A few days in the Lake District

 Mr S and I spent a few days up in the Lake District.  This entailed two days travelling there and back on an arranged coaching holiday.  Our seats were comfortable, the views great and we had a great driver Martin who lifted all the worries regarding congestion and stop starts along the motorway whilst we read, and I knitted from time to time.

Our hotel for the four nights was The Grange at Grange over Sands. It was very interesting for Mr S to visit this hotel since he stayed there many times when he was working up in The Lake District.  It has since been thoroughly refurbished and is quite smart.  We did of course have 'The coaching holiday' evening meals which were not quite as luxurious as the menu for regular visitors, but it was excellent and the meat was first class.  Breakfasts were very good too and for those we mixed with the regular visitors.

View from the promenade Grange over Sands

It is just a short walk to the long promenade of Grange over Sands, and we enjoyed walking along that whenever we felt like stretching our legs.  On the short day that we visited Kendal, we returned and walked the full length of the coastal promenade enjoying the sound of the Oyster Catchers and other birds. The views across the bay and the cloud scape on one side and a long border of mixed shrubs and perennials separated us from the railway line. One pleasant little discovery was a small gardening shop with inspirational planters ready to just take away.  

Small pots by Chris Whiting suitable for Kusamono

In their little shop I found some little studio pottery containers that would have done nicely for my garden shelf and my budding interest in Kusamono style mini planters.  I even went back to the shop to see which I would like, and now regret not getting two or three.

We met some lovely people along the promenade and were able to ask about the coloured bands painted on the handrail along the walk, and these had been placed there so that people could relay their location to the emergency responders so that they could access the promenade at the most convenient entry point.  Another time we had a very friendly dog suddenly sit between Mr S and I as we were enjoying the sun on a bench, and got to know the owner a little.  'Bear' had to have his photograph taken and a day or so later Bear's owner came to say hello as she caught a glimpse of us in the bar after she had been to the spa at the hotel where she is a member.

On our first full day we took a steam train and boat along up the Lake to Windermere. The Scenery along with the beautiful houses and house boats along the shore was beautiful and we were lucky that the rain held off.  We even had sunshine as we passed 

We had a walk around Bowness in Windermere and lunch, but it was our visit to the Church of St Martins which formed the memorable event of the visit.  As our wont we stepped into the Church of St Martin's where we had a look around, and since they were serving teas it would have been 'rude' not to take part. As we approached and Mr S having already mentioned that the scones looks really good, we were met with the news that they had a power cut and could not serve any hot drinks.  We did return later to find the electricity still off, but were offered what remained of their apple juice to share and also bought a piece of scone each.  It had been a very large scone but cut into quarters.  I was so pleased we returned as should a Michelin Star be awarded for scones, this one was right at the top!

The following day we were driven to Kendal for a half day, and there again good tea and coffee and home made cakes were on offer.  They had a rather good looking angel up on the wall and if I remember rightly there were four each with something different in their arms.  This Angel has a ladder, and I have just checked and learnt that there are four angels carrying the symbols of the Crucifixion – cross, crown of thorns, ladder, hammer and nails.

On our last full day in the Lake District we arrived first at Ambleside where we again headed towards the shore line.

there were some interesting clouds possibly lenticular clouds

after that we headed for Keswick where we had previously holidayed, and having bought a little bag of candied almonds in the market headed through the well kept park towards the shore. 

Our route back to the hotel took us through the spectacular scenery including through the Kirkstone Pass, which at 454m is the highest pass open to motor traffic in the Lake District. 

I had been poorly with a bad cold for a fortnight before, and although no longer sneezing and coughing excessively,  I still have not been able to shake it off, however I still enjoyed the holiday very much.

Six on Saturday - 18th October 2025

We are so lucky that it is past the middle of October, and days have still been mild, washing has dried outside, and the garden is still a place to enjoy and to spend time in, even to sit and enjoy a cuppa in the sunshine.  I'm joining in with a few blogging friends writing about six items from the garden, we congregate over on Jim's blog. 

 1. Autumn colours have started in the back garden, whilst in the front garden the Amelanchier trees are now totally devoid of leaves.

The little Acer 'Wakaranai'.  Its 'Godmother' is my gardening Sis who came up with its name as its label was lost.  It has grown very much over to one side but is far too long in my opinion.  Advice gives the dormant period as being the best time to prune the acer, so one not frosty day I shall have to pluck up courage and decide how to approach the task.

2. There is still a lot of colour and other plants are just starting their flowering.

Out in the front garden, despite the drought, the Nerine bowdenii are in flower.  Last year I was given this big clump by my friend Hilary. They were so hard packed together it was impossible for me to divide them, so they went in just as they were.

3.  Bulbs full of promise?

This week I potted up the bulbs I had received from Pottertons:

2 pots of Fritillaria Michailovskyi, 5 bulbs in each

4 pots of Fritillaria Meleagris alba aphrodite, 5 bulbs in each  

2 pots of Fritillaria Meleagris, 5 bulbs in each

5 pots of Tulipa sylvestris, 5 bulbs in each

You may well wonder why not plant straight in the garden?  Good question, I can't exactly say where the snowdrops and other spring flowers are, so I have put the bulbs in plastic pots and in the spring when spring beauties are coming up, I shall be able to guage where best to site them.

