Fourseasonsgarden's Outbox

Welcome - it really is a supportive site.

I haven't seen any comment from Bonkers to defend themselves! Are they plotting something?

My brother phoned from Tenerife last night - sitting in just his shorts at 10pm with a temperature of 25C in the day and 21C at night. He now lives there and wouldn't want to come back to England. He tried to encourage us to retire there with him but when we visited we found it depressingly arid and rocky. We were glad to get back to our "green and pleasant land"!

With the weather at the moment it feels as though autumn is just around the corner!

That's brilliant news. Don't worry about it - it does get easier the more open days you have! Don't fret about making the numbers tally with the takings - it's really quite informal.

This is our first year for the ngs. We opened on two weekends in May. The first day the county organiser came round before we opened. It was a little like an inspection by the sergeant major! When she returned from her circuit she said "there's just one thing......" we held our breaths and she continued, "what's the name of that peachy coloured rhododendrum?!" We breath a great sigh of relief - but couldn't answer her question!

It didn't take as long as we thought it would to get the shapes - we now trim them once a year, properly, and another time just to take off the rogue bits. The main yew hedge near the fence replaced a privet hedge and rose border - not a good combination! The soil was parched so we made a trench and put humus at the bottom, together with Growmore, and planted little hedging yew. It grew surprisingly fast!

Belated happy birthday, Alan. I love your colour co-ordinated table setting.

We have just said goodbye to two American visitors. They came across our garden on the Internet and decided to include us in their two-and-a-half week trip to England when they visited 17 gardens - including Winsford Walled Garden.

The day has been quite wet and we dodged between the showers as we wandered around the garden. Despite some torrential rain we were able to have a cup of tea in the pagoda and lunch on the balcony - so they got a real "feel" of the garden. They came from California where, once summer has started, they don't get any rain. It was quite novel for them experiencing what is now becoming a usual wet summer. They thought the english weather was very obliging - keeping all those plants looking lush and green!!!!

Well done - and very well deserved!

No, we both have busy jobs as well! Still - there are 168 hours in a week!!!

Hi Ladyessex1 - welcome

We say that this is a really expensive car - its size means we are not restricted in what we buy!!! We've had trees poking out through the roof.

Grenville, how do you have time to respond - with an open day and your injuries!!

We've been contacted by a couple from the States who will be staying at your B&B in July - they are going to be looking at some of the great British gardens - including yours! They have asked if they can to visit our garden and have "English Tea" with a real english family!!

Is that a red squirrel? Your photos are super.

There's a lot of play acting! Having just scalped the winter flowering pansies so that we can get another flush in July, the camera man said, "I know it sounds daft, but could you just put all the flowers back and start cutting them again - let's really get the sound of the secateurs"!

We were talking to some gardeners who have finally been accepted into the National Garden Scheme. The BBC television series followed their trials and tribulations as they failed, initially, to get approved. It seemed as though the filming covered many of the winter and spring months. In fact, they had to keep changing their clothes to look as though it was cooler or milder than it actually was!

A garden centre owner told me of a BBC filming session when they were selling christmas trees. Because of repeated postponements of the filming session there were only 20 trees left - but the final film looked as though there were hundreds!

Sorry to hear of your injuries - not what you need at this time!

Still trying to find the name of this double poppy - it's the same one as the photo with the bee.

Thanks - I've just found a book "Succession planting for adventurous gardeners" . It written by Christopher Lloyd, of Great Dixter, and describes exactly what we do - we keep pruning and letting different plants have their moments - the garden is like a giant orchestra! Things are crammed together but we prune very heavily in June, in addition to winter time.

I've just pruned the pansies down completely - they are already sprouting again. I've put some tuberous begonias amongst them and, hopefully, the planters will spring to life again during July.

I've left mine in the ground for two winters and they've bloomed well.

I like that "every travail is only half as hard...."

We had lunch today at 11am (we're on holiday - in the garden) and have just had another meal at 7pm - so we're ready for our evening shift! It's not work when you enjoy something as much as we do.

Welcome - it's a very friendly and helpful site.

Hope you have time to put your feet up briefly at the beginning of July - take a well-deserved breather and enjoy the fruits of your labour!

I have hundreds of tuberous garden begonias which tolerate full sun. I did try some others, that looked similar but were intended for conservatories. I put them outside but they shriveled up and looked sad unless they were fully shaded and they didn't survive the summer.

I think it's good to see pictures of gardens - whether they're your own or not.

It's also good to see other ways people enjoy their gardens. Your paved areas must be a mind blowing display of colour in the summer.

The plaque near the doorway says "Four Seasons" - the same as our profile icon.

This pergola started life in another part of the garden. Then we built the oriental pagoda and two wooden structures so close together didn't look right. I had been trying to think of some "gateway" for this part of the garden but didn't want trees or conifers - this was perfect. We measured up and dug the holes and carried the archway down the garden and placed it in the holes - it stood up straight and level - as though it had always been there!

What is this tall, straight growth? I like it!

Looks like Nancym's profile photo!

Lovely colour

Yes, it's Picea Koster. It has lovely blue new growth

We're on holiday at home now for two weeks and are spending most of the time in the garden - pruning, potting up, tidying. I call it a "green gym" - much better than paying to go on an exercise bike or rolling road! We can work at a more leisurely pace than we do when we have to go to work.

This photo is taken from the little summer house in the corner of the garden. This spot used to be the compost heap and it took a lot of persuading to convince my husband that it would be a good spot to sit. We then created the stream and it was obvious that we needed more than just a bench. The summer house is now has oriental paper on the walls, carpet tiles, heating, lighting and a CD player with relaxing music. A great place to sit and watch the birds bathe!