Busy As A Bee

I have visited four gardens in the past three weeks, the walled garden at Glenarm Castle, Antrim Castle Gardens, the walled garden at Houghton Hall (Norfolk) and Pensthorpe Natural Park (also Norfolk)

They were all inspiring and gorgeous and although I have nothing at all against walled gardens or castles, Pensthorpe is definitely my favourite. It's got water and wildfowl and is designed by the brilliant Piet Oudolf. 

Of course, when I got home and looked at my own garden I was less than pleased with it. Overblown and collapsing - it does not look its best in late summer. Truthfully it only looks good for a couple of weeks in May. Certain plants have got out of hand, especially the cephalaria and sidalcea. I always mean to stake them in time and always leave it too late. They were cut to the ground and I intend to dig half of them out. Aunt Nessie's geranium was reduced by eighty per cent. It's a real stinker too. My hands smelled horrible when I'd finished the job.

We spent a few hours yesterday razing the meadow area of the garden. Bert trimmed, then mowed it twice and I lifted the cuttings and wheeled six barrow loads to the compost heap. I'll sow more yellow rattle in there and hopefully, it will look better next year. The proper meadow is a worry. I don't know if Clint is going to lend me some cows to chomp it down. He is disdainful of my meadow grass. Says the cattle won't like it. If he doesn't I will have to arrange for someone to come in to cut and lift it.

In other news, Bert has decided to wind down the horticulture business. Brexit and the Northern Ireland Protocol has made it difficult/impossible to source liners from his usual English outlets. The amount of business we give them isn't enough for them to bother. I'm not sorry. We'll have more time to do meadow, woods and bee stuff.