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~ A garden set in the Wye Valley

Barn House Garden

Tag Archives: Deschampsia cespitosa

Bringing In the Sheaves

24 Thursday Mar 2016

Posted by kate@barnhouse in Ornamental grasses

≈ 17 Comments

Tags

Calamagrostis xacutiflora 'Karl Foerster' and 'Overdam', Deschampsia cespitosa, Maintenance of ornamental grasses, Miscanthus sinensis 'Malepartus' and 'Starlight', Molinia caerulea subsp.arundinacea, Seslaria autumnalis

A couple of week’s ago we were glued to the telly, eyes agog, watching the nation’s favourite gardener wading about knee deep in a mass of grassy leaf litter.

Monty Don grass border

Bless you Monty, for reminding me of “jobs you can be getting on with this weekend”.

Grasses are very low maintenance plants yet what needs doing, needs doing in good time. Monty was right to remind me to pick up the pace. Faced with three mass plantings containing hundreds of grasses one solution is to bring in a couple of helpers armed with power tools and to stock up on chocolate biscuits. Each year we get a few steps closer to getting the job done as quickly, neatly, and efficiently as possible.

The meadow : Deschampsia cespitosa and Molinia caerulea subsp.arundinacea

Meadow March

Meadow : deschampsia mid-March

The little meadow has just had its first birthday. As expected Deschampsia cespitosa* is looking a little more urchin-like than it did last year. There’s no sign of the molinia, as the only truly deciduous native grass we grow in UK gardens it collapses in a heap in the run-up to Christmas, then likes a long lie-in until soil temperatures rise. Knowing this, there were two plans. Plan A was to treat it to a severe haircut once we’d cleared the spent molinia. Plan B was to leave the remains of the deschampsia to see how it stood over the winter months. Curiousity got the better of me, through the later part of the winter I watched how the remains of the light and airy deschampsia fared as weekly storms swept through the garden.

Ollie strimming meadow

Strimming the meadow mid-February

In mid-February they looked like a pile of Pick-Up Sticks, so as soon as we had a break in the weather, out came the strimmer. Deschampsia is a native semi-evergreen grass, it was already in active growth. A 5″ cut was as low as seemed sensible. The stubborn thatch held at the base of the plant ducked below the strimmer blades.

Deschampsia rough grass February 2016

Frosted deschampsia planted in rough grass February 2016

In comparison, a test patch of deschampsia planted in turf under the walnut trees looked emerald green in February. These were strimmed to ground level back in late November along with the rough grass. As a result they have recovered well and are now showing as much neater, tufty mounds.

Pot in the remains of the remain mid Fenduary

The meadow just before it was cut in February : Molinia is the straw coloured one, front right

All things considered, I think it best to stick to Plan A : to strim them sooner rather than later. Weeding may be easier too, goodness knows what’s lurking beneath the thatchy mats. Although a combination of tall forms of molinia underplanted with airy deschampsia works brilliantly throughout the spring, summer and autumn, being blitzed by the winter Breacon Blasts proves too much for airy stems.

For total staying power through to early spring I depend on fail-safe cultivars of Calamagrostis and Miscanthus sinensis, they look so good in their late winter finery that I sigh when the time comes to cut them down.

The terrace : Calamagrostis xacutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ and ‘Overdam’

Cutting back Calamagrostis February 2016

Cutting Calamagrostis in mid-Febrary it showed green growth

Three weeks ago it was the terrace’s turn. After a bit of deliberation, two extra pairs of hands armed with snippers helped me cut back the banks of calamagrostis. Even though the job was done by hand it only took until coffee time. The hedge cutter’s heavy duty blades chewed up the fine dried flowering stalks and spat them everywhere. Investing in a set of handy, lightweight rechargeable electric clippers would be a good idea, they’d work better on the fine, brittle stems. I’m told a saw-edged grass hook does a good job too.

Calamagrostis regrowth mid March

Lily checking the re growth mid-March

Now that the grassy screen is gone Lily is missing her games of hide-and-seek with the voles.