4. More autumn colour

Ginkgo biloba 'Mariken'

5. This is the season of spiders and spiders webs, but I saw no webs yesterday when I spied these two sunning themselves on Chrysanthemum blooms.

Pisaura mirabilis

6. Yesterday morning during breakfast Mr S started to enquire about the flowers growing just outside the conservatory window, 

I bought these as very little plants and could not have known how tall they would grow.  Here there are different coloured flowers on separate stems. Further along the bed is a much taller plant, even taller than me with Magenta coloured blooms:

Then over in the bed alongside the gravel garden this is the first of three large Cosmos plants that is yet to flower:

It just goes to show that for less than a cup of coffee ie £2.00, half a dozen little seedling plants from a charity stall can give one such late beautiful colour, blooms and so much pleasure, in a garden. From a seed to flowers in one season, the wonder of annuals.

Last weekend as I sat after a pleasurable spell of work in the garden, I took a rest and listened to the Twin Doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken discuss the scientific findings regarding the question: Is nature good for us?  It included some interesting aspects regarding being out in nature and gardening and was well worth a listen. Of course those of us whose happy place is outside in the garden would have already felt the benefits they were talking about with Baroness Kathy Willis, Professor of Biodiversity at Oxford University.

Six on Saturday - 11 October 2025

We have had dry days on the whole, and fairly warm for this time of the year.  What I have noticed especially is the shortening of the days.  For more Six on Saturdays Jim's post is the place to go to.

1. 

Serratula tinctoria var. seoanei 

The Serratula tinctoria var. seoanei had been divided and moved early this year and placed separately in different parts of the former vegetable bed.  However, I came to appreciate from visits to different gardens this year, than a bold statement of several plants does work much better.  Last week the separate clumps were reunited albeit several inches apart, and the effect has worked out far better.  This is a plant that I know from experience, having left the ones in the front garden unpruned,  have attractive  dried seeds heads throughout the winter.

2.

Germinated between a wall and paving stones

A few years back I had a row of cyclamen hederifolium in pots along a boundary wall where it is shady and cooler during the summer months.  Those are now in the ground around the garden, but here are some seedlings at the foot of the wall: crosses make by bees and scattered by ants.  Who would have believed that the narrow gravel patch could support such beautifully leaved plants.

3. 

Pelargonium Salmon Angel

After a good trim a few weeks back, when I also took some cuttings, this lovely Pelargonium has sprung back and is in flower again.  I have two pots each with  three rooted cuttings in each to use next year.  They will stand in the shed unless we enter a long freezing period, and they will then come into the conservatory.

4. 

Chrysanthemum Chatsworth?

Chrysanthemum Chatsworth wins the medal for being the longest in flower.  I showed it on 28th June this year when it had already been in flower for about two weeks. For some reason this season it is much more golden than previous years.  However did I get its name wrong? Maybe I should just call it the golden yellow chrysanthemum?

5.  The ginkgos are turning buttery yellow.  The one in the background is one of my original Ginkgo 'Mariken'.  In front of it is an unnamed Ginkgo what I picked up at a bargain price from Rocky Mountain Nursery.  Its leaves are more elongated, and is described as ideal for making into a bonsai. 

6. Sitting in the conservatory in my line of sight sit this little splattering of  violet-blue flowers of  Crocus speciosus ‘Oxonian’. Up close when they are open their deep orange pistils seem to glow.

 

Crocus speciosus ‘Oxonian’

It is coming through the self seeded white flowering Omphalodes linifolia, which I grew for the first time last year.   

In a Vase on Monday - after the storm

For beautiful and interesting flower arrangements you can head off to Cathy's post and also view what other gardeners are posting in their vases this Monday. 

The first storm of the year called Amy has now past. We had little serious damage apart from tall plants being broken off,  however on the plus side we have had rain, which was very welcome. The Cosmos photographed yesterday evening were picked before the storm. As a cut garden flower they have surprised me by how well they have done, even though these plants have only just started flowering. 

For the first time I have grown Cosmos in this garden.  My blog search did come up with some cosmos in my old garden in 2015 which was featured in an early IAVOM but this time I have observed them more carefully.  Last week knowing that the storm was arrivings and having already had a couple of the very long stems break, I went out to cut all the flowers that had opened.  The main stems below these cut flowers are around four to five feet high. These cosmos were bought as small unnamed seedlings from Wells Bishop's Palace.  

As many of you know, I rather like the form of dried flowers, twigs or seedheads. With the dry summer many of the plants set good seed and several weeks ago, I decided to cut these to arrange albeit with a view to collecting the seed to share, or sow later in the year or in the spring time. Also because they are pollen free can stay around with no effect on our allergies. All the larger and some of the medium sized vases are now stood around the house but mainly in conservatory offering some interesting silhouettes especially in the lower autumn light such as this Phlomis fruticosa.

Phlomis Bourgaei seed heads

I shall show some of the other seed heads in the coming weeks.