My Garden Inspiration P1. Hatfield House

 I sit here contemplating ......

Each part of this Garden is divided into different sections. You can walk through the
hedged archways and take in a different border or feature to take away with you.

This view is in a sheltered walled part of the Gardens. 

I have always loved Gardens 

since I was small. I was very 

fortunate to be brought up in 

a family whose parents and 

Grandmother were the

most amazing Gardeners. 

I since trained as a 

Gardener and so it is kind 

of already in my blood. I really 

love to visit other peoples Gardens,

big or small, so I can get inspiration 

and also contemplate the ways of Nature. 

 It is a very therapeutic past-time. 

May is a great time to visit large 

Private Gardens within huge grounds.

The public can, at a reasonable price, mostly,

wander around at their leisure and take in the

atmosphere.

Hatfield House, in Hertfordshire, is one

of  these places which is open to the public

most of the time. 

Mini Iris at Hatfield House by lake

                                                     As a trained Gardener I am clearly

interested in the way these huge

Gardens are designed. I may not

always like the over the top Topiary

and massive yew hedging but it is

definately a place to feel a connection

with nature, to feel peaceful and to

escape from the modern mad world.

 

I have to say that I find that the owners

of these Stately Homes and the like are

not the people I would want to give

my money to but we all do need

to escape and feel a calm and relaxing

part of nature somehow.

So sadly we have to give in and

they provide the show for us.

White wisteria in perfect setting

Many plants give us different memories or evoke certain emotions in us. 

This Wisteria really is something that takes me back to being a young girl

living overseas. I have seen three different varieties at Hatfield House 

including this white variety. It is something else. There is always
something new for us to learn about.

Plants live in different environments, some are physically protected by walls

giving off more heat and perfume, in this case. One of  them was hanging over me and so happy there. 

Plants like us really do benefit from the sunshine.

Isn't this fabulous?


Spring is the best time to take in all the changing colours and beginning of the new cycle of plants.
 

I need to feel peaceful in my mind by being enveloped in a beautiful landscape. 

Gardens which are

beautifully manicured and designed are far from that which we create for ourselves. I need the contrast

of this physical place, to be absorbed in, and connected with it. I am sure that many of you who are reading 

this will feel the same. Gardens which we can borrow will stay in our minds until we are able to return to them.

Here at Hatfield House there are lots of vistas
and personal places. The beauty of it is that
you can escape from other people and be alone
with your floral artistic thoughts.

It has been designed  in such a way that
there are many walks and paths to take
you on different colourful experiences.

 I am going to take you to one of the most beautiful

parts of this Garden now. It is only open once a week 

but it is so worth the extra, small supplement.
See P2. My Garden Inspiration

Gardening Tips

Haiku - 

Running water

Green hedges

Wet pebbles

below

Minature Iris by Lake

Remember that all plants in Containers need to 

be watered regularly. Baskets, pots, planters 

are all Mini Gardens and do need to be 

kept fed and watered often.
If the compost is dry it is in need of
watering.

 Compost needs to be replaced
now and again with big planters.

 Keeping your plants

nourished and as healthy as possible is the secret
to happy plants. More on that later on.

Different plants need different Composts.
See section on Soils and Compost coming soon. 

Hanging Baskets

There is a real knack to planting well 

and successfully in a hanging basket.

I will talk about that more fully later on.

Once planted up you need to feed

them with plant plugs and keep watering 

daily if the soil is dry.

Shrubs in Pots

Sometimes we forget to water and

feed shrubs which are not in the ground.

They are just as important but can get

neglected.

Such as this prolific Clematis.
It took a long time to grow and after a couple of years suddenly produced
beautiful bell shaped flowers. It now has a few lovely seed heads.

Remember in windy weather we need to keep plants well watered so they do not dry out,

even those in the ground. With this extreme wind we need to make sure plants are where possible
put in a sheltered place. That is if they happen to be in a pot you can easily move. Dead heading flowers
that have gone over, like roses. 

You can keep the dried petals and make your own lavender/rose bags.

Pests and Disease

Remember Gardening is not always a pleasure..

Roses are particularly prone to green or black fly.

So we need to spray them regulalry to remove them.

This year my hellebores seem very susceptible to aphid attack.
I have had to spray them quite a few times already in a short
period of time. I keep them away from other plants incase they
too get infected.

Watering Plants in Summer

All plants in hot weather need to be given extra attention and watered more often.

All plants in pots need to be kept reguarly watered or they will suffer. Look at the 

leaves if they start to droop or even if they start to shrivel up and dry out. 

This is leaf scorch on my Actinidia

This is a beautiful climber and does love sun. It gets a lot of direct sun 

when it is out and suddenly got really scorched.

I have removed the dead leaves which fell off and watered it a lot twice a day. 

I have given it more multi purpose compost as it needed more. 

I will keep an eye on it and see how it is doing over the next week. 

Keep reading please.