Phlomis seed head and bleached grass

I’m missing the combination of Phlomis fruiticosa seed heads against the feather reed grass.

The miscanthus hedges : Miscanthus sinensis ‘Malepartus’ and ‘Starlight’

Fluffy Miscanthus seedhead
Miscanthus and rudbeckia
Miscanthus and hydrangea paniculata
Miscanthus seedhead

Luckily for me, Miscanthus is a warm season sleepyhead, slumbering until light levels and soil temperatures rise. All the better for me, I can leave cutting it back for even longer.

image

Background tall hedge of Miscanthus ‘Malepartus’, foreground dwarf hedge M.’Starlight’

When the day came to cut the miscanthus down I was out bright and early to tie up two hundred-odd stands of tall stems of Miscanthus ‘Malepartus’ into tepees. On such a beautiful morning I knew I was in for a final treat. The hazy sunlight filtering through the trees set the fluffy plumes alight like a row of flaming torches.

Cutting the hedge
Rows of stubble
Miscanthus crown after pruning

Heavy duty hedge cutters are the perfect solution for cutting tall stands of stout-caned grasses. In a couple of hours the miscanthus hedge was cleared and cut into mulch sized lengths (the sheaves were laid across the log saw horse). The results were a neat buzz cut, very little debris to clear from the crowns, plus two builder’s bags full of straw.

There’s a 19 second video (January 2015) which shows how the McBrides at Sussex Prairies clear their vast mass plantings which were designed to be razed by fire. (I hope the link will play.)This method is explained by Pauline in her post ‘A Burning Question’. The motto of their garden which is set in several acres of former farmland is “Daring to Disturb the Universe”. The big question for me is, dare I disturb the neighbours? 😉

*Deschampsia cespitosa is a prolific self-seeder, it’s a beautiful, short-lived grass. In time I  may replace it with divisions of Seslaria autumnalis that I’m growing-on in nursery beds. At this time of year the two semi-evergreen grasses look very similar and can be strimmed in the same way. In the first meadow image there is one Seslaria on the left hand corner.

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Splendour in the Grass

02 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by kate@barnhouse in Ornamental grasses, Uncategorized

≈ 23 Comments

Tags

Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster', Common Blue Butterly, Deschampsia cespitosa, Molinia caerulea subsp.arundinacea, Seslaria autumnalis

September heralds the onset of autumn, as this damp, cool and rather overcast summer fades I might feel a pang of regret if it wasn’t for the finale of colour in front of the house and the foil of ornamental grasses.

Grasses terrace September

… it’s comforting to know the technicolour riot will last for several more weeks to come.

Round bed colour in September

The terrace links to the round bed at the north gable end of the house, here the colours are anchored by a dolly mixture assortment of pinks to lead into the boundary bed of hydrangeas. The key grass in both this border and the terrace is Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, a sterile hybrid and for the most part raised from divisions. On the right hand corner of the bed above is a monstrous clump of Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea ‘Transparent’, weighed down by rain and obscuring the narrow path. The blue ‘dumpy pine’ blocks the view of the drive and this year’s new planting area.

Front garden plan

Shown as 13 on the garden plan, this is the stylised meadow of Deschampsia cepitosa and Molinia caerulea subsp.arundinacea that was planted in late winter this year from seed raised plants. Sitting to one side of the drive the roughly triangular area is only about 300 square metres, not vast but large enough to require a significant number of plants that I started growing for this planting in 2011.

Meadow area last autumn

The design took shape last year, as an arc of rough grass bisected by mown paths.

Meadow and woods

Last autumn the row of overgrown Leyllandii along one stretch of the boundary were felled, letting light and wind into the area, as well as allowing a glimpse of the valley’s hay fields and woodland.

Barn House Garden - deschampsia mulched and sheeted

Our aim was to limit the work required to create the meadow, last autumn the turf was covered by layers of compost, cardboard, green woodchippings from the tree work and then covered with tarpaulins.

