Anthony Ruivivar

Friday, October 16, 2009

An Autumn Garden

"With daffodils mad footnotes for the spring,
And asters purple asterisks for autumn"

~ Conrad Aiken, 1889 - 1973.

A couple of days after the Malvern Autumn Show we visited a jewel of an autumn garden. We have visited this garden before but I could go back again and again. It is the The Picton Garden in Colwall near Malvern and it is home to a National Plant Collection. The plants in question are asters also known as Michaelmas Daisies. Obviously asters are very much the stars of this garden with more than 400 varieties but there are also many other late flowering perennials as well as shrubs and trees. After paying a modest entry fee of £2.50, visitors are handed a leaflet with a map and a planting plan of the individual garden areas. All the asters are labeled individually. Before leaving visitors have the opportunity to purchase plants at from the adjacent nursery which also supplies plants by mail order in spring. Here are few glimpses of the visual show that awaited us ~

Nurseryman Paul Picton has written a book ''The Gardener's Guide To Growing Asters" . I have not read this title but other books in the series are well written with plant information, ideas for planting combinations, advice on care and propagation plus excellent photographic illustrations.

I took the final photo at the allotment a week or so before visiting the Picton Garden. This aster is aster 'Little Carlow' and the butterfly is a comma. It is still flowering now and earlier this week a huge bee was having great fun tiptoeing over its flower heads gathering nectar.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

For a funny guy…he has some GOOD taste…

A friend sent me a link to Actor Ben Stiller’s compound for sale in LA

~Thanks Vicky...waving !~

A mere 12.5 million clams and this baby could be yours

or better yet…mine!

This is just the outside and the Outdoor rooms...

Meet me after the post for a group defibrillator shock….

My heart just about stopped. This is my kinda pad!

just sayin’.

A sweet side entrance…Lovin’ the ivy.

Front? look at the basket weave tile

It's those little things that float my boat

The color…the Urns…

Oh!

One of several covered patio’s...

…and another

Yep.

One more…for your seating pleasure.

CLEAR!

Found here

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

A Grand Day Out

M IS FOR?

THE MAGIC OF THE MALVERN AUTUMN SHOW!

~ where a couple of weeks or so ago I had the pleasure of meeting up with Patient Gardener again. Himself sends his thanks to you Helen for sparing him the ordeal of looking at all those flowers and plants :) On arrival we made a beeline for the RHS Flower Show where we gazed and gawped at the impressive displays and plants ~

On to the Harvest Pavillion and its seasonal celebration of all sorts of vegetables, herbs, fruit and flowers all grown by amateur gardeners. Here we came across the weird and wonderful ~

the bright and cheerful ~

and the most artistic displays of perfect home grown vegetables - not a blemish or slug nibble on them. How do they do it ? ~

Later in the day I met up with himself and we spent the afternoon strolling about the showground in glorious autumn sunshine. There were all sorts of stalls, activities and displays - something for everyone ~

For the romantic soul ~

For the little people - a bijou caravan with lift up roof ~

For those who like their machines ~

and yet more marvellous veg ~

To round up the day an ice cream and a quick final whizz round the flower show, where I made one or two more purchases to add to the ones made earlier. Will 'fess up soon. A grand day out - my feet have more or less recovered and I hope to return for the spring show in 2010.

Move over to ABC Wednesday for more marvellous missives on the letter M.

Monday, October 12, 2009

A Walled Garden

I have always fantasized about having a walled garden. During the last week of September I was able to live the dream briefly, when we had a holiday in a dinky little cottage in the village of Hanley Swan, near Malvern. The cottage was the annex of a larger house complete with its own walled garden which visitors were able to sit out in, wonder round and enjoy.

The vase of garden flowers was on the living room window sill when we arrived. Its contents looked just as fresh a week later. I was most taken with the flower with refluxed petals. Initially I thought this might be a rudbeckia but was not sure which one. I asked the owner during the week to be told it was in fact helenium "Sahin's Early Flowerer". I was delighted to be offered a plant of this to take home with me.

Directly underneath the living room window a most softly sounding water feature ~

Just round the corner on the left a sitting out area for visitors - the feet belong to himself ~

More views down the garden ~

Now dropping hints of a return visit in spring but not getting far - it's back to the campervan methinks for the Malvern Spring Show. The walled garden remains top of the wish list should we ever win the lottery.