All Change...

It's all change here at Valley Garden Paradise; after over a year of planning, today saw the beginning of 'Project Garden Room'.  A space to sit year-round, immersed in the beauty of the natural world.

Without doubt, the next eight months will be a seismic shift for all involved: the house, the animals and for us too.  VGP now resembles a theme ride at Alton towers, with a black run ski slope for the digger and dumper to access a Scalectric track of scaffolding that will form a vernacular railway into the rock face for the excavation.  It feels like we are living on the set of an action movie, now we simply await the arrival of Harrison Ford!

Having re-homed our stunning roses: The Nun, Odyssey and Burgundy Ice, in the white wood behind the bees, we took a deep breath and watched the digger excavate a trench for the footings of the first retaining wall.  The appearance of the water main surprised us all, the digger head inadvertently severing the pipe and producing an unexpected extra, a waterfall and trench shaped pool!

Without doubt, there's no going back...  Time for a walk through the garlic scented bluebell wood taking a moment to simply stop and stare, remembering that next week, under the Taurus new moon, our new chapter begins.

Bee-Song

This morning flower heads are vibrating to the tune of our industrious little honey bees.  Humble, committed and delightful they were out and about early drawing nectar and collecting pollen to feed the bulging nursery in the brood chamber.  This year is proving particularly challenging for our bees;  roller-coaster temperatures and heavy showers have really disturbed the bees' flight patterns and plans for succession.

A hive check last night gave a surprising insight to their inner life, the top supas are laden with early summer honey, the brood chamber brimming with young bees and brood waiting to emerge!  The woodland paths are sparkling with early blackberry flower, always a firm favourite with the bees, as well as us, producing delicious honey for us all.  We have so much to learn from a gentle winged friends, it is a privilege to live and work alongside them!

Butterflies

As the season progresses, bare patches appear in the soil where perennials have struggled to survive the wet winter.  Although sad, it presents an opportunity to re-think and add new cultivars to the planting.

Last week's unexpected 'magical moment' was in a local garden centre.  Lurking by the exit in a turquoise, ceramic pot, I spied a delightful, black buddlea; it was love at first sight!  With a delicate arching form and blackcurrant flower spears, the 'Black Knight' will provide a striking silhouette and backdrop for the blue-red roses 'Celebration' and 'The Times'. Being a source of precious nectar for the butterflies and bees adds to its attraction, the multiple flower heads fill the early morning air with a soft, scent of honey.

Meet William Lobb.

The moss rose is a charming addition to any garden.  Vigorous and heavily scented, it is a showstopper with a foppish, charming habit.  Our moss of choice is the delicious, aubergine William Lobb.  In late spring, as we battle to cut back his winter-brittle, spiteful stems, I question our love affair with this expressive rose.  However, come June,with the sun at its zenith, all is forgiven as new shoots run down the stone wall and skip along the terrace, laden with musk scented blooms

The downy heads of  new blooms exude rose oil from the moss covered buds, as well as the petals.  With youth, the velvet moss-spikes are tactile and soothing; time spent in quiet contemplation with William Lobb is soothing and uplifting, a wonderful metaphor for life's journey and our innate capacity to allow space for forgiveness and transformation in our lives...

I'm just popping out now to spend some time with William; allow him to work his magic. I will ask permission to take his photo, then we can all share a little of his magic.

Love is all Around...

This summer the garden is certainly a demanding mistress.  Luscious, rich and heavy with scent, our intermittent sunshine and showers are proving perfect for the growing season.  Early July, post solstice, is boasting borders more usual in early June.

Our roses are flourishing, cascading over the geranium underplanting, a joy to behold.  Below, the notably fussy, Compte du Chambord, is unfurling his paper-pink leaves with abandon.  Bordered by the exquisite Apothecary Rose, a fuscia pink single flowering variety, and the repeat flowering Magic Carpet, the perfume swirling around the flagstone path is intoxicating, a particularly favourite with our inquisitive little honey bees!

Wild Garlic

Walking up through the garden this morning, an infusion of wild garlic hung in the air.  Distinctive, fresh, with a curative affect on the respiratory system, a clear indication that May is upon us and that the woods are ribboned with swathes of lime and white wild garlic amongst the lapis bluebell glades.  Less pungent than the familiar bulbs, these delicate flowers make a welcome accompaniment to salads and soups; a forager's delight!

The garden is simply beautiful at this time of year; buds held back by the Arctic blast have burst open, seeming to hare along to make up for lost time.  The steely buzz of a chain saw reverberates through the locale; tree surgeons are felling a precarious tree, guilty of overhanging the lane, intimidating the balance and growth of the unfurling copper beech.  Within a morning the skyline is forever changed; delicate beech branches now stretch skyward, etching their form against the dove grey clouds.  The woodland is a hive of activity, where there is always work to be done, plants and animals to nurture and protect for the generations yet to come!  The trunk of the old tree is now being loaded into a trailer, to journey 100 metres to the woodshed, where it will be logged and seasoned. In no time, once again the days will shorten, then we will welcome the warmth of the spring wood on the fire.

Snow in April

Whilst a kaleidoscope of tulips and daffodils run ribbons through tiered beds, garnet studded japonica branches overlap orange-scented osmanthus blooms to form a windbreak along the flint.  The air is refreshing air under steel-blue skies,  just for a moment it's tempting to believe that the time for winter gloves and mittens is in the past.  But within moments the snow clouds roll in overhead, shocking the tender, innocent flower heads!

The language of flowers is subtle, quite understated; but their feelings are clear to all who stop to spend a moment in their company.  Petals contract in shock as the sharp arctic blasts sear across the pond, burning the pretty pastel bonnets of spring garden visitors.  Our woodland amphitheatre hosts a  Shakespearian gala fit for the Globe; an exciting performance of comedy, tragedy and romance!  And for now it appears that the winter stars from Act one are determined the make cameo appearances in Act two. The drama unfolds...