Last week our lovely Plant manager from Landford, Toni, & I went to see some bedding plant trials near Banbury. It was great to see the plants at full maturity & get a chance to vote on our favourite plants that had been bred this year!

As you can see by the photos it was a riot of colour & we were reminded how well some of our old favourites do. The humble marigold was looking the healthiest out of all the bedding plants. I forget what a good doer they are coping well with all the hot weather we’ve had this summer.

We loved the display gardens, they show so well what you can do with just bedding plants. Ideal if you have limited space or live in rented accommodation & don’t want to spend a fortune on plants but enjoy a pretty display.

Emma B

Look at the visitor I had to my fishpond this week, what a beauty, it’s a Southern Hawker dragonfly, with it’s recognisable colourings and marks and one of the largest of the dragonfly family, they only live as adults for about two months so I’m very lucky to see it!

I’m thoroughly enjoying sitting back and watching all the pollinating insects buzzing around the garden and pleased to see the amount of bees busily coming and going. I’m popping into Cadnam Garden Centre on Saturday 2^nd August as a local bee keeper is visiting with a contained bee hive and demonstating the working life of a bee and how honey is made, should be really interesting!!

Lin

our keen amateur gardener!

After watching the highlights from the Hampton Court Flower Show last week I was given the idea to revamp an old sink I’ve had in the garden for years and have collected various stone, slate and flint and put them diagonally, bedded in sand. I’ve planted assorted coloured Sempervivums (Houseleeks) and some succulents and used some moss to cover the cracks! I’m really looking forward to seeing this develop and the plants creep over the stones, and the added bonus I will not need to water it regularly!! 

Lin

Our keen amateur gardener!

Thank goodness for the bit of rain we’ve had over the past week, even though we had a torrential downpour I still have to go out most evenings to water and keep an eye on all my containers and pots and top them up.

Nicotiana

Jasmine

Night Scented Stocks

Last year I planted a white jasmine which I am training over a rose arch, it will take a few years to cover but this week it has finally flowered and the scent is intoxicating as the sun goes down. I’ve also planted an Evening Primrose, Nicotiana and some Night Scented Stocks around our seating area to get full perfume in the evenings whilst sitting out and enjoying a glass of wine!!

Lin

Our keen amateur gardener!

Having a conversation with Judi our Marketing Manager, she was telling me that she went round to a friends at the weekend and they had Artichokes which were simply boiled in water and served with butter and black pepper, yummy!! I’ve been growing Artichokes for a few years now and never actually eaten them, always left them too long and just enjoyed the huge purple flowers and seeing all the bees and insects buzzing over them.

They are an amazing vegetable, one of the highest sources of antioxidants which are excellent for reducing cholesterol, aiding indigestion, kidney and gall bladder function and I.B.S!! They are even made into herbal teas and a liqueur! 

Guess what I’ll be cooking at the weekend!! 

Lin  

Our keen amateur gardener!