23 April 2008 - Cerney Gardens Tulip Festival 2008

Cerney House Gardens is proud to announce the start of its annual stunning display of over 10,000 tulips throughout April and May. After months of hard work planting during autumn, the garden is now filled with varieties of tulips and other spring-flowering bulbs.

Click here for photos from previous years. The results are looking equally spectacular this spring, so please come along and enjoy the display!

posted by B Johnson @ Wednesday, April 23, 2008   1 comments (Post a Comment)

16 March 2008 - Goodbye snowdrops

Goodbye snowdrops! What a year it has been. In spite of terrible predictions after our peculiar summer the snowdrops have performed better than I can remember and following bulbs - daffodils, bluebells and hopefully tulips look set to do the same.

I love the early time of year. Gone is the sinking feeling that cold dark months are with us and eager anticipation is in its place for snowdrop roll call. Most have done better and increased in number, although White swan and Gracilis Highdown have returned weakly after their division last year. Elwesii Deerslot seems to have exploded into seedlings and few flowering plants and Primrose Warburg was weakly and had funny puckered leaves.

I have moved her to my plant hospital and hope she recovers because she has to be a favourite. Other yellow snowdrops have done well particularly 'Wendy's Gold'. I divided George Elwes, Tubby Merlin, Viridapice and Comet last year and began some drifts, which have already established themselves as a focal point.

I am still nervous about division and find some rather resentful of disturbance whilst others certainly go back if left to their own devises. John Grey hated my interference, Plicatus Byzantinus almost disappeared until I noticed how the bulbs were working to the surface and Collosus of course grows like a leek now that I regularly split him.

I had a wish list at the beginning of the year that has certainly been reduced. Wasp and Diggory are now happily planted as are Mary Biddulph and Greenish. But sadly I failed to find Walrus, Ballerina and Heffalump but still there is next year. But probably the most exciting find was the return of our own 'special' yet to be identified by those better informed than myself. It appeared last year and has increased this year. It is an Ikariae with green tips and a good solid green mark from base to apex. It has a charming way of turning up its outers and reminds me of a pixie hat. Roll on next year to see what it does.

There are still lone fresh looking clumps of snowdrops but the year is moving on and spring has sprung. Cherry blossom gives froth to the garden whilst daffodils, primula, scillas and chinodoxa give highlights of colour through pulmonaria and lovely emerging clumps of green herbaceous plants. Everything looks tidy and full of promise but already things are straining to get ahead.

We are looking forward to our tulip festival which will reach its climax at the end of April/ beginning of May but I cannot help noticing patches of colour all round the garden and hope that the forecast cold will stem the enthusiasm some tulips are showing!

Opening earlier this year has meant that we have made huge efforts to clear winter fallout and I feel we are far more together than previously. Most vegetables are sown and potatoes and beans are already in the ground. Our south facing walled garden seems to be warming the soil and already we can see emerging shoots but we have fleece at the ready.

We are off to France next week and are full of design plans for both house and garden. Our cases will be full of portable finds such as curtains, small pictures and of course a plum tassel! Well I like the colour. Amy is coming too and has volunteered to be tea girl. Little does she realise that she will be porter, cleaner, holder, painter and we hope a source of great ideas too.

We are leaving the garden in safe hands. An admirable team led by Lily the puppy who can dig great holes.

posted by Barbara @ Sunday, March 16, 2008   0 comments (Post a Comment)

31 January 2008 - The New Year hardly seems to have started

The New Year hardly seems to have started - in my case with 'flu - and now I
am buying a Valentine card and hoping for flowers! Anyway I already feel
cheered as the days are getting lighter and my wonderful snowdrops are
popping up everywhere.

We have decided to open for the snowdrop season this year as we had so many
glowing reports last year when we opened for the Red Cross (which we are
doing again this year on Sunday 17th Feb). The Nivalis still have a way to
go, but many of my 'specials' are looking fabulous and do not seem to mind
the downpours we have had lately, not to mention last July.

I still have my regular favourites such as Merlin, George Elwes, Wendy's
Gold and Modern Art. But some new to me are rather nice Ding Dong and Vera
Trum have particularly caught my eye. Then there is Elfin and Blewbury Tart
and Jessica and ...