Lemon Balm scorch on leaves July 15

 This Lemon balm plant is normally quite happy and grows

well but it too has developed some leaf scorch. It is also in a relatively 

sunny spot and the intense heat we have had recently (end of June/early July)

has been a bit too much for it. So again I will remove these leaves and keep it

watered.

Soil Types - Overview

"What is it you express in your eyes? It seems to me more than all the print I have read in my life."
Walt Whiman

Soils and Compost
This is the basis of Gardening. Soil is the one essential substance
we need to grow plants in but so often we Gardeners get it wrong.
Please read on and find out more.......

Soil Types
What do I mean by different types of soil?
Surely it is all the same I hear you ask.

Well no, most plants need to be grown
in one type of soil to flourish and feel
happy. If not they will not give their best.

This is a mix of pre packed compost for my Veggie trial

Loamy Soil -
This is a good type of soil as it is
made up of clay, sand and silt.

Chalky Soil -
This type of soil is found in many
parts of the UK. It is literally made
from chalk. As a pure white substance
below the surface of the soil.

Three pieces of chalk from my Garden

It can be small solid lumps or it can be in larger pieces. It is a tricky soil to deal with

at the best of times and so we Gardeners need to take extra care when preparing a

planting hole or a flower bed.

Clay Soil -

This type of soil is as the name suggests it part made up of clay - that natural

substance we use to make Pottery from. It is a 'heavy'soil and it is nutritious

but tends to get water logged. It is hard work to work it but it is full of goodies.

A mixture of compost and top soil

Sandy Soil -

This type of soil is easy to work with and it is what is called 'free draining' but

it looses nutrients so they need to be added to it. By adding good organic

matter it will create a good soil.  

When you pick it up in your hand it will fall through your fingers.

Broken down leaf mould

Composts - Ericaceous  

Some plants and shrubs really need to be treated with kid gloves.

The likes of the Azalea family, rhodedendrons, Maples (Acers),

Blueberries etc do need ericaceous soil to be happy and healthy.

So if you are unsure what to do or what your soild type

is and you have a Maple or these plants I have just mentioned,

then buy some nice,attractive pots and use Ericacous soil from

a good Garden Centre.

Keep well watered regularly so that the soil does
 not dry out. Feeding them too is important now and again. 

Use a special feed for such plants such as a Concentrate for

Azaleas and Rhodedenrons.     

House Plant Compost

Use this for all house plants. It is a special type

of  Compost designed pecially for indoor plants.

Ensure that the planter is big enough for the plant

you want to plant up in it.

Remember that indoor plants do need to be watered

quite regularly as they will dry out fast. 

Vegetable Compost
When growing Veggies we want the best possible flavour from them. 
So we should use a special Vegetable Compost to provide extra nutrients 
and nourishment.

Contact Page

Please contact me for further information at vscola121@googlemail.com

Or call me on 07944 868209.

I am here to advise and I will be charging 

a nominal fee of £20.00- £25.00 for my

professional advice. Many Thanks for your interest in my Gardening blog.

Famous Gardeners and their poetry

"Tell me what it is you plan to do with 

your one and wild precious life?"

Mary Oliver (Ohio)

One of her lovely poems is called The Swan. 

It is so beautifully written. 

Claydon House

"I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, 

between the 

shadow and the soul." 

Pablo Neruda. (Poet)

 

Claydon House,
Buckinghamshire

"For most of history, Anonymous was a woman."
Virginia Woolf 
 









 

Christopher Lloyd 

He wrote so many books on gardening and 

he is so engaging and easy to read. 

I find  'In My Garden' a great book to read. 

It is timeless which is a real skill 

of such a talented writer. 

He has left me me with so many fabulous 

memories of his own 

garden and all the things he did in his life. 

He was so loved by so many people. 

He lived in the most fabulous house and gardens 

known as Great Dixter all his life. 

It is a truly inspirational place 

and so worth a visit. 

"Gardening is the purest of human pleasures."
Francis Bacon

Going back in history we have so 

many inspiring 

Gardeners we can follow. 

Vita Sackville West was so resourcefu

l and talented. 

She has written many books and long

 descriptive poetry.

Quote " The whole of Sissinghurst reeks of hops, 

which I find an agreeably Kentish smell."

Vita Sackville West

We all need to get inspiration 

and ideas from different sources. 

The Internet can be useful in ways

to do a quick plant search or find

a picture to identify a plant. 

But the best source is to read up on what famous

Gardeners have written and read their take on 

what to plant where and how to get the most 

from plants. 

There is so much to learn when you 

are starting out and we all need a little help 

along the way. 

I do urge you to check out some

such great authors. 

Robin Lane Fox started his career 

at The Botanical Garden in Munich.

Later he was a Garden Master of 

New College Oxford. 

He also wrote a Gardening column 

in the Financial Times 

for many years. 

He published many books but the top 

best sellers were

'Better Gardening' and 'Variations on a Garden'.

