Garden Diary, Nature, Photography

Six on Saturday | till the cows come home

Posted by Heyjude on

“Remember, Remember the 5th of November,
Gunpowder, Treason and Plot
I see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, ’twas his intent
To blow up the King and the Parliament
Three score barrels of powder below
Poor old England to overthrow…”

Given the shambles of the British Parliament these past few months it’s surprising that there hasn’t been another attempt. Anyway it appears that the American import of celebrating Halloween has superseded our British tradition of setting fire to the Guy on this date, but I remember many Bonfire nights with catherine wheels, rockets, silver fountains, bangers and those things that jumped around erratically on the floor – jumping jacks? Typical food was usually toffee apples, pies and mushy peas, jacket potatoes and good old Yorkshire Parkin, all shared and provided by neighbours.

Enough nostalgia! Back to the job of the day. Six things in the garden on a Saturday.

It has been a wild week here in the south west, heavy showers, gales, thunder and hailstones. My poor Kilmarnock Willow tree has been rocked so much that it has finally fallen over. We’ve tied it back to the fence for now, but I think it will have to come out.
Hydrangea ‘Vanille Fraise’ has entered its fourth phase – the raspberry red turning to caramel.
Under the Kilmarnock Willow is this little Hebe plant, now coming into flower.
Out on the Cornish Hedge is this Winter Jasmine. I’ve had it for years, originally in a pot, but it never flowers well here in Cornwall. Maybe it just doesn’t get cold enough. No scent.
Something that does grow well, too well, is this wild clematis – ‘Traveller’s Joy’ or ‘Old Man’s Beard’ which is taking over the fence between me and the farmyard. The seed-heads are rather beautiful though.
The Fatsia Japonica’s alien flowers are providing sustenance for the pollinators that are still around. Actually the flowers are very similar to Ivy flowers.

The header photo is of the cows along the cow track behind my lovely Wheal Alice engine house which they use to come and go to the dairy to be milked. It always amuses me watching them amble along in a very orderly fashion.

Jim of Garden Ruminations is now our host and as a former nurseryman has a lot more than the SOS happening over on his blog so well worth following. As always, if you want a peek over other people’s garden walls then please pop over to his site where you find links to many more wonderful garden enthusiasts from all over the world. See here for the participant’s guide.

Six on Saturday

53 Comments

  1. n20gardener says:
    November 7, 2022 at 09:55

    I have a few hebes that were in the garden when we arrived. I still don’t really understand them! Some flower in the summer and some have flowered about now. Yours looks like a good colour to have. Lovely photos on a sunny day, here it is still heavy rain – which is needed.

    1. Heyjude says:
      November 7, 2022 at 09:59

      Hebes grow like weeds here! I have pulled several out. And yes, they do tend to flower randomly.

  2. Ann Mackay says:
    November 7, 2022 at 18:54

    Lots of beauty still in your garden – especially the wild clematis and the hydrangea.

    1. Heyjude says:
      November 7, 2022 at 19:14

      The clematis is encroaching on a lot of things along my fence, but it is not easy to disentangle. I need a much less windy day!

      1. Ann Mackay says:
        November 7, 2022 at 23:25

        Yes, I can imagine!

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