The garden is quickly waking up with Daffodils showing yellow in sheltered
spots and the Hellebores are well on the way. I still love the deep purple
and nearly black faces but every one when turned up has its own individual
charm and we have managed to spread them throughout the beds and even those
in our new woodland garden are flowering.

Opening early has meant clearing borders in record time and no sooner do we
clear one bit of woodland than high winds perversely bring down more. The
vegetable garden looks good and we have even done our runner bean trench. I
have decided to ignore most seed packet advice on sowing in March and began
just after Christmas in the greenhouse and poly tunnel with onions and
leeks.

Broad beans are next and I hope to have most vegetables in starting
positions by end of February. We will plant out earlier and protect with
fleece when we get sharp drops but hope the longer season will give the
plants a chance to do better than last year when we didn't benefit from the
early sunshine that was consistent through March and April. It will probably
all change this year and we'll be back to the drawing board!

We spent a few days in France in the beginning of January and managed to
create an imaginable space for Amy's bedroom. All she needs is a 4th wall!
The owls were in residence and they really do have their own peculiar odour
so we have banished them to the second tower that we can cut off from the
main house. They still seem to be with us so the new Des. Res. met with
their approval.

Most exciting was the appearance of some snowdrops that seem quite happy in
the shade of our trees in spite of little soil and baking summer conditions.
I am happy now I know I can increase my collection over at Saby otherwise
the whole adventure was off! The wild orchids are well advanced in the Park
and the lilac hedge we drastically layered is showing signs of life.

We have plans for a series of avenues to divide the garden and must give
some serious thought to planting the trees in the plan so we can have the
advantage in years to come. We spend a lot of time noting other people's
gardens and what does well. They pollard most things with good effect and we
will follow their lead but with a little British untidiness in between.

The end of last year was a sad record for our pets, with two of my parents'
elderly dogs dying within a week of each other. My father's beloved Plum,
however, is to be replaced by Lily, a cairn terrier that arrives next week.
I wonder what sort of gardener she will be?

posted by Barbara @ Thursday, January 31, 2008   0 comments (Post a Comment)

24 September 2007 - Dark evenings and autumn temperatures

How come dark evenings and autumn temperatures creep up on you without
warning?!

We have been back for three weeks now and already I have forgotten the
summer and am thinking of cutting back and putting everything to bed. Having
so much to do in the garden spoils the appreciation of late flowering
plants; I fear I see many as in the way of a clean sweep. However, there are
lots of treats not least being the unexpected repeat flowering of roses,
dianthus and would you believe hellebores.

The orchard is brimming with fruit and we are still enjoying strawberries
and raspberries. I don't feel that I have had my glut of runner beans as
they do not seem to be grown in our part of France, although, French beans
are well represented by golden, string and chunky varieties. Our courgette
and onions have been a disaster with nothing to show for the early effort.
Slugs and snails are almost certainly to blame for they at least have really
enjoyed the wet weather.

The borders have a calm, lazy feel with warm colours slightly spoiled in
part by bindweed that also seems to thrive in wet conditions. Yes, I really
must clear back everything now. We have dug a large part of the vegetable
garden and the knot garden is trimmed and ready for the new plantings of
tulips for our Tulip festival next year.

We have to prune our rambling and climbing roses and clear the most
prominent borders in the walled garden before we start work on our new
woodland area that we are filling with snowdrops, hellebores and Primula. We
are excited at the prospect of starting a new project, even if we are
quietly thinking that we may be mad to increase the area we have to care
for. But it has been a wasted area of the woodland that will make a lovely
spring walk and enable us to show our ever-growing collection of snowdrops.
Drifts of snowdrops are already well established in the surrounding areas
and the planned meandering walk will reach the very centre of the white sea.

Butterflies are very prominent still and we will take care to leave enough
plants for them to enjoy. The bees that were so busy in the early part of
the year have not produced the quantities of honey we had hoped for but it
will taste delicious and may spur me into making bread again.
Looking back it has been a good gardening year with many lovely visitors
even on wet days. In other respects it has been hard with the loss of
several people important to me. Not least my loyal spaniel Megan who died
the day before we came home. I wish I had said good bye and I miss falling
over her in the garden but Jessie is trying to make up for her by jumping
and hugging at ever opportunity.