Layered mulch planting of deschampsia and molinia

For the most part we planted without ceremony – there was no double digging. Only the molinia, as the longer lived grass, was treated with the courtesy of larger holes, back filled with sterile loam and treated to a generous mulch of fine horticultural grit in a bid to keep creeping buttercups at bay.

Papaver somniferum July
Rudbeckia Goldsturm August
Veronicastrum August
Verbena bonariensis August

The results have been surprising. In early summer silvery deschampsia was studded with Papaver somniferum, bronzed by late summer it’s has been sprinkled with Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ and Veronicastrum which was bought as ‘Fascination’ (but looks too pink to be such to me) and pixels of Vernbena bonariensis. Rising above the froth of deschampsia on linear stems are the molinia – the offspring of the ungainly clump in the round bed at the back of the house. Perhaps this is a better home for them to arch and wheel above a wilder and woolier planting.

Molinia and verbena against blue sky August

The haze of fresh inflorescense of Purple Moor Grass is best appreciated against a uniform background whether it be a tall evergreen hedge, a mass of perennials, or a dark painted shed … anything to provide contrast. In this case, the sky will do.

Molinia rising above deschampsia

Through the autumn the molinia foliage, stems and seed heads will turn a buttery yellow before dissolving in an easy to scoop up heap by December.

Meadow from drive 2015 September

By mid winter, the deschampsia and perennial seed heads will be all that remains as a whispy reminder of this year’s performance. Plus, no doubt, a prolific rash of deschampsia seedlings in the drive.

Seslaria autumnalis August

Planted on the corner of the meadow is a third grass that I have in mind for edging the meadow, like the deschampsia another near evergreen: the chartreuse leaved Seslaria autumnalis. I think it will contrast with the height, colour and form of the other grasses and conceal the thatchy tussocks of the deschampsia.

Under wings are camouflaged with orange studs
common blue male on verbena bonariensis August
Common blue male butterfly

An unplanned finishing touch for the meadow has been the influx of the Common Blue butterfly that favours unimproved grasslands. In August 2013 we started noticing the colourful males cavorting in the dried stems of calamagrostis in the terrace in front of the house while the shyer, duller brown females nestled among the veitches and knapweed in the rough grass bordering the drive. This August much to our delight a colony of them has made the little slice of ‘improved’ meadow their home.

 

 

 

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The pot in the seed raised meadow

23 Thursday Jul 2015

Posted by kate@barnhouse in Ornamental grasses, pots

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

Deschampsia cespitosa, Diana Grenfell, Hosta 'Prince of Wales', Klong jar, meadow, Molinia caerulea subsp.arundinacea, pots

For the last few months we’ve been circling the new stylised meadow, squinting at it from different angles whilst trying to imagine what focal feature would work in the centre of the access path. Meadow deschampsia and Molina July The planting of seed raised Deschampsia cespitosa and Molinia caerulea subsp.arundinacea has a wild look about it, echoing the tustled look of the adjacent hay meadow. It’s also evocative of where I found my favourite garden ornament : a Thai klong jar.Field view June In South East Asia, klong jars are traditionally used to collect and store water for household use, much in the same way that we gardeners use water butts. In Brockweir, where we live, there was no mains water until the 1950s. We know from local residents that water was harvested from neighbouring wells and streams, then stored in underground tanks. The disused tanks are marked on Ordanance Survey Maps, however, a few, lurking in the beech woodland across the fields behind Barn House, are dangerously uncovered. Recently, Bob, a friend’s black lab strayed onto private land and had to be rescued from one such tank by his intrepid owner. Klong jar blue and purple glaze Klong jars can still be seen in use throughout the Far East, although these days they tend to be made out of plastic. Traditional ceramic or earthenware jars share the same simple shape, wider in the middle than the top with a curving lip.

