Visit to Tadham Nursery on Somerset Levels

Continuing on our 'regime' of regular cycle rides, it is not surprising that since Graham has opened his nursery again, that today's ride took us there.  Around trip of about 18 miles.

I have really missed visiting his stall in Wells on Market Street.  Last year he moved to the weekly market in Street, which I tried to visit, but he was not there that week.  I happened to be searching for some more Hardy Geraniums, when I saw that he stocked at least two and that he was opening a stall at his nursery on Fridays and Saturdays.

As there was room for just this lot in my pannier, I am sure further trips during the summer may be necessary.

Clock wise starting in the top left hand corner: Geranium sanguineum album, Erodium Natasha, Geranium Russell Prichard, Geranium Dusky Crug, and Allium senescens glaucum.

I am always on the look out for stalls outside cottages selling home laid eggs:

Six on Saturday - 30 May 2020

It is still hot and sunny, without any rain.  Hosepipes, watering cans and using grey water from the kitchen has kept many plants alive.  Having drafted the post almost in its entirety yesterday, this morning I am linking in with the Prop.  Do go and check what he and others throughout the day will be adding.  Like him I find it hard resisting the urge to add to the garden, and like him have an edge that is being encroached on.  No lawn left here and no lawnmower, and the sun lovers are thriving.

The geraniums seem to be thriving in the sunshine. 

(1) Geranium sanguinuem Elke is one I fell in love a long way back.    It is a low growing geranium with finely divided leaves.  Now growing over the area which had crocuses in the early spring, I feel a little dead heading gives me plenty of opportunity to admire its jolly pink flowers, with stronger pink veins, white centre and margins,  close up. 

(2) Another geranium which I have kept on dividing to make up several clumps in the front garden is Geranium x magnificum.  Initially it grew as a very small dried up piece in the middle of the Spanish bluebells, inherited form the previous owners.  A bit of tlc has yielded some great plants,   They won't be flowering for that long but Geranium x magnificum is  very useful this time of the year.and in a couple of years the plants will have bulked out and be almost 'gaudy' with its profusion of large rich purple flowers. After flowering, the clumps of large textured leaves, which remain neat,  turn a lovely colour, then die down completely.  It was thanks to joining the HPS Hardy Geranium Group and posting a picture and question son Facebook that I found out its name.

(3) Another magnificent blue note in the garden this week is from the Clematis Justa.   I now keep it in the lee of the conservatory as there is a little shade there.  Strong sun tends to bleach the petals.  I just love a clematis that only grows to this height.  Marcel Floyd sold this one to me a few years back.  Next time I meet him at a show, I'll be asking him if he has any other this size.

(4) There is something special about the first rose to emerge on a newly planted rose shrub.  The bloom has been cut now and gracing our coffee table.  The fragrance of Munstead Wood is rich and sumptuous, and now fully open so is the rose.

(5)  Two cuttings taken from the mother plant last summer are flowering their socks off, but still not a patch on 'mother Pelargonium Capricorn' growing in another tub.

(6) Absolutely thriving in the scorching sun are two small hardy succulents.  Since they are this wonderful, despite the drought, I intend using them as a ground cover over a much larger area in the front garden.  Delosperma Fire Spinner is certainly living up to its name with orange and fucshia in the same flower. These have now been in the garden all year round since they were two tiny snippets two seasons ago.

and a little more restrained as just one colour: Delosperma cooperi.

Sadly the weather outlook is hot and dry, therefore more time watering than I would have liked is on the cards next week.  I hope you are all enjoying your gardens or reading what a standard home gardener with small front and back gardens in the UK is finding works or in some cases doesn't.  

More Cycling

Its great to be well enough again to think of going for rides other that to Town to do my shopping.  On Bank Holiday Monday we took advantage of the clear roads and headed towards Wedmore then back through the levels.

We cycled along a ridge with views to the north towards Cheddar, and towards the south down on Shapwick Heath Reserve, and had a stop for a drink at Bagley.  The ride down Mudgly Hill was exhilarating as.  Down on the levels the were many people out walking and cycling on this fine day.

A regular feature now is a get together with WI friends whether it be the book club, netball, or as next week for the first time, a monthly meeting via Zoom.  Yesterday evening Jane came up with ideas of 'outings' of course in ones or family groups, to surrounding farm shops.  It planted the seed for our cycle ride today.  We found Long Drove across Queen's Sedge Moor with some magnificent oak trees, let us straight onto a good cycle track running parallel to the A39.

Up at Middlewick Farm, we happened to bump into the owner, whom we had met previously during a rather nice dinner on our break in Dunster.  Its taken us eighteen months to get round to popping in for a chat again.  The farm shop was well stocked, and had in place excellent procedures with hand washing, and with just one at a time in the shop.  After an icecream, we headed for home and it is sure to be asparagus as a starter tonight!  I wonder how long it will be before we are back for coffee and croissants?

