We worked in some of the borders this week, the gravel border outside the kitchen garden and the Iris borders along the river. The gravel border has lots of bulbs in it so needs light care. I was introduced to a crazy mouse plant, Arisarum proboscideum, which has tiny flowers underneath lots of green foliage. Totally weird as you cannot really see them unless you hunt for them and yet they are beautiful. Alongside grows Ajuga with tallish blue flower spikes, a creeper and quite pretty. Also, creeping Viola riviana 'Purpurea' amongst other plants. Slowly does it and you get to the end of the border. Working in a large garden really helps with understanding scale. Tidying a border at Heale is quite an undertaking compared to gardening at home and experiencing that really helps you to understand timings and gives you the ability to prioritise.
Edging the grass of the borders makes a huge instant impact and is less time consuming. I find this quite satisfying really!
Lots of trees at Heale are busy changing as Spring gets underway. Michael showed me a Plymouth Pear also known as Pyrus cordata which has come into a pretty white blossom in the meadow area and the Sorbus aria 'Lutescens' (Whitebeam) looks fantastic glaring in the distant corner of the garden amongst many greens.
The rain came this week and we hid in the 'Prop' house sowing veg for the kitchen garden, Pak Choi, Onions, Salad amongst others. Great to practice seed sowing and remind yourself of the process, mixing compost and using presser boards and sieves. At Heale I have used glass on top of the modules for the first time to keep in moisture.
When the weather was kinder to us we carried on in the Iris borders along the river, cutting back Hellebore flowers, leaving behind the beautiful new foliage, ready to go again. The flowers were so beautiful and grand in scale I couldn't chuck them all, so brought a few home!
This week I also got to prune an Akebia quinata cream form which grows along a balustrade near the house, a vigorous vine with lightly scented delicate flowers. Everything about it is delicate really, even the leaves. I learnt to prune to one node from the old wood and even though it initially looked like a tangled mass of spaghetti, the plant ended up tamed and ready to get going again. A lovely job, slow and steady. Wet leaves mean wet sleeves too.
A great week, Heale is a magical place with no contact with the outside world (no phone reception anyway). I feel like I enter another dimension there and have to remember that life speeds up again as soon as I get back home. Much to learn but Michael is a great teacher.
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