Vale Garden Flowers

11/10/2025

19/09/2025

Well, it's been quite a week one way or another. The lawn "redesign" is underway rather sooner than I'd expected (Bodgeit Bob, my OH, couldn't wait to get going..). I don't have any glorious garden pictures to share yet, just muddy work in progress. The rotavator arrives on Monday and some new turf next Wednesday. My positive covid result arrived two days ago 🫣
Not ideal since I'm supposed to be doing half the work and our grandson's birthday was yesterday.
In other news, something has eaten most of the leaves on my newly planted and rather expensive clematis Jingle Bells but one of my new little hellebores is already flowering. Probably a little confused, like me. I'm looking forward to planting lots of things very soon, including the glorious nandina domestica I couldn't resist at several weeks ago.
But most of all I'm looking forward to visiting the Malvern Autumn Show next weekend as an ordinary punter. I hope to come home laden with plants. Anyone else going?
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11/09/2025

The season has definitely shifted. I know this because I've been reaching for socks and jumpers and only just resisting. It's been quite a summer one way and another and I'm looking forward to Autumn more than usual. It is, after all, the best season for gardening...plants can be replanted, seeds can be bought (and in some cases, sown), plans can be made and plants purchased. I've spent so much time planning how I'm going to change our new garden and saying, out loud, that we can't do all the work ourselves. Well, guess what...The spade beginning to dig up the very sad lawn may give you a clue about what's going on now.
In other news the grapes are pretty impressive and actually edible! But the final picture shows my only attempt at very small scale vegetable growing this year. Oh dear...

31/08/2025

Let the end of summer planting begin! For those who don't know, this garden is our smallest for many a long year but it will be beautiful and full of glorious plants. My aim is to prove that a "woman of a certain age" who loves plants, loves growing stuff but knows she won't have the capacity to do the heavy lifting for ever can still have it all. Even the odd tree. So there.
I'd like to say I placed the bench with the yellow cushions directly below that yellow climbing rose on purpose but no, it's a happy accident. Which much of gardening is, however experienced you are.
The little bed outside our kitchen door is going to be full of spring beauties and I'm beginning with hellebores. Thanks to for the young hellebore plants, much the best and most economical way to buy them. The heuchera have done sterling service in pots since last autumn and can now get their feet down into the soil.
I'm itching to go and buy a load of spring bulbs but have to wait till September. Hang on...that's tomorrow! 💚
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26/08/2025

OK, someone please tell me I'm not the only person to do this...
We've just had what I call the Caithness Clan over for lunch (my inlaws) and I found myself standing in the middle of the garden this afternoon delivering a demonstration of the garden plans. "This chair is a cherry tree (probably Chocolate Ice), this chair is another tree ( can't currently make my mind up what) and this shrub is a shrub. But not this one. Oh and the hosepipe is the edge of the new border. Over here is the Spring border. What's going in this new border? Oh so many things, so many,many things...."
And then I check my emails and see some of the plants I've ordered have been dispatched.
Does anyone else feel quite so happy prancing about the garden banging on about their planting plans?! 💚🌿

13/08/2025

😍Join us for a FREE Gardening Volunteer Experience Day at Hill Close Gardens on Tues 19th August! More info here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/hillclosegardenstrustltd/1794394
🌸This is a fantastic way to support us as a Warwick charity and enjoy a day outside in a beautiful setting with like-minded people. Past garden volunteering days have enabled us to transform two gardens already!
🍏Volunteer Experience Days will continue on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. If you are keen to join us but can't make these times then please email [email protected] and we'll see if we can offer more days!

06/08/2025

It's been a busy few weeks. We moved in the middle of May. A newish house and a much smaller garden. Frankly, the week of the move nearly broke me but it really was all worth it! The first time I stepped into the garden I had steeled myself for a radical change...no more big gardens. It has to be manageable, we have to be sensible. You can do this...
And actually, we love it. The hard landscaping has been done and it's someone else's design but we can work with it. But...and it's a big But...there's not enough growing space. I have to have plants, I have to grow things, and I must have a tree or two. And where can I put a teeny tiny greenhouse??!
I've been following lots of on good old Instagram and there are some fabulous inspirational people here. So here we go, a garden transformation to look forward to. Making the most of what we've got (an abundance of seating areas!) and coming up with lowish maintenance ideas that include many, many plants.
Bring it on! 🌿

15/01/2025

A bit of garden tidying in the January sunshine. Just look at these hellebores! Glorious 💚

15/01/2025

A bit of garden tidying in the January sunshine. Just look at these hellebores. Glorious! 💚

14/01/2025

Last night's wolf moon. This is what I call an interesting time of year. When I was working flat out as a teacher I didn't have time to ponder the long dark hours and when I was growing flowers it was a time of wedding consultations and working out what to grow for this year's brides. But now...? Too much time to ponder. Even though we don't know how long we'll be here (don't mention the words "chain" or "broken") I feel it will soon be time to crack out the propagator and sow some seeds 🌱🌿💚

18/06/2024

Flower workshops!
As many of you know, I no longer run a flower growing/arranging business but I am very happy to announce that you don't get rid of me that easily and I am using my skills to raise money for the wonderful in Warwick. Never been? It's right by the race course in Warwick and a visit is a glorious way to spend an hour or two. I'm volunteering as a guide but I'm also putting on THREE flowery workshops between now and the end of September. Swipe through to see more details and go on to www.hillclosegardens.com to find out more. Message me if you need more info.
It would be lovely to see you there! 💚

01/05/2024

I've been to Hill Close Gardens today to start planting up my little cutting patch with annuals. There will be small amounts of lots of interesting things, if you know what I mean. So far we've got some ammi, China asters, white malope, nigella Hispanica and daucus dara. And one solitary wayward antirrhinum. His mates should be following next week along with some other beauties
I was planting in beautiful sunshine but now it's dark and wet again. Come on May, you can do so much better than April! 🌞