In Margaret Macmillnan’s fascinating social history ‘Women of The Raj” (Random House Trade 2007) she recounts the trials faced by a newly married wife, a successful member of the autumnal ‘fishing fleet’ of single women that sailed to India in the hopes of catching a husband. Faced with the dilemma of how to ‘bathe’ in a bathless bathroom, the new arrival mistakenly clambered into the water storage jar only to find it home to the house snake. In her panic, she found herself pinned in the jar by its tapering shape. The naive memshab was rescued, much to her mortification, by a manservant. Perhaps, at that precise moment she rued that she’d not been one of the ‘returned empties’, those whose shame it was to sail home still single the following spring?

Antique jars, usually of the wonderfully weathered salt-glazed sort are highly prized, accordingly, they command a high value. We’ve drooled over many such a jar in our time. Equally, the modern reproductions, some with exquisite glazes in a range of delectable colours, are quite sought after too. Some turn up as decorative features in hotel lobbies across Asia, others, no doubt, are scooped up by western interior designers. Dividing a hosta in springThe jar we came home with had far less salubrious beginnings and for the last three years has been the home of the resplendent ‘extra large’ Hosta ‘The Prince of Wales’. This year ‘HRH’, as we fondly call him had inevitably outgrown his quarters and was divided back in March. It was a delicate operation for both the plant and the pot. I couldn’t help but be reminded of the plight of the poor memshab ….

One very nice, and otherwise accurate journalist reported that we hunted for plants in Asia. That made me laugh. We hunted for pots and brought home lots of them. But they weren’t the sort with fancy price tags, we found them in a dusty factory outlet on the outskirts of Kanchanaburi. The luckiest find was abandoned along with other cast-offs in an area of tall snake-ridden grass. Only the shoulders and rim of the pot were visible. Never mind plant hunting off-piste in the wilderness, I wasn’t venturing beyond the path, especially in my silly sandals. The pot was bought, pretty much sight unseen. When it was delivered later that week, we gasped : it was a beauty. Miscanthus geranium obscure the potThe jar, now hiding in the summer planting, was regarded as a complete reject. Imperfections in its celadon glaze caused by the secondary firing to produce the characteristic crackled finish had, as often happens, pitted the surface of the underlying material. Plus, and probably the deciding factor in the manufacturer’s mind, hairline cracks crazed the inner skin of the jar. Although it wouldn’t hold water, it makes a happy home for a handsome hosta. Diana Grenfell’s marvellous and definitive “The New Encyclopedia of Hostas” (Timber Press 2009) suggests lots of hostas that would compliment our beloved pot, many of a more appropriate size, but, while we have the derring-do to excavate it very few years, we’re sentimentally attached to the pairing. Salt glazed pot in meadow Personally, I love the big blue pot all the more for its imperfections, particularly the tactile pitting. I think it gives it character. Without its flaws there’d be no story to tell. And, without it, we wouldn’t have gone hunting in a local garden centres for a second such jar to recreate a scene that reminds me of the day I spied a big blue pot in an oriental meadow.

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Misty morning treasure

10 Friday Jul 2015

Posted by kate@barnhouse in Ornamental grasses

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Calamagrostis, Deschampsia cespitosa, Geranium palmatum, Papaver somniferum, The dragon's breath, Wye valley

We’ve lived and gardened here for ten years, you’d think we’d know all there is to know about the tricks weather and light can play. But once in a while there’s a surprise in store that sends me hurtling from the house to see how the garden has responded. Last Friday morning was one such time, as I drew the curtains I knew that this was going to be a very special morning.

The dragons breath mist July morning

Never mind Scotch Mist, in the beautiful South Wales ribbon valleys there’s a phenomenon called ‘the dragon’s breath’ where snaking mist hangs low in the early morning, trapped then eerily funnelled by the valley sides. Here in the narrower Lower Wye Valley we don’t expect to see it quite so much, perhaps just a hint in autumn. Even when conditions are forecast to be at their best, it’s an elusive beauty requiring : high humidity, unusually gentle overnight westerly rain; and, lastly, crystal clear skies above cool early morning ground temperatures. It’s understandable that capturing the perfect image of the dragon in action is a bit of a holy grail among photographers. “Secret Britain : Series 2 ‘Water World of Wales’ “, an excellent series in itself, contains a fascinating clip of one beguiled man’s quest to do just this.

