack of blogging and severely reduced blog visiting. I'm back home for a few days now though so hope to do some catching up and also to make some inroads into my completely stalled gardening/allotment tasks. I have a feeling that I may sowing fewer seeds this year! In my absence my sweet peppers have grown into triffids and himself managed to lose a box of seed potatoes that had been delivered. I located them almost within ten minutes of walking through the door. Today has been a beautiful day so my dear thoughtful man took me out for a good walk to blow away the cobwebs. We visited the Winter Garden at Dunham Massey - more soon on that I hope and then went on to a garden centre for a reccie and lunch. That man knows how to make me happier!

PS I've lost ten pounds in weight since I've been away - every cloud has a silver lining and all that!

Grumpy

I'm not sure whether I look as grumpy as the above snowdrop but I've definitely been out of sorts these last few days. There is domestic upheaval with the imminent arrival of new carpets, the weather has been dire so no chance to escape to the garden and my plans to start seed sowing yesterday were thwarted by a lack of vermiculite. I searched the greenhouse high and low but absolutely no sign of that bag that I'm sure that I never finished last year. Oh well thank goodness that February is only temporary. Hopefully normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.

P.S. There is a snowdrop with the name of 'Grumpy' although the above does not answer to that name.