Our time in France went so fast but was everything that we hoped for. Amy
may have found some of the days moving plaster dust and woodworm a little
overrated but she enjoyed our daily visits to our second home - Bricomarche.
It is amazing how much you can fit in a Renault convertible alongside the
three of us. My poor car carried planks of wood, huge tins of paint and wood
preservative and even a fridge!

The clearing work to the garden that we had done in the spring was not
immediately obvious when we arrived - the courtyard looked like a lawn of
weeds and the lawn was a hay crop. Worse still we found a stage beyond
woodworm in the main house roof. We were not daunted but a little deflated
to start with but with the encouragement of friends and lovely new
neighbours we got stuck in to making our future home.

Removing a small corner of wallpaper in the main room resulted in the whole
wall being taken back to the stone and left Angus anxious every time I said
"I wonder -". It began a flow of change to the main part of the house. We
removed walls and windows and made doorways and even a staircase. We created
a sunroom and made a start on the attic bedrooms. We are clear that many
things will take years but feel confident that we will have a small living
area by next summer and can't wait.

The garden is a learning curve with trees and shrubs that I almost recognise
but note major differences that make identification vague. Other plants I
know nothing of and some things that need the warmth of the south and are
out of reach to Gloucestershire.

We have some large designs in mind but will be working on near solid rock
and creating a depth of soil and a reliable source of watering will be a
priority. It is very exciting and rather frustrating to have to leave but we
have much to do here and making plans for Saby is half the fun.

posted by Barbara @ Monday, September 24, 2007   1 comments (Post a Comment)

29 April 2007 - Restoration in France, Spring colour in England

We sat on Saby steps a few days ago as we closed up for the last time and drank a final coffee and felt we could be nowhere more perfect. The garden was tidier than when we arrived but still full of self-sown figs, lilac and Judas trees. They in turn were full of birds and butterflies and heady scents. The weather was warm but not nearly as balmy as England and frustratingly several blooms refused to emerge in our time there.

We have neighbouring friends on the case and they have promised to take photographs of the wisteria and the many varieties of orchids that are popping up in the grass. We felt rather self-satisfied as we surveyed the cottage we have worked on. Despite lack of experience we have cleared the canvas of unnecessary walls, restored a window, made shutters and started the plumbing. Admittedly the toilet in the middle of the sitting room is inconvenient and our French is still tentative when it comes to elbow joints and S bends but we have started. Most importantly we are beginning to 'see' how things could be.

The garden is dry and unfed. They don't seem to have taken to putting manure in the garden and we have to start by sourcing some good muck-producing animals. We have a lot of pruning to do but first we are enjoying finding new plants to rescue and breathing in the total tranquillity of the place. It is all exciting stuff and coming home was very hard. However, we are home now and the garden is truly gorgeous and being back is wonderful.

The trees are fully in blossom and the tulips are magnificent. We have a particularly beautiful arrangement in the knot garden where Angus planted our favourites and some new to us. Havran and Knight Rider are set against familiars such as China Pink and Arabian Mystery. Patches of stunning colour in the vegetable garden have made me see some that I was less sure about in a new light. Mostly the fringed varieties that I have previously found over man-tampered have impressed me. Cumins and Curly Sue are good enough to eat!

Actually the vegetable garden is itself a picture as the newly planted seed potatoes and broad beans emerge. Our wood chipped paths have remained mercifully weed free and give a formality to the walled garden, much like the hedges in the knot, that compliments the exuberance of the herbaceous borders and the generous growth of the roses and shrubs.

We seem to have missed the daffodils and the pulmonaria but the primula, including the wild primroses and cowslips are everywhere and the roses have greened up and are showing buds with early specials giving their first flowers in this oh so strange month of April. Bluebells and wild garlic are fighting for position in the woods. They both give off a unique perfume that is so typical of this time of year.

In France they seem to jump very quickly from Spring to Summer and it feels very tempting to be there all the time to watch a year in the garden but then we miss so much here.

posted by Barbara @ Sunday, April 29, 2007   0 comments (Post a Comment)