Mist laden grasses

So, when I saw the tail end of the quirky mist hovering in the valley below how I could resist? The platform at the top of the old apple barn steps always makes a good vantage point. Though precariously steep, the steps lead nicely from the bedroom to the front garden. I often pause here to check out what’s going on in the garden below. I was greeted by a very special scene, what I saw looked more like a ghostly seascape, and, in all these years of growing calamagrostis, it was something new to me, Effectively the mist rolling through the garden left ethereal grey dew just weighty enough to make the grasses heave in the most peculiar way. Heavy headed themselves with panicles poised at flowering point these grasses can ‘lodge’ or lean when wet, but this was different from their usual summertime sighs.

February : Frozen wave of Calamagrostis

FEBRUARY : Frozen wave of Calamagrostis after snow fall

What it it did remind me of was what the terrace of grasses looked like back in February after a smattering of wet snow one morning.

Round bed mist Calamagrostis

The Round Bed at the back of the house has turned out to be a weather turning circling, it always fares worst or best, whichever way you choose to look at it. I’ve grown not to mind too much because I know Calamagrostis x acutiflora is an incredibly supple athlete, despite the listing look there really is no cause to panic. Remarkably they do dry off and pick themselves up with good grace, and, quite quickly too. The only way to hasten the process is to pray for a dry spell, preferably accompanied by light winds. I learnt long ago that stirring wet grasses with a long stick does not help … it’s the equivalent of trying to knit with wet wool.

Zoom calamagrostis pergola July

Grown subtly as part of a naturalistic planting in a more sheltered spot avoids this potential problem. But, I think where grown en masse in exposed sites it’s wise to know what to expect. To the grassy minded it may even be considered charming that they behave like this. However, I can imagine that for some this characteristic particular to grasses with tall slender flowering stems might make it worth pondering how best to locate, space and partner them. I mean, would you want these feathery delights rubbing shoulders with your prize delphiniums? I tend to stick to stout perennials, here self supporting fennel, and, in the awkward round bed, tall veronicastrum (itself supported with canes and twine). Both lend the grasses a helping hand. And, although more hands might be helpful, in a funny sort of way, I actually like the sight of a few overly dense clumps splaying as they do when densely planted. Sometimes combinations work, sometimes they don’t. I learn as I go along, things do wrong from time to time, sometimes the air is veritably blue.

Zoom calamagrostis panicles July

It simply teaches me to marvel all the more when things go right. Here’s a bit of a hotchpotch where a leftover sliver of Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ has popped up unplanned among the sprawling Geranium ‘Ann Thomson’, one of my favourite long flowering, dark eyed beauties.

Dew Overdam splayed July

Quite clearly, the sentries of Calamagrostis xacutiflora ‘Overdam’ spaced generously at a metre apart to  punctuate the lower terrace behaved differently, with room to arch elegantly in almost perfect circles. C. ‘Overdam’ does dry out more quickly, perhaps also due to it being a foot shorter than its forebear ‘Karl Foerster’ as much as the spacing?

Deschampsia misty morning

The seed raised stylised meadow currently studded with the red annual poppy Papaver somniferum has been joy enough so far this year. But, what I saw last Friday simply took my breath away. This is the gloriously feathery Descahmpsia cespitosa, a graceful native grass in fresh flower, yet, I couldn’t have imagined it looking this gorgeous glittering as it was in the astonishing light. Who needs diamonds?

Geranium Palmatum

Or rubies? When I’m lucky enough to revel in Geranium palmatum.
Nassella tenuissima catching light

And, forget about lustrous pearls. The filigree flowers of Nassella tenuissima are adornment enough, for me.

Patio pots in morning light

All the the bling I could ever desire, was right here for one magical misty morning in early July. For a few precious hours the garden became a treasure trove, all thanks to the dragon’s breath.

