Skip to main content

Featured

Ashington Manor Farm (Yeovil)

After a two-night stay at The Swan Hotel in Wells , we departed for Exeter. Along the way, our first stop was Ashington Manor Farm, the home of the husband and wife garden designers Julian and Isabel Bannerman.  Roses are a specialty of the Bannerman's, but sadly, we were too early to see any. That disappointment was curtailed by touring their magnificent farmhouse, which we were invited to roam around at leisure. And Julian Bannerman, who did most all the talking, was a very entertaining man.  Gathering at the front door - We actually entered at the side of the house, right off the patio, which led to this room, where the Bannerman's greeted us. The massive table was filled with books they had written as well as magazine articles about their gardens. As we were listening to Julian's speech, I happened to notice Isabel Bannerman's book "Husbandry" on the table and immediately recognized it as a book I have at home but have not gotten to yet. At the time, I ha...
5 comments
Read more

Catching Up & Cutting Back

Barberry 'Orange Rocket' & Spirea 'Ogon'

I am home again after a 10-day trip to Alabama. The weather there was pleasant for the most part and even had a wonderful 3-hour rumbling thunderstorm (one of the few things I miss about living there). I did some gardening there, but the ground was very wet and it is pure clay. Not a pleasant experience, especially when digging.

Guess who else had great weather? Vancouver, Washington! It would figure when I leave the frigid cold and wetness, the weather could do a complete turn-around. There have been about 4 days of record-breaking warm temperatures (above 70). Probably not that great when you think about it from the climate aspect, and it makes me wonder what the summer will be like. As you can imagine, plants are popping!

Pieris 'Brouwer's Beauty'

I got home late last night (Monday) and hit the ground running today. Fortunately, the warm weather continued. There is so much to do and it is overwhelming at the moment. The day was beautiful with birds singing and building nests and surprises at every turn. One such surprise was Hacquetia epipactus, a gift from Linda Rectanus, that was planted last summer. 

Hacquetia epipactus 



Today I concentrated on cleaning up and cutting back. I worked in the front garden all day and managed to fill two debris bins before they picked them up late in the afternoon. I was thrilled because I always feel like a slacker if those debris bins are not filled. Our yard debris is picked up every two weeks and is totally inadequate for active gardeners.

And speaking of "cutting back", I read an interesting book on my trip titled "Cutting Back" by Leslie Buck (Timber Press, 2017). It is about the author's apprenticeship learning the art of Japanese pruning with a major landscaping company in Kyoto. I found the book both fascinating and exasperating - the cultural differences with the author not speaking the language and not understanding her co-worker's moods and actions lead to much discomfort and confusion. That said, I think gardeners will find this to be an interesting read but non-gardeners would probably be bored to tears. 

More work to do tomorrow and hopefully a chance to get more photos. The bulbs are especially pretty now.


Camellia 'Nuccio Bella Rossa'


Pieris 'Valley Valentine'

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
Email Post

Comments

  1. Kris PetersonMarch 20, 2024 at 12:10 PM

    I'm glad you had the opportunity to enjoy 2 stretches of nice weather, Phillip! That stage of spring when everything everywhere is happening all at once (to plagiarize the film title) is fun but, admittedly, overwhelming at times.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ardith FergusonMarch 20, 2024 at 5:17 PM

    Your plants are so beautiful.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment