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This and that

This picture was taken in 2005 and this boarder has changed a little but this is still a good photo and shows some planting which has since been "lost" during the winters and reminds me that I need to replace certain plants.

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Woodland garden in the second year (May 2006) of planting

This woodland garden is a real joy in the first part of the year. The second half of we have a problem with ground elder. This is one of the things the Romans brought to this country that I, for one, wish they had not. I feel sometimes that we have the national collection of the stuff.
Further development of this woodland garden rather depends on ground elder removal. I think that we will have to resort to very tough measures here. 
A recent visit to Highgrove has given us some ideas with regard to a stumpery, that is such a feature of that garden and we feel that we can "import" this on a very much smaller scale.  However all these plans depend on defeating the ground elder.

Newly planted camomile 2004
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It was the book "The Camomile Lawn" that started the idea in my mind to have this camomile bank. There are times when I wish I had done more research on this plant before I went ahead and ordered it. Now in its third year, it has been the most difficult and most expensive project in the garden. When it is in full bloom it is fantastic and the fragrance is wonderful when we sit out in the evening on the partio(when it is not raining) with the dog running up and down the bank, which releases the fragrance into the evening air. BUT it dies down during the winter and by early spring we always have lost about 1/4 of the camomile and I am forced to buy more and replant.  Very expensive and I am begining to wonder if I have made a mistake!

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The under gardener's project.

This seat is placed so than when you sit here you have a spectacular view of the hills and forest which surround us.  It has since been planted up with honeysuckle which is growing away very well.  We have just lost an old damson tree to the right in this picture, which is very sad but it has let a little more light in on the scene.

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Walking down to the gravel garden.

A collection of pictures of our vision for a cottage garden.

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The new gravel garden August 2007

The lavender that you see above all died off in the winter and has had to be replaced. This summer not being what it might be has not helped at all. The new plants are OK but could have done better. I am quite resigned to having to replace lavander on a regular basis as, whatever I do, the plants always end up by splitting and looking like the local cat has been sitting in the middle. How some people keep their plants going for years I truly do not know. Three years is about the best I can do before it looks tatty and I want to pull it all up and replant.

"The long Walk" 2007
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A view from the back of the long boarders

I am so pleased with this view of the garden.  This long walk happened quite by accident.  It was not till we put in the long boarders and then created a narrow walk way by the camomile that we realised that it gave this long vista of the garden.  Where I am standing to take this photo is where I would like to put a certain statue that I have seen.  So far the man selling it and I cannot come to terms on the price.  I am going to wait till Christmas and then we will see how his cash flow is going!

Kitchen garden progresses. Potatoes in very good condition are by The Head Gardener. I as yet cannot get peas to germinate but carrots and parsnips doing well. Newly planted hedge around the garden starting to take shape in the photo.

Kitchen garden 2006
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Reluctantly time to go home!
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Mt sister and her twins.

View from the "Chelsey Garden"
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We "tidied" between these two old fir trees in the winter of 07 and now it adds a wonderful vister through to the new bench which the under gardener made this year. 

a passion for a cottage and a  garden