He wrote of Christopher Lloyd

"He was the acknowledged king of garden writers. 

One of the most influential

masters of practical gardening in all its forms. 

The most thoughtful of Gardeners."

Beatrix Potter 

She was a great Gardener and 

of course famous 

writter especailly of childrens books.

To me she was very resourceful

 in her time 

and was very hard working too. 

She lived in different parts of the 

United Kindgom 

and most famously the Lake District.

Her favourite was said to be Camfield Place 

in Hertfordshire, close to Hatfield House. 

Carol Klein is the most enthusiastic 

Gardener I have come across. 

She is so full of confidence and resourcefulness and really can help 

you see the wood from the trees. 

She is very easy to follow and she

helps all kinds of people 

to create beautiful gardens from scratch. 

She has written a lot of books as well 

as being a Garden presenter. 

One of here really neat books I have is 

called 'Grow your own Veg Journal.'

 It has simple headings for each month, 

dealing with pests, how to grow sweetcorn

etc, some recipes etc. 

It is split up into weeks 

so you can record what you 

have sown when. 

A useful book to help you 

as you are going along. 

We all need to learn and experiment 

with plants. Sometimes we win and 

sometimes we loose. 

It can be hugely frustrating when 

plants don't grow and there is always 

a reason why.

We may be planting the something 

we love in a very unsuitable place but 

by reading up on what the experts say 

we should hopefully learn the right 

things to do.

Who do you enjoy reading about? 

Who inspires you?

I find all writers who can 

put over a message 

clearly makes it an interesting read. 

So often we just need to check why 

a plant is struggling and where 

better to go than the experts.

Do let me know. 

It is good to read articles as well for 

a good source

 of planting information.

The Guardian has a great 

week-end magazine 

which always has articles on 

someone sharing their favourite plants 

and I have so many cuts outs 

throughout different months.  

It really is worth following. 

One article 

by Gardener, Alys Fowler 

was about Apples

and the many varieties 

we can choose from. 

It was really informative 

as she is always 

engaging and amusing. 

I urge you to take a look.

How to create a Mini Garden P2.

"The greatest fine art of the future will be the making of a comfortable living 
from a small piece of land."
Abraham Lincoln

Let's start with the Veggie patch. For this purpose I am going to cheat!

Here is the Veggie patch ready
to go. I have dug it over and
removed old roots and stones
from it. We are ready to plant
it up now. I have one marrow
and one courgette as small
plants.




I will plant them in this nice mixed compost and soil I have
used to grow veggies in before. I need to protect them by
covering with a cloche against slugs. They would devour
them otherwise.

Some bought cloches have little air vents on the top so
ensure that they are closed in the evening and overnight.
 
They can be opened in the day time to allow ventilation but make
sure you don't forget to close them. I prefer to keep them closed
incase I forget.


I also need to make sure they are watered regularly and 
I will feed them too. (will talk about that a bit later on).

So I want you to watch them growing and spreading
out in this space. I have put down some potting grit
around them to protect them against slugs.

Please keep reading as I update this blog.

Plant No 1 (Day 1)

Plant No 2

Growth in a couple of days under cloche

Next I am going to plant up another
vegetable in a hanging basket. As
I do this I will explain why.
Please keep reading!

Some of the first leaves of
Plant No1 have got a bit eaten. 
I will see how it goes over the next
few days. Then I will let you know
what I plan to do.
Please see P3 How to create a Mini Garden


 The concrete space - Balcony

I hope you have managed to gather a selection of Planters
by now. I am going to talk you through your planting.

It is important to make it as simple as possible.
You will need a few tools to help you along.

 1. Planters 2. Compost                                               
3. Gardening gloves 4. A trowel/ small fork

Good compost is full of nutrients so buy reasonable
quality stuff. Make sure your trowel is sturdy enough
and preferably a nice
metal one.




Planter 1
Rosemary (blue flowers)
Purple sage (purple and green leaves)
Apple Mint (below)

Planter 2
Heucheras

Planter 3
Miniature Bay
Lavender

            Lavender

I have bought three different small herbs.
I will plant them up soon and show you
how easy it is.

Purple sage, lavender, thyme

Having scrubbed and washed 

my terracotta planter (below) I lined it with

thick plastic sheeting. Terracotta dries out so

fast so it helps to retain some moisture. I also

placed some red terracotta stones in the base

to help with better drainage. 

I have planted up the Purple Sage and the Thyme in this.

Pictures to follow as it is in my potting shed and need to get up my steep and wet,

slippery garden to do so. So as soon as the sun comes out I will post up the photos.

Purple Sage and Thyme 

This is now ready to go outside but in case of frost it is still in my potting shed.

We can still get frosts in May which seems crazy.

This planter is doing well. These herbs are growing well in the potting shed.
I need to keep watering them daily as they are drying out a lot. 

See the growth on the Purple Sage 
As it grows more it seems to loose a lot of its purple leaves and grow green ones