Gardening

Wakey wakey! Absolutely not “woke”

When you think about it isn't it wonderful. The way you gradually come out from that longing for hot heavy food and drink and emerge like a newborn into a world of salad and fresh- picked fruit? Suddenly the snug scarf round your neck and up to your nose can be shed and you come… Continue reading Wakey wakey! Absolutely not “woke”

Gardening, Seasons

But I always thought we ENGLISH invented roses….

Yes, well along with everything else worthwhile: cricket, all dressed in white on the village green, bucolic!; afternoon tea with cucumber sandwiches (no crusts) and scones with raspberry jam and whipped cream; a proper breakfast with cholesterol-busting bacon, eggs beans, hash browns, fried bread; the weather with information on the best places to experience it… Continue reading But I always thought we ENGLISH invented roses….

Gardening

Small and delicate or big and blowsy?

That's a difficult choice for a gardener. Naturally you want your visitors to gasp with admiration but unfortunately they do that in front of the huge blooms of Hibiscus. I still can't fathom why I bought it in the first place? A moment of madness I suppose. Every year I decide to get rid of… Continue reading Small and delicate or big and blowsy?

Gardening, My Diary

BAD NEWS TURNS TO GOOD

Well, the first time I went out to inspect my garden this morning I found to my irritation, no, much more than irritation actually, I was angry and disgusted because I found the kitchen waste buried deeply after much heavy spade work huffing and puffing yesterday, had been unearthed! I bury the kitchen scraps in… Continue reading BAD NEWS TURNS TO GOOD

Gardening, Music, My Diary

The Best of times, the Worst of times…

I'm quoting Dickens from memory so I might be wrong. I believe they are the first few lines of "A Tale of Two Cities". So,in this period, I guess we're learning a lot, I think we'll have lost some of our fascination with social media by the time this is all over. Honestly, just how… Continue reading The Best of times, the Worst of times…

Gardening, My Diary

Come rain or shine

Let's start with the rain. A really cold, heavy rain driven by a blustery wind, managed to invade the usually safe haven of my patio and wet all my precious seed packets! I'd got stuff in envelopes saved from my own garden, little brown paper packets from the RHS gardens (these contained the more unusual… Continue reading Come rain or shine

Gardening, My Diary, Seasons

An almost perfect day (or the art of making the most of what you’ve got)

I overslept, not you would think the best way to start a day but there it is. I decided to do something I'd been neglecting but which fills me with happiness, take a stroll around the garden and take photos. I started off in the far corner to admire my handiwork on the winter jasmin… Continue reading An almost perfect day (or the art of making the most of what you’ve got)

Gardening, My Diary, Trip

Grazzano Visconti

Last Sunday, Monza Garden Club went to Grazzano Visconti for a plant show. It was held in the grounds of the castle, a medieval structure built by Giovanni Anguissola in 1395 for his wife Beatrice Visconti and it is still in the hands of the Visconti family . It looks very much as you would… Continue reading Grazzano Visconti

Gardening, My Diary, Trip

Orticolario and good intentions

In Monza parking tariffs were awful as usual and train information was obscure. in fact we mysteriously paid a different price to go from the one we paid to come back. bst The journey is always a pleasure, but we arrived in Como, not Como lake or Como San Giovanni which we had asked for… Continue reading Orticolario and good intentions

Gardening, My Diary, Trip

Bonsai

There was an important international event at Crespi Bonsai Parabiago. I like to decide on things at the last minute which of course is great for me, but I need to get my head round the fact that not everyone is as free and available as I am, so sometimes it's difficult to find company.… Continue reading Bonsai