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A seed raised ‘meadow’

15 Friday May 2015

Posted by kate@barnhouse in Ornamental grasses

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Tags

Deschampsia cespitosa, Molinia caerulea subsp.arundinacea

In spring 2012 a rogue seedling in a newly purchased pot of hakonechloa caught my attention, its leaves were a vivid emerald green and it promised a pleasing tufty habit. It flowered later that year, unmistakably as deshamspia cespitosa, or according to the RHS who also provide descriptive common names, either tufted hair, or hassock, or tussock grass. Locally, in the Forest of Dean, I have heard it called ‘forest fairy grass’.

deschampsia in full flower in a nursery bed June 2014

deschampsia in full flower in a nursery bed June 2014

Deschampsia is one of the most widespread of grasses, native species are mainly found in northerly latitudes with cooler climates where it colonises a range of habitats. Given its adaptable nature and good looks, it’s a popular grass for informal planting schemes. There are quite a few to choose from too, from the more compact Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Bronzeschleier’ (‘Bronze Veil’) to the taller ‘Goltau’ (‘Gold Dew’). Whatever its origins, my chance seedling once in flower had a wild billowing look about it, and reminded me of the deschampsia seen on motorway embankments or marshy moorland in the UK. True to form, it produced seed in abundance, which then germinated easily, so by planning ahead it was possible to raise enough plants for a small ‘meadow’ area in the front garden.Deschampsia year 1 seedlings In 2013 the first year seedlings in the sleeper beds made a uniform leafy display across to the bamboo Phyllostachys vivax. [The dogs treated the beds like a raised lawn, rolling over the stout young tussocks and the flat, rather sharp edged leaves didn’t appeal to them either. It seemed a promising start.]Deschampsia area September 2014 This was the area of rough grass that I had in mind for a small informal ‘meadow’ and a manageable spot to contain the enthusiastic seeding habit of the deschampsia. The site is fairly open, over squelchy clay, and in mid summer catches the evening sun. Deschampsia density Through the summer of 2014 the nursery beds of deschamspia planted at varying densities did well. They had reached mature flowering size by just their second year, and the mass effect of airy panicles held clear of dense cushions of foliage was a delightful sight. Deschampsia lodged in rainThe deschampsia passed what I think of as ‘the lodge test’. Lodging only effects a few varieties of ornamental grass, in much the same way as not all herbaceous perennials require staking. The term refers to flowering stems that have fallen over following very heavy rain and it may effect some of the tallest, most slender stemmed grasses. Left to dry naturally the stems should return upright with minimal snapping at the nodes. Despite the fact that deschampsia cespitosa holds its flowers on the finest of hairy filaments, the two densely packed beds recovered from heavy downpours, but a lower final planting density, as used in the third bed, seemed a better idea. Deschampsia molinia In mid June of the same year, consecutively sown second year molinia seedlings (on the left) were forming dense, sizeable green leafy mounds and were only just producing flowering spikes. In comparison, the deschampsia (on the right) was setting seed and the leaf tussocks were starting to take on a characteristic thatchy look. The contrast suggested a scheme to include molinia dotted through the deschampsia as a form of succession planting, using the molinia to provide impact in late summer. image deschampsia mulched & sheeted Last autumn the area was treated for weeds, particularly couch grass and creeping buttercups; in the winter it was mulched with rough bark and sheeted so it would be ready for planting by early spring 2015. The then three year old plants were lifted in March, as soon as the deschampsia showed new growth.

Deschampsia and Molinia april

Meadow planting April

As 10 litre specimens and long lived perennials the molinia were spaced at a minimum of 1.5 metres apart, this allows them a good square metre at maturity. Whereas, the shorter lived deschampsia were divided to rejuvenate the mature plants and interplanted among the molinia at 5- 7 plants per square metre. Some of the deschampsia look a bit care worn, 2nd year plants would have looked fresher in spring. Other self-sowing perennials and biennials have been dotted through the area, including Verbena bonariensis, Honesty and Teasle to offer some contrast in colour and form.

