I have been trucking on. Three days a week in Hort and I think maybe my favourite time in the veg growing year. Vegetables all over the place, so many I had an excuse to try and make my first ever Piccalilli. All organic veg mainly grown at Plot 18b or going spare at Heale. My recipe included Chilli, Patty Pan, Onion, Cauliflower, Courgette and lots of Cucamelons! Hoping it will be rather delicious. Whatever the outcome I loved making it.
Cooking is so easy with a glut of veg, a real pleasure comes from the reward of all that work.
I managed to sneak a garden visit last weekend, an NGS open fairly near me called The Buildings. Recommended by some visitors to Heale, HG went earlier in the Summer and said I had to go. Boy was he right. A gorgeous setting in Hampshire fields, remote through the fields, some woods, and a barn attached to a gorgeous house. The main part of the garden is walled and creates a real sense of enclosed secret space. A blue worn wooden gate, slightly ajar peeking into the rolling fields beyond. The owner has created a central bed with wonderful mixes of textures and colour, with lots of movement. Grasses, Sedums, Achillea heads 'floating', Erigeron (I love the common name Fleabane), many others I didn't know and many Salvias, all sorts of colours and hardy to tender. I love the use of different colored Sedums, some gorgeous dark reds. Right up my street for planting, movement and texture and a hidden space in amongst it all. You could walk into the centre of the circle and not know where you were. Heaven!
At Heale, we have been continuing with Summer pruning of fruit, so much to do. We have Apple tunnels which are 50 years old and require a LOT of pruning, up through the wires on a ladder. Move along, prune, move along, prune, repeat. We have Pears, Nectarines, Plums, Blackberries, Raspberries, Strawberries, Figs, Mulberrys..........delicious!
We have lots of Box which needs pruning, all over the garden, hedges, in borders, topiary.
HG is so experienced that he can calmly enter a border and work his magic without planning. The fruit above a border gets pruned before the border underneath gets attention. That way you only clear the border once. The Border with topiary in it gets weeded and edged and the Box will also get a trim the Akebia gets a prune along the way with the Chaenomeles. I am very lucky to learn every day from a pro and HG has earned his stripes, working at Heale since 2002 (?) coming across all manner of tasks thrown his way! There aren't many jobs that may phase him!
Amongst all other Hort, I continue to try and keep an allotment, although of late, I am wondering why and find it harder and harder to find the time. BUT I did find this amazing Turks Turban under the weeds the other day. A seed my youngest Sammy chose to grow way back on a cold February day. That made me smile!
