WARNING EXOTIC IMAGES MAY HARM YOUR COMPUTER

I visited the garden of Will Giles on September the 19th. It was an early start, of around 6am, but I'm not entirely sure. I was a little dazed at the time, and probably shouldn't have got behind the wheel of the car....

After meeting Paul Spracklin at his place on the Essex Riviera, we journeyed North-East, Norwich-bound. After many years of solely focusing on growing exotic plants, I knew I had to visit Will. My copy of The Exotic Garden is very well-thumbed, and although my focus had shifted slowly away from exotics in recent years, my day trip to Norwich completely blew me away.

Norwich is a long way from Wimbledon. I think it was about 11am that we arrived. Also touring Will's garden were Melissa and Keith, whose garden we also visited later on that day.

The weather was on our side. Nothing prepares you for when you first enter the garden. Spot the tree house...

Sorry, it's a bit of a blurry shot. This first bit reminds me of one of the Florida gardens. The exuberance and lushness of foliage would be on par with some of the planting at Fairchild Botanic Garden.

I like this bit, with the rubber plant and swiss cheese plant used to superb effect.

Will is very good at blending foliage colours together...

I think Will's new kitten was on the happy pills - it was into everything, and followed us all around the garden. Here he had clambered up the stem of a Musa basjoo, and on discovering he couldn't climb up any further, started meowing plaintively.

I don't know what sort of cat this is below, but it has to be the sleekest, most elegant cat I've ever seen. That colour and shine is just like a chestnut with the spiny casing freshly removed.

Will's bromeliad collection was the envy of our group. The Neoregelia at the front of the display was probably large enough to hold some 2-3 litres of water! Above right is an Alcanterea and the green spiky plant is a Doryanthes.

One of the many beautiful, slightly more elegant, species Canna.

Our little friend again.

The Parthenocissus was trained brilliantly into hanging lianas (if that's how you spell it), between the house and the tree house.

The new bit up the top. The work that had gone into the stonework was amazing. This area is at the top of some steps, and evoked a strong Mediterranean feel. I think below is a hardy Trichocereus and my favourite Agave, A.franzosinii.

Just amazing! The silvery leaved thing on the wall is a potted Encephalartos lehmanni, which has apparently overwintered in that position for a couple of winters! The latest set of fronds were just beginning to harden.

We went up to the magical tree house, with superb views down the hill and across Norwich. It was quite surreal sitting on sofas around the bough of a huge Oak tree. Of course our little friend had to come up there with us. The eyes and ears really are that big!

So that was the morning, pretty much. We stopped for lunch, then headed on to Keith and Melissa's garden in the afternoon. Stay tuned for Part 2...

After receiving a tag from Rothschild Orchid, I have been forced into typing this Meme for the next few hours.

To participate in the Meme Award, you need to:

*Link back to the person who gave you the award;

*Reveal seven things about yourself;

*Choose seven other blogs to nominate and post a link to them;

*Let each of your choices know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog;

*And finally let the tagger know when your post is up.

 

Nelson's Column Number 1.

I first visited the World Trade Centre in New York in August 2001. It also proved to be the last time I visited.

Doctor Who Number 2

I rode an African Elephant into a lake (purposely!), in Gweru, Zimbabwe. Have you?

Debbie McGee Number 3

I'm not a numerologist, but I have strong feelings about the number '3'. I like to plant in threes too, though I can't say I invented that.

Knock at the Door Number 4

I've held a young alligator in the Everglades. I've also held a hatchling crocodile in Chirundu, on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia. I love the sound the hatchlings make - it's actually quite similar to a Jackdaw. I had the sound as a text alert for some time.

Gordon's Alive Number 5

I've always had a love for tortoises. I don't know why. A few years ago I bought a little one which died due to poor instruction. I'd love another tortoise one day, and would like to breed tortoises one day (as added funds to my pension).

Chopsticks Number 6

I didn't mention it before, but I'm a multi-Trillionaire.

Lucky 7

I've been going to our little holiday cottage in North Wales since about the age of 7, usually several times a year.  The air is fresh and sweet. The tap water tastes better than anything from a bottle. It is a very special place, and there will always be a bit of my heart devoted to it (to paraphrase Blur's 'Parklife'!). It is the most likely cause of my all-encompassing passion and interest in plants, animals and nature.

My oh my, I'm not sure if there are many people that haven't already done a Meme. So, I'm going to be lazy and not chase people up. If you don't like it, please call my lawyer.

