Just when I'd lost hope!

I was out clearing this weekend, a pastime that is long overdue and one that I always avoid but always find very rewarding when I finally get down to it. This weekend was no exception. I was tackling the rockery bed which needs some serious work this year. It's a rockery we inherited that was full of self sown tree saplings of various types that had to be removed and in the process the structure was somewhat compromised. So it's always looked a bit unintentional, but this year that is going to change!

So far I've decided what has to go. 

The Juniper Sky Rocket that I planted on the left is sick, it's been sick for ever, it just never thrived (or should that be throve?) It looks sad and brown almost all over now. There are a couple of ferns at the back, invisible at the moment but of the commonest type and self seeded in the stupidest places. 

There is a humongous Libertia on the right (that I have slashed to a stubbly mound) which is far too large, and although it is covered with white flowers all summer which we'll miss, the sharp eyed amongst you will notice there's another identical but smaller (at the moment) one just over to the right!

Which leaves me with some space to fill which is exactly what you want at this time of year. Let the planning begin and the shopping be planned - I have a bed to fill!

Any suggestions of structural, evergreen (or with all year interest), smaller shrubs would be much appreciated, as would ideas for a small tree or something to replace the Juniper - I need some sort of feature at that end of the bed and I'm struggling so far.

Oh, and the thing I'd lost hope of?

Last March I planted 25 snowdrops in the green around the place and have seen the sum total of none of them so far. But as I was clearing I came across these little spears of joy!

So I might have 6 or 7 snowdrops by spring unless they turn out to be something else I've planted and forgotten about, which is always possible or even probable, but they don't look like the crocus shoots that I have and are bluer than the Muscari that are everywhere so fingers crossed - better late than never.

They also gave me the opportunity to christen my Christmas present, perfect for winkling pesky mile a minute from around shoots!

The rehabilitation of Henry VIII

I have always had a soft spot for Henry VIII, he was nothing if not determined. However you could be forgiven for thinking that he was a power crazed, self obsessed, unreasonable, bad tempered, overweight, misogynistic despot. 

But not any more! 

Turns out he was a keen gardener and everyone knows that gardeners are all lovely.

A new exhibition at Buckingham Palace that opens in March includes his gardening manual, the 14th century version of the RHS Encyclopaedia! 

The Ruralia Commoda is written in latin (just to make things easier!) and offers advice on laying out gardens, growing specific plants and estate management. Henry Is supposed to have used it when planning and creating his garden at Whitehall - sadly no trace of this remains so it's quite hard to know if the book is any good.

It's 'well thumbed and annotated' as all good gardening books should be and will be exhibited alongside this painting showing glimpses of Henry's gardens through the arches.

This Telegraph article tells you all about it, and links it to the new series Wolf Hall on BBC 1 - perfect marketing all round. 

So you see, Henry VIII was the Percy Thrower or Monty Don of his time, though I'm not sure that either of them would fertilise squashes with human bone and water them with oil for quick fruiting.

In fact I think Henry deserves huge respect for even thinking about gardening in that outfit!

Painting Paradise: The Art Of The Garden will be on display at The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, from March 20 until October 11.

Frost - it's grrrreat!

We don't get as much frost in Cornwall as the rest of you so when it happens it's quite an event. It's been really cold this week and the car has needed de-icing but the last couple of mornings were the first that saw the garden furred with frost and twinkling in the freezing sun. So out I dashed to record it.

On the lawn... (although you'll notice an awful lot of moss and creeping potentilla and not a lot of grass, so I'm not sure it qualifies!)

...and in the beds.

There were also signs of spring in a sheltered corner...

and now signs of me and my big boots!

Resolutions - not for me!

Whilst completing one of my Christmas presents...

(note the green, nondescript bits were the only bits left to do - it's a RHS Chelsea Winner jigsaw so quite big on green bits). Anyway, whilst I was doing this I pondered the whole New Years resolution issue. Every year I make them and every year I break them sometimes even before I start. Last year I pontificated about not making resolutions and then sort of did - I decided to take on the plant per week challenge on the blog. Those sharp eyed readers amongst you will note that I only got up to 32, which means that 20 weeks were plantless! EPIC FAIL as my teens would say!

So when I read this lovely blog I thought I might try this approach and find a word that might inspire me for the year.

So what do we think the word might be?

I like the idea of 'more'. More gardening, more cake, more chatting, more fun, more time, more crochet, more sketching, more lazing, more wine. But perhaps it would mean more paperwork, more hassle, more moodiness, more cleaning, more slugs!

Maybe it should be 'extra', like extra special or maybe 'do' because I need to stop planning, thinking and talking about stuff and get on and do it.

Then I thought of 'stop' to encourage me to appreciate things more - stop and look, stop and enjoy, stop and listen/smell/think. But then again stop could be quite negative. So maybe 'pause' would be better but that just makes me sound like a cassette tape (showing my age there - ouch!)

This is not much easier than the whole resolution thing!

And then I read another blogger who has decided to buy a plant in bloom every month to add colour to her garden and I decided that the only thing I have a hope of sticking to is some retail therapy. Perhaps I should give up trying to be 'deep' and embrace my inner shallow shopper!

Right where's my purse!

(And just to prove that I did finish the tedious green bits)

Woody Wonder!

I've always thought of January as a grey month but this Sunday it turned into a brown one!

On a walk through Idless Woods near Truro we came across a Forestry Commission work area which was teeming with lovely browns and textures which I felt I had to share.

Ironically we were there looking for a photo location that looked green, not so successful on that front - our search continues!

But there were some other colours about, lovely lichens...

and even some signs of spring!

January Joy!

As I was grumping up my garden path this morning attempting to ignore the death and destruction around me (nothing untoward has happened, I just need to clear, cut back and tidy A LOT!) something caught my eye. 

A splash of colour bobbing in the wind made me focus past the collapsed Acanthus and over the slimy remains of Hosta.

How beautiful is that!

It's the Bosvigo Double Hellebore that I bought at last years sale. The ones I bought the year before are only just showing above the ground, the leaves still tightly curled but this one is in full flight.

Which got me thinking. Hellebore Day must be on the horizon!

And  a quick check confirmed it as Saturday 21st February 2015. Opens at 9.30am and closes at 4pm.

More info here.

HURRAH! 

I feel much better now there's a plant buying opportunity in view. It might even motivate me to clear some space to plant some more in - one can never have too many Hellebores!