In a Vase on Monday - Early Summer

We can probably say that Spring is over, and we are now in Summer.  Clear deep blue sky and wall to wall sunshine today, is bringing people out into the fresh air.  I picked my flowers early, and just as I was taking the pictures, we decided to go on a cycle ride.  Both of us are feeling much better and stronger now...we achieved the longest cycle ride for ages round 18 miles.  I have never seen so many walkers and cyclists, and so few vehicles...it was like a country festival on the roads, with lots of hellos and waves. Now that we are back and have had our lunch in the garden, I can settled down to complete this post. Later I shall catch up with all the other posts on Cathy's IAVOM post which has a very similar vase filled with the sweetest of Sweet Peas.

The flowers stand in a lovely heavy Caithness glass vase.

Verbascum phoeniceum violetta, which I had bought from the Malvern Spring Show and had written about in my vase last year, has thankfully returned this year.  Kathy who hosts this weekly meme, grew hers from seed.  The very hot weather does not really suit the plants, with sun scorching the blooms, so it was worth while cutting them for this vase.

Allium cristophii here with small blooms continues the purple theme.  They had given very large blooms when the bulbs were first planted in the front garden.  When I needed to dig them up to make way for some other plants, I split the bulb and replanted it amongst the other herbaceous plants in the back garden.

Centaurea Montana Alba has been marvellous, with over fifty blooms to one plant.  It is looking a little tired now, so next week it will be chopped right down, with a good watering to set it on its way for its second flowering.

Quaking Grass: Briza Maxima gives a little pale green freshness and movement and is just the right scale for the small garden.

Yesterday the Bishop's Palace opened for the first time in weeks.  Members only for a few hours followed a well marked route.  Under the large Paulownia tomentosa Tree, also known as the Foxglove tree, my love picked up the little seed pod and gave it to me as a gift.  This man really knows what pleases me.  There are a few of these fine specimen trees dotted around Wells,  with a two youngish Paulownia tomentosa outside the entrance and one fine large Paulownia tomentosa with its blue flowers and later large leaves in the Bishop's Palace arboretum in Wells.  To look up in the springtime and see a  tree covered with large blue flowers, before any of the leaves emerge,  is indeed very exotic sight.

The pair of swans and the six cygnets, now growing fast were very much enjoyed....the seventh cygnet got separated, and not accepted back into the group, but I understand it is thriving somewhere with special care and will be reintroduced to the large flocks on the levels when the time is right.

Six on Saturday - 23 May 2020

The Prop this week has a wall of scent, and five other nice items for his SOS todat.  I am joining him and others there to share Six items from our garden.  Why not spare some time to view a few...

There are such a variety of plants with leaves that I find so attractive.  In a small garden where I try and indulge and accommodate these, plants that either go dormant at different times of the year, or can grow to hide plants that are going into dormancy is a canny way of getting more in a small space, and at the same time having a reasonably attractive garden to look at.

I have always enjoyed hardy geraniums.  They are left alone by slugs and snails, and are fairly tolerant of a wide range of conditions.  It is saying something that some of them have needed a little water, since we have had hardly any rains for many weeks.  Even the forecast overnight rain did not come. As a quick aside...Rose Chaffer beetles have been flying around...

(1) This is Geranium Blue Sunrise.  This Hardy Geranium has been very slow to put on any bulk since it was first planted on our arrival.  It disappears completely during the winter leaving the tell tale label which reminds me to to plant some minute bulbs right above it.  I resisted digging it up this spring and trying to divide it.  All well and good, since I have heard on good authority that it is difficult...but I shall pretend that I haven't heard that and still try towards the autumn.

(2) Geranium x cantabrigiense Cambridge, another hardy geranium,  is just coming into flower.  Its leaves have a nice gloss about them, and keeping small and green all the year round, are a lovely foil for the early crocus, which have now died down.

(3) Another garden favourite is Phuopsis stylosa, bought in 2014.  I love its intricate green foliage topped by an inflorescence  that almost needs a magnifying glass to appreciate its intricacy. This is pretty drought tolerant..ie it has not yet needed to be watered.  What I like about this plant, is that it can have a good chop back and come back for a second performance later in the season.

(4) In my last garden I had a lovely generous clump of Iris Sibrica.  I was missing it, and acquired a good sized pot of of Iris Sibrica Silver Edge in 2018.  Although the plant looked flowering size when bought,  in its second season in the garden  last year, it sulked.  What a joy...it is flowering, maybe the wet winter did it good.  A good weekly hosing for about six weeks has paid off dividends.  As one bloom fades another one opens on the same stem.

(5) Another little plant nurtured over the last year or so from near obliteration has been one of my little sedums.  Hylotelephium 'Bertram Anderson' is reveling in the strong sunshine.

(6) Last year after trimming back Pelargonium coriandrifolium, I took a few cuttings.  I have just one left here and it is doing very nicely.

It is that time of year again for the mother plant to be cut back.  I have taken quite a few more cuttings this year, as I hope to swap them for other types, with fellow enthusiasts.