London Open Gardens

 I visited Victoria's backyard on Monday, and what a huge surprise it was! As with many London gardens, there is an issue with light, what with buildings, fences and large trees. However, this garden is beautifully put together, which doesn't come across in any photos. 

The planting is very well thought out, with an unique and well though out colour scheme which really lifts the entire scheme. That Phormium really is massive! You must see it all for yourself. Victoria's garden is open on Sunday 30th of August for the National Garden Scheme (details here).

Another private London garden (with yet another owner that has a  penchant for the exotic..), flings its doors open on Sunday the 6th of September. It's not letting me direct link, so enter "Ferndown" into the garden name search on the link. Dave's garden is located in Northwood Hills (near Ruislip), and as a New Zealander, has created a little exotic paradise. I first visited a few years ago, these photos are from last year.

The main view as you walk into the garden.

A bit further into the garden...

Dave stands in to give a sense of scale for the hardy Colocasia.

The platform houses a number of palms and bromeliads. The hanging baskets are well-appointed, carved tree fern logs!

The arid bed is a jungley confection of palms, yuccas, cacti, succulents and other oddities.

The planting is quite dense!

The garden is planted using a shoehorn, every nook and crevice is planted with great attention. The shady bit under the palms and bananas contains a super collection of lush foliage plants, both hardy and tender.

I know that the Open Gardens involve a great deal of work, time and effort by their owners. Please visit, and enjoy, knowing that you are helping a good cause. 

Bromeliads

I seem to have amassed a confection of bromeliads over the past few years. They're just a bit collectable! They are extremely adaptable plants, and range from moss-looking plants (Tillandsias uesnoides in Sarasota) to gigantic triffids (Puya raimondii).I've found a few to be fairly tough, but not fully cold hardy in a London winter.  

This one is a hybrid called 'Sueños'. It is thought that the parents are Aechmea recurvata and Aechmea gamosepala. It's a real gem of a plant, and had survived a number of years outdoors, until the winter before last when I nearly lost it completely. Fortunately I managed to salvage a couple of offsets and restart it. From now on it will be my pet, cosied away in the garage over winter. You may not be able to tell from the pic, the plant is about 15cm tall.

This is Aechmea gamosepala, one of the commonest bromeliads in subtropical climates. It's fairly tough here too, but a heavy frost will usually bleach the ends of the leaves. I love the flowers on this one.

 

This is a Tillandsia aeranthos (stapled to an apple tree), which decided to flower recently, despite having been through -9C unprotected last winter.

These two Tillandsia bergeri have been outdoors for years, gradually offsetting/branching and a few flowers this year. I believe one to be a larger form, bought from Croston Cactus. The smaller is what I believe to be the typical form. Who knows? You can also see a Billbergia nutans flower, originating from a plant living in the hollow of the apple tree.

A typical winter scene!

Even out of flower they look cool!

The name's Pond....

It's been a while since my last post, and the next couple of blogs are likely to be the last for a bit longer. What can I say? Time is fleeting.

I managed to get my pond installed just before I went on my mad holiday trip (see earlier post). Here it is today, several weeks after having been installed;

I dug down a bit and the pond is three sleepers high, so the water is pretty deep. Thanks to Owen (a.k.a. Mad Chicken Man!) for advice on the sleepers, the information was very useful and much appreciated. The water seems to be nice and clear, and the lilies are flourishing in their new home.

I wonder if anyone knows why the Albizia 'Summer Chocolate' fades to that coppery colour during the summer? Do others do that? I rather like the purple leaves as they emerge.

I make no apologies for posting even more waterlily pictures...

Mesembryanthemum of the day

The Livingstone Daisy is a family favourite. There are family photos from way back which featured these in the background. In hot weather like this they look superb. 

Just to add - it's worth opening in a bigger window if you're on a fast connection.

Sorry if it burnt your retinas.

Open Gardens

It seems the quintessential English garden never really died (perhaps I was going to the wrong gardens?). These pictures are from a couple of weeks ago, when I went on a dash around eight gardens over the course of a Saturday and Sunday. This involved driving up to North London and down to the New Forest area down in Hampshire. They are in no order, and will remain un-credited, unless anyone particularly wants to know where these gardens are.

Starting the tradition of a Cream Tea and a slice of cake...


A traditional English cup of tea.
This garden was no-where near the seaside!
The first evening opening I have been too. A great time of day to see a garden.

After much cake eating over the open garden weekend, I've just sent off for a pilchard-based diet scheme. I'll let you know how I get on...