Barn House Garden - Deschampsia

Maintenance is planned to be as minimal as possible, basically, an annual haircut with a strimmer. Hopefully, as good sized plants with vigorous natures they (or their progeny) will cope with the rough treatment and out-compete the worst of the weeds. This is a bit of an experiment, but it’s fun, and possible thanks to grasses raised easily from seed.

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Garden Journal

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  • Wordless Wednesday : Papaver somniferum June 29, 2016
  • NGS Day June 26th 2016 : Gates Open Today from 1-5.30pm June 26, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : The Common Spotted Orchid June 22, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Siberian Iris ‘Silver Edge’ June 15, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Hanging by a Thread June 8, 2016
  • Wildlife Wednesday – A Perfect Storm June 2, 2016
  • The Cedar Stump : A Happy Ending May 31, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Happy Wanderers May 25, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : After the Rain May 18, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Coming in to land …. May 11, 2016
  • Springtime Sport in the Meadow May 8, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Tulip ‘Orange Emperor’ May 4, 2016
  • A Walk in a Bluebell Wood May 1, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Anemone nemerosa April 27, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Epimedium pinnatum April 20, 2016
  • April is the sweetest month …. April 16, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Viola odorata April 13, 2016
  • Evergreen grasses : to cut or not to cut? April 8, 2016
  • Replacing the Vine Pergola April 3, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Spot the difference March 30, 2016
  • Bringing In the Sheaves March 24, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Hedgerow Treasures March 23, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Soaking up the spring sunshine March 16, 2016
  • Chionochloa : A Case of Mistaken Identity March 12, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Catkins March 9, 2016
  • The story of the big blue cedar February 27, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Welcome signs of Spring February 24, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : snow drops February 17, 2016
  • The plight of the honey bee February 14, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Cyclamen coum February 10, 2016
  • Pennisetum alopecuroides : a late winter friend February 6, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Yellow crocus February 3, 2016
  • Touches of Frost January 23, 2016
  • Happy New Year January 3, 2016
  • Pinetum Park and Pine Lodge in winter December 21, 2015
  • Eragrostis curvula : African weeping love grass November 28, 2015
  • Tall purple moor-grass : Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea November 7, 2015
  • Autumn musings : Lofty cultivars of Miscanthus sinensis October 30, 2015
  • Filming Barn House garden for BBC Gardeners’ World 2016 October 21, 2015
  • Choosing a dwarf miscanthus October 14, 2015
  • Oudolf Field in Autumn October 7, 2015
  • A Tale of Two Himalayan Fairy Grasses … October 1, 2015
  • Patio pots September 23, 2015
  • Rudbeckia fulgida : flower power September 16, 2015
  • Persicaria great and small September 9, 2015
  • Splendour in the Grass September 2, 2015
  • Pennisetum macrourum : perfect picked, dried or simply left on the plant …. August 26, 2015
  • E.A. Bowles and The Riddle of the Pheasant’s Tail Grass August 19, 2015
  • Hakonechloa macra : Japanese Forest Grass August 13, 2015
  • In search of the perfect pennisetum August 6, 2015
  • A peaceful spot : sitting, staring and drinking tea. July 30, 2015
  • The pot in the seed raised meadow July 23, 2015
  • “A garden isn’t meant to be useful. It’s for joy.” July 16, 2015
  • Misty morning treasure July 10, 2015
  • Learning to love The Pink and Orange Patio July 2, 2015
  • Bamboo : taming the dragon June 26, 2015
  • NGS Day : reasons to be cheerful June 22, 2015
  • NGS open garden day : Sunday 21st June, 2-5.30pm June 6, 2015
  • A seed raised ‘meadow’ May 15, 2015
  • Calamagrostis : a great grass for all seasons May 9, 2015
  • Low maintenance grass-like plants April 19, 2015
  • Miscanthus sinensis : “queen of the grasses” March 14, 2015
  • Easy evergreen grasses February 15, 2015
  • Grasses’ terrace in winter